Dioceses

1st IOTA Conference starts in Iași

The Inaugural Conference of the International Orthodox Theological Association began on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, with a Te Deum Service officiated by the Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași. The overarching theme of the Inaugural Conference is Pan-Orthodox Unity and Conciliarity. The Opening Ceremony took place at the National…

Jan 9, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Funeral service to farewell Romanian engineer who saved churches during communist regime

Engineer Eugeniu Iordachescu, who devised an ingenious method to save Romanian churches threatened with destruction during the communist era, was farewelled on Sunday, January 6, 2019. Engineer Eugeniu Iordăchescu, whose building relocation method rescued 12 churches that would have been otherwise slated for demolition by order of Nicolae Ceauşescu in the 80s, died on January…

Jan 9, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan expresses hope that villages may revive, Romanians return home

At the end of the Great Blessing of Waters on Sunday, Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj expressed his hope that the Romanian village will be revived and that “Romanians living abroad will return home”. His Eminence noted low birth rates and emigration among the main causes of rural depopulation. “Almost five million Romanians went to other…

Jan 8, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Banat Metropolitan celebrates his name day with homeless people

His Eminence Metropolitan Ioan of Banat honoured his spiritual protector, Saint John the Forerunner, by joining several homeless people at one of Timișoara’s housing charity shelter on Monday. ‘There is nothing exceptional. This is normality for me and we should do such actions as often as possible, because, you see, these people are abandoned, they…

Jan 8, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Bucharest Russian Orthodox Community celebrates feast of St Seraphim of Sarov

St Nicholas – Tabacu Church in Bucharest celebrated the feast of Saint Seraphim of Sarov on January 2, being the only church in the capital city of Romania where the Saint’s holy relics can be venerated. Many Romanian and Russian Orthodox believers on Wednesday attended the Divine Liturgy celebrated in honour of St Seraphim, one…

Jan 5, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

New Icon of Panagia the Protectress of Romanian Village blessed at Baia Mare

A new icon of the Mother of God the Protectress of the Romanian Village was blessed at Baia Mare marking the beginning of 2019, declared a Solemn Year of the Romanian Village by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The icon was blessed by His Grace Bishop Justin of Maramureş and Sătmar on…

Jan 5, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

1,000+ children receive Christmas gifts from Romanian Diocese of Huși

More than 1,000 children and their parents filled the courtyard at the diocesan building in Huși, Romania on Tuesday to enjoy a Christmas program and receive gifts from the Church. The 1,400 children from the diocese’s rural parishes filled the yard to overflowing. “I’m very glad that this yard is full of innocence, given the…

Dec 21, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

Society of Orthodox Women established in Bălți Diocese

The Society of Orthodox Women was established on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at the Nativity of the Lord Church in Bălți, Moldova, aiming ‘to promote and to foster Christian virtues in family, school and public life and to contribute to the active involvement of the Orthodox Christian woman in the national community for a better life.’…

Dec 21, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

Let us stop for a moment the rush that defines our life – Metropolitan Teofan

At the end of the Christmas carol concert held in Iasi on Friday, Dec. 14, Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina spoke about the way we should spend Christmas urging those present to stop for a moment the rush that defines our life. The Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina organized a concert of Christmas carols…

Dec 19, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

20th anniversary of repose of Elder Cleopas Ilie prayerfully commemorated at Sihastria Monastery

His Grace Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia on Saturday, Dec. 8, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St Theodora Church of Sihastria Monastery commemorating Archimandrite Cleopas Ilie, one of Romania’s charismatic elders of the past century, on the 20th anniversary of his blessed repose. Elder Cleopas was an abbot of Sihastria Monastery and a well-known spiritual…

Dec 11, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

First church dedicated to St Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva consecrated in Romania

On Sunday, Metropolitan Laurențiu of Transylvania performed the consecration service of the first church dedicated to St. Porphyrios in Romania. The church belongs to Bod Colonie Parish in Brașov and the main patronal feast of the church is the Ascension of the Lord. Metropolitan Laurențiu of Transylvania explained the symbolism of the consecration service of…

Dec 6, 2018Gheorghe Anghel