Commemorative Year 2026

Romanian Orthodox Church prepares first liturgical celebration of Synaxis of Romanian Women Saints

The Romanian Orthodox Church is getting ready for the inaugural liturgical observance of the Synaxis of Romanian Women Saints, a newly added feast to the Orthodox calendar following the Holy Synod’s decision on March 27, 2025. The feast will be observed on the third Sunday after Holy Pascha, which is also dedicated to the Holy…

Apr 22, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel says Myrrh-bearing Women model faith for all Christian women

Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church praised the role of Christian women as witnesses of the Resurrection, in a message marking the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women—celebrated in the Romanian Patriarchate as the Sunday of Christian Women—and the first-ever Synaxis of All Romanian Women Saints. “The Myrrh-bearing Women… are great teachers of the Church……

Apr 21, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Ioan Casian: ‘Joy is the first gift Christ offers the Myrrh-bearing Women’

“The first thing Christ wishes to share with the Myrrh-bearing Women early in the morning is joy,” writes Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada in his pastoral message for Holy Pascha. “Joy springs from the encounter with the Son of God, who grants us salvation. It is the shared joy of communion once lost and restored…

Apr 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Atanasie says Resurrection is ‘true life’, calls for faith and stability in families

“The Resurrection is not merely a consolation for the soul, not just a beautiful thought that comforts us for a moment, but is life itself—the true life,” said Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in his Easter pastoral letter. In his message, the archbishop emphasised that the Resurrection transforms and gives meaning to…

Apr 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Mihail urges faithful in Australia, New Zealand to follow example of ‘heroes of the faith’ in Easter message

“Let us follow the faith of these heroes of the faith in Christ the Lord,” Bishop Mihail said in his Easter pastoral message addressed to Romanian Orthodox believers in Australia and New Zealand. His Grace stressed that the Resurrection of the Lord stands at the centre of Christian faith and represents the fulfilment of the…

Apr 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Basilica News Agency publishes English booklet on newly canonised Romanian Women Saints

The Basilica News Agency has published in English the digital booklet “Synaxis of the Holy Romanian Women”, dedicated to the women saints whose canonisation was proclaimed on 6 February at the Patriarchal Cathedral. The publication is prefaced by excerpts from an address delivered by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania on the first day of…

Mar 20, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian archdiocese gives about 500 icons to mothers in Suceava maternity wards

The Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți distributed about 500 icons to mothers and their caregivers in maternity wards across Suceava County on Sunday. The initiative took place in the context of International Women’s Day and formed part of the eparchial programme “Month for Life”. Hospital chaplains distributed the icons, offering blessings and words of encouragement…

Mar 10, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Patriarchate marks March 9 as day of remembrance for anti-communist political prisoners

On March 9, Romania commemorates both the Feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste and the Day of Remembrance for Anti-Communist Political Prisoners from the period 1944–1989. Each year on this date, Romanians have a moral duty to remember those who resisted the totalitarian communist regime, confessing the Orthodox faith against state-imposed atheism. Many were…

Mar 6, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania marks first official Women’s Month following parliamentary approval

Sunday marked the beginning of Women’s Month in Romania, the first year the observance is being officially celebrated after Parliament approved the initiative and it was promulgated by President Nicușor Dan. According to the explanatory memorandum accompanying the adopted legislation, the law aims to highlight “the positive impact women have had on Romanian society in…

Mar 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania’s oldest Theology student turns 90 after life marked by trials

Amalia Susana Tușa, a final-year student at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Cluj-Napoca, was celebrated on Monday by the academic community as she marked her 90th birthday. She is the oldest student currently enrolled at a Romanian university. Born on 14 February 1936 in Cluj, Amalia Susana Tușa graduated from secondary school with the…

Feb 18, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Mother and priest’s wife in Munich: “Community is the safest support for a pregnant woman”

In an interview hosted by the Basilica News Agency, Alexandra Nadane, President of the Romania for Life Association, speaks with Bianca Deaconu — a mother of four and the wife of a priest at the Romanian Orthodox Church Centre in Munich — about the intertwined vocations of family life and ecclesial service in the diaspora.…

Feb 17, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu