The local proclamation of the canonisation of Saints Heraclius and Alexander of Bessarabia will take place on August 3 in Chișinău, the Metropolis of Bessarabia has announced.
The solemn event will follow the hierarchical Divine Liturgy celebrated at the “Holy Apostles Peter and Paul” Church in the capital of the Republic of Moldova.
The local proclamation involves the official presentation of the saints: their names and lives, the dates on which they are commemorated, their troparia, and their icons.
“All who wish to honor these two saints are invited to participate in this solemn moment of veneration and thanksgiving to God, Who is ‘wonderful in His saints’ (Psalm 67:36),” the Metropolis noted.
Saints Heraclius and Alexander of Bessarabia were canonized in 2024 by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, with the formal canonization ceremony held on February 4 at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, marking the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate.
Saint Heraclius of Bessarabia
Saint Heraclius (Flocea) the Confessor of Bessarabia was born on May 11, 1893, in Pojorâta (then part of Austro-Hungarian Bukovina, now Suceava County, Romania) and reposed in the Lord on August 16, 1964, in Chițcani, Republic of Moldova.
Protosyncellus Heraclius (Iraclie) was a providential figure for Romanians in Bessarabia, especially during the Soviet occupation, when he served as Vicar of the Archdiocese of Chișinău and effectively led the Romanian Orthodox Church in Bessarabia through perilous times.
He steadfastly refused any compromise or collaboration with the USSR’s atheist and repressive regime, which led to his arrest in 1945 and deportation for eight years to Soviet labour camps.
Saint Heraclius is commemorated on August 3.
Saint Alexander of Bessarabia
Hieromartyr Alexander (Baltaga) was a vigorous advocate for national unity among Romanians on both sides of the Prut River. On March 27, 1918, he was the only cleric among the deputies in the Sfatul Țării (Council of the Country) who voted for the Union of Bessarabia with Romania.
Saint Alexander is commemorated on August 8.
Photo: Basilica.ro
