His Holiness Mar Awa III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, made his first-ever visit to Romania from August 3 to 7. According to a press release from the Levant Institute, the visit took place in conjunction with the 14th World Congress for Syriac Studies and the 12th International Conference on Christian Arabic…
More than 400 scholars, religious leaders, and academics from 35 countries assembled on Monday for the opening of the World Syriac Congress and the International Conference on Arab Christian Studies in Bucharest. The opening ceremony took place in the Ion I. C. Brătianu Hall of the Palace of Parliament. Cătălin-Ștefan Popa, Director General of the…
Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the Romanian Orthodox Protection of the Mother of God Monastery in Allegan, Michigan, where he highlighted St. John Jacob of Neamț’s connection with Romanian Orthodox faithful in North America. The service marked the monastery’s early celebration of St.…
Fr. John Breck, a priest of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), recalled his first encounter with Orthodoxy in an interview published by Words to Youth, a magazine edited by Putna Monastery. “I had a very profound feeling and the conviction that, at last, I had come home,” the American priest said. Fr. Breck explained…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church blessed on Monday the reliquary that will house the relics of the newly canonised Venerable Mothers Nazaria, Olympias, and Elizabeth (Safta) Brâncoveanu of Văratec Monastery. The service took place at the historic St. George Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest. The silver reliquary was crafted…
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has inscribed the archaeological site of Sebastia in the West Bank on the World Heritage List. The decision was adopted during the Committee’s 48th session, held in Busan, South Korea. More than three millennia of continuous habitation According to the nomination dossier, Sebastia has been continuously inhabited for more than 3,000…
Archimandrite Ieremia Berbec, abbot of the Romanian Orthodox Monastery of St. Demetrius the New in Middletown, New York, recently gave an interview to a youth magazine edited by Putna Monastery. In his conversation with Iulian Tomeac, former president of ASCOR Suceava, the archimandrite reflected on the meaning of monasticism and how one discerns the calling…
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church sent on Monday an official message on the occasion of the opening session of the World Congress of Syriac Studies and the International Conference on Christian Arabic Studies that took place at the Romanian Palace of Parliament in Bucharest. The message was read by His Eminence…
“Christ’s peace is not the absence of the storm, but victory over it,” Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia explained on Sunday. “God has not promised us a life without trials, but His presence in every trial.” The Evangelist thus shows that true peace is not simply the disappearance of hardships, but Christ’s presence in…
“Let us set aside, for a time, the noise of the outside world, give shape to the power of communion, and bear witness to the joy of our Orthodox faith,” Bishop Benedict of Sălaj said in a message at the beginning of the Dormition Fast. “We are all called—priests, monastics, and faithful alike—to add greater…
“Let us entrust our families, our children and young people, our parents and the elderly, the sick and the lonely, our homes, our journeys, our worries, our trials, and all our needs to the Mother of God,” Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe said in a message marking the beginning of the Dormition Fast. The bishop…
“Only Christ saves the praying Church when she finds herself amid the stormy sea of history and in the darkness of times hostile to the light of the Gospel of salvation,” Patriarch Daniel emphasised on Sunday in his sermon on the Gospel reading of Christ calming the storm. “No matter how many worthy ministers the…
His Grace Bishop Mihail of Australia and New Zealand introduced the diocese’s first assistant bishop, Iachint of the Pacific, to the faithful on Sunday. The hierarchs concelebrated the Divine Liturgy at the “Life-Giving Spring” Monastery at the Episcopal Residence in Melbourne, Australia. “We hope that, together, we shall serve with great dedication and renew our…
Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia officiated a Te Deum at the St John the Theologian Metropolitan Chapel in Chișinău on Thursday, marking 24 years since the official recognition of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, re-established after the fall of communism. The service was followed by the reading of a message from the metropolitan, who described the anniversary…
Her Excellency Gabriela Dancău, Romania’s Ambassador to the Italian Republic, received the Order of St Maria Brâncoveanu on Thursday, an honour conferred by Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The ambassador said she dedicates “this distinction to the Romanians in Italy, in whose service I carry out my mandate as ambassador.” The Patriarchal decoration…
Amid the extremely high temperatures affecting Romania, the Romanian Patriarchate urges all dioceses to provide support to people impacted by the heatwave. Parishes and monasteries are encouraged to distribute drinking water to those in need and to allow people affected by the heat to rest for short periods in shaded and cool areas. Church institutions…
One of the deepest calls of the Dormition Fast is the rediscovery of the altar of the heart, wrote Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in his pastoral message published at the beginning of the fasting season. “The altar is the place where God and man meet, where God gives Himself to humanity…
The Romanian Orthodox Church on Friday marks 40 years since the repose of Patriarch Iustin Moisescu, one of its most distinguished scholars and a major contributor to Romanian theological culture. Patriarch Iustin Moisescu was born on 5 March 1910 in the village of Cândești, Argeș County, Romania. He studied at the War Orphans’ Seminary in…
His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe celebrates his name day on Friday, when the Orthodox Church commemorates St. Joseph of Arimathea. The Holy and Righteous Joseph of Arimathea is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on 31 July. A secret disciple of Jesus Christ, he joined Nicodemus in taking down the Lord’s body…
On Monday, 27 July, Archbishop Timotei of Arad received Metropolitan Sevastianos of Atlanta from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (Ecumenical Patriarchate). Archbishop Timotei introduced his guest to the new Holy Trinity Archdiocesan Cathedral in Arad. According to the archdiocese, Metropolitan Sevastianos was “deeply impressed by the beauty and grandeur” of the cathedral. The visit…