As the 2024-2025 school year began, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church congratulated students, parents, teachers, and educators. He emphasized the importance of Christian education, calling it “light for society” and essential for the spiritual growth of individuals in communion with God.
Patriarch Daniel highlighted that Christian education fosters values such as love, kindness, and patience, which are crucial for family life and society. He stressed that the teachings of the Holy Scriptures and the example set by parents, grandparents, and teachers play a vital role in guiding children on the path of spiritual growth.
In his message, the Patriarch of Romania urged all involved to cherish and cultivate Christian values in the home, church, and school, praying for God’s enlightenment to help students and educators bear “much fruit” in their communities.
Please find below Patriarch Daniel’s message at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.
Christian Education is Light for Society
At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, we extend our congratulations and blessings to students, parents, grandparents, teachers, and educators, urging them, with parental love, to cherish and cultivate Christian education within the family, the church, and the school.
Christian education focuses on the spiritual growth of individuals in a communion of love with God. The foundation of Christian life is the Incarnation of the Son of God, who became man to offer humanity the opportunity to achieve likeness to God, holiness, and perfection. This is why the Lord Jesus Christ commanded: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
Man cannot strive for this ideal without God’s help: “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). The primary means for achieving perfection is through union with Christ in the Sacrament of Baptism, which enables the person to fight against sin and cultivate virtue, as man is called to a communion of love with both God and his fellow man.
Since the principles of Christian education are based on the Holy Scriptures, inspired by the Holy Spirit, knowledge of revealed teachings is essential for guiding a child on the path of spiritual growth.
Christian education takes place within the family, the church, and the school. In the family, the transmission of faith is facilitated primarily through the example set by parents and grandparents, while in the church and school, it is nurtured by the patience, wisdom, and love of both the student and the Religion teacher.
Just as light reveals previously unknown persons and things in darkness, the school subject of Religious Education and parish catechesis promote a deeper understanding of the meanings of life and the world. They contribute to reducing the adverse effects of today’s identity and orientation crises, offer models of goodness and holiness, and help students understand the history and culture of our continent.
Thus, Christian education, fostered in both the church and the school, is also necessary for harmonious living in the family and in society, as encouraged by Saint Paul: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience… And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity… Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:12, 14, 16).
We pray to the Lord Jesus Christ, our “Teacher” (Matthew 23:10) and “Saviour” (Titus 1:4), to enlighten the souls of students, parents, grandparents, teachers, and educators so that they may bear much fruit in their families and society.
With much appreciation and parental blessing,
† Daniel
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
