The Church “Saint Apostle Andrew and Saint Nicholas” together with LIBERTY Galati and the GFG Foundation organized on Tuesday an anniversary event on the 20th anniversary of the consecration of the Church located at the steelworks.

Known as the “Steelworkers’ Cathedral”, the church is the only one of its kind in Romania and the favorite place of prayer for many employees and contractors of LIBERTY Galati as well as local parishioners. Built in record time through the company’s efforts and consecrated in 2002, the church continued this year with the painting works, with the support of the GFG Foundation and LIBERTY Galați.

The day before St. Andrew’s Day, HE Archbishop Casian officiated a blessing service for the workers on LIBERTY Galati steel platform and hold a service of remembrance in honour of our deceased colleagues. The event celebrates the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Andrew the Apostle as the patron saint of Galati, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Church and the 10th anniversary of the involvement of the LIBERTY Galati volunteer group in Galati community causes. The priests blessed the volunteers and the GFG Foundation Students from the Paul Dimo High School participating in the dual education programme who took part in the event.

Father Tiberiu said, “Our Church has St. Andrew as its protector, and this is the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Andrew as the protector of Galati. It is a special event. This church, known as the Cathedral of the Steelworkers, represents a link between the parishioners and the place where they work, where they worked, a link that they have not lost.”

Ajay Aggarwal, LIBERTY Steel Group’s European President and Chairman of the LIBERTY Galati Board of Directors, said: “I am very pleased that we have been able to help the completion of the painting works at the Church, which is an integral part of our LIBERTY Galati community. We look forward to continuing to build on our strong bonds with the church to deliver new projects for the community over the years to come.”

Started in the summer of this year, the painting works at the “Saint Andrew the Apostle and Saint Nicholas” Church are nearing completion. These works were financially and logistically supported by LIBERTY Galati, the GFG Foundation, in partnership with the “Lower Danube” Archdiocese, the Galati City Hall and the State Secretariat for Cults. The painting was made in a special fresco technique using special mineral materials, which integrate with the wall on which it is applied and thus ensure the images a lifetime of hundreds of years. Painting the Church is part of a wider program of community involvement that includes social, educational and philanthropic projects.