Romanian Diaspora

Factbox: Church and Romanian Diaspora today

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church declared 2021 a Solemn Year of the pastoral care of Romanians outside Romania. Why is pastoral care of the diaspora so important and under what conditions does it take place? The term diaspora refers to members of an ethnic group who leave their place of origin and…

Jan 8, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

They are the Patron Saints of Romanians outside Romania

Whether they are part of the Romanian communities in the vicinity of the country’s borders, or whether they have gone to work, study or settled permanently in other places than their homeland, Romanian Orthodox believers are in the care of the Church on all meridians of the globe. “Romanians outside Romania” are generically named by…

Jan 8, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Bishop of Canada’s advice for 2021: Let the foundation of all our words and deeds be the word of God

Inspired by the words of St Basil the Great, Romanian Bishop of Canada Ioan Casian invites us at the beginning of the year ‘to have the right compass and the true inspiration in decision-making as we confess through the word that we are Christians.’ “ Let the foundation of all our words and deeds be the…

Jan 6, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel proclaims 2021 Solemn Year of pastoral care of Romanians abroad, Commemorative Year of the reposed in the Lord

During a ceremony held at the Patriarchal Cathedral on January 1, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel proclaimed 2021 as a Solemn Year of the pastoral care of the Romanians outside Romania and a Commemorative Year of the reposed in the Lord. The Romanian diaspora is the fifth largest in the world, in relation to the total…

Jan 6, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

I too proclaim to you with the angel that God is with us, that God has not forsaken us: Metropolitan Nicolae in Christmas pastoral letter

This year’s pastoral letter for Christmas by the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of the Americas is a message of encouragement in the face of sickness and death. “At this glorious feast, I too proclaim to you with the angel that God is with us, that God has not forsaken us, that God has not forgotten His…

Dec 22, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel’s Christmas Encyclical 2020: full text

Please find below the full text of the pastoral letter of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania on the feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ 2020: † DANIEL By God’s Grace, Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudja, Locum tenens of the throne of Caesarea of Cappadocia and Patriarch of the…

Dec 15, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Nativity Fast: Let Christ show us how He sees the world, Metropolitan Iosif urges

‘Let Christ show us how He sees the world, how He sees our neighbour and each of us, and let Him look through our eyes,’ urged Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe in a message at the beginning of the Nativity Fast 2020. The Romanian Metropolitan stressed that the effort during the fasting period…

Nov 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Germany’s Orthodox Bishops are planning to mark 1700 year anniversary of First Ecumenical Council in 2025

German Orthodox Christians will celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in 2025. The decision to mark the historical event in Nicaea was made at the last meeting of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Germany (OBKD) that took place in October in Bonn. The program of events will most likely be…

Nov 9, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Fire destroys Romanian-language church in Prague. The Municipality pledges to restore the wooden historical monument

A fire with unknown author consumed on Wednesday the Romanian-language Orthodox church in Prague. The flames caused the collapse of its 17-meter tower. Parish Priest Andrei Ioan Danciu declared for Radio Free Europe Moldova that Prague Municipality, who owns the building, will reconstruct it. “We need to keep on going, we cannot give up. I…

Nov 4, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Putna Monastery Hieromonk appointed abbot of St Demetrios the New Monastery in Middletown, NY

Metropolitan Nicolae of the two Americas installed Protosyncellus Ieremia Berbec as the abbot of the Middletown Monastery, in the state of New York. The ceremony was held on October 24, when the patronal feast of the monastery was celebrated. The celebration was held in advance of the saint’s feast (October 27) to allow participation of…

Nov 2, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Austria’s Greek Metropolitan visits construction site of Romanian Church in Vienna

His Eminence Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria paid a visit to the construction site of the Romanian Church in Vienna on Tuesday, Oct. 6. “Together with the Architects Georg Baldass and Mihaela Ionescu we presented to the Metropolitan the architecture of the church and we discussed the building works, the challenges and difficulties that appear during…

Oct 8, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu