Charity priests from the Archdiocese of Bucharest blessed a cross monument installed in the courtyard of the Mina Minovici National Institute of Legal Medicine in Bucharest on Tuesday.
“The moment chosen, close to the Sunday of the Holy Cross at the midpoint of Great Lent, is symbolic for a place where suffering is constantly present, because families come here regularly to collect the bodies of those who have departed and need to be strengthened through faith,” Fr Alin Nica, coordinator of the Bucharest archdiocese’s charity priests, told Basilica.ro.
“The Holy Cross gives meaning to human existence. Placing a cross monument at the entrance of the institution is meant to show that the Resurrection passes through the Cross, through suffering, but also that suffering has a destination—namely the resurrection of the human person.”
The blessing of the monument was preceded by the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and the Lesser Blessing of Water. Among the clergy concelebrating was Fr Cristian Manolache, who has served for 18 years at the institution’s St Menas Chapel.
Members of the institute’s staff attended the event, along with believers from the community formed around the chapel.
The event was part of a broader missionary initiative that includes the blessing of cross monuments at various medical institutions.
On Thursday, 12 March 2026, the pastoral circle of charity priests from Sector 2 of Bucharest hosted Rev. Associate Professor Marian Vild and Rev. Assistant Professor Mihail Grobnicu from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Bucharest.
The meeting inaugurated a project, “Theology, a Science for the Service of One’s Neighbour”, including a series of dialogues between charity priests and the academic community.
Photo source: Fr. Alin Nica
