{"id":544218,"date":"2025-10-16T12:31:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T09:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=544218"},"modified":"2025-10-16T12:31:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T09:31:59","slug":"bishop-macarie-installs-romanian-orthodox-priest-ljubljana-slovenia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/bishop-macarie-installs-romanian-orthodox-priest-ljubljana-slovenia\/","title":{"rendered":"Bishop Macarie installs new Romanian Orthodox parish priest in Slovenia\u2019s capital"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe, delegated by Patriarch Daniel of Romania, installed Fr. Alexandru-Leonard Zaciu last Sunday as the new parish priest of the Romanian Orthodox community in Ljubljana, Slovenia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The bishop celebrated the Divine Liturgy with an assembly of clergy from Romania and the diaspora and offered a homily on the Parable of the Sower, reflecting on faith, perseverance, and spiritual growth.<\/p>\n

Patriarch Daniel\u2019s message<\/h2>\n

At the end of the service, Fr. Costin Spiridon, Patriarchal Counsellor for Romanian Communities Abroad, delivered Patriarch Daniel\u2019s message, conveying blessings and encouragement to the newly installed priest:<\/p>\n

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Bishop Macarie celebrated the Divine Liturgy and installed the new Romanian parish priest in Ljubljana on Sunday, October 12, 2025. Photo: Diocese of Northern Europe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe wish the new parish priest, Fr. Alexandru-Leonard Zaciu, to serve with patience, sacrifice, dignity, and responsibility, becoming a living example for the entire community. Together with the faithful, may he cultivate peace, communion, and brotherly love, spreading the light of the Gospel in a world increasingly marked by secularisation,\u201d Patriarch Daniel said in his message.<\/p>\n

The Romanian Orthodox Parish of Ljubljana was established by decision<\/a> of the Permanent Council of the National Church Council on June 4, 2021, and bears the patronal feasts of the Ascension of the Lord (Romanian Heroes\u2019 Day), Saint Agnes of Rome, and Holy Confessor Priest Dumitru St\u0103niloae.<\/p>\n

The community conducts its liturgical life in a worship space provided by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana, for which Patriarch Daniel expressed gratitude in his message.<\/p>\n

Gratitude and distinctions<\/h2>\n
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His Excellency Mihai Alexandru Gr\u0103dinar, Romania’s Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia, received the “Patriarchal Cross”, the highest distinction of the Romanian Patriarchate. Photo: Diocese of Northern Europe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His Excellency Mihai Alexandru Gr\u0103dinar, Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Slovenia, received the Patriarchal Cross, the highest distinction of the Romanian Patriarchate, for his support of the Romanian Orthodox community in the Slovenian capital.<\/p>\n

The ambassador attended the service together with his wife, Andreea, and their two daughters.<\/p>\n

The event was also attended by the ambassadors of Georgia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro, as well as a delegation of Romanian parliamentarians.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Diocese of Northern Europe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fr. Pavel Goreanu, the former parish priest, and Fr. Alexandru-Leonard Zaciu, the new one, both offered words of gratitude to God and to all participants.<\/p>\n

They emphasised that the young Romanian Orthodox community in Ljubljana continues to uphold its national and spiritual identity on Slovenian soil, while honouring the memory of Romanian soldiers who fell in World War I on Slovenian battlefields \u2014 a key part of the parish\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n