Romanian Priests Venerated the Chains of Apostle Peter Along with Prisoners

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On January 16, 2025, prayer services in honor of the Feast of the Veneration of the Holy Chains of Apostle Peter took place in Romanian prisons, according to basilica.ro. Bishops from the Tulcea and Lower Danube dioceses prayed together with the prisoners in prison chapels.

On this day, Bishop Visarion of Tulcea led the Divine Liturgy at the chapel of the "Maxima Sigurătce" penitentiary institution in Tulcea. The bishop prayed for the spiritual renewal of the prisoners and for the correction of their lives through turning to God. 

Bishop Visarion reminded the prisoners that Apostle Peter endured chains and imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel, and his miraculous liberation became a symbol of divine protection for all who trust in the Lord. He emphasized that Saints Peter and Paul are the protectors of prisoners, as they themselves bore chains for Christ. His Eminence also presented gifts to the prisoners and received in return an icon of the Three Holy Hierarchs painted on glass.

On the same day, Archbishop Casian of Lower Danube celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the chapel of the Galati penitentiary institution, dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The service was attended by priests and several prisoners.

Archbishop Casian delivered a sermon on the significance of repentance, reminding that prisons can be places for spiritual reflection and life transformation. He blessed the construction of a new church on the premises, which he had laid the foundation for in 2023, and presented the prisoners with prayer books and icons.

The Feast of the Veneration of the Holy Chains of Apostle Peter is celebrated on January 16 according to the Gregorian calendar and on January 29 according to the Julian calendar. The commemoration honors the chains by which the apostle was bound during his arrests: in Jerusalem around 42 AD, under the orders of King Herod Agrippa, when an angel miraculously freed him from prison (Acts 12:7), and in the Mamertine Prison in Rome under Emperor Nero, around 64 AD. The chains were kept in Jerusalem, then transferred to Constantinople, and later to Rome, where they are now housed in the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli.

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