saints

‘Let us love the Saints and venerate their relics, even when we are mocked for it’: Transylvania Metropolitan at Bucharest

‘Let us love the Saints and venerate sacred things, and holy relics, even when we are mocked for doing this,’ the Metropolitan of Transylvania on Friday urged the believers present at the Divine Liturgy on the Patriarchate’s Hill, offering his reflections on the Gospel reading of the day. ‘All this I have told you so…

Oct 29, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

Three reasons why the Church established the Sunday of all Saints: Patriarch Daniel

During his Sunday homily at Samurcasesti Monastery, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel listed three reasons why the Church established a special day to celebrate the Synaxis of All Saints. Patriarch Daniel said that the first reason was to indicate that humans can become Saints, ‘to show that the fruit or consequence of the coming of the…

Jun 5, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

Hieromartyr Simeon, the Kinsman of the Lord (Fish permitted)

The holy, glorious, all-laudable Apostle and Hieromartyr Symeon the Kinsman of the Lord (Simeon) of the Seventy, was the second Bishop of Jerusalem, serving for the period of 67 to 107. He is commemorated by the Church on April 27, and on January 4 with the Seventy. St. Symeon was the son of Cleopas, the…

Apr 27, 2018Iulian Dumitraşcu

St. Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra; Martyr Benjamin the Deacon (Lazarus Saturday – Memorial Saturday)

1. Hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra, was bishop of the city of Gangra in Paphlagonia (Asia Minor). In the year 325 he participated in the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea, at which the heresy of Arius was anathematized. When Saint Hypatius was returning in 326 from Constantinople to Gangra, followers of the schismatics Novatus and…

Mar 31, 2018Iulian Dumitraşcu

The Annunciation (fish allowed); 5th Sunday of Great Lent

1. The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the fourth century. There is a painting of the Annunciation in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome dating from the second century. The Council of Toledo in 656 mentions the Feast, and the Council in Trullo…

Mar 25, 2018Iulian Dumitraşcu

Three Romanian Saints canonized by the Orthodox Church in 2017

In 2017 the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church transferred the names of three great Romanians from historical documents to the Synaxaria, thus presenting them as ‘Christ’s liveliest icons’. The list of the newly-glorified Romanian Saints includes: Saint Paphnutius the Iconographer Saint Joseph the Merciful, Metropolitan of Moldova Saint George the Pilgrim Photo courtesy…

Jan 5, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

Siberian airline to name planes after saints

The Russian airline IrAero, based in Irkutsk and Omsk, has decided to name the planes of its new Sukhoi Superjet 100 fleet after several great saints, including apostles and great Russian saints. “Our air fleet has been replenished with nine Russian-made airplanes. Together with the Irkutsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, the names of…

Nov 4, 2017Gheorghe Anghel

Two new saints canonized by Romanian Orthodox Church

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox, meeting in a working session yesterday at the patriarchal residence in Bucharest under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, decided to canonize two new saints of the Romanian Church. Metropolitan Iosif Naniescu has been canonized under the name of the Holy Hierarch Joseph the Merciful, the Metropolitan…

Oct 6, 2017Sorin Ioniţe

New Decisions of the Holy Synod. Three Saints added to the calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church

On October 5, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held its working session at the Synodal Hall of the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest. During the session chaired by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, the Holy Synod rendered the following decisions. The Holy Synod glorified Metropolitan Joseph Naniescu, with the name of Saint Joseph the…

Oct 6, 2017Aurelian Iftimiu

Hieromartyr Gregory, bishop of Greater Armenia; Martyrs Rhipsima and Gaiana

1. The Hieromartyr Gregory, Enlightener of Greater Armenia, was born in the year 257. He was descended from the line of the Parthian Arsakid emperors. The father of Saint Gregory, Anak, in striving after the Armenian throne, had murdered his kinsman, the emperor Kursar, in consequence of which all the line of Anak was marked…

Sep 30, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu

+) Hieromartyr Anthimus the Georgian, metropolitan of Wallachia; Martyrs Callistratus and Epicharis of Rome

1. This chosen person by God was born in Iviria (today’s Georgia) about 1650, to righteous parents, John and Maria, and baptised Andrew. Grown up in the spirit of the Orthodox tradition, young Andrew received from God the gifts of church painting and sculpture. When the Turks invaded his native place, he was caught, made…

Sep 27, 2017Iulian Dumitraşcu