Several hundreds of Catholic Christians celebrate Christmas at “Providenta Divina” Church in Chisinau

More than 400 Catholic Christians gathered yesterday evening at the Cathedral “Providenta Divina” (“Divine Providence”) in Chisinau to attend the service on Christmas Eve. Today, December 25, the faithful came to the morning service, where they prayed and sang carols, Info-Prim Neo reports. Polish priest Krzysrtof Plonka, of the Chisinau Romano-Catholic Bishopric, said a lot of people come to the Christmas service to celebrate the birth of Christ. According to him, prayers in five languages – Romanian, English, Russian, Polish and German – are said at the Cathedral “Providenta Divina” this day as the faithful are of various ethnic origins. Maria Sekulska-Solodchii is from Poland. She has lived in Chisinau for 15 years. Christmas has a special significance for her. She celebrates this feast in the family after a strict fast. Oleg Djigun said the feast of Christmas is full of light. He will observe Christmas together with his family, friends and relatives. Oleg Djigun stated that he never breaks the tradition of taking homemade food to his neighbors, who, for their part, share their dishes with him. Eugenia Gritcu said she celebrates Christmas on December 25 in the family, alongside the children, and on January 7, as her parents are Orthodox Christians and follow the Julian calendar. She voiced hope that every Christian will strengthen their faith on Christmas. Ina Ianusheskaia, who is of Ukrainian origin, came to the Cathedral to celebrate Christmas together with her daughters. She said she will have guests in the evening and will have dumplings on the table as this is a traditional Ukrainian food. On December 25, alongside the Catholic Church, Christmas is observed by the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, the Orthodox Church of Alexandria, the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Cypriot Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Polish Orthodox Church, and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (1963).