This Akathist honours our Holy and Venerable Father Sofian of St Anthimos Monastery (16 September), a priest, confessor, spiritual father and iconographer formed by the Jesus Prayer. He celebrated the Divine Mysteries reverently, painted holy icons, guided spiritual children and cared for the afflicted. He remained steadfast during persecution and endured imprisonment. The hymn praises…
The Bishop Chesarie Theological Seminary in Buzău marked 190 years since its establishment on Tuesday. “We are committed to continuing to prepare servants of the Church and good, responsible and loyal people,” Fr Cristian Dima, the institution’s director, told the Basilica News Agency. The programme began with a Te Deum service and continued in the…
Firefighters from Timiș County gathered at Partoș Monastery on Tuesday to honour St Joseph the New of Partoș, Romania’s spiritual protector of firefighters. On the saint’s feast day, Timiș firefighters prayed for protection and help in carrying out their missions, and to be kept safe from danger. “Today, we thank him for his protection and…
Archbishop Casian of Lower Danube blessed firefighters in Galați on Tuesday on the feast of St. Joseph the New of Partoș, their spiritual protector. “We rejoice in this wonderful army of good,” His Eminence said. Officers, non-commissioned officers, and other personnel from the General Eremia Grigorescu Inspectorate for Emergency Situations in Galați attended the service,…
His Grace Bishop Mihail of Australia and New Zealand blessed the new social and cultural hall at St Ignatius the God-Bearer Parish in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday, as the project nears completion. On the occasion, His Grace celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross together with parish…
“During the dark years of communism, Antim Monastery was a lamp that remained continually burning, a light of resurrection here in the heart of Bucharest, while St Sofian was a prophet, an apostle and a father of this city, to whom both the most accomplished intellectuals and ordinary people would turn, seeking his kindness, forgiveness…
“It is time to draw closer to one another, so that common prayer and active love may prepare the way for communion and unity within our ancestral Church,” Metropolitan Antonie said on Monday as the Metropolis of Bessarabia marked 34 years since its reactivation. Metropolitan Antonie celebrated a Te Deum service at the Metropolitan Chapel…
The Greek state will support the restoration, conservation and digitisation of the heritage of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem over the next ten years under a memorandum of cooperation concluded with Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture. The document was signed in Athens in June 2026 and ratified by the Greek Parliament last…
Faithful from Constanța and pilgrims from several regions of Romania venerated the reliquary containing the right foot of St Anne, the mother of the Mother of God, on Sunday. The sacred relic was brought from St George the New Church in Bucharest to the Archdiocesan Cathedral in Constanța. The holy relics, which belong to Koutloumousiou…
Romanians in Munich, Germany, marked the 10th anniversary of the consecration of St Mary Church of the Annunciation Parish at the end of last week. Many faithful attended the celebrations, along with retired priest Fr Simion Felecan, who served the community for more than three decades and helped build the church. The Annunciation Parish organised…
Christians worldwide are marking the 2026 Season of Creation, held this year under the theme “Living Water”. According to the guide prepared for the observance, one in four people worldwide lacks access to safe drinking water. The Season of Creation is an annual ecumenical Christian initiative held from 1 September to 4 October, marked by…
Romanian President Nicușor Dan sent a message on Sunday marking the local proclamation of St Magdalena’s canonisation ceremony at Malajnica Monastery in Serbia. “She remains a symbol of devotion and steadfastness,” the head of state emphasised. Eugen Tomac, honorary presidential adviser for relations with Romanians abroad, read the Romanian President’s message. Nicușor Dan highlighted the…
Patriarch Daniel described St Magdalena of Malajnica as a courageous confessor of the Orthodox faith and a “bridge” between Romanians and Serbs in a message marking the local proclamation of her canonisation at Malajnica Monastery in Serbia on Sunday. The Patriarch of Romania highlighted the saint’s steadfast Christian witness during the communist regime in former…
Romanians and Serbs from the Timok Valley region honoured St Magdalena of Malajnica on Sunday at the local proclamation of her canonisation, held at Malajnica Monastery in Serbia. Metropolitan Ioan of Banat celebrated the Divine Liturgy with Bishops Lucian of Caransebeș, Nicodim of Severin and Strehaia, Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia, Ieronim of Dacia Felix, and…
“The sign of the Holy Cross reminds the world of the sacrificial love of the Lord Jesus Christ,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel emphasised on Monday at the historic St George the Great Martyr Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence. His Beatitude explained that the veneration of the Holy Cross dates back to the apostolic period and…
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas emphasised that the Exaltation of the Holy Cross offers an “opportunity to reflect on our own understanding of the world and of our Christian life”. Beginning with the historical significance of the feast, linked to Empress Helen’s discovery of the Holy Cross and its display to the people…
Orthodox hierarchs in the United Kingdom were among the signatories of an appeal opposing the legalisation of assisted suicide. “We must provide care, not killing,” the bishops said. The letter was published ahead of the return to the British Parliament of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would have allowed terminally ill…
Monday marked 34 years since the Diocesan Assembly in Chișinău decided, on 14 September 1992, to reactivate the Metropolis of Bessarabia. The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church noted the decision on 19 December 1992 through a Patriarchal and Synodal Act, recognising it as an autonomous metropolis following the unrevised calendar, an integral part…
The Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand has announced it will continue construction of the St Dumitru Stăniloae Cultural and Missionary Centre, the episcopal chapel, and facilities for the Romanian school in Melbourne. With support from Romania’s Department for Romanians Abroad, which provided funding of 2 million lei, the project is entering its…
His Grace Bishop Mihail of Australia and New Zealand celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the Dormition of the Mother of God Parish in Christchurch, New Zealand. During the service, he also blessed the cross to be installed on the church tower. His Grace congratulated the city’s Romanian community, which attended the Divine Liturgy…