The Bishop Chesarie Theological Seminary in Buzău marked 190 years since its establishment on Tuesday. “We are committed to continuing to prepare servants of the Church and good, responsible and loyal people,” Fr Cristian Dima, the institution’s director, told the Basilica News Agency.
The programme began with a Te Deum service and continued in the theological school’s first historic building.
The event was attended by Archbishop Ciprian of Buzău and Vrancea; Sorin Ion, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Research; Romeo Moșoiu, adviser to the Minister of Education; Cătălin Pîslaru, General Inspector for Religious Education; and representatives of the local authorities.
On the occasion of its 190th anniversary, the Bishop Chesarie Theological Seminary received the Spiru Haret Anniversary Plaque and Diploma from the Ministry of Education and Research. The seminary’s director described the distinction as a milestone in continuing the institution’s educational mission.
“Beyond the natural joy and honour, for us it represents, symbolically speaking, a precious ‘bookmark’, given as a gift to the school community and the local Church before the next chapter in the story of learning and formation that has been written here for almost two centuries.”
190 years of theological education
The educational institution includes secondary-school classes specialising in Orthodox Theology, primary classes following the Step by Step educational alternative, and two kindergartens offering standard and extended programmes.
“Although it is sometimes said that we are a small school, we carry on our shoulders, in our minds and in our hearts, a history and an educational scope that are inversely proportional to our size. These place us at the forefront of Romanian pre-university theological education and, at the same time, both honour us and place a responsibility upon us,” Fr Cristian Dima emphasised.
The seminary’s director thanked the Archdiocese of Buzău and Vrancea, the Ministry of Education and Research, local authorities and all those who support the institution’s work.
“We receive this distinction in recognition of the fruits of this cooperation, of the academic and professional paths of our graduates who make us proud, and of the contribution that the Buzău Theological Seminary continues to make towards fulfilling the teaching mission of the Romanian Orthodox Church.”
The Bishop Chesarie Orthodox Theological Seminary in Buzău is one of Romania’s oldest institutions of theological education. Founded in 1836, it was the first secondary school established in the city.
Photo: Facebook / Bishop Chesarie Theological Seminary in Buzău
