The Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem discussed preparations for events marking the 2,000th anniversary of the Lord’s Baptism in 2030. The hierarchs, meeting under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, reviewed plans on Thursday for a series of events along the River Jordan highlighting the anniversary’s historical and spiritual…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania sent a message of congratulations and blessing on Saturday for the consecration of the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God and St Demetrius the Myrrh-Gusher at the Romanian Orthodox parish in Boian, Alberta, Canada. The community rebuilt its church after a fire destroyed its more-than-century-old place…
“Although the Mother of God passes through death and is then taken up to heaven in body as well as in soul, she remains forever present in the world through her prayers,” Patriarch Daniel of Romania said on Saturday at the historic Chapel of St George the Great Martyr at the Patriarchal Residence. His Beatitude…
The Dormition Fast began on Friday, 14 August, for Orthodox Christians following the unrevised Julian calendar. On this occasion, His Eminence Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia issued a message urging the faithful to use the fasting period to strengthen themselves spiritually. “God gives us these days to prepare ourselves to understand the great mystery of the…
His Grace Bishop Mihail of Australia and New Zealand served on Sunday at the Romanian Orthodox Parish of the Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs in Sydney, Australia. “Let us teach our children our Orthodox Christian faith,” His Grace said. The hierarch celebrated the Divine Liturgy together with His Grace Bishop Iachint of the Pacific, Assistant Bishop of…
An international camp took place in Moisei, Maramureș County, Romania, and hosted 30 Ukrainian children affected by the war. The camp took place from 7 to 13 August as part of the “Maramureș for Peace” project, initiated by Senator Cristian-Augustin Niculescu-Țâgârlaș, a member of the Romanian Parliament’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council…
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I marked the 65th anniversary of his ordination to the diaconate on Thursday, 13 August, on his native island of Imbros (Gökçeada). “My entire journey has been a life in dialogue,” His All-Holiness stressed. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch together with His Beatitude Theodore II, Pope and…
“The feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God is such a great feast because the Mother of God chose humility, just like her Son,” Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe said on Friday evening at the Romanian Orthodox parish in Boian, Alberta, Canada. His Eminence celebrated the all-night vigil for…
“Although the Mother of God was humble throughout her life, she was not absent,” Romanian Orthodox Bishop Mihail of Australia and New Zealand said on Saturday at the Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Parish in Sydney, Australia. “Just as the Ascension of the Lord did not mean, and did not remain, an absence from the midst…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel blessed the reliquary on Thursday, which holds the relics of Saint Maria Brâncoveanu and her sons, Stephen and Matthew. The blessing service was officiated in the historic Chapel of “Saint George the Trophy-bearer” at the Patriarchal Residence. An icon of Romanian dignity and spirituality His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel highlighted that Saint…
His Grace Bishop Benedict of Sălaj on Tuesday joined a group of Orthodox faithful on a 20-km pilgrimage on foot from Valcău de Jos, Sălaj County, to Nicula Monastery, Cluj County, where they will take part in celebrations for the Dormition of the Mother of God. Before their departure, the bishop highlighted the spiritual meaning…
Orthodox Christians who follow the unrevised calendar begin the Dormition Fast on Friday, 14 August, a two-week period that ends in late August. It is one of the year’s strictest fasting periods, comparable to the Great Lent before Easter. During this period, meat, eggs and dairy products are not consumed, while fish is permitted only…
Fr Viorel Cojocaru, cultural adviser to the Archdiocese of Chișinău, explained in an interview with Doxa how Bessarabians deported from the province during the Soviet period preserved their faith and hope in God amid suffering. The priest said that although they were forced to abandon their homes and possessions, many of those deported “travelled with…
The Jordanian government has signed four agreements to develop the area where Jesus Christ was baptised as part of preparations to mark the 2,000th anniversary of the Baptism of the Lord in 2030. The agreements were signed on Wednesday at the Jordanian government headquarters in Amman following the first meeting of the National Committee for…
“The Dormition of the Mother of God is also the feast of our hope,” Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas said on Thursday in a pastoral message for the feast. His Eminence explained that the Church does not regard this moment as one of despair, but as a testimony to the victory of life: “The Mother of…
Thursday marks 92 years since the birth of Fr Seraphim Rose, one of the best-known American witnesses and apologists of Orthodoxy. His journey took him from the study of Eastern thought to his conversion at the age of 28, when he was received into the Orthodox Church through Baptism. Eugene Dennis Rose was born on…
His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem officiated a vigil service on Monday in honour of St John Jacob of Neamț at Choziba Monastery in Palestine. His Beatitude described the saint as “an offspring of Romania”. The service was celebrated by Patriarch Theophilos III together with His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Secretary-General of the…
“You are the heart of the Church scattered throughout the world, like the seed of the Gospel carried to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8),” Assistant Bishop Iachint of the Pacific of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand told young Orthodox Christians on Wednesday. Marking International Youth Day, the youngest hierarch…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church has called for stronger spiritual and family ties with Romanians living abroad, saying Orthodox parishes in the diaspora have become places where migrants can preserve their faith, language and cultural identity. In a message for the Sunday of Romanian Migrants, observed this year on 16 August,…
The foundations of a Roman bridge built across the Danube nearly 1,700 years ago have emerged as exceptionally low water levels exposed parts of the ancient structure, Reuters reported. The Bridge of Constantine was built in the early fourth century and inaugurated in 328 by the Holy Emperor Constantine the Great. It linked the ancient…