The patriarchal auxiliary bishop Varlaam of Ploiesti on Sunday performed an ordination to the priesthood for the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate in Romania.

Deacon Vladimir-Clement Malcovici was ordained to the priesthood for the Saint Peter Mogila Ukrainian Parish in Bucharest.

Bishop Varlaam congratulated the new priest and asked God to help him in his priestly ministry.

The service was also attended by the Secretary of State for Religious Affairs, Victor Opaschi, who spoke about the religious equality of the religious denominations in Romania.

“In a secularized world, the openness of Romanian society to the faith is a chance that few European societies have today. It is a spiritual chance, because the person who believes has an extra basis for a fulfilled life, discovers more quickly and develops with more enthusiasm their vocation to serve their fellows,” Victor Opaschi said May 30.

The newly-ordained priest thanked His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel for caring “for us Ukrainians.”

“This care gives us the opportunity to continue our tradition and prayer in our mother tongue,” said Archimandrite Atanasie Nemzet, abbot of the Dormition of the Theotokos Monastery is Rona de Sus, Maramures County.

Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate

The Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate is an administrative-territorial unit canonically dependent on the Romanian Patriarchate, dedicated to Ukrainian Orthodox believers living in Romania. They participate in services held in their mother tongue by Ukrainian priests or Ukrainian-speaking priests.

Currently, the Vicariate is based in the city of Sighetu Marmației (Maramureș County) and includes believers from the northern part of Romania (Maramureș, Transylvania, Crișana, Banat).

In 1952, the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate was transformed into a Ukrainian Orthodox Deanery, based in Poienile de sub Munte commune, Maramureş county, under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Diocese of Cluj, receiving financial support from the Romanian Patriarchate.

After 1989, by the Decision of the Holy Synod no. 1432/12.02.1990, the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate was re-established, being directly canonically dependent on the Romanian Patriarchate.