Romanian confessors

Romanian hesychast and anti-Communist Confessor Fr. Benedict Ghiuș remembered 35 years after his passing

Archimandrite Benedict Ghiuș, one of the founders of the “Burning Bush” Hesychast Movement, humbly reposed in the Lord on June 12, 1990. Born Vasile Ghiuș in 1904 in Domnești, Vrancea County, he studied at the Faculty of Theology in Cernăuți and later earned his doctorate in Strasbourg, France. In 1934, he embraced monastic life at…

Jun 12, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Sihăstria Monastery hosts exhumation of Saints Paisius and Cleopas relics in view of local canonization

The relics of Saints Paisius (Olaru) and Cleopas (Ilie) of Sihăstria were exhumed on Monday and placed in specially crafted reliquaries. The special exhumation service was officiated by Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia and Assistant Bishop Nichifor of Botoșani from the Archdiocese of Iași. The personal belongings of the two revered monks, preserved in their…

Apr 28, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Relics of Saint Seraphim the Enduring exhumed in Romania ahead of local canonization ceremony

The relics of Saint Seraphim the Enduring of Sâmbăta de Sus were exhumed on Saturday during a religious ceremony. The exhumation service was celebrated by Metropolitan Laurențiu of Transylvania, together with Bishop Andrei of Covasna and Harghita, Assistant Bishop Ilarion of Făgăraș (Archdiocese of Sibiu), and Assistant Bishop Sofian of Brașov (Archdiocese of Germany, Austria,…

Apr 28, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

May 14: Romania marks National Day honouring martyrs who suffered in communist prisons

Romania’s martyrs from communist prisons are annually remembered on a National Day marked on May 14. In remembrance of the thousands of young people, intellectuals, theologians, and citizens of various social classes who opposed the communist regime and were detained between the nights of May 14 and 15, 1948, this day was established. A considerable…

May 14, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Who are the 15 Venerables and Confessors proposed for canonization as part of the Romanian Patriarchate’s Centennial in 2025

The proposed canonization of fifteen Romanian venerables and confessors is a significant event in the history of the Romanian Orthodox Church. This proclamation, set to take place next year, coincides with the Church’s centennial since its patriarchal status was recognized. The files are currently undergoing analysis and are awaiting approval by the Holy Synod of the Romanian…

May 9, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Who was Protos. Iraclie Flocea: Survivor of the Stalinist Gulag proposed for canonization

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church approved, in its working session from October 25, 2023, the proposal of the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia for the canonization of Protosyncellus Iraclie Flocea (May 11, 1893 – August 16, 1964). The proposal had previously been approved by the Metropolitan Synod of the Metropolis of Bessarabia. The…

Nov 1, 2023Ștefana Totorcea

Romania: Church of Martyrs and Confessors of Communist Prisons consecrated in Târgu Ocna

The Church of Martyrs and Confessors of Communist Prisons built within the National School for Prison Officers in Târgu Ocna, Romania, was consecrated on Saturday, May 14, 2022. The ceremony was part of a series of events marking 25 years since the establishment of this institution, which chose Martyr Prince Constantine Brâncoveanu as its spiritual patron.…

May 25, 2022Ștefana Totorcea

Church of Martyrs and Confessors of Communist Prisons to be consecrated in Târgu Ocna

The National School for Prison Officers in Târgu Ocna, Romania, hosts two days of celebrations dedicated to the consecration of the Church of Martyrs and Confessors of Communist Prisons. Five hierarchs will officiate on Saturday the consecration of the church built near the prison where Valeriu Gafencu, surnamed “the saint of the prisons”, reposed. The…

May 13, 2022Ștefana Totorcea

Archbishop Irineu commemorates confessors of communist prisons at Aiud Monastery

His Eminence Archbishop Irineu of Alba Iulia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the “Holy Cross” Monastery in Aiud and prayed for the souls of the confessors in communist prisons on Sunday, March 27. In his sermon for the Sunday of the Holy Cross, the Archbishop of Alba Iulia explained that “our Saviour Jesus Christ calls…

Apr 1, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

28th anniversary of Fr Dumitru Staniloae’s repose

Twenty-eight years have passed since Father Dumitru Stăniloae’s repose in the Lord. The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki first awarded him the title of Doctor honoris causa in 1976 on the recommendation of Athonite abbots. The theologian Olivier Clément called him “the greatest contemporary Orthodox theologian”, and the existentialist philosopher Emil Cioran said that “Philokalia is…

Oct 5, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Arad Theology Faculty rejoices in upcoming canonization of Fr Ilarion Felea

The approval of the local arguments regarding the canonization proposal of Father Ilarion Felea by the Synod of the Metropolis of Banat is a “gratifying fact for those who knew him, read his biography and pastoral-missionary theological work,” the dean of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Arad, Fr. Cristinel Ioja, told Basilica.ro. “A joy…

Oct 4, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu