Anniversaries and commemorations

Six centuries since the martyrdom of Saint Ephraim the New, wonderworker of Nea Makri

Six centuries ago, on 5 May 1426, Saint Ephraim the New surrendered his soul after enduring prolonged and brutal torture for the Orthodox faith. Saint Ephraim was born in Greece on 14 September 1384 and was left fatherless at a young age. At the age of 14, he entered monastic life at the Monastery of…

May 5, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

11 years since the repose of Archim. Roman Braga, confessor of the Jesus Prayer and witness through exile

Wednesday, April 29, marks 11 years since the repose of Archimandrite Roman Braga, the Bessarabian-born confessor who began practising the Jesus Prayer through the Burning Bush spiritual gatherings at Antim Monastery in Bucharest, endured communist imprisonment twice in Romania, and later served the Church in exile. Born in 1922 in Condrița, Bessarabia, Fr Roman entered…

Apr 29, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania marks 85 years since Fântâna Albă Massacre, known as ‘Romanian Katyn’

Wednesday, 1 April, marks 85 years since the Fântâna Albă massacre, an event often referred to as the “Romanian Katyn”. In April 1941, Northern Bukovina was part of the Soviet Union following the ultimatum issued to the Kingdom of Romania in June 1940. The predominantly Romanian population was subjected to a campaign of arrests and…

Apr 1, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Jubilee Year for the Akathist Hymn marks 1,400 years since first chanting

This year marks 14 centuries since the city of Constantinople was saved from a siege by a coalition of Avars and Persians, an event commemorated by the first chanting of the Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God. The Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos, traditionally attributed to Saint Romanos the Melodist, was first chanted in…

Mar 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Serbian Orthodox Saint Nikolai Velimirović marked 70 years after blessed repose

March 18 marks 70 years since the blessed repose of Saint Nikolai Velimirović, a Serbian Orthodox hierarch whose life was defined by sacrifice, witness and devotion to the Serbian people and the Orthodox Christian faith. He was born on 23 December 1880 in Serbia. His early education began in the family and continued at Ćelije…

Mar 18, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Ukrainian community in Romania marks 36 years since restoration of Orthodox Vicariate

The Ukrainian community in Romania marks 36 years since the re-establishment of the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate in Romania on Monday. Following the fall of the communist regime, Orthodox Ukrainians in Romania initiated steps to obtain the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church for the restoration of the Ukrainian Vicariate, which had…

Mar 16, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Remembering Romania’s first Patriarch Miron Cristea, 87 years after his repose

Eighty-seven years have passed since the repose of Miron Cristea, the first Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He distinguished himself through intense efforts to organise and develop church and cultural life. Amid profound social and political transformations, he participated in the Great Union of 1918, contributed to the administrative consolidation of the Romanian Orthodox…

Mar 6, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Patriarch Daniel marks 36 years since episcopal ordination

Wednesday marked 36 years since Patriarch Daniel, head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, was ordained bishop. On March 4, 1990—the first Sunday of Great Lent that year—he was ordained Assistant Bishop of the Archdiocese of Timișoara, receiving the title “Bishop of Lugoj.” Patriarch Daniel was born on July 22, 1951, in the village of Dobrești,…

Mar 4, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania marks first official Women’s Month following parliamentary approval

Sunday marked the beginning of Women’s Month in Romania, the first year the observance is being officially celebrated after Parliament approved the initiative and it was promulgated by President Nicușor Dan. According to the explanatory memorandum accompanying the adopted legislation, the law aims to highlight “the positive impact women have had on Romanian society in…

Mar 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Monastery marks 68 years since arrival of ‘Syriac’ Wonder-working Icon of the Theotokos

On 25 February 1958, the wonder-working icon of the Mother of God known as the “Syriac” Icon of the Theotokos was brought to Ghighiu Monastery near Bucharest by Metropolitan Basil Samaha of Sergiopolis, from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. Over the 68 years the icon has been kept at the…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

80 years since Romania’s ‘Burning Bush’ hesychast movement began

The Library of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has marked 80 years since the official launch of the “Burning Bush” spiritual movement at Antim Monastery in Bucharest, commemorating the anniversary in a social media post. In a petition addressed to Patriarch Nicodim and dated 12 February 1946, several Christian lay intellectuals requested…

Feb 19, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu