At the start of the new academic year 2019/20, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel sent a message to all the students and professors stressing that ‘integral education promotes scientific knowledge and the cultivation of spiritual values.’
His Beatitude extended his blessings to all students and professors in universities and postgraduate institutions, and wished them success so as ‘to profit of the knowledge acquired so far and to constantly improve themselves in the field of scientific research and spiritual training.’
The Patriarch mentioned the resolution of the Holy Synod regarding the declaration of the year 2019 as Solemn Year of the Romanian village, stressing that ‘the Romanian school was established in the church courtyard and continued to exist and develop in close connection with the Church, having the priest and the teacher as main enlighteners of the villages.’
The message lists a set of educational activities carried out by the Romanian Orthodox Church, including youth camps, pilgrimages for students, social-philanthropic activities, and international youth meetings.
‘We have a duty to remember with gratitude all our teachers and professors, from villages and cities, who have trained us and guided us on the path of scientific knowledge and permanent spiritual values.’
‘The academic performance and especially the passion of the Romanian teachers for the formation of many generations of graduates are a living example for the professors and students of today, who can express their gratitude to the ancestors, primarily, by following their devotion in transmitting their knowledge and desire to promote the Romanian school in an international context,’ reads the patriarchal message.
Patriarch Daniel concluded his message with a prayer for all students and professors, asking God to give them good health and divine help to achieve new academic performances and to cultivate spiritual values for the benefit of the Romanian people.
Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
