The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church instituted in 2009 a Sunday dedicated to the Christian family. It is observed on the Sunday closest to 15 May, which the United Nations designated as the International Day of Families.
This year, Christian Family Sunday fell on 17 May, the feast day of the Holy Apostles Andronicus and Junia. They preached the Gospel to the ancestors of the Thracians in the region of Pannonia, near Romania’s present western border.
Their names also appear in Holy Scripture: “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, and who were in Christ before me,” writes the Holy Apostle Paul, who was related to them (Romans 16:7).
The Church’s role in supporting the family
In his homily at the proclamation of the 2026 Solemn Year, Patriarch Daniel of Romania highlighted the difficulties contemporary families face.
“In the present age, when the institution of the family is confronted with multiple challenges, and the role of women in the Church and society requires deeper appreciation, it is necessary to emphasise that the family is the basic nucleus of the Christian community.”
“It is necessary for the Church to intensify its pastoral efforts in support of the Christian family, to develop counselling and assistance programmes for families in difficulty, to provide appropriate religious education for children, and to promote the values of the witnessing Christian family,” Patriarch Daniel said at the time.
Commemorative Year of the Pastoral Care of the Christian Family
Within the Romanian Patriarchate, the year 2026 was proclaimed the Solemn Year of the Pastoral Care of the Christian Family.
In the Proclamation Act for the 2026 Solemn Year, the Holy Synod underlined the central role of the family in the life of the Church and society: “The proposal of the Holy Synod Chancellery was also motivated by the importance of cultivating the Christian model of love, respect and mutual support between husband and wife, and between parents and children.”
Throughout 2026, the Romanian Orthodox Church will organise practical activities, symposia, meetings, exhibitions, testimonies, and commemorative events dedicated to the various forms of pastoral care for the Christian family, in accordance with the solemn year’s framework programme.
Photo: Theodora Moisescu
