Aurelian Iftimiu

A priest’s mission among deaf people: “I can be their voice in the face of daily problems”

People with hearing and speech impairments in Bucharest celebrated last Friday their spiritual protector, Saint Meletios, the archbishop of Antioch, who explained by signs the Holy Trinity’s mystery when his mouth was covered so that he would not speak. The festive Divine Liturgy was celebrated by the priest of the deaf community in Bucharest, Fr.…

Feb 16, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop of Roman and Bacau hopes his predecessor Bishop Melchisedec Ştefănescu will soon be canonized

Archbishop Ioachim of Roman and Bacau expressed his hope that the canonization proposal of Bishop Melchisedec Ştefănescu, a former bishop of Roman, will be soon approved by the Holy Synod. His Eminence Archbishop Ioachim officiated a memorial service at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of Saint Parascheva in Roman on Bishop Melchisedec’s 198th birthday anniversary on Monday,…

Feb 16, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

View the map: Where to find Romanian Orthodox parishes in Italy

The Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy provides an interactive map with contact details for each parish in its jurisdiction. The map is useful for Romanians, but not only, who need information about the Romanian communities or need support to navigate a region. Parishes operate in places rented or shared with Catholic parishes on the Peninsula.…

Feb 16, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Fr. Ioan Pădurariu: As a hospital chaplain you are like a firefighter on duty

Celebrating his first anniversary as chaplain at St Spyridon’s Hospital in Iasi, Father Ioan Pădurariu spoke about his mission during the time of a pandemic, stressing that a hospital chaplain is “a kind of a firefighter on duty.” “In the sense that he must be present at any time in the hospital, in the morning,…

Feb 16, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Man sanctifies the place: How Romanians transformed a warehouse into a church in Italy

An Orthodox service was served for the first time in the Romanian Church in Montichiari, Italy, on Tuesday evening, February 9. Dean Rev. Gelu Porumb, the parish priest Gabriel Pandrea and several other clerics officiated the Lesser Sanctification of Waters and the Mystery of Unction, the Romanian Diocese of Italy reports. The story of the…

Feb 16, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania marks International Greek Language Day with Vasilopita cutting, online event

The celebration of the International Greek Language Day began in Romania three years ago. The legislative initiative belonged to Dragos Gabriel Zisopol, chairman of the Hellenic Union in Romania. February 9 has been selected as the day to celebrate the Greek language because it coincides with the Commemoration Day of Greece’s “national poet” Dionysios Solomos.…

Feb 16, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Iasi Archdiocese to build Saint Emilia Maternity Home

The Orthodox Archdiocese of Iași wants to start the construction of a new maternity home dedicated to Saint Emilia, the mother of Saint Basil the Great, reads a report issued by the Archdiocese’s Press Office. The establishment of the new maternity home was listed among the Archdiocese’s objectives for 2021 during the Archdiocesan Assembly on…

Feb 15, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Maramureș Diocese wants every parish to have a mortuary chapel

“No parish community without a mortuary chapel,” is the title of the new program of the Orthodox Diocese of Maramures and Satmar announced by Bishop Justin during the diocesan assembly on February 6. This project is linked to this year’s commemorative theme given by the Holy Synod, in an attempt to highlight the liturgical and…

Feb 15, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Volunteer student at Covid-19 Hospital: “I saw how it is to die alone. We should appreciate our family more”

Volunteering in a Covid-19 hospital is a transformative experience on a personal level, explained a medical student at the Lower Danube University of Galați. “I saw how it is to die in complete loneliness,” he said. “I think this vulnerability should make us appreciate more what really matters: family and friends.” Răzvan Iacob, a sixth-year…

Feb 15, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Diocesan Assembly: Bălți Bishop declares confidence of successfully building cathedral, cultural centre

“I have great confidence. We will succeed both with the centre and with the cathedral. We will succeed with all our mission. We will succeed,” Bishop Antonie repeated in the opening remarks at the annual meeting of the Diocesan Assembly of Bălți on Feb. 4. The Bishop of Bălți said that he is not alone…

Feb 15, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Italy’s Romanian Bishop offers his reflections in time of pandemic: We forgot that death is so close

In an interview published on the diocese’s website, Italy’s Romanian Bishop Siluan shares his thoughts on how the pandemic changed the life of the bishops, clergy and believers on the Peninsula. Adaptation, prayer, hope, eternal life are the keywords in the interview. Bishop Siluan referred to the loss of jobs and the pastoral methods that…

Feb 15, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu