The hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobruja met on Tuesday at the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, who also serves as Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobruja.
The agenda included several decisions and discussion topics. Among them were proposals to include two new feast days in the Romanian Orthodox Church calendar: the Sunday of the Athonite Saints and a feast dedicated to the holy members of Saint Basil the Great’s family.
“In the family of Saint Basil the Great, eight members have been canonized in some Churches, especially in the Church of Greece, and it is good for us to adopt this celebration as well. We intend to include it in the calendar next year when we celebrate the Solemn Year of Pastoral Care for the Christian Family, offering this family as a model of Christian life,” said Patriarch Daniel.
Other Topics on the Agenda
The meeting also included:
- Finalizing the theme and bibliography for the clerical first-degree exam;
- A proposal to reactivate a historical monastery in Bucharest;
- The granting of the archimandrite rank to several hieromonks;
- Review of financial reports and heritage inventories from the eparchies within the Metropolis.
New Saints to Be Added to the Calendar
“We also hope that in addition to the 16 saints canonized earlier this year — officially proclaimed on February 4 — we will add in the autumn four more Romanian Athonite saints: Dionysius of Colciu, Petroniu Tănase of Prodromos skete, Nectarios the Vlach, also called The Nightingale of Mount Athos, and Nephon, the first abbot of the Romanian Prodromos skete,” the Patriarch announced.
While this year’s canonizations have only included men, “next year there will be proclamations of holy women,” His Beatitude added. The names of these future saints could be revealed by the end of this year. Eight eparchies are currently preparing the necessary canonisation documentation, including hymns and iconography proposals.
Structure of the Metropolis
The Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobruja includes ten eparchies: Archdioceses of Bucharest, Tomis, Târgoviște, Argeș and Muscel, Buzău and Vrancea, and Lower Danube; Dioceses of Slobozia and Călărași, Alexandria and Teleorman, Giurgiu, and Tulcea.
The Romanian Orthodox Bishops of Dacia Felix, Hungary, Australia, and New Zealand, who depend directly on the Romanian Patriarchate, are also attending the Synod as invited guests.
Photo: Lumina Newspaper / Luigi Ivanciu
