On Monday morning, believers gathered at St. Nicholas – Tabacu Church in Bucharest to honour Saint Matrona on the 70th anniversary of her blessed repose. “It was a special atmosphere because the service took place in the early morning hours, by candlelight, during this Easter period, immediately after we saw that the Apostle Thomas believed…
On Tuesday, Huedin Orthodox Deanery organised a memorial symposium honouring the priest-martyr Aurel Munteanu, on his 140th birth anniversary. The event was preceded by a memorial service for the Romanian priest killed by Horthy’s troops on September 10, 1940. The symposium entitled “140 years since the birth of the priest-martyr Aurel Munteanu” took place at…
Before leaving for the European Championship in Spain, Romania’s National Bodybuilding and Fitness Team received the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Irineu at Christ Pantocrator Monastery in Alba Iulia on Tuesday. The athletes were accompanied by Gabriel Toncean, President of the Romanian Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (FRCF). They venerated the relics of St. Basil…
A 42-year-old atheist Ukrainian woman, who took refuge in Varatec Monastery in eastern Romania, converted to Orthodoxy and was baptised on Holy Saturday. Stavrophore Iosefina Giosanu, the abbess of Varatec Monastery, told Doxologia about the event that took place a day before Easter in the Church of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Humuleștii Noi,…
At the Agape Vespers on the day of Holy Pascha, Patriarch Daniel noted that the Gospel shows us the crucified and risen Christ actively working and willing to meet those who believe in Him and love Him. “After His resurrection from the dead, Christ did not meet with those who hated Him or beat Him,…
The Patriarch of Romania pointed to the Paschal vigil as an icon of the Universal Resurrection at the end of time and explained why this ceremony begins outside at night and why the Cross is displayed and not hidden since it was the object that caused Christ’s death. “The Resurrection of the Lord, or the…
On Monday, the Romanian Orthodox Church marks its 137th anniversary of autocephaly. After Romania gained its state independence in 1877 and was declared a Kingdom in 1881, the prestige of the Romanian Orthodox Church increased, making necessary the formal recognition of its autocephaly, long denied by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On November 23, 1882, the Holy…
The Holy Fire has descended in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as seen on the Trinitas TV livestream. The Holy Light descended at about 2:31 PM (7:31 AM Eastern Standard time). It appeared in the edicule (the small chapel built over the burial place of Christ) after the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem,…
“The guards of the stone at the tomb entrance are all those who turn faith into ideology, spectacle and political image capital,” His Grace Bishop Ignatie of Husi stressed in this year’s Easter pastoral letter entitled “The Resurrection of the Lord and the false guards.” The Bishop of Husi points to the contradictory elements in…
His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia met on Thursday with Her Excellency Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova. Topics included the social work of the Metropolis of Bessarabia in support of Ukrainian refugees. During the meeting, His Eminence congratulated President Sandu for the proper and honest activity she has shown in the context…
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries. In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day…
In his Easter Pastoral Letter, the Romanian Bishop of Canada reminds us that the Church was established through prayer and communion after the disciples met Resurrected Christ. The hierarch also emphasizes the Eucharist as an act of communion with God. “The encounter with the risen Christ constitutes the Church. Following the encounter with Him, the…
The Romanian Metropolitan of the Americas explains in his Easter Pastoral Letter what is the meaning of the candle that we lit on the night of Resurrection. He says we can change the world by the inner light of understanding that we, Christians, can bring peace “through clear vision, good deeds, and tolerance towards all,…
In a video message for Easter 2022, Patriarch Daniel stressed that the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord calls for sharing the joy and peace of Christ with those around us through prayer and good works. The Patriarch of Romania also urged support for those who need our help, including Ukrainian refugees. Message by…
In his pastoral letter for Easter 2022, Bishop Siluan of Hungary referred to the constant feeling of fear and uncertainty brought about by the significant changes in the life of the whole world in the last two years. In such conditions specific to man and human nature, the Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Hungary noted, “came…
Romania’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Andrei Muraru, visited two of the oldest Romanian Orthodox parishes on American soil. The ambassador met with Romanians at St Mary’s and St Stephen’s churches in St Paul, Minnesota. The visit was part of Ambassador Muraru’s “50 States, One Community” tour throughout the United States. The two…
“The body of the Church that has been built by the Lord, for which He said “the gates of hell shall not overcome it” (Matthew 16,18), continues throughout the centuries His sanctifying and redeeming mission through His Disciples and their heirs, the Bishops and Priests,” transmits Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem in his Pastoral Letter…
His Grace Bishop Justin of Maramureș and Sătmar used his Easter pastoral letter to call for continual prayer and support for the Ukrainian neighbours suffering from war. “Let us pray fervently for an end to the fratricidal war waged in the vicinity of our country. May God give the leaders thoughts of peace, understanding, dialogue…
In his Easter encyclical this year, His Grace Bishop Sofronie of Oradea points to the sad state of today’s world “in agony” compared to the splendour of the “Empress of feasts,” which cannot be overshadowed by anything. “We celebrate with great joy, but also with great, but measured, pomp, with enthusiasm, the Resurrection of Christ,…
In his pastoral message for Holy Pascha 2022, His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia urges prayer for peace among peoples. “I urge you to increase your prayers for peace among peoples so that the God of peace and mercy may enlighten through the Light of Resurrection the minds of the leaders of this world to…