His Grace Teofil of Iberia, Assistant Bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal, celebrates his 55th birthday on Wednesday.
The hierarch was born on 13 May 1971 in Desești, Maramureș county, Romania, to Gheorghe and Maria.
Between 1977 and 1985, he attended primary school in his native village, while from 1985 to 1989, he studied at Industrial High School No. 2 in Sighetu Marmației. In 1989, he enrolled at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Cluj-Napoca. He later attended the Faculty of Theology in Cluj-Napoca between 1992 and 1996.
He entered the monastic community of Nicula Monastery in 1991, and the following year was tonsured a monk with the name Teofil (Theophilus).
In 1998, he was elevated to the rank of protosyncellus, in 2002 to archimandrite, and in 2013, he received the Patriarchal Cross distinction.
Between 1995 and 2008, he served as spiritual father of the Life-Giving Spring Monastery, while between 2002 and 2008, he also served as Exarch of monasteries for the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac and Cluj.
From 2008, he became ecclesiarch of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Cluj-Napoca and also assumed the role of president of the diocesan monastic consistory.
Archimandrite Teofil was elected Assistant Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal during the Holy Synod’s working session on 15 February 2018 and was consecrated bishop on 15 April 2018 at the Orthodox Cathedral in Madrid.
Photo: Basilica.ro
