Holy Confessor Blandina of Iasi (+ 1971)

Blondina Gobjilă, commonly known as “Mother Blandina,” was born on February 24, 1906, in the village of Grușenți-Chelmești in Bessarabia, into a priestly family. Her father was named Zaharia Popovici, and her mother Serafima. They had two more daughters and a son, Blandina being the youngest of them all. Her name comes from the Holy Martyr Blandina, who lived in the second century in the region of present-day Lyon and was martyred in the year 177 during the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius (161–180). The meaning of the name, derived from the Latin blandus, -a, -um, meaning “gentle, comforting, pleasant, charming, inviting,” very well describes both her character and the way she related to people throughout her life, regardless of the difficulties she encountered.

She received an excellent education, both moral and intellectual. The priestly family into which she was born deeply influenced her upbringing and personality. Faith, piety, love for the holy services, respect for one’s neighbor, and self-sacrifice were virtues she cultivated from earliest childhood until the end of her life. From the age of six she attended daily the services celebrated by her father, read at the chanter’s stand, knew the order of the services, replaced the chanter when needed, and knew the Divine Liturgy by heart. She attended elementary school and gymnasium, eventually becoming a teacher for grades one through seven.

On August 27, 1926, she married Gheorghe Gobjilă, an agronomist engineer and son of a priest, with whom she had one son, Vladislav-Slavcic. From this point, Mother Blandina’s life may be divided into three periods of fifteen years each: 1926–1941 were years spent in peace and happiness with her husband and their son; 1941–1956 was the period in which she was deported to Siberia; and from 1956 until 1971, when she departed to the Lord, she lived her years of freedom in Iași, at the Metropolitan Cathedral near Saint Paraskeva.

Commemoration of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Romanian Prisons

May 14th is a National Day in Romania to commemorate the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Romanian Prisons. The date was chosen to commemorate the night of 14–15 May 1948, when the communist authorities launched one of the largest waves of political arrests in post-war Romania. More than 10,000 young people, intellectuals, students and opponents of the regime were detained, interrogated and sentenced. Many of those imprisoned were sent to the communist prisons of Aiud, Gherla, Pitești, Sighetu Marmației and Râmnicu Sărat.

Notable Prison Martyrs and Confessors were:

Valeriu Gafencu (1921–1952): Often referred to as "The Saint of the Prisons", he died at Târgu Ocna prison at the age of 31. He is known for his profound love and spiritual influence over other prisoners.

Archimandrite Arsenie Papacioc: A major spiritual father who survived communist incarceration.

Fr. Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa: A priest who was imprisoned for his faith and later spoke out against the regime.

Archimandrite Iustin Pârvu: A well-known confessor who spent over 16 years in communist prisons.

Fr. Daniil Tudor (Sandu Tudor) (1896–1962): Founder of the "Burning Bush" movement at Antim Monastery and a key figure among the "Aiud mystics".

Fr. Ilarion Felea: A theologian and priest who died in prison.

Ioan Ianolide: A disciple of Valeriu Gafencu who chronicled the spiritual life in Aiud prison.

Virgil Maxim: A writer and poet who spent 22 years in various prisons.

Monk Nicolae Steinhardt: A Jewish intellectual who converted to Orthodox Christianity while in prison.

Some of the confessors of the faith who suffered in communist prisons were canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2024, with the solemn proclamation of canonization taking place in 2025, a year proclaimed by the Romanian Patriarchate as the Commemorative Year of Romanian Orthodox Spiritual Fathers and Confessors of the 20th Century.

Establishment of the Commemorative Day

The National Day honoring the martyrs and confessors of the communist prisons was established through Law No. 127, adopted by the Romanian Parliament and promulgated by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on May 30, 2017. In honor of the commemoration, the Church of the Martyrs and Confessors of the Communist Prisons at the National School for the Training of Penitentiary Agents in Târgu Ocna, Bacău County in eastern Romania was consecrated in May 2022.

The legislation provides that central and local authorities, cultural institutions and public media outlets organise commemorative events dedicated to the victims of the communist regime. These activities include official ceremonies, wreath-laying events and cultural or educational programmes recalling the sufferings endured by those persecuted for faith and freedom. The law also stipulates that on May 14th, public media institutions should prioritize materials dedicated to communist repression and the events of 1948.

Troparion in the First Tone
The true confessors of Christ have bravely withstood the wiles of the devil, and neither persecution, nor prison, nor tortures, nor chains could frighten them, but with power from on High, have they guarded the faith and the Romanian Land. By their prayers, Christ our God, save our souls.
 

On the Controversial Sainthood of Certain Romanian Prison Confessors and Martyrs

Some of the Romanian prison confessors and martyrs had complicated political backgrounds, and the subject is historically and emotionally charged.

A number of Orthodox Christians imprisoned under the communist regime in Romania were arrested simply for their faith, anti-communism, intellectual activity, or association with religious circles. Others, however, had at some point been connected — directly or indirectly — with the far-right nationalist movement known as the Iron Guard, also called the Legionary Movement.

That does not mean every Romanian prison confessor was a fascist, nor that all who are remembered spiritually by Orthodox believers shared the same political views. The group often referred to as the “prison confessors and martyrs” includes many different people with very different biographies.

A few important distinctions help:

- Some prisoners were never involved in extremist politics at all.

- Some had youthful involvement with the Legionary Movement before imprisonment.

- Some later rejected political extremism and became known primarily for repentance, endurance, prayer, and suffering under communism.

- Communist authorities often labeled broad categories of opponents as “fascists,” which can blur historical realities.

The Romanian Orthodox world itself remains divided over how to remember certain figures:

- Some believers focus on their suffering, confession of faith, and spiritual writings in prison.

- Critics argue that earlier fascist affiliations should not be minimized or romanticized.

- Historians continue to debate individual cases separately rather than treating all “prison saints” as one uniform group.

For example, figures like Valeriu Gafencu, Mircea Vulcănescu, and Dumitru Stăniloae had very different lives and levels of political involvement.

Therefore while some Romanian prison confessors had past associations with fascist or ultranationalist movements, others did not. Treating all of them simply as “fascists” — or, on the other hand, ignoring documented extremist ties where they existed — oversimplifies a complex historical reality.

The Romanian Orthodox Church has generally tried to draw a distinction between:

- honoring people who suffered in communist prisons for their faith, and

- endorsing fascist or Legionary ideology.

Officially, the Patriarchate has repeatedly stated that it does not support fascist, racist, antisemitic, xenophobic, or extremist movements.

For example, in a 2019 statement, the Patriarchate said:

- not everyone who died in communist prisons died specifically “for the Orthodox faith,”

- there is a difference between a “hero” and a “saint,” and

- sainthood is not granted for political or patriotic reasons, but for holiness and faithfulness to Christ.

The Patriarchate has also stated publicly that it does not initiate or promote racist or antisemitic movements.

At the same time, the issue is complicated because:

- some clergy and faithful in Romania strongly venerate the “prison saints,”

- some of those figures had documented ties to the Iron Guard,

- and critics argue that parts of this prison-saints movement can blur the line between spiritual commemoration and rehabilitation of fascist figures.

The Patriarchate itself has often taken a cautious middle position:

- it commemorates victims of communist persecution,

- it has allowed remembrance services and discussion of prison confessors,

- but historically it was hesitant to canonize many controversial figures because of concerns about political extremism and public scandal.

More recently, some former prison figures have been officially canonized or honored locally, which has renewed debate in Romania. When extremist groups tried to use these commemorations for Legionary-style demonstrations, the Patriarchate publicly condemned that political appropriation.

So the Patriarchate’s public position is roughly:

- suffering under communism can be honored,

- holiness is judged spiritually, not politically,

- fascist ideology is not endorsed,

- and the memory of these figures should not be used to promote extremism.

Communique of the Patriarchate of Romania: 
The Orthodox Church Commemorates All Heroes, Though It Does Not Glorify All of Them

June 5, 2019

Because sometimes the Romanian media refers to the glorification of the persons who suffered persecutions during the communist regime in our country or even died in the communist jails, we provide the following information:

The canonization of Saints has the role to profess, to strengthen and to convey the true faith so as to guide the faithful on the path of salvation and of gaining saintliness.

One of the essential conditions to glorify Saints is their undoubted faith kept until death (Revelation 2:10).

In this regard, not all those who died in prisons died for the Orthodox faith. Therefore, there is a difference between a hero – who suffered and died for the freedom or in defence of the motherland – and a Saint – who witnessed to the faith until death.

Hence, the glorification of Saints is not performed for political or patriotic reasons, but for the fact of living and witnessing the true faith in times both of peace and persecution.

The persons who suffered for their faith during communism are constantly commemorated or honoured by the Church through their remembrance during every Divine Liturgy, when the Church prays for ‘the blessed in their falling asleep Romanian heroes, soldiers and fighters of all times and places, who sacrificed themselves on battlefields, in concentration camps and in prisons for the defense of the motherland and of the ancient Orthodox faith, for national unity, for the freedom and dignity of the Romanian nation.’

In addition, the Commemoration Day of Anti-Communist Political Prisoners is observed every year on March 9, when the Church commemorates the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, and the National Day for the Victims of Communism is observed on May 14.

The Romanian Patriarchate particularly paid an intense and extensive homage to those who suffered during communism in 2017, a year declared by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church as Solemn Year of Patriarch Justinian and of the defenders of Orthodoxy during communism.

‘The example of their lives full of devotional deeds and sacrificial acts is a permanent source of light and renewal for today’s Christian life, and their commemoration of this year calls us to be confessors of Orthodox faith, founders of holy places and of Christian culture, urges that we have humble and merciful love in the soul, as well as worthy works of confessing the Christian faith today,’ reads the Solemn commemorative act of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, made public on October 27, 2017.

In this context, the Romanian Patriarchate published important volumes dedicated to those who confessed Christ in communist jails (for example The Dictionary of confessing Romanian Orthodox clergy and laypersons in communist detention, 1945-1964, coordinated by Adrian Nicolae Petcu; Patriarch Justinian Marina and the defenders of Orthodoxy during communism, etc.).

Also, shows and theatre plays were performed being inspired by the suffering of the passion-bearers in communist prisons, symposia and conferences were organized, all of them having a content meant to recover the remembrance of the exemplary moral status of the heroic Romanian fighters in our recent history.

However, unlike heroes and patriot martyrs of certain historical moments, a Saint represents a constant and luminous example of steadfast faith, sincere repentance and holy life.

The canonization process, as recognition of the saintliness of a person, is therefore laborious and long-lasting, because proof of the certainty of the true faith and the holiness of life of the one proposed for canonization must be provided, as well as the proof that popular devotion to that person is not superficial and temporal, but profound and perennial, verified over time.

In conclusion, we must constantly remember all Romanian heroes, although not all of them are listed as Saints in the calendar.

Nevertheless, the glorification of Saints must not be made by the Holy Synod under the pressure of the moment or in haste, but in a spirit of patience, wisdom, sound documentation and discernment, since true holiness is given to people humbled by God Himself who is the Only Holy, and the Church only recognizes and proclaims solemnly this saintliness given to the people of God.

In this respect, both known and unknown Saints, that is both canonized Saints (added to the calendar) and those still not canonized by the Church, are venerated with piety and invoked in prayer on the Sunday of All Saints and on the Sunday of All Romanian Saints.

Some Saints were included in the Synaxaria or the church calendar ten or twenty years after their death, and others a century or several centuries after death, according to the secret work of God.

Therefore, the declaration of new Saints by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church can bring joy to the faithful if it is a documented work lighted by prayer and humility, but even more urgent and more necessary than any canonization is the cultivation of holiness in our personal lives, because it brings us salvation or eternal gladness (Hebrews 12:14).

Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate

 

Life of Holy Venerable Matrona of Hurezi (+ 1935)

 

Venerable Matrona of Hurezi (1852–1935) stands among the great ascetic women of modern Romanian Orthodoxy, a model of humility, prayer, obedience, and spiritual motherhood.

She was born in Sibiu in 1852, into a pious Orthodox family. From her earliest years she was marked by a deep inclination toward the spiritual life. Her father, who had been a shepherd, later renounced the world and embraced monasticism on Mount Athos, receiving the name Nikodemos. She was also the aunt of Hieroschemamonk Teodosie Domnariu — the abbot of the Cell of Saint Hypatios on the territory of Vatopaidi Monastery.

At the age of five, the young girl was entrusted to the Monastery of Sărăcinești in Vâlcea, where she was raised in a monastic environment. There she learned prayer, obedience and monastic discipline. In time she was tonsured into monasticism, dedicating her entire life to Christ.

Life of the Holy Venerable Mavra of Mount Ceahlău

By Archimandrite Mihail Daniliuc

Nuns, monks, priests, and laypeople have carried love and devotion toward the Venerable Mavra of Mount Ceahlău for more than two centuries, after which written testimonies began to be recorded concerning the hermit life and the miracles of the Venerable Mavra in the oldest Romanian Synaxaria and Paterika.

A hermit life on Mount Ceahlău most likely existed from the time Christianity appeared at the foothills of the Carpathians, but it intensified after Romanian monasticism experienced a reorganization and a beautiful flourishing after the 14th century.[1] Countless hermits, monks, and nuns living in cenobitic communities labored here,[2] among them also the Holy Venerable Mavra of Mount Ceahlău,[3] also called Mount Pion.[4]

She lived toward the end of the 17th century[5], being originally from a village in the Bistrița Valley, not far from Ceahlău.[6] Born and raised in a pious family, Maria — as she was named at Baptism — came to know the beauty of our Holy Orthodoxy from early childhood. Her parents, people of good lineage and faithful, zealous for holy things, raised her in faith and love for God, urging her toward prayer and fasting, but also toward the doing of good works. She had a gentle nature and loved the beauty of God’s creation that surrounded her everywhere. She dearly loved the birds of the sky and the animals of the forest, feeding them especially during harsh winters with severe frost and snow. Her love for the Gospel of Christ she learned at home, but she deepened it in the village church and in the monasteries and sketes nearby, where she went on pilgrimage with her parents and family or with many children of her age. Some old records show that near the village of the Venerable Mavra there was the Skete of Silvestru,[7] founded by a hermit named Silvestru, the church of the monastic settlement being built by the ruler Bogdan IV, the son of Alexandru Lăpușneanu.[8]

Venerable Hieromartyr Gerasimus of Tismana (+ 1951)

After being born on January 21, 1912, at Holy Baptism, the Saint received the name Gregory Iscu, after his father. His mother was named Elena and ended her life as a nun. He inherited from his righteous parents the love of God and the love of prayer.

At the age of 12, he was accepted into the Holy Monastery of Bogdana, not far from his birthplace. He attended the Monastic Seminary at Neamț Monastery, then at Cernica Monastery. During this period, he entered as a brother into the Holy Monastery of Tismana, where he was tonsured into monasticism and given the name Gerasimus.

The Venerable Father showed great diligence in church services, obedience, and his cell rule, gaining the gift of tears and unceasing prayer. Being a fellow sufferer in his heart with all people, he was soon deemed worthy of the priestly rank, which he loved and honoured throughout his life, for he said: “I desired and still desire to be only a servant of the Altar, a service which, with God’s help, I have never defiled.”

Venerable Antonina of Tismana (+ 2011)

Mother Antonina Diaconu (March 7, 1923 – December 23, 2011) was a “fool for Christ” who lived at Tismana Monastery.

At the age of 26, a beautiful young woman, wearing a red velvet dress, stepped into monastic life. She had an especially pleasant voice and a distinctive presence. After entering the monastery, she was entrusted with the obedience of caring for the pigs — a humble service that she fulfilled for forty years, at a distance of several hundred meters from the monastic community.

Desiring to take part in the night services, she often found herself confronted by the monastery’s locked gates. Faced with this obstacle, she chose to transform the place of her obedience into her own altar. She prayed in the forest, where she was often seen making hundreds of prostrations. One day, she joyfully recounted that she had met in the forest a woman clothed in black, with a mantle and a staff — a mysterious encounter which she identified as a vision of the Mother of God.

Venerable Martyr Eulogia of Samurcășești (+ 1949)

St. Eulogia of Samurcășești (Feast Day - December 19)

Venerable Eulogia was born on November 24, 1908, in the village of Nevesca (today Nimfeo), in northern Greece. At Baptism she received the name Aikaterini. Her parents, Evangelitsa and Panagiotis, belonged to an old Vlach community that had lived in those lands for generations.

Trials and suffering came upon her from an early age. She lost her mother while still a small child. After her father remarried, she endured many hardships caused by her stepmother. One day, while gathering hay, her father’s wife pushed Aikaterini off a haystack. The child fractured her spine and was left with a bodily infirmity that confined her to bed for nine years. As an invalid, at the age of ten, she was sent to Bucharest to live with her maternal uncle, Ioan Ciciu, and his wife, Epifania. In their home she spent many difficult years marked by pain and illness.

In 1927, when the young Aikaterini fell ill with peritonitis and was abandoned by her relatives, who believed she would not survive, the Mother of God appeared to her openly, together with the Holy Great Martyr Katherine, her patron saint. Coming to her bedside in the likeness of physicians, they healed her. With great humility, Saint Katherine said to the Most Holy Theotokos: “Mother of God, cut here, sew here, bind here.” And the Most Pure Virgin addressed the sick girl with gentle words. Until then, Aikaterini had suffered from a swollen abdomen and drawn-up knees. The Mother of God said to her: “Behold, my child, from now on you will become healthy.” Showing her that the cause of the illness had been removed, she added: “This was the whole illness and all the evil.” And she said again: “From now on you will be well.” At once, the young Aikaterini was healed, filled with gratitude toward God, the Mother of God, and the Holy Great Martyr Katherine.

The Venerable Elders Paisius Olaru and Cleopa Ilie of Sihastria: Luminous Pillars of Romanian Monasticism

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church marked the local proclamation of the canonization of Saints Paisius Olaru and Cleopa Ilie on Thursday, August 7th 2025, with a deeply spiritual tribute, calling them “two pillars of light between the mountains and heaven.”

In a pastoral message occasioned by the celebrations at Sihăstria Monastery, the Patriarch of Romania highlighted the ascetic lives, spiritual authority, and enduring influence of the two hesychast elders, emphasising their role as confessors of the faith during the communist persecution and as guiding lights in the Orthodox tradition.

Please find below the full text of Patriarch Daniel’s message for the local proclamation of the canonization of Saints Paisius and Cleopa of Sihăstria, who are commemorated togather annually on December 2nd.

Saint Anastasia Şaguna, Mother of the Holy Hierarch Andrei Şaguna (+ 1836)

 

Anastasia Şaguna (1785–1836) was the mother of the Holy Hierarch Andrei Şaguna, one of the most illustrious figures of Romanian Orthodoxy.

Born in 1785, she received a select education from her parents, in the spirit of fear of God, honor and steadfastness in the ancestral faith.

She married young, and at the age of 18 she became a mother, giving birth to Evreta, the brother of the later Metropolitan, followed by a little girl, Ecaterina, in 1806 and the infant Anastasios (the future Metropolitan Andrei Şaguna) on December 20, 1808, in Miscolts.

Anastasia's life took a dramatic turn when her husband, Naum Şaguna, for material reasons and forced by circumstances, converted to Catholicism. This choice generated an intense internal and external struggle for Anastasia, who decided to defend her faith and, above all, the souls of her children with all her might. Convinced that the holiest religion was the one in which her parents and ancestors worshipped, Anastasia chose to fight for her little ones to remain Orthodox.

Saint Magdalena of Mălainița (+ 1962)

Saint Mandălina was born in 1895, on November 22/December 5th, the day after the feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple according to the old calendar, into a family of believers from the village of Șciubic.

Her father, Milenko Ilić, was of Serbian descent, and her mother, Milca, was a Romanian from the old Cătălinici family from Transylvania. At her baptism, performed on December 3/16, she received the name Mandălina (Magdalena), a sign of her calling to a life of humility and service.

From early childhood, she showed a love for prayer and the Church. Although in those days girls were not encouraged to study, she learned to read, receiving from God the gift of wisdom and unwavering faith.

Saint Dionysius Exiguus

St. Dionysius Exiguus (Feast Day - September 1)

Saint Dionysius Exiguus was, according to his biographer Cassiodorus, "of Scythian descent, but of entirely Roman manners, very skilled in both languages [Latin and Greek], a perfect connoisseur of Holy Scripture and Dogmatics." 

He entered a monastery in Dobruja as a young man, joining the Scythian monks. Later he arrived in Constantinople, only to be called to Rome in 496, where he was ordained a priest and remained for the rest of his life.

He lived for a long time in the Monastery of Saint Anastasia, and also worked in the papal chancellery.

Cassiodorus also wrote that Dionysius taught dialectics in the Vivarium Monastery (in Calabria) and that he taught for many years in the church.

He was a great scholar of the Holy Scriptures, a strict guardian of all monastic virtues and, above all, humility, as a sign of which he called himself "Exiguus" (the Small).

Two Athonite Elders, Dionysios of Kolitsou and Petronios of Prodromou, Are Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate announced the following canonizations of two renowned Athonite Elders of Romanian descent on August 31st 2025:

"The Holy and Sacred Synod continued its work on the 30th and 31st of August 2025, under the presidency of His All-Holiness, having thoroughly examined the considerations of the matters listed in the daily agenda, upon which the appropriate decisions were made...

It also unanimously decided, upon the recommendation of the Canonical Commission, to include in the Church’s Hagiologion those who as ascetics lived a venerable life on Mount Athos: Dionysios of Vatopaidi, who resided at the Sacred Cell of Saint George of Kolitsou, and Hieromonk Petronios, Dikaios of the Sacred Skete of the Honorable Forerunner, under the Sacred Monastery of Great Lavra. The commemoration of the former will be celebrated on May 11th and the latter on February 24th of each year.

The Birthplace of Saint John Jacob the Chozebite

The Birthplace of Saint John Jacob of Neamt - Crainiceni

 

By Teodor Danalache

The birthplace of Saint John Jacob of Neamț, also known as "the Chozebite," after the place where he engaged in holy ascetic labors, is located in the Romanian village of Horodistea, Păltiniș Commune, along National Road 29A, in Botoșani County, at a distance of only 15 kilometers from Rădăuți Prut, on the road to Dorohoi. The Saint's house is today a memorial house and museum.

The young Ilie Jacob, who later became known as Father John Jacob of Neamț, also referred to as "the Chozebite," was born in the village of Crainiceni on July 23, 1913, into a family of simple and devout peasants named Ekaterina and Maxim Jacob. In 1968, the village of Crainiceni merged with the locality of Horodistea, and today Horodistea is part of the Păltiniș Commune.

Romanian Orthodox Church Canonizes 16 Saints of the 20th Century

On 11-12 July 2024, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held its working sessions at Patriarch Teoctist Aula Magna of the Patriarchal Palace under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Among other things discussed, the Holy Synod approved the canonization of 16 Romanian Confessors, Martyrs and Spiritual Fathers of the 20th century.

On Monday evening, 3 February 2025, Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, secretary of the Holy Synod, officiated the final Memorial Service for the 16 newly canonized Orthodox Confessors and Martyrs of the 20th century ahead of their official proclamation as Saints.

“We are the ones in need of the prayers and intercession of these chosen ones of God,” the Bishop emphasized during the Memorial Service held at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest following Vespers.

Reflecting on the significance of the memorial service preceding the formal canonization ceremony, Bishop Varlaam underscored that all people are called to holiness:

“This service highlights the truth that all people are called to holiness, and those who strive for it, with God’s help, attain it. In the Book of Leviticus, God commands His chosen people: ‘I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.’”

Saint Makarios the Protopsaltis (+ 1836)

Our Venerable Father Makarios the Protopsaltis of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Bucharest, was the most famous music teacher of his time and a great composer of ecclesiastical music. He was born in Perieți of Romania around 1770 to a pious family in which all three siblings dedicated their lives to the Church. Having a God-given love for the Church and the gift of singing, he learned to chant from an early age and learned the Greek language.

Having spent some time on Mount Athos, Saint Makarios returned to Bucharest where he served as a preacher due to his deep theological knowledge and oratory skills. He then studied Byzantine music at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. Upon his return to Bucharest he became the abbot of Golgotha Monastery near Târgoviște. Saint Makarios re-established the old school of the monastery and served as a teacher of psalmody and a preacher.

Priests Ilarion Felea, Ilie Lacatusu and Dumitru Staniloae: Witnesses of Christian Love in an Era Marked by Hatred and Division

Răzvan Mihai Clipici, the head of the Culture subdepartment of the Culture, Painting and Restoration Sector of the Patriarchal Administration, published an article with historical data about the priests Ilarion Felea, Ilie Lăcătusu, and Dumitru Stăniloae in response to various accusations that appeared in the public space after their canonization announcement.

These three deceased theologians and clergymen suffered under communism, however Holocaust researchers are protesting that in the 1930s and 40s these clergymen openly campaigned for the Romanian fascists who carried out pogroms against Jews. They argue that there is no written evidence that any of them ever regretted their support.

Recently, the public sphere in Romania has seen numerous opinions both for and against the canonization of 16 saints decided by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church at its working session on July 11-12, 2024.

The news of these canonizations has brought great joy to most clergy and believers, as these saints already have a well-established devotion in the Romanian people’s consciousness.

Some expressed doubts about certain aspects of the lives of the canonized fathers, which at first glance seem controversial or sometimes even misunderstood.

Surely, many of those who have such doubts have a sincere desire to know the truth and to be assured of the holiness of these great spiritual fathers, who have demonstrated their humility and boundless love under conditions of torture and humiliation. Some of them even paid with their lives for their testimony of faith.

The Relics of Fathers Sofian Boghiu and Dumitru Staniloae Are Exhumed and Transferred Ahead of their Upcoming Canonization

On Monday the 29th of July 2024, two exhumations took place of Romanian Confessors who will be canonized as Saints by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2025: Archimandrite Sofian Boghiu and Father Dumitru Stăniloae. This was done in preparation for their upcoming canonization, in order to transfer their relics from the monastery cemeteries they are buried in and move them into a church, where eventually they will be placed in reliqueries to be venerated by the faithful. Both services were performed by Bishop Timotei Aioanei of Prahova, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Bucharest.

The first exhumation was that of Archimandrite Sofian Boghiu (+ September 14, 2002), who was abbot of Antim Monastery in Bucharest. He was buried in the cemetery of Căldărușani Monastery, and upon exhumation his relics were transferred to the church of the same Monastery in order for a specific service to take place after an exhumation, and from there they were brought to the church of the Antim Monastery.

16 New Saints To Be Canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church

On 11-12 July 2024, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held its working sessions at Patriarch Teoctist Aula Magna of the Patriarchal Palace under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Among other things discussed, the Holy Synod approved the canonization of 16 Romanian saints, with some liturgical texts to be completed and all to be revised at a future session of the Holy Synod. In this context, the Patriarchate revised the Synaxarion of the Romanian Orthodox Church for the months of February, March, April, May, June, July and August - months in which the new saints are celebrated.

The 16 new saints were people who gave witness to Christ in an environment that was not conducive to the development of Christianity. As His Beatitude the Patriarch of Romania had emphasized in his opening speech, "It is very important to honor in a special way these confessors and priests from the time of the communist persecution in the difficult moments of the twentieth century."

Patriarchate of Romania Proposes Four New Saints for Canonization by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

 

 

The Synod of the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobruja met on May 20th 2024 at the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest, on which occasion Patriarch Daniel announced that the founders of the Romanian Skete of the Honorable Forerunner (Prodromou) on Mount Athos are proposed to be canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate: Nektarios the Protopsaltis and Nephon of Prodromou.

The most important item on the agenda of the meeting was the approval of the liturgical texts that will accompany the canonization proposal of Venerable Nektarios the Protopsaltis to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

"This Nektarios the Protopsaltis, or Nektarios the Vlach, was one of the greatest Romanian hesychasts who lived on Holy Mount Athos," explained Patriarch Daniel.

"He is generally known and appreciated not only by Romanians from Athos, but also by other residents of other ethnicities, and we also saw receptivity from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, because they also said that he was a great chanter, and he was called The Nightingale of Holy Mount Athos."

The Canonization of Saint Antipas of Calapodesti

Saint Antipas of Calapodesti (also known as Saint Antipas the Athonite or Saint Antipas the Hesychast or Saint Antipas of Valaam), reposed at Valaam Monastery on January 10, 1882. Having previously been a monk of Mount Athos, those who first honored him as a saint were the Russian monks of the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon, who of their own accord listed his name "Cuviosul ieroschimonah Antipa Atonitul" (Venerable Hieroschemamonk Antipas the Athonite) in the Russian Menaion for the month of January (p. 46) under January 10th. This unofficial canonization took place in 1906, a mere 24 years after his repose. This was done because he had a reputation for holiness among the Athonite Russians, especially because of his miracles which took place among the Athonite monks during his lifetime. Many were still alive who knew of his virtues and holiness and miracles, including his disciples. Furthermore, a disciple of Saint Antipas, Hieromonk Pimen (later archimandrite and abbot of the Pafnutiev Borovsky Monastery), wrote a biography of Saint Antipas in Russian right after his repose and which was first printed in 1883, in Saint Petersburg (and republished ten years later, in the same place). No doubt this publication, which was circulated in Russia and Finland, as well as on Mount Athos, added to Saint Antipas' reputation for holiness spreading.