Aurelian Iftimiu

Saint John defends family unity and fights moral disorder, Patriarch Daniel says

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on Thursday pointed to the example given by the Honourable Forerunner and Baptist John to defend moral values. In his homily, the patriarch recalled that St John is ‘a protector of family integrity’. He is considered the defender of families because he fought against countless vices and moral disorder. That is…

Aug 30, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Cluj Metropolitan: Roma people are our fellow Christians. We want to see them thrive

In a message sent Wednesday on the feast of Saint Moses the Black, the Orthodox Metropolitan of Cluj said that Roma people are ‘our fellow Christians, and we want to see them thrive spiritually and materially.’ His Eminence Metropolitan Andrei Andreicuț recalled that the Roma Association of the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac and Cluj is…

Aug 30, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Saint Antipas of Calapodesti’s soul icon to be officially celebrated every year in Finland

The feast of the Tenderness or Sweet-Kissing icon of the Mother of God at Valaam Monastery will be celebrated every year in Finland on January 11, one day after the feast of Saint Antipas of Calapodesti, who brought the icon to the monastery in 1865. The new feast day was established following the decision of…

Aug 26, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox monasteries featured on new Romanian passport

The new Romanian passport that started being issued from January 2019 has a unique design that features important touristic attractions including three Orthodox monasteries: Curtea de Arges, Barsana and Tismana. Romania’s simple electronic and temporary passports are among the most difficult to falsify travel documents, stated the police chief Mirel Toanca, the head of the…

Aug 26, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Suceava Street to be named after 90-year-old Archbishop Pimen Suceveanul

Suceava Mayor Ion Lungu announced last week the naming of a city street to honour the eldest Romanian Orthodox hierarch, Archbishop Pimen. Called ‘a devoted and diligent hierarch’ by Patriarch Daniel, His Eminence Archbishop Pimen of Suceava and Radauti celebrated on Sunday his 90th birthday. ?HE Abp Pimen of Suceava & Rădăuți celebrates today his…

Aug 26, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Fanouropita: Greek cake for lost items

Fanouropita is a Greek fasting-appropriate cake brought as an offering to Saint Phanourios for helping people find lost things and not only. Saint Phanourios is also interceded for finding one’s way in life, for finding a spouse, for receiving inner peace or other things. Numerous stories abound about how the saint became associated with finding…

Aug 26, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Iași Archdiocese’s Department for Minorities organizes summer camp for Roma youth at Zmeu

One hundred Roma children and young people participated in ‘The Camp of Joy’, organized on August 21-22 at Zmeu Parish by the Department for Minorities of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Iași. “This camp, as well as all the other camps and activities that will follow, are part of a missionary program that we want to…

Aug 26, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Rwanda & Burundi Metropolitan Innocentios enthralled by humility, patience and love of large crowd of pilgrims at Nicula Monastery

His Eminence Metropolitan Innocentios Byakatonda of Rwanda and Burundi has left Romania after a seven-day visit to the Metropolis of Cluj where he celebrated a festive Divine Liturgy at Nicula Monastery which gathered over 20,000 pilgrims for the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. Before returning home on Monday, Aug. 19, the Rwandan Orthodox…

Aug 23, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Ignatie warns against spiritual pirates and ideological boats

His Grace Bishop Ignatie of Husi warned against people who act as ‘spiritual pirates’ to Christ’s church ship generating fear through all kinds of ‘ideological boats’. Addressing the congregation at Delesti, Vaslui County, on Sunday, August 18, the Bishop of Husi stressed that Christians must show courage and trust in Christ, the Helmsman of the…

Aug 23, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Will our nation perish? Romania’s population keeps shrinking mainly due to declining birth rates

Romania’s population declined by 5,365 people in June this year due to demographic factors, especially because of declining birth rates, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS). By comparison, the population dropped by 2,636 people in the same month of 2018. A total of 14,506 babies were born in Romania in June 2019,…

Aug 23, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Roman & Bacau Archdiocese to purchase house for young family of priest who tragically died in car accident

The Orthodox Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău has initiated the process of purchasing a home in Bacău for the wife and four young children of the newly-reposed priest Fr. Marius Gabriel Bărăscu, according to a diocesan press release.  Fr. Marius died in a tragic car accident on August 7, the day before his 35th birthday,…

Aug 22, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu