Patriarch Daniel of Romania turned 74 on Tuesday. On this occasion, a thanksgiving service was celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral in the presence of the Patriarch and other state officials.
The Te Deum service was officiated by Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, who offered words of gratitude and appreciation for the Patriarch of Romania’s ministry.
Bishop Varlaam highlighted the Patriarch’s loyalty to his native village, Dobrești, in Timiș County, which he helped revitalise through the founding of a monastery there, dedicated to Saint Parascheva the New as its central feast.
Patriarch Daniel of Romania does not forget his roots
“Dobrești, once marked by old age, solitude, and sorrow, was transformed instantly. Pilgrims and visitors drawn by the new monastery and its liturgical and spiritual life have brought new vitality to the place.”
“The monastery’s feast days regularly gather hundreds or even thousands of Christians, turning the once nearly abandoned village into a place of pilgrimage and intense spiritual and communal life.”
“At Easter and Christmas, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel sends his greetings to his fellow villagers every year,” Bishop Varlaam noted.
Patriarch Daniel of Romania serves the Church and the people with sacrifice and courage
Bishop Varlaam highlighted that the Patriarch of Romania serves rural communities across the country.
“On December 7, 2011, during the conferral of the Doctor Honoris Causa title by the University of Cluj-Napoca, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel delivered a lecture titled The Romanian Village: Between Tradition, Survival, and Hope. In it, after highlighting the fundamental role of the village in Romanian history—and the sacredness of the Romanian peasant’s view of family, work, land, country, and their relationship with God, the Creator and Provider—the Patriarch presented a genuine program for the revitalization and renewal of contemporary village life, based on the model of the traditional Romanian village,” the bishop added.
Patriarch Daniel is a model of faithfulness to his native land and nation, his auxiliary bishop noted.
“Our Patriarch serves the Church and the faithful people with sacrifice and heroism, with unmatched zeal and devotion.”
“Thank you, Your Beatitude, for this example of loyalty—to the place of your birth and formation—which you offer to all of us. On the occasion of your blessed birthday, we all—dignitaries, hierarchs, priests and believers, monastics, members of the National Church Council and the Eparchial Council of the Holy Archdiocese of Bucharest—wish you a long life, with good health and strength, full of accomplishments and joy.”
“We wish you much inspiration, courage, and help from God the Father of lights, the overcoming of all trials facing our nation and Church, and may you live many and blessed years!” Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești concluded.
Gratitude, though rare, should be cultivated more often
In turn, Patriarch Daniel thanked all those present, expressing gratitude to God and to those who contributed to his formation.
“Certainly, each of us feels nostalgia for our own Bethlehem and Nazareth, where we were born. And on our birthday, we have the opportunity to thank God for the gift of life, first and foremost, because our existence was not a necessity—and as the poet Mihai Eminescu said, ‘By the grace of the Holy One we cast a shadow upon the earth.’”
“Thus, out of God’s merciful and humble love exists the universe, humanity, and each human person. Therefore, we thank God, we thank our parents by blood, and all who have been spiritual parents – teachers, professors, as well as parish priests, monastic elders, and university professors who contributed to our formation. And it’s good to express our gratitude on our birthday, for as I’ve said before, since gratitude is a rare flower, it should sometimes be cultivated more often—and this is a good occasion to remember those who gave us life, shaped us, and helped us so that we may help others in their own lives,” said His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
The Patriarch also thanked state authorities for “the good cooperation between Church and state,” noting that “the majority of citizens are also children of our Church.”
The Patriarch did not forget to thank those in institutions who “help us serve the faithful Romanian people with great responsibility and devotion.”
After the Thanksgiving service, a celebratory moment took place in the Europa Christiana Hall of the Patriarchal Palace, where representatives of the state and public institutions delivered congratulatory messages.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Raluca-Emanuela Ene
Source: basilica.ro
