His Eminence Archbishop Calinic of Suceava and Rădăuţi detailed several persons with a holy life who could be proposed for canonisation by the Archdiocese in the near future.
“Bukovina has, thank God, enough saints. It is true they are not yet canonised but are in the attention of the Church: Metropolitans Teoctist and Anastasie Crimca, Venerable Vasile of Moldovița and others. They will be included in the list of those proposed but after the 2025 canonisations,” Archbishop Calinic said in a note published on the Archdiocese’s website.
Metropolitan Teoctist I of Moldavia (ca. 1410 – November 18, 1477) is the hierarch who anointed Saint Stephen the Great as Prince and was his advisor during the difficult period of Ottoman attacks against Europe. His tomb is located at Putna Monastery.
Metropolitan Anastasie Crimca (ca. 1560 – January 19, 1629) had a rich philanthropic and cultural activity as Metropolitan of Moldavia. He was the son of a wealthy merchant from Suceava, the nephew of the famous Stroicesti boyars – possibly the nephew of the boyar Luca Stroici. The hierarch was the founder of the first public hospital in Moldavia. His tomb is located at Dragomirna Monastery.
Venerable Vasile of Moldoviţa (15th century) was abbot of Moldoviţa Monastery. He was known for the gift of wonderworking and foresight. He had disciples on Mount Athos and at Studios Monastery, from where he brought dozens of church manuscripts to his monastery. He founded a famous school of monastic catechists and calligraphers to benefit the villages’ churches.
The Synodal Subcommittee for the Canonisation of Romanian Saints is taking steps to formalise the sainthood of several confessors from the communist period. More than ten saintly persons, including theologian Dumitru Stăniloae, archimandrites Cleopas Ilie and Gherasim Iscu, are soon to be proclaimed saints of the Orthodox Church.
The canonisations will be proclaimed during a ceremony in 2025 when the Romanian Orthodox Church marks its 140th anniversary of autocephaly and 100 years since the elevation to the rank of patriarchate.
Suceva’s proposals will most likely be submitted after this series of canonisations.
Photography courtesy of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți
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