Spirituality

When does Great Lent begin in 2025?

In less than a month, Orthodox Christians will begin Great Lent, the most significant and strictest fasting period of the year, leading up to Holy Pascha. Sunday, February 9, marks the start of the Triodion period, which includes a three-week liturgical preparation ahead of Lent. The first day of Great Lent 2025 falls on Monday,…

Feb 6, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

11 holy healers celebrated in December

With these 11 saints celebrated in December, we conclude a series of articles dedicated to the 2024 Commemorative Year. These articles have introduced 136 holy healers—both well-known and lesser-known—honoured by the Church annually. St. Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia – December 2 Saint Porphyrios was born in 1906 in a village on the island of Evia, Greece.…

Dec 13, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

9 quotes on illness, death and enduring hardships from “The Grandfather of Bukovina”, Bishop Gherasim of Putna

Auxiliary Bishop Gherasim of Putna, known as the “Grandfather of Bukovina,” is remembered as one of the most spiritually enlightened fathers of the 20th century. The former abbot of Putna Monastery is frequently described as a symbol of simplicity and humility, a man who “healed through his smile.” The bishop passed away on the night…

Dec 9, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Understanding healing through the Mystery of Holy Unction: Insights from Father Nicolae Dima

In a YouTube video, Father Nicolae Dima explained the type of healing one can seek through the Mystery of Holy Unction, emphasizing its spiritual depth rather than a promise of miraculous physical cures. A Ritual of Renewal Father Dima recounted his personal experience of performing the Holy Unction in a hospital room where his daughter…

Nov 20, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Medicine and Monasticism: Complementary vocations for Abbess Justina Bujor of Paltin Monastery

Stavrophore Justina Bujor, the abbess of Paltin-Petru Vodă Monastery, shared in an interview with Doxologia.ro how medicine and monasticism intertwined in her life as complementary vocations. “On one hand, it’s challenging, but on the other, they truly complement each other,” said the abbess about her dual roles as a monastery leader and a physician. “I…

Nov 19, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Elder Parthenios warns mobile phones and internet pose major spiritual risks to monastic focus and prayer

Elder Parthenios Agiopavlitis, the abbot of the Athonite Monastery of Saint Paul, recently raised concerns over the dangers that mobile phones and the internet pose to monastic life. Reflecting on nearly 50 years as abbot, Elder Parthenios recounted incidents in which monks, who had left the world for a life devoted to God, fell prey…

Nov 6, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Holy healers celebrated in November (I)

November brings our attention to 16 saints to whom believers can turn for physical and spiritual healing and for examples of how to navigate the challenges of modern society. This article provides a brief overview of the lives of 8 saints from the first part of November, noteworthy because they faced the trials of the…

Nov 4, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Ignatie of Huși expresses concerns about monks’ presence on social media

Although he is one of the few Romanian hierarchs active on social media, Bishop Ignatie of Huși expressed his scepticism regarding the use of social platforms during the diocese’s annual monastic synaxis on Tuesday. His Grace Bishop Ignatie began by referring to Saint Silouan the Athonite, commemorated on Sept. 24, who said, “A monk should…

Sep 27, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

The world is deceived, leading to increasing disasters and evils, Archbishop Irineu says

Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj and Archbishop Irineu of Alba Iulia consecrated the “Saint Michael the Archangel” Church in the Mărăști neighbourhood of Cluj-Napoca on Sunday. In his sermon to the hundreds present at the event, Archbishop Irineu warned that the world is moving at a dizzying pace today and that “without the fear of God,…

Sep 17, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

The call to follow Christ: Reflections on the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross by Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas

In his message for the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas contemplates the profoundness of the Savior’s call: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34). The Romanian Metropolitan notes that this command is a…

Sep 13, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Pre-Iconoclastic fresco of the Virgin Mary discovered on Greek Island of Naxos

A fresco depicting the Virgin Mary from the pre-iconoclastic period (726-842) has been discovered in a Byzantine church on the Greek island of Naxos. The discovery is rare, as most icons were removed from churches or covered during the iconoclastic period. The fresco, portraying the Mother of God, was uncovered behind a layer of lime…

Aug 26, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu