holiness

Assist. Bishop Sofian at Cernica Monastery: Holiness is the health of soul and body as God intended it

Assistant Bishop Sofian of Brașov said on Sunday at Cernica Monastery that holiness represents “the health of the soul and body” as God intended human beings to live. The assistant bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Germany, Austria and Luxembourg celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the monastery’s St Nicholas Church, where he spoke about…

Jun 10, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel: All Saints Sunday Reveals the Church’s Unity Through Holiness

Speaking on All Saints Sunday at the Historic Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said the Church established the feast in order “to emphasise the connection between holiness and unity, or communion.” “On this Sunday, God is wonderfully present in the diversity and communion of the saints, united by the same grace…

Jun 9, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel says icons invite us to prayer, holiness and communion on Sunday of Orthodoxy

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel underscored on Sunday the essential role of holy icons in the life of believers, stating that “icons invite us to prayer, to holiness and to communion with all the Saints of God.” The Patriarch of Romania attended the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, celebrated by his Patriarchal Auxiliary…

Mar 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel explains continuity of holiness among Romanians through the link between Saints Demetrius and John Jacob

At the conclusion of the “Way of the Saints” procession held in Bucharest to mark the feast of Saint Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest, Patriarch Daniel delivered a message highlighting the spiritual connection between Saint Demetrius the New and Saint John Jacob of Neamț. He explained that the lives and witness of these two…

Oct 23, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel calls for trust in God beyond professional training in Sunday sermon

“We must place our hope in God’s help, even if we are professionals or well-prepared,” urged His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on Sunday at the historic Chapel of Saint George the Great Martyr within the Patriarchal Residence. The Patriarch made this exhortation while reflecting on the Gospel of the 18th Sunday after Pentecost, which recounts the…

Sep 29, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Petru urges deeper faith on Sunday of All Romanian Saints: “Holiness is also our calling”

“Today is a call to deepen our awareness that the Church does not belong only to those present, but also to those who lived in the right faith, who struggled and were sanctified on the land of this nation,” said Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia on Sunday. “We owe to all the Romanian saints the inheritance…

Jun 26, 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

Metropolitan Serafim of Germany uses his Christmas message to glorify God for revealing modern Romanian Saints

The Christmas Pastoral Letter of His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim of Germany, Central and Northern Europe, briefly presents the life of eight of the sixteen newly canonized Romanian Saints – those His Eminence knew. “Let us give glory to the good God who has raised so many saints from our people who pray for us, interceding…

Dec 24, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Holiness does not come and go away as worldly things do, Metropolitan of Veria says at Bucharest Patriarchal Cathedral

“Holiness is not something that comes and goes away as the worldly things do, disappearing soon and being lost. Holiness remains, illuminates and brings forth a fragrance”, the metropolitan of Veria said in his homily on the feast of Sant Demetrius the Myrrh-Gusher. His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria, Naousa, and Kampania presided over the…

Nov 1, 2023Aurelian Iftimiu

Saintliness does not depend on age, but on steadfastness: Patriarch Daniel

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on Sunday offered his reflections on the life of Saint Parascheva and noted that ‘she did not reach saintliness rapidly, which means that saintliness does not depend on age, but on steadfastness, on the intensity of our love for God.’ ‘In Orthodox iconography, the venerable Saints, even if they were younger,…

Oct 16, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

‘The Holy Angels are images of God’s holiness and righteousness,’ Patriarch Daniel says

In his homily delivered Wednesday on the feast of Saints Michael and Gabriel Archangels, Romanian Patriarch Daniel noted that the holy angels reflect God’s glory and proclaim it to humans. His Beatitude added that the angels are images of God’s holiness, righteousness, and kindness. The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church referred to Christian life…

Nov 9, 2017Aurelian Iftimiu