great lent

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop says service and brotherly love key to peace in the world

His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia, on Sunday, underscored the importance of serving one’s neighbour and cultivating brotherly love as essential to ensuring peace in the world. The hierarch celebrated at the Chapel of the National Cathedral, explaining that “the Gospel read today shows the Saviour Christ making His final journey to Jerusalem…

Apr 1, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Trust in God and the Mother of God brings true freedom, says patriarchal auxiliary bishop Varlaam

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești said on Friday evening at the Patriarchal Cathedral that true freedom is found through trust in God, the Mother of God and the saints. “Only with the help of God, of the Mother of God and of the saints can we feel truly free, entrusting our lives into the…

Mar 28, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Teofil urges Christians to be messengers of peace amid wars

His Grace Bishop Teofil of Trotuș, assistant bishop of the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău, called on Wednesday for Christians to become messengers of peace in a world troubled by wars and conflict. He celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Deleni Skete. In his homily, the bishop said that many minds are…

Mar 20, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

St Nikolai Velimirović commemorated in Michigan as Metropolitan highlights meaning of the Cross

Saint Nikolai Velimirović was commemorated on Sunday at the Protection of the Mother of God Monastery, where he is honoured as the third patron saint, alongside the Mother of God and John Jacob of Neamț. His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the two Americas celebrated the Divine Liturgy and spoke about following Christ and taking up…

Mar 19, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

1,000 Greek pupils chant hymns to Virgin Mary at Thessaloniki Cathedral service (video)

Around 1,000 pupils from 37 schools at all levels of education in Thessaloniki chanted hymns to the Virgin Mary at the city’s Hagia Sophia Church. The pupils, together with the choir of the Hellenic Army Officers’ School and the Eirmos Byzantine Children’s Choir of the Metropolis of Thessaloniki, provided the liturgical responses on Friday, 13…

Mar 16, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Teofil urges prayer and charity for those unable to fast during Lent

Assistant Bishop Teofil of the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău urged believers who are unable to fast during the Lenten period to intensify their prayer or perform more acts of charity. The hierarch celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesday at the Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery in Caraclău, Bacău County.…

Mar 12, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Church of Greece urges families to support priestly vocations

The Church of Greece has called on families—especially wives—to support with love and understanding those who feel called to serve as ministers of the Church. The appeal was made by the Permanent Holy Synod of the Church of Greece in a pastoral message issued ahead of the Week of Priestly Vocations. In the encyclical letter,…

Mar 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop urges faithful to follow example of Forty Martyrs at Bucharest monastery feast

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești on Monday urged believers to follow the example of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste while presiding at the patronal feast of Antim Monastery in Bucharest. “Looking with admiration at the example of the Forty Martyrs, let us follow their faith,” the bishop said during the Liturgy of the Presanctified…

Mar 10, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel: ‘The living Church is a communion of merciful love’

The living Church is a communion of merciful love, Patriarch Daniel of Romania said on Sunday, explaining that the four anonymous men who brought the paralytic to Jesus through the roof in the Gospel account symbolise the Church as a serving and compassionate community. “The Church prays not only for those present at its prayer,…

Mar 9, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Hon Metr. Nifon praises Bulgarian community during ‘Todorovden’ celebration in Târgoviște

Archbishop Nifon of Târgoviște, honorary metropolitan and patriarchal exarch, delivered a message on Saturday on the occasion of “Todorovden – the Horses’ Easter,” a traditional holiday observed annually by the Bulgarian minority in the Romanian city of Târgoviște. The feast takes place on the first Saturday of Great Lent and derives its name from St.…

Mar 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie: Great Canon is ‘Adam’s lament’ and a biography of the soul

“The Great Canon has been called Adam’s Lament—that is, the lament of the man who realised that, in losing God, he lost himself. For this reason, the Canon is the biography of each of our souls, written in the form of prayer,” said patriarchal auxiliary bishop Paisie of Sinaia on Tuesday evening at the Patriarchal…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu