Patriarch Daniel said that the presence of the faithful at the Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem is encouraging. Last year, only clergy participated. Easing restrictions was made possible by the vaccination of a large percentage of Israel’s population and is a step toward a possible reopening of pilgrimages, His Beatitude said May 1, 2021. “In…
Bright Monday marked the 125th birth anniversary of Queen Mother Helen, the grandmother of Her Majesty Crown Princess Margareta. On this occasion, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown and His Royal Highness Prince Radu attended a memorial service officiated at Cernica Monastery. The memorial service was officiated by the monastery’s abbot, Protosyncellys Vasile Pîrjol. Chanting…
The priests from the Orthodox Cathedral in Brasov officiated the Resurrection Service at an outdoor altar at the Council Square. The sanitary measures were implemented in collaboration with local authorities to avoid the congestion on Easter night and to reduce the risk of infection with the new coronavirus. The service was attended by hundreds of…
The patriarchal auxiliary bishop Ieronim of Sinaia said on Bright Monday that “the wonderful work” carried out at the National Cathedral “is a call and a still breeze of resurrection for our nation.” During his homily at the Chapel of the National Cathedral, Bishop Ieronim referred to God’s “still breeze of resurrection” in the hearts…
May 3 marked this year the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Queen Mother Helen of Romania. Her soul and character profoundly marked the lives of her son, King Michael of Romania, and his daughters. She was the only Queen in Europe who was awarded the title of “Righteous among the Nations”…
Bishop Iustin of Maramureș and Sătmar celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the “Dormition of the Mother of God” Cathedral in Satu Mare on the second Easter day. In his homily, he offered an original interpretation of our Saviour’s message to the myrrh-bearing women: “Rejoice!” and “Be not afraid”. The hierarch said these invitations also apply…
In his Easter Pastoral Letter, Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada called upon the faithful to follow in the footsteps of the patron saints of the Romanian diaspora, taking them as their models. “Let us also become steadfast confessors of the Orthodox faith, outstanding representatives of our traditional Christian values proven by time and experience, and…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel officiated the Agape Vespers at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest on Resurrection Sunday, May 2, 2021. Based on the biblical text (John 20: 19-25), read at this service in several languages, the Patriarch of Romania noted that the disciples rejoiced when they saw the risen Lord. “That is why, when we…
Celebrating the 13th Easter of his patriarchal ministry, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel delivered a homily at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, reflecting on the joy and peace that the Resurrection of Christ offers us, thus driving away our sadness and sorrow. “The resurrection,” said the Patriarch, “is for us a cure for sorrow.” His…
There were 11 countries sending planes to Jerusalem for the Holy Fire, most of them with a Christian Orthodox majority population. They flew back home with the Holy Fire on Holy Saturday. Although Ben Gurion Airport is still closed due to COVID restrictions, Israel allowed several countries to send delegations to receive the Holy Fire…
The Holy Fire reached the Patriarchate Hill on Saturday, at 19:30 and it was handed to Patriarch Daniel. His Beatitude said the Holy Fire is the Joyful light from one of the oldest hymns of the Church. “Christ the Lord is the Joyful Light,” he said. “God, Who is Himself inaccessible light, made Himself Joyful…
“Only those chosen by Christ to be the witnesses of His Resurrection can also be the preachers of this miracle. Christ appeared to the myrrh-bearers, the apostles, the disciples and lastly to St. Paul,” writes the Romanian Metropolitan of the two Americas in his Easter Pastoral Letter. “We too are following in the footsteps of…
The Holy Fire has descended Saturday, May 1, 2021, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem entered the church a little after 1:50 PM. The Holy Light descended at about 1:55 P.M. After the Fire’s descent, the Patriarch passes the holy gift to the faithful. The…
In his Easter message, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Albania refers to the vaccine brought by Christ to the world to overcome hatred, namely the voluntary offering of forgiveness. “Forgiveness, hence after, has become an essential chromosome of the life of the conscious Christian,” Archbishop Anastasios stressed. His Beatitude pointed out that sometimes we do…
The Passover of the new Law materializes in the Person of the Saviour Himself, who passes us on to eternal life, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said on Holy and Great Thursday. He also explained how the Last Supper reveals the mystery of Christ’s Cross and Resurrection: through it, He showed His disciples His sacrificial love…
The Easter message signed by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem conveys the encouragement that “the rising from the dead of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ filled the universe with the unwaning and unending light.” The Patriarch of Jerusalem reiterates the history of the sufferings, the Resurrection of the Lord, the appearances after…
In his encyclical for Holy Pascha, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew notes that “all that we believe, all that we love, and all that we hope as Orthodox Christians is associated with Pascha, from which everything derives its vividness, through which everything is interpreted, and in which everything acquires its true meaning.” Patriarch Bartholomew highlights that “the…
In a video message for Holy Pascha 2021, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel points to the final destination of man, namely the Kingdom of Heaven. His Beatitude also conveys best regards to Romanians everywhere, urging them to keep the Orthodox faith and the values of Romanian spirituality. Message by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania on…
“Our Saviour Jesus Christ triumphally enters into Jerusalem. That is why today’s feast is a foretelling of Christ’s victory over sin and death, it is a foretelling of Easter,” said Patriarch Daniel on Palm Sunday, April 25, 2021. “They say that the weather on Palm Sunday predicts the weather on Easter,” added the Patriarch, but,…
The stavrophore nun Mother Jerusalema (Gligor), who labored in monasticism for 75 years, including more than 50 years as abbess of Tismana Monastery, was solemnly laid to rest on Saturday at the monastery she led for so many years. The service was officiated by His Grace Bishop Nicodim of Severin and Strehaia, who recalled that…