More than 2,000 pilgrims carried icons in procession through the streets of the city of Roman on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, a celebration marking the triumph of the veneration of icons in the Orthodox Church.
The event was organised by the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău in partnership with local public authorities.
The procession began in Roman Mușat Square with a prayer led by the Archdiocese’s Assistant Bishop Teofil of Trotuș.
“We begin this historic procession to bear witness to the power and radiance of the Orthodox faith. Your presence here in the city of Roman, at the invitation of our archbishop, is a testimony of faith that reflects the brightness of our deeds as Christians and at the same time becomes a hymn of victory through which we glorify God,” the bishop said.
He noted that carrying icons is both a confession of faith and a reminder that believers themselves are called to become living images of Christ.
“We bear the image of God within us and are called to sanctify our lives. As we set out on this pilgrimage together with the holy icons, let us remember that we are called to the pilgrimage above. There lies the destination of our journey, where the icon must return to its Prototype,” he added.
Icons of Romanian saints canonised by the Holy Synod in 2024 and 2025 were carried in the procession alongside miracle-working icons of the Mother of God venerated in the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău.
“Windows of Orthodoxy”
The procession concluded at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in Roman, where the faithful were welcomed by Archbishop Ioachim.
“If the Sunday of Orthodoxy had not existed in history, we would not have icons in our churches today, nor the veneration of holy relics, nor the honouring of the holy fathers, angels or the Holy Cross. In Orthodoxy, these realities accompany us everywhere, and icons are the windows of Orthodoxy through which we perceive the transcendent,” the archbishop said.
During the service, along with the traditional blessing of icons, a reliquary containing a fragment of the relics of Nectarios of Aegina was also blessed. The reliquary was crafted in the workshops of the Romanian Patriarchate with the blessing of Patriarch Daniel.
Local authorities also attended the event, including the mayor of Roman, Laurențiu Dan Leoreanu, who welcomed the revival of the traditional icon procession held on the first Sunday of Great Lent.
Photo: Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău
