The proclamation of the sixteen saints canonized last year took place on Tuesday at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest in the presence of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae, the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of the Two Americas, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian, the Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada, and other members of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
The festive ceremony was held at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel with the occasion of the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate. Members of the National Church Assembly also attended the service, and hundreds of faithful gathered on the Hill of the Metropolis.
The Synodal Tomos for the proclamation of the saints was read by Patriarchal Vicar Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, Secretary of the Holy Synod. After the reading of the Synodal Tomos, icons of the newly proclaimed saints were presented, and the Tronos Byzantine Choir chanted their troparia.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel emphasized that these sixteen saints represent "the most precious fruit that our Church has offered in this century, for through them, the mystical work of the grace of the Holy Spirit in the Romanian Orthodox Church is manifested even more intensely."
“These servants were canonized or inscribed in the Church calendar because signs of holiness were evident in their lives: the Orthodoxy of faith, a holy life of repentance and prayer, humble and merciful love for their neighbors, sacrificial confession of faith, and, in some cases, even the working of miracles, as well as the devotion of the faithful towards them.”
“Their canonization is an act of recognizing the holiness of their lives, which transcends any political context, underlining the fact that true Christian witness does not support passing worldly ideologies but rather the eternal values of faith and love for God,” His Beatitude explained.
“The Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate is, therefore, a moment of holy joy and gratitude for the entire Romanian Orthodoxy. Looking back, we see not only a rich history but also a profound spiritual heritage left to us by our predecessors—patriarchs, hierarchs, priests, monastics, and lay faithful—who defended and transmitted the Orthodox faith throughout time,” the Patriarch concluded.
Following the proclamation, Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe officiated a Molieben service in thanksgiving for the anniversary of the Romanian Patriarchate’s Centennial and for the opening of the Holy Synod and National Church Assembly’s proceedings.
