Pat. Daniel of Romania Consecrates Reliquary of St. Dumitru Stăniloae

Pat. Daniel of Romania consecrates the reliquary of St. Dumitru Stăniloae. Photo: Basilica News Agency

BUCHAREST — On Thursday, His Beatitude Pat. Daniel of Romania consecrated the reliquary which will house the relics of the recently canonized St. Dumitru Stăniloae. On Saturday, the local proclamation of his canonization will take place at the Cernica Monastery.

According to Basilica News Agency, the consecration took place in the chapel of the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest. The vestment for the reliquary was made by the nuns working at the "Panagia" Monastic Workshops at the Copou Monastery in Iași.

St. Dumitru had declared his love for the Cernica Monastery and requested for it to be the final resting place for him and his wife. "Just a few months before he passed away to the Lord, in the spring of 1993, he gave an interview there and spoke very profoundly about the Christian meaning of life, about the love of the Most Holy Trinity, which created the world and which keeps all creation in existence and especially shows love for people," Pat. Daniel said to Basilica News Agency.

The Romanian saint was also known to have not only published his popular works on dogmatics, but also a Romanian translation of the Philokalia into 12 volumes. 

Pat. Daniel also shared that a cultural-missionary center named after the Holy Confessing Priest Dumitru Stăniloae will be built within the monastery and is currently in the design phase.

"We pray to God to give us the peace, joy and blessing that the saint emphasized in all his work and in his life and to be a source of strength in faith, of steadfastness in unity of the Church and of communion within our Romanian Orthodox Church, but also in communion with all the other Sister Orthodox Churches, because it has been appreciated in many Autocephalous Orthodox Churches. For the glory of the Most Holy we also live our salvation."

The reliquary arrived at the monastery earlier today and the Divine Liturgy, along with the reading of the Tomos of canonization, the presentation of the icon of the saint and the singing of his troparion, will take place Saturday morning.

Previously, UOJ reported that the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, meeting August 30–31, formally canonized two Romanian elders of Mount Athos: Hieroschemamonk Dionysius (Ignat) of Colciu and Archimandrite Petronius (Tănase) of Prodromos Skete.

Read also