On February 2, on the feast of the Feast of the Lord, the 26th edition of the World Day of Consecrated Life is celebrated throughout the Church. On this day, the eight female monastic families, spread in the diocese in 11 communities, and the two male monastic families, are remembered during the prayer, for the gift of their presence, a sign of communion and missionary impulse.

There are currently 9 priests, 2 monks and 26 nuns in the Diocese of Chisinau. They are all involved in parishes and pastoral activities, in education and training, as well as in the service of the poor and the elderly. The presence of consecrated persons is a testimony of faith full of joy and will, lived especially through obedience, virginity and poverty, which are the fundamental points of their choice of consecration.

There are three reasons we celebrate this day. The first is to praise the Lord and to thank him for the great gift of consecrated life, which enriches the Christian community with the presence of monks and nuns dedicated entirely to God and the multiplicity of their charisms. The second reason is to promote the knowledge of consecrated life in ecclesial communities. The third reason refers directly to consecrated persons, who are urged to solemnly celebrate the miracles which the Lord has wrought through them.

It is also significant that this day is celebrated on the liturgical feast of the Lord's Welcome, because the image of this event in the life of Jesus reveals the characteristic features of his nature.

"I thank the Lord - commented Bishop Anton Coșa - for the gift of consecrated persons from the Diocese of Chisinau, along with priests, young people, children, the poor and the elderly. It is a presence that enriches the way of the Church and that offers society a significant evangelical witness ”.

The Feast of the Lord is celebrated on February 2, 40 days after Christmas. It is the liturgical feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, narrated in the Gospel of Luke (2: 22-40), and known among the people as the Feast of Lights, because on this day the candles, the symbol of Christ, the light of the world, are blessed. as the baby Jesus is called by the old prophet Simeon: "My eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before all nations; a light for the light of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."

The Feast of Lights has its origins in the Orient, under the name of "Hypapante - Welcome". In the sixth century it spread to the West: from Rome, where it had a more penitential character, with the solemn blessing and the procession of candles that gave the name of the holiday.

This holiday ended the Christmas celebrations, and with Simeon's prophecy to the Virgin Mary: "A sword will pierce your soul!", It opens the way to Easter.

For a time, this feast was dedicated to the purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in remembrance of the moment reported in the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, when Mary, according to Jewish law, went to the Temple in Jerusalem, 40 days after the birth of Jesus, to offer his firstborn son and perform the legal ritual of his purification. The 1960 liturgical reform restored the original title of "Welcome to the Lord" for this celebration. According to Jewish custom, a woman was considered unclean for 40 days after giving birth to a male child and had to go to the temple to purify herself.