Last year, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church approved the canonization of sixteen 20th-century confessors and spiritual fathers. Their canonization will be publicly proclaimed as part of the program for the Centennial Year of the Romanian Patriarchate—2025.
This year, the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates 140 years since obtaining autocephaly and 100 years since being elevated to the rank of Patriarchate. Therefore, 2025 has been declared the Solemn Year of the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate and the Commemorative Year of the 20th-century Romanian Orthodox confessors and spiritual fathers.
The following have been canonized:
- Saint Sofian of St Anthimos Monastery (September 16);
- Saint Dumitru Stăniloae (October 4);
- Hieromartyr Constantine Sârbu (October 23);
- Saint Arsenius of Prislop (November 28);
- Saint Elijah Lăcătușu (July 22);
- Saint Paisius of Sihăstria (December 2);
- Saint Cleopas of Sihăstria (December 2);
- Saint Dometius the Merciful of Râmeț (July 6);
- Saint Seraphim the Enduring of Sâmbăta de Sus (December 20);
- Hieromartyr Liviu Galaction of Cluj (March 8);
- Hieromartyr Gerasimus of Tismana (December 26);
- Hieromartyr Bessarion of Lainici (November 10);
- Saint Callistratus of Timișeni and Vasiova (May 10);
- Hieromartyr Hilarion Felea (September 18);
- Saint Heraclius of Bessarabia (August 3);
- Hieromartyr Alexander of Bessarabia (August 8).
The new saints’ general proclamation coincides with the Romanian Patriarchate’s centennial
These new saints are represented in the icon “The Synaxis of All Romanian Saints”, which is the Representative Icon of the Commemorative Year 2025.
The public proclamation ceremony for these new saints will take place on Tuesday, February 4, at the Patriarchal Cathedral, coinciding with the actual celebration of the 100th anniversary of the elevation of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the rank of Patriarchate.
The saints have already been included in the 2025 Orthodox Calendar, and about a month after the general proclamation ceremony, the first day of remembrance for one of them will be marked: Hieromartyr Liviu Galaction of Cluj will be honoured in all churches on March 8.
Local Proclamation Ceremonies
Local proclamation ceremonies will follow the general proclamation of the sainthood of the 16 confessors in Bucharest in the dioceses where the arguments for their canonization were submitted.
The local proclamation ceremonies for the five saints from the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobruja will take place on their feast days, with one exception. On July 13, the local proclamation for the Confessor Priest Elijah Lăcătușu, whose commemoration day is July 22, will be held at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest.
Other local proclamations will be organised on the respective saints’ feast days: September 16 for Saint Sofian of Antim; October 4 for Saint Dumitru Stăniloae; October 23 for Saint Constantine Sârbu; and November 28 for Saint Arsenius of Prislop.
The canonization ceremony for Saints Paisius and Cleopas of Sihăstria will take place on August 7 at Sihăstria Monastery in Neamț County, in the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina.
The local proclamation of the Hieromartyr Liviu Galaction will occur at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Cluj-Napoca on March 25, coinciding with the cathedral’s patronal feast.
Local proclamations will occur on the saints’ feast days in the Metropolis of Oltenia: November 10 for Saint Bessarion of Lainici and December 26 for Saint Gerasimus of Tismana.
The canonization of Saint Callistratus of Timișeni and Vasiova from the Metropolis of Banat will be locally proclaimed at Vasiova Monastery in Caraș-Severin County on July 20. The canonization of the other saint from the metropolis, Saint Hilarion Felea, will be proclaimed on October 5 at the “Holy Trinity” Cathedral in Arad.
Among the First Saints of the New Millennium
Four more Romanian Athonite fathers might be added to this list if canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate this year:
- Venerable Nectarios the Protopsaltis, also known as the Nightingale of Mount Athos;
- Venerable Niphon, founder of the Romanian Prodromos Skete;
- Elder Petroniu Tănase, former abbot of the same skete;
- Hieroschemamonk Dionisius Ignat of Colciu Cell, whose funeral was attended by the current King Charles III of Great Britain.
Some of these new saints passed away at the beginning of the third millennium AD, making them among the first saints whose earthly life extended into the 21st century.
Canonization Process in the Romanian Patriarchate
The canonization process in the Romanian Orthodox Church begins at the initiative of the dioceses where the proposed person ended their earthly life: documents and testimonies are collected and then submitted for evaluation to the Metropolitan Synod.
If canonization is approved at the metropolitan level, the dossier is forwarded to the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
After approval by the Holy Synod, which consists of all the hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the canonization is publicly proclaimed in a ceremony where believers become acquainted with the decision of the Holy Synod, the saint’s title, commemoration date, troparion, and icon.
Photo: Basilica.ro Files / Mircea Florescu
Source: basilica.ro