His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel blessed pupils, parents and teachers at the start of the 2026–2027 school year and encouraged families, churches, and schools to cultivate faith and Christian values.
The Patriarch of Romania highlighted Religious Education’s contribution to pupils’ personal, moral, and spiritual formation, stressing that education should develop not only knowledge but also skills, attitudes, and values.
He also announced the continuation of cooperation between parishes and schools to support children from disadvantaged families with school bags, supplies and clothing.
“Children and young people are gifts from God to the family, to the Church and to the nation,” Patriarch Daniel said.
Please find below the full text of Patriarch Daniel’s message.
Blessing and Support at the Beginning of the School Year
At the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year, we bless pupils and parents, teachers and educators, encouraging them, with paternal love, to cultivate the values of faith in the family, in church, at school and in society, thus fulfilling the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Luke 18:16).
In the Christian family, faith is lived and transmitted through prayer, as love for God, and through good deeds, as love for our neighbours. Children and young people are gifts from God to the family, the Church, and the nation.
Through their Christian education, they can become not only good citizens of their earthly homeland, but also citizens of the heavenly homeland — that is, saints in the calendar of the Orthodox Church — as, for example, the eight saints from the family of Saint Basil the Great or those from the family of the Holy Prince Constantine Brâncoveanu.
Within the school environment, to provide pupils with a holistic education, it is important to use the particular formative character of religious education. Religious Education contributes to the development of personal identity and to knowledge of humanity’s spiritual and cultural values, while offering elements of applied morality necessary for the spiritual health of both the individual and the community.
Therefore, in accordance with international educational documents that emphasise the importance of cultivating values in schools, Religious Education as a school subject focuses not only on acquiring knowledge but also on developing skills, behaviour, attitudes, and values.
Through cooperation between parishes and schools, our Church continues this year its tradition of helping children from disadvantaged families by providing them with school bags, school supplies, or clothing.
We pray to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and all the saints to grant peace and joy, health and help to all pupils, parents, teachers and educators in the new 2026–2027 school year!
With great esteem and paternal blessing,
† DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Photo: Basilica.ro
