Spirituality

Ecumenical Patriarchate canonises two Romanian Elders from Mount Athos

The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, meeting in Constantinople on August 30–31, the final two days of the church year, decided to canonise two Romanian elders of Mount Athos: hieroschemamonk Dionisie (Ignat) of Colciu and archimandrite Petroniu (Tănase) of Prodromos Skete. The feast day of Saint Dionysius of Vatopedi (the “St. George” Cell, where…

Sep 2, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Dormition Fast begins on Old Calendar: Traditions from Romania’s border communities to Orthodox faithful worldwide

Most Romanian communities around Romania’s borders, as well as Orthodox faithful in other parts of the world, follow the unrevised calendar and are preparing for the Dormition Fast, which begins on Thursday, August 14. Popularly known as “Saint Mary’s Fast,” it is meant to be quite strict, as it culminates with the Dormition of the…

Aug 13, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Saint Kallinikos of Edessa: 9 spiritual reflections from his bed of suffering

Metropolitan Saint Kallinikos of Edessa is widely regarded as a contemporary saint, venerated even during his lifetime as an ascetic hierarch who lived a life of exceptional purity and humility. At his tonsure into monasticism, he chose the name Kallinikos (from the Greek Καλλίνικος, meaning “beautiful victor”) because he desired to follow the path of…

Aug 8, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Why is Romania called the “Garden of the Mother of God”? The answer lies in a 1499 Marian apparition

Pope Francis in 2019 and Pope John Paul II in 1999 reaffirmed a belief deeply rooted in Romanian tradition since the 15th century: that Romania is the “Garden of the Mother of God.” Few, however, know the origin of this title. It is based on a miraculous event that took place in Neamț County, at…

Aug 5, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Dormition Fast begins August 1: brief guidelines

The Dormition Fast begins this Friday and lasts for two weeks for Orthodox Christians observing the revised calendar. This year, the fast will also conclude on a Friday, which means it will be extended by one day, in accordance with the General Liturgics. “The fast is prolonged to include the feast day itself if it…

Jul 28, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

U.S. Army soldier baptized Orthodox in Romania after conversion from Protestantism

The baptism of adults converting to Orthodoxy never ceases to move us, as it powerfully demonstrates that Christ is the One who calls them to Himself—either directly or through those around them. A soldier serving in the United States Army recently converted from a neo-Protestant denomination to Orthodoxy, receiving baptism at the Church of St.…

Jul 23, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox Church proposes new feast: Sunday of All Athonite Saints

The Romanian Orthodox Church may soon add a new feast day to its liturgical calendar: the Sunday of the Athonite Saints. The proposed date for this commemoration is the third Sunday after Pentecost, following the Sunday of All Saints and the Sunday of the Romanian Saints—two feasts that already occur after Pentecost. The proposal was…

Jul 1, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Escape the idolatry of performance! We sanctify by presenting ourselves to God as we are, Bucharest abbot says

“Holiness, indeed, is the impossible. It is the impossible that God demands of man,” Protosyncellus Arsenie Irimiea, the abbot of Darvari Skete Monastery in Bucharest, told the faithful on the Sunday of All Saints. Yet, most often, we “offer God mere theatre,” he cautioned. In this regard, the abbot recalled that God tells the Israelites…

Jun 18, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Small Digital Matericon: Romanian Women Who Loved God (I)

In anticipation of the year 2026, declared the Commemorative Year of Holy Women in the Calendar by the Romanian Patriarchate, we turn our attention to several notable figures of Romanian women who lived their lives with deep faith and dedication to God, becoming models of holiness. These women, through their virtuous lives, left a lasting…

Jun 12, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Factbox: When does the Orthodox Church celebrate Saint Joseph?

Fewer people know that the Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, the one who cared for the infant Jesus and protected the Virgin Mary, is commemorated not once but twice during the year by the Orthodox Church. The first commemoration takes place on the Sunday of the Forefathers according to the flesh of the Lord, starting with…

May 1, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox Theology Professor: Digital platforms can be Jacob’s Ladder, but cannot replace the Eucharist

At the beginning of Great Lent, the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Cluj-Napoca shared a series of reflections on Christian mission in the digital space, written by Rev. Professor Cristian Sonea. “Digital platforms can be ‘Jacob’s Ladder,’ a means of guiding people toward a real encounter with Christ in the Church, but they cannot replace…

Mar 7, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu