Spirituality

The ladder that is difficult to climb: Triodion calls us to humility, Bp Timotei says

His Grace Assistant Bishop Timotei of Prahova celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Saturday at Radu Vodă Monastery in Bucharest. In his homily, he spoke about the spiritual significance of the Triodion. It calls us “to humility, which can exalt man to God,” he said. This path is like a ladder that is difficult to climb.…

Feb 22, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Dialogue between a deafblind girl and a priest: Ask Christ to help me for at least five minutes

Deafblindness is a severe multisensory deficiency that often generates significant communication difficulties, impairs access to information, orientation and mobility. A dialogue between Father Mirel Ilie, the coordinator of the hearing-impaired community in Bucharest, and a little girl suffering from this condition highlights how complex and sensitive the mission of the priest is: “We were at…

Feb 17, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

St John the New’s relics tour Suceava County to ward off coronavirus

The holy relics of Saint John the New of Suceava toured the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți at the beginning of this week ‘to bring again the belief that we are not alone and that the saints protect us and intercede with God on our behalf,’ assistant bishop Damaschin of Dorna noted in a message…

Nov 26, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

10 Saints Gregory in the calendar: How to tell them apart

The name Gregory is mentioned ten times in the calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church, four of which in November. Every time this name is linked to a saintly person who embraced the monastic life. Etymologically, the name Gregory comes from Greek and it means ‘vigilant,’ ‘watchful,’ ‘alert.’ The name also became associated with Latin grex (stem greg–)…

Nov 18, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

St Paisios of Neamt has founded a school of spirituality for whole Orthodoxy, Patriarch Daniel says during reliquary blessing service

Patriarch Daniel on Thursday blessed a processional reliquary containing a fragment of the relics of St Paisios of Neamț, saying that the Saint founded a school of spirituality useful for the whole Orthodoxy. St. Paisios of Neamț (Velichkovsky) organized and guided monastic communities at Dragomirna, Secu and Neamț monasteries in Romania. He translated the Philokalia…

Oct 16, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian actor Florin Piersic recounts being miraculously healed by St Paraskeva in his childhood

Romanian actor Florin Piersic told Doxologia.ro last Saturday how Saint Paraskeva of Iași miraculously healed him when he was a child, for his mother’s fervent prayers. The actor disclosed how attached he felt to the Church, his mother Vera being a priest’s sister.  The actor confessed he spent his childhood in an environment where the…

Oct 14, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

“Second youth, new choices”: Fashion designer Florin Dobre admitted to Bucharest’s Theology Faculty

Florin Dobre, the only Romanian fashion designer with collections featured in Vogue and GQ magazines, announced he was admitted to “Patriarch Justinian” Faculty of Theology in Bucharest. It was a sudden thought to become a Theology student. He disclosed it to his spiritual father, who gave him the blessing to go to the admission exam even though he…

Oct 9, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

For actor Jonathan Jackson, embracing Orthodoxy was not just conversion, it was “coming home”

American actor Jonathan Jackson granted to TRINITAS, the Television of the Romanian Patriarchate, an interview about his conversion to Orthodoxy and how he lives faith. Asked to describe Orthodoxy in three words at most, the actor chose “coming home”. He added: “to a place we’ve always known. I don’t really look at this like I’m…

Sep 18, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Life of Saint Paisios to become TV series

The life of Saint Paisios is about to become a TV series. Saint Paisios lived most of his life in Konitsa and became a monk in the Holy Monastery of Panagia in Stomion. The shooting in Konitsa has already started, Orthodox Times reports. It is a production of a large company in the film industry…

Sep 18, 2020Iulian Dumitraşcu

The making of the movie about St Nektarios: How were the actors chosen

The second round of location shooting for Man of God, the movie about St. Nektarios of Aegina, is scheduled for the first part of September in Greece. Yelena Popovic, the movie producer, director and writer, told Greek journalists how she chose the actors. The saint is played by Aris Servetalis (Greece), who was the best…

Sep 7, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

The Lamentations of the Dormition of the Theotokos

FIRST STASIS In a grave they laid you yet, O Christ, you are life and they now have laid the Mother of Life as well: both to angels and to men a sight most strange!   We exalt you greatly, Theotokos most pure, and we glorify your holy dormition now, as we bow before your…

Aug 13, 2020Ștefana Totorcea