A team of archaeologists has recently discovered a 30-centimetre-long stucco cross in the United Arab Emirates, dating back at least 1,300 years. The Christian symbol confirms that a group of houses unearthed decades ago was part of a monastery. The nine small courtyard dwellings were first discovered in 1992 on Sir Bani Yas Island, located…
His Grace Bishop Teofil of Trotuș, Assistant Bishop of the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău and former Representative of the Romanian Patriarchate in the Holy Land, installed Saturday the Very Rev. Protosyncellus Ioan Meiu as the new Superior of the Romanian Settlements in Jerusalem, Jericho and the Jordan, and his successor at the Representation of…
This year marks 25 years since the repose of Archimandrite Andrei Scrima, a leading figure of the Romanian Hesychast movement “The Burning Bush”. Biographical landmarks Father Andrei Scrima was born in 1925 in Gheorgheni, Harghita County. He studied philosophy, mathematics and theology in Bucharest. Between 1957 and 1959, he was a doctoral student in Benares,…
Bishop Ignatie of Huși celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Brașov’s Council Square. In his homily, he spoke about narcissism hidden behind a mentality built on unshakable certainties. “The more sinful such a mentality is, the harder it becomes to change a person’s…
Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church noted that “prayer, love for parents, homeland, and God know no borders,” in a message marking Romanian Migrants’ Sunday, observed on the first Sunday after the Dormition of the Theotokos. The patriarch expressed gratitude to the clergy and faithful in the diaspora, praising their steadfast love for Romania…
Most Romanian communities around Romania’s borders, as well as Orthodox faithful in other parts of the world, follow the unrevised calendar and are preparing for the Dormition Fast, which begins on Thursday, August 14. Popularly known as “Saint Mary’s Fast,” it is meant to be quite strict, as it culminates with the Dormition of the…
The Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to the Republic of Moldova, His Excellency Giuseppe Maria Perricone, paid a courtesy and introductory visit on Tuesday to the Metropolis of Bessarabia, where he was received by His Eminence Petru, Archbishop of Chișinău, Metropolitan of Bessarabia, and Exarch of the Territories. According to the Metropolis of Bessarabia,…
His Grace Bishop Damaschin of Dorna, assistant bishop to the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți, said on Saturday that the Virgin Mary weeps when she sees the state of today’s world, shaken by sin and war. Speaking at the “Honouring the Mother of God” procession in Câmpulung Moldovenesc, which featured the wonderworking icon of the…
The abbot of Darvari Monastery, Protosyncellus Arsenie Irimiea, is calling on Bucharest residents to attend, on the evening of August 14, an all-night vigil followed by the Sacrament of Holy Unction, on the occasion of the Dormition of the Mother of God — a spiritual remedy for wasted sleepless nights. Father Arsenie of Darvari Skete…
Bishop Nectarie of Ireland and Iceland celebrated on Sunday the first Divine Liturgy at the emerging parish in Balbriggan, Ireland, according to a statement received by the editorial office. “Today Christ is present here among you and gathers us around Himself. A community is not built only of walls, but especially of the faith and…
Wednesday marks 91 years since the birth of the man who, at the age of 28, would receive Orthodox Baptism, and at 36, monastic tonsure. The young Eugene, as he was named by his parents, was born in San Diego, California. Gifted with exceptional intellectual ability, he spent his youth seeking the ultimate truth about…
In an exclusive message to Basilica.ro, His Grace Bishop Benedict of Sălaj placed International Youth Day in a Christian perspective, suggesting that there is also a “youth of the heart,” and that “those who feel young at heart” are “those who love the Mother of God.” The hierarch recalled that International Youth Day, marked on…
Ahead of the great feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the mosaic depicting the Virgin Mary Orans has been installed in the narthex of Romania’s National Cathedral. In this image, the Most Holy Theotokos is shown with her hands raised and palms open, with the Child Jesus depicted on her chest —…
Romanian President Nicușor Dan and Moldovan President Maia Sandu visited on Sunday the “Protection of the Mother of God” Church in the village of Ghidighici, near Chișinău. Parish priest Maxim Melinti presented to them the old church, the new church currently under construction—dedicated to the “Transfiguration of the Lord”—and the “Island of Happiness” Social Centre,…
His Grace Bishop Iustin of Maramureș and Sătmar spoke on Sunday about what he described as disturbing trends at certain music festivals in Romania, saying that “Christ bothers” some of the participants at these events. In a sermon delivered at the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Baia Mare, the bishop…
His Eminence Hon Metropolitan Nifon, Archbishop of Târgoviște and Patriarchal Exarch, urged thousands of young people gathered on Sunday for the Saint Niphon celebrations in Târgoviște to never be “deceived by what merely shines without depth — namely, by confused and destructive ideologies.” According to the honorary metropolitan, such ideologies are deceptive because “although they…
The Holy Hieromartyr Alexander (Baltaga) of Bessarabia was commemorated on Friday for the first time since the local proclamation of his canonisation, in the “Saint Nicholas” Church in Călărași, the Republic of Moldova — the parish where the saint served for 54 years. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia,…
Archbishop Nifon of Târgoviște, Honorary Metropolitan, Patriarchal Exarch, and a member of the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches, celebrates his name day on Monday, the feast of Saint Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, reflecting a distinguished ecclesiastical career marked by international representation, academic excellence, and decades of pastoral and missionary service. He was…
Metropolitan Saint Kallinikos of Edessa is widely regarded as a contemporary saint, venerated even during his lifetime as an ascetic hierarch who lived a life of exceptional purity and humility. At his tonsure into monasticism, he chose the name Kallinikos (from the Greek Καλλίνικος, meaning “beautiful victor”) because he desired to follow the path of…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church marked the local proclamation of the canonisation of Saints Paisius Olaru and Cleopas Ilie on Thursday with a deeply spiritual tribute, calling them “two pillars of light between the mountains and heaven.” In a pastoral message occasioned by the celebrations at Sihăstria Monastery, the Patriarch of…