Solemn Year 2024

Bessarabia Metropolis expands domestic violence prevention as Social Mission Diaconia publishes 2024 report

In 2024, the Metropolis of Bessarabia tackled domestic violence as part of its social mission, as underscored in the activity report, which highlighted the Church’s growing involvement in domestic violence prevention in the Republic of Moldova. This engagement began with the organization of the conference “Family Under the Protection of Faith: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Domestic Violence”, which…

Jun 18, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

The Church Alongside the Sick: A Year in Review on Healing

Observing the accelerated increase in recent years of people affected by both classic diseases and multiple addictions, the Romanian Orthodox Church dedicated the year now concluding to the pastoral care and assistance of the sick. The declaration of the “Solemn Year of Pastoral Care and Assistance of the Sick” and the “Commemorative Year of all…

Dec 20, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel: Carols heal sadness and bring holy joy

On Tuesday evening, during the traditional Christmas carols concert “The Rising Sun” at the Patriarchal Palace, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel emphasized the carols’ profound spiritual and emotional impact. Addressing the audience, he described Christmas carols as a source of joy and faith, capable of healing sadness and despair. “Carols are our response to God’s love,”…

Dec 18, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Understanding healing through the Mystery of Holy Unction: Insights from Father Nicolae Dima

In a YouTube video, Father Nicolae Dima explained the type of healing one can seek through the Mystery of Holy Unction, emphasizing its spiritual depth rather than a promise of miraculous physical cures. A Ritual of Renewal Father Dima recounted his personal experience of performing the Holy Unction in a hospital room where his daughter…

Nov 20, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Medicine and Monasticism: Complementary vocations for Abbess Justina Bujor of Paltin Monastery

Stavrophore Justina Bujor, the abbess of Paltin-Petru Vodă Monastery, shared in an interview with Doxologia.ro how medicine and monasticism intertwined in her life as complementary vocations. “On one hand, it’s challenging, but on the other, they truly complement each other,” said the abbess about her dual roles as a monastery leader and a physician. “I…

Nov 19, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Floyd Frantz, addiction treatment specialist, says Romanian Orthodox culture helps addiction recovery

American addiction treatment specialist Floyd Frantz came to Romania as a missionary with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) from the USA. He then co-founded the National Anti-Drug Program of the Romanian Orthodox Church. In November 2000, he initiated in Cluj-Napoca the St. Dimitrie addiction treatment program within the Christian Medical Philanthropic Association “Christiana”, realized…

Nov 14, 2024Ștefana Totorcea

Philanthropy representatives from the Romanian Patriarchate gather in Chișinău for prayer and interdisciplinary discussions

On Monday evening, the General Assembly of the Romanian Patriarchate’s Filantropia Federation gathered in Chișinău and was marked by a Te Deum service at the chapel of the Eparchial Center. Key attendees included Father Ciprian Ioniță, Patriarchal Advisor and President of the Filantropia Federation; clergy from the Metropolis of Bessarabia; social advisors from various dioceses…

Nov 13, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel highlights link between medicine and Christian spirituality at EABM Conference

Addressing the 17th Annual Meeting of the Euro-Asian Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (EABM), held from October 17 to 20 in Iași, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church pointed to the importance of cooperation between medical science and Christian spirituality. He emphasized that both fields share a common goal: healing the sick. Patriarch…

Oct 23, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel encourages youth to seek life’s meaning in Christ at National ASCOR Meeting

The National Meeting of the Association of Romanian Orthodox Christian Students (A.S.C.O.R.) took place from October 18 to 20, 2024, at the “Patriarch Justinian” Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest. The gathering coincided with the 2024 Solemn Year of Pastoral Care and Assistance of the Sick, as declared by the Holy Synod of the Romanian…

Oct 23, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Clergy Conference of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas explores psycho-spiritual health and pastoral care

The Clergy Conference of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas was held at the Romanian Orthodox Parish in Mississauga, Ontario, from August 22 to August 24, 2024. The event convened monastics, priests, and deacons from various parts of the city to engage in a conversation about pastoral themes and psycho-spiritual health. Bishop Ioan Casian…

Aug 27, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel’s Message for Romanian Migrants: Health is God’s gift, and it must be guarded, cared for, and sanctified

On the occasion of Romanian Migrants’ Sunday (August 18), His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church delivered a heartfelt message emphasizing the sacred responsibility of caring for one’s health. The Patriarch’s message, titled “Health is God’s Gift, and this gift must be guarded, cared for, and sanctified,” calls attention to the spiritual and…

Aug 20, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu