Today, August 6 2008, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, celebrates 21 years since he was tonsured into monastic life. The event took place in 1987 in the chapel 'Holy Parents Joachim and Anna' of the Sihastria Monastery, Neamt county. His beatitude was tonsured by the abbot, archimandrite Victorin Oanele, and his monastic godfather was father Cleopa Ilie.

The date was chosen by the praise-worthy Patriarch Teoctist, when, as Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, he asked young theologian Dan Ilie Ciobotea to write, in front of him, the request to enter monastic life. Patriarch Teoctist chose this date because, on the feast of the Holy Transfiguration, he also had taken his monastic vows at the Bistrita monastery 52 years earlier.