Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj on Sunday commemorated St Liviu-Galaction Munteanu at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Cluj-Napoca, praising the faith and steadfastness of the newly canonised priest-martyr.
“We look up and admire his faith and seriousness,” the metropolitan said during the Divine Liturgy celebrated together with his Assistant Bishop Samuel of Bistrița, on the saint’s feast day.
Metropolitan Andrei spoke about the life, courage, sacrifice, and martyrdom of the priest who suffered for defending the faith and promoting religious education among believers.
“He confessed Christ without engaging in politics and stood upright in his convictions,” the metropolitan said.
“We should strive for the Religion class to be treated with great seriousness by our children, because St Liviu-Galaction died defending it.”
“After 1990, we all rejoiced when Religious education classes could be reintroduced into the school curriculum. Yet we also notice that although most children study religion at school, how many of them come to church on Sundays?” he added.
The metropolitan stressed the importance of remembering those who sacrificed themselves for religious education in schools.
“It is therefore our duty to tell them and impress upon their hearts that St Liviu-Galaction – a servant of the Cathedral in Cluj, rector of the Theological Academy, administrative vicar, a lover of Christ and father of three children – died for the Religion class,” he said.
Life of St Liviu-Galaction of Cluj
Priest-martyr Liviu-Galaction Munteanu was born on May 16, 1898, in the village of Cristian, Brașov County. His father, Nicolae, a schoolteacher, and his mother, Maria, had six children, Liviu-Galaction being the second.
In 1923, he obtained a doctorate in theology from the Orthodox Faculty of Theology in Cernăuți. A year later, after Bishop Nicolae Ivan founded the Theological Academy in Cluj, the young theologian was invited to teach there. He was ordained to the priesthood by the same bishop on Feb. 17, 1927.
In 1958, Bishop Teofil Herineanu called him to Cluj to serve as administrative vicar. During a meeting of archpriests in August 1958, Fr Liviu-Galaction was tasked with drafting a catechetical programme for instructing children and adults in the faith.
Imprisoned under communism
The catechetical project was never implemented. On Nov. 21, 1958, Fr Liviu-Galaction was arrested, interrogated and subjected to physical and psychological torture until his trial on May 6, 1959.
He was initially sentenced to 17 years of hard labour, which was later reduced on appeal to 8 years. He was imprisoned in Gherla and later in Aiud prison, where he continued to confess the Orthodox faith despite harsh suffering.
As a result of the hardships he endured, he died on March 8, 1961. His body was thrown into the common grave of martyrs at Aiud.
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church approved the canonisation of St Liviu-Galaction Munteanu and 15 other Romanian spiritual fathers and confessors of the 20th century during its July 11–12, 2024, meeting.
The solemn proclamation of the canonisation of the 16 saints took place on Feb. 4, 2025, at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, marking 100 years since the establishment of the Romanian Patriarchate in 1925.
Photo: Metropolis of Cluj / Darius Echim
