Aurelian Iftimiu

German youth discover Orthodox Christianity through volunteer work at Romanian monastery

Young Germans are discovering the beauty of Orthodoxy through volunteer activities at Piatra Fântânele Monastery in Bistrița-Năsăud County, where they are taking part in a work camp. The programme runs from 15 to 29 August and brings together 20 participants from the Evangelical Youth Association in Württemberg (EJW), the Cluj branch of the Association of…

Aug 21, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel: Saints Nazaria, Olympias, and Elizabeth of Văratec are models of prayer, diligence and charity

Patriarch Daniel of Romania has presented Saints Nazaria, Olympias and Elizabeth of Văratec as three distinct examples of holiness united by unceasing prayer, humble charity and diligent service to others. He delivered his message on the occasion of the local proclamation of their canonisation at Văratec Monastery. Saints Nazaria, Olympias and Elizabeth of Văratec –…

Aug 21, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

St John of Rila honoured 1,080 years after his repose, Bulgarian Patriarch calls him ‘source of hope’

Saint John of Rila was commemorated on Wednesday at Rila Monastery in Bulgaria, marking 1,080 years since his repose in the Lord. On this occasion, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniil of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church highlighted the saint’s spiritual legacy, describing him as “a source of hope, spiritual help, an example and a guide for our…

Aug 21, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian church in Boian, Canada, consecrated three years after devastating fire

The Romanian community’s new church in Boian, Alberta, Canada, was consecrated on the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, three years after a fire destroyed the old place of worship. His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada described the occasion as “a new rebirth for the Boian community”, as well as a…

Aug 21, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Saints Nazaria, Olympias and Elizabeth locally proclaimed at Romania’s Văratec Monastery

Ten hierarchs and numerous abbots from the Moldavia region, joined by clergy from across Romania and the diaspora, celebrated the Divine Liturgy last Sunday at Văratec Monastery in Neamț County, where the local proclamation of the canonisation of Saints Nazaria, Olympias and Elizabeth of Văratec took place after the liturgy. The assembly of hierarchs comprised…

Aug 21, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Antonie honours Orthodox women for Church service in northern Bessarabia

His Eminence Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia honoured members of the Orthodox Women’s Society of the Diocese of Bălți for their involvement in the life of the Church. A ceremony took place on Monday during a meeting held at the Anastasis Educational Centre in Bălți. The event highlighted the organisation’s work over almost eight years in…

Aug 20, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas prepares aid for families affected by Colombia earthquake

The Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas is preparing assistance for families affected by the earthquake that struck Colombia on 10 August 2026, Metropolitan Nicolae announced. Representatives of the Metropolis have begun efforts to identify the concrete needs of the communities affected by the earthquake in Colombia. Through Fr Daniel Adrian Ene, diocesan vicar and…

Aug 20, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Women in History: Anița Nandriș-Cudla, the Bukovinian peasant who chronicled her Gulag ordeal

Around age 70, in the quiet of her home in Mahala, Chernivtsi region, a Bukovinian peasant woman who had completed only three years of primary school began writing her memoirs under the title Memories from My Life. The manuscript, written neatly and without corrections – almost as though it had been dictated – was entrusted…

Aug 20, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania funds 11 church and monastery projects in southern Bessarabia

The Romanian Government, through the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova, is funding 11 projects to equip and develop churches and monasteries within the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia. The projects will be implemented between July and November 2026 and will include church painting, the production and acquisition of liturgical furnishings, the development of monastic…

Aug 20, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Oldest Romanian Orthodox parish in the Netherlands celebrates first feast of St Maria Brâncoveanu

The Parish of St Gregory the Theologian and St Maria Brâncoveanu in Schiedam/Rotterdam, the oldest Romanian Orthodox parish in the Netherlands, celebrated on Sunday its first summer patronal feast dedicated to St Maria Brâncoveanu. Fr Ioan Dură, the dean and parish priest, celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Following the service, a procession took place with the…

Aug 20, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Migrants Sunday brings Orthodox Christians of different backgrounds together in New Zealand

Romanian Migrants Sunday was celebrated at the Dormition of the Mother of God Parish in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Orthodox faithful of different backgrounds prayed together at the Divine Liturgy. During the service, the message of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel was read. Romanians, Serbs, Russians, Bulgarians, English people and faithful from other communities prayed together…

Aug 19, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu