Anniversaries and commemorations

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

Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe turns 60

His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe turned 60 on Thursday, marking a milestone in a life dedicated to the service of the Church. Metropolitan Iosif was born on 19 February 1966 in Vișeu de Jos, Maramureș County, northern Romania. He graduated from “Gheorghe Șincai” High School in Baia Mare, the “Andrei Șaguna”…

Feb 19, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Patriarchate marks 101 years since its establishment

The Romanian Patriarchate marks Wednesday the 101st anniversary of its establishment. The founding act of the Romanian Patriarchate was approved by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church on 4 February 1925. The Holy Synod’s decision was communicated to the Parliament of Romania, and the establishment of the Romanian Patriarchate was unanimously recognised and…

Feb 4, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

UN marks first week of February as World Interfaith Harmony Week

The first week of February (1–7 February) is observed annually by the United Nations as World Interfaith Harmony Week. The initiative was proposed at the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2010 by King Abdullah II of Jordan and was adopted unanimously on 20 October 2010. The initiative is rooted in the 2007 A Common…

Feb 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox confessor Aspazia Oțel Petrescu remembered eight years after death

Aspazia Oțel Petrescu died eight years ago, on January 23, 2018. She was among the women who bore witness to Orthodox Christianity during Romania’s communist era. She was born on December 9, 1923, in Cotul Ostriței, in Northern Bukovina. Between 1944 and 1948, she studied at the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy of Babeș-Bolyai University…

Jan 23, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

35 years since Mother Alexandra’s repose, Princess Ileana buried with Romanian soil

Wednesday marks 35 years since the repose of Mother Alexandra, born Princess Ileana of Romania, daughter of King Ferdinand I “the Unifier” and Queen Marie. She was born at Cotroceni Palace on 23 December 1908 (sometimes given as 5 January 1909 under the revised calendar). Through her mother, she was related to the royal families…

Jan 21, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

One year since enthronement of first Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Ireland and Iceland

On Sunday, one year was marked since the enthronement of His Grace Bishop Nectarie as the first Romanian Orthodox bishop of Ireland and Iceland. The date also coincides with the hierarch’s birthday. He was born on January 11, 1980, in Vălenii de Munte, Prahova County, to his parents, Ion and Anișoara Petre. At his baptism,…

Jan 12, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

76 years since discovery of relics of Saint Ephraim the New in Greece

Seventy-six years have passed since the discovery of the holy relics of Saint Ephraim the New at the monastery where he was martyred, near the town of Nea Makri, Greece. In 1945, the nun Makaria settled among the ruins of the former Monastery of the Annunciation, where she began rebuilding the monastic settlement in which…

Jan 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel’s name day honours the prophet who showed that history rests in God’s hands

Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel marks Wednesday the feast of one of his patron saints, the Prophet Daniel, revered in Christian tradition as a witness to the belief that world history rests in God’s hands. In this context, observers note that Patriarch Daniel has been the principal founder and driving force behind the construction of the…

Dec 17, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania marks Centenary of Theologian and Archimandrite Andrei Scrima, key figure of the “Burning Bush” hesychast movement

Archimandrite Andrei Scrima, a leading figure of the “Burning Bush” hesychast movement, was born 100 years ago on 1 December 1925 in Gheorgheni, Harghita County. He studied in Bucharest, following an extensive intellectual path that included mathematics, philosophy and theology. Scrima became the assistant of philosopher Anton Dumitriu, through whom he encountered the “Burning Bush”…

Dec 4, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu