News

A new newsletter brings good news from AIDRom

We invite you to read the new AIDRom newsletter, dedicated to the activities carried out in the last month: NEWSLETTER

Together with Social Work Students – West University of Timișoara

On April 8, 2025, the AIDRom Timișoara team had the pleasure of welcoming a group of first-year students from the Department of Social Work – both full-time and distance learning – at the West University of Timișoara. The meeting provided a special opportunity for open discussion about who refugees and migrants are, but more importantly, about how a social worker can effectively intervene to offer them support and dignity.

Accompanied by Professor Loredana Trancă, the students learned from our colleagues about our projects and real-life field experiences, in the hope that this encounter would strengthen their desire to change lives and help build a more inclusive society.

One of the projects that stood out during the meeting was “INTEGRIS – Integration Initiatives for Migrants in Romania – Region 5,” implemented by Filantropia Oradea in partnership with AIDRom and local and regional institutions. The project aims to support the socio-economic and cultural integration of beneficiaries of international protection, third-country nationals, and beneficiaries of temporary protection in Romanian society, in Region 5. It uses an integrated and comprehensive approach—by offering the necessary information and services in a single location and by strengthening the collaboration and active involvement of local authorities and the community in supporting migrants through the integration process.

Another highlighted project was “Assistance to refugees at the Timișoara transit center and support for citizens coming from Ukraine,” which provides an integrated system of support and services at the Emergency Transit Centre (ETC) in Timișoara and offers integration services through the AIDRom Multifunctional Center for forcibly displaced persons from Ukraine.

“We were impressed by the students’ enthusiasm, openness, and willingness to learn from real-life experiences. These young people have shown they are ready not only to gain knowledge but to actively engage in building a more inclusive and compassionate society,” one of our colleagues remarked at the end of the visit. Through suchA encounters, AIDRom continues its mission of education, information, and engagement, promoting inclusion and active support for those in vulnerable situations.

We thank the students and faculty for their visit and openness. The future of social work looks promising!

Patriarch Daniel, Easter Pastoral 2025: The Light and Joy of Christ’s Resurrection Give Meaning to Universal History

Article retrieved from basilica.ro. Photo source: Wikipedia

The Resurrection of Christ and the Resurrection of the Dead – Dogmatic and Pastoral Meanings Easter Pastoral 2025 Christ is Risen!

“Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” (John  5:25) Reverend and Venerable Fathers, Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, The Resurrection of Christ is the foundation and the beginning of the resurrection of all humankind. This mystery is the heart and center of the Gospel proclaimed by the Holy Apostles and the essence of the Orthodox faith professed by the Church. That is why the celebration of Holy Pascha is called in Orthodoxy “the Feast of feasts.” The Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead, is called in Holy Scripture “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians  15:20) and “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), and the celebration of His Resurrection is a spiritual foretaste and a prophetic image of the general resurrection of all people from all times and nations. The Lord Jesus Christ “humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). He took upon Himself our life mixed with death, so that He might make us partakers of His eternal life. Before raising His friend Lazarus from the dead, Jesus “wept” (cf. John  11:35), experiencing the sorrow of the human race enslaved by sin and death. “The Lord weeps, seeing the man created in His image fallen into corruption, so that He may free us from our own tears,” says Saint Cyril of Alexandria. The holy confessor priest Dumitru Stăniloae described the condition to which humanity had sunk under the rule of death as follows: “Death is the most terrible tragedy for human beings. It is truly worth weeping because of it. And even God feels compassion for humanity because of it. For it is not simply disappearance, but an eternal torment. That is why He takes it upon Himself in order to conquer it, or He enters into it so that we might not remain in it. It torments man even before it takes place. Christ assumes it, accepts it, but does not remain in it; rather, He transforms it into a passage to eternal and blissful life for Himself and for those who unite with Him and with others through love. Death is conquered by love—by the joy of the love for God, who is the Lover of mankind.”【2】 The Resurrection is the exclusive gift of God for all people. However, this gift is first offered in Jesus Christ, in His eternal Son, because, as it is said, “out of an infinite longing for mankind, the One who exists by nature truly became Himself the beloved”, that is, man【3】. What was accomplished in the Lord Jesus Christ through His Resurrection from the dead will be fulfilled for all humanity, for all peoples, for all generations—from Adam to the end of the world. The Holy Apostle Paul writes in his First Epistle to the Corinthians  that “Christ, our Pascha, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians  5:7), and “for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians  15:22). All people will rise in Christ—both those who believed and those who did not believe in Him—because the general resurrection is God’s gift to all humankind. However, “those who have done good will rise to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John  5:29). To assure His disciples of the truth of His Resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to them multiple times and in various places over forty days, from Pascha to the Ascension. First, the Risen Lord appeared to the myrrh-bearing women, then to His disciples and to other people, as the Holy Gospels testify (cf. Matthew ch. 28; Mark ch. 16; Luke ch. 24; John  chs. 20–21), as well as the Book of Acts (cf. Acts 1:3), and some writings of the Holy Apostle Paul (cf. 1 Corinthians  15:6). The Risen Christ is present in the Church through the Holy Spirit, enlightening the Church to understand the Scriptures, to perform the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments), and to keep all that He has commanded, continually guiding the life of Christians toward the general resurrection and toward the heavenly Kingdom of the glory of the Most Holy Trinity (cf. John 16:13). In a special way, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ is present and offers Himself to the faithful in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Through participation in the Holy Eucharist, we spiritually understand and feel that the Resurrection of Christ is the foundation and beginning of our own resurrection, according to His promise: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:54), and “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:56). This is why the Resurrection of the Lord is not celebrated only once a year, but at the beginning of every week—on Sunday. This day is called Sunday because it is the “Day of the Lord” (Dies Dominica), that is, the first day of the week on which the Lord rose, “the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 117:24). Therefore, the Holy Apostle Paul urges Christians to live in the light of Christ’s Resurrection and to prepare for the general resurrection: “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? […] Likewise you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:3 and 11). Beloved faithful, The Lord Jesus Christ—crucified, risen from the dead, and ascended in glory—offers Himself to the world in the Church through a twofold movement of love: on the one hand, the human heart of Christ, the Son of God, becomes the receptacle of all human suffering and the entirety of human life; on the other hand, the divine-human life of Christ—crucified, risen, and gloriously ascended—is communicated to the world through the Holy Mysteries and the sacred services of the Church, as a foretaste of the peace and joy of the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Matthew 28:20). If there were no resurrection of the dead, human life—as a rational, free, and loving being—would be reduced to a limited biological horizon, ending at the grave. Without resurrection as victory over sin and death, all of humanity’s ideals of truth, justice, goodness, and merciful love would be left without eternal foundation and existential meaning. From this perspective, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ offers multiple meanings of the Resurrection for Christian life.

1. The first meaning of the Resurrection for humanity is the spiritual one. The Lord Jesus Christ, through His Gospel, first calls people to the resurrection of the soul from the death caused by sin: “Whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). Therefore, the resurrection of people is not reserved only for a future time at the end of this world, but it happens now in the souls of those who hear and receive the Word of God: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (John 5:25).
2. The second meaning of the Resurrection for humanity is the biological or physical one. Out of merciful love for those mourning the loss of their loved ones, the Lord Jesus Christ raised the son of the widow from Nain (cf. Luke 7:11–16), the daughter of Jairus (cf. Matthew 9:18–26; Mark 5:21–43; Luke 8:40–56), and His friend Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary of Bethany (cf. John 11:1–46). These three young people were restored to ordinary, earthly life and, like all humans, eventually died in old age. However, on the occasion of Lazarus’s resurrection, the Lord Jesus revealed to his sister Martha the truth that the soul of the one who believes in Christ remains eternally alive, even if the body dies. In this regard, the Lord Jesus says: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25–26).
3. The eschatological or ultimate meaning of the Resurrection. The Resurrection of the Lord Christ is not a return to earthly, biological, or natural life, but an entrance into a new mode of existence, unknown to humanity before Christ’s Resurrection—namely, the passage of His soul and body to eternal, heavenly life in the Kingdom of Heaven, where there is no more sorrow or death (cf. Revelation 21:4). The Risen Christ puts an end to death, “trampling down death by death,” as the Paschal Troparion proclaims. This is why Saint Paul says that death no longer has dominion over the Risen Christ (cf. Romans 6:9). So shall it be with the general resurrection. Thus, the light and joy of Christ’s Resurrection give meaning to the universal history of humanity and all creation, for they guide it toward eternal life and toward a new heaven and a new earth (cf. Revelation 21:1). People who are still alive when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again in glory and great power (cf. Matthew 16:27 and 25:31) to judge the living and the dead, at His Second Coming, will be changed in the twinkling of an eye (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51–52). That is, they will be transformed from a corruptible, biological human state to an incorruptible, spiritual, transfigured condition.
4. The general resurrection will be followed by the Last or Universal Judgment— the spiritual evaluation of the life and freedom of all people from all times and all places, according to the criterion of merciful love shown toward those in need (cf. Matthew 25:31–46). Those who, during their earthly lives, responded to the humble and merciful love of God will be eternally blessed in communion with the merciful God. Those who freely rejected the call of God’s generous and compassionate love will experience the inner emptiness caused by their refusal of God’s love, as revealed in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, chapter 25.

From this chapter we learn that the Lord Christ values human freedom so deeply that, in total humility, His presence is hidden mysteriously in the poorest, most suffering, marginalized, neglected, and despised people—those living on the edge between life and death. Yet, on the Day of the Last Judgment, the Lord Jesus Christ will reveal His glory and His sovereign freedom as Creator of the universe and of mankind to establish eternal, heavenly communion of love and joy with all humble and merciful people. Therefore, the general resurrection is the final goal toward which both the Church and all humanity are heading. This is why the Orthodox Creed ends with this ultimate profession of faith: “I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” The fact that we confess in the Orthodox Creed our expectation of “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come” shows that all the stages of life are directed toward resurrection, that our time on earth is a time of preparation for the resurrection, and that death is not the final stage of our existence—because Christ has transformed death into Pascha, a passage to eternal life. For this reason, the Christian must be full of hope and joy. He firmly believes that physical death is only a transition or passage to heavenly life, and that the final or ultimate future of humanity is the Kingdom of God, that is, the entrance of the humble and merciful righteous into the joy, peace, and light of the Most Holy Trinity (cf. Romans 14:17). Right-believing Christians, Pascha is an outpouring of joy that continues the joy of the disciples who saw the Lord Jesus Christ risen from the dead. Therefore, the joy that death has been conquered and eternal life has been granted to humanity as a pledge is the greatest joy of faith—one that surpasses all fleeting joys of earthly life. In these days of celebration, of light and joy for our Christian life, we lovingly urge you all, with paternal and fraternal love in Christ, to radiate the light of true faith and good deeds wherever you may be, sharing with others the joy of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray for peace in our country and throughout the world. Let us show signs of brotherly love to all Romanians living abroad. In the context of the Commemorative Year of the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate, we express our special gratitude to all those who have supported and will continue to support, in word and deed, the construction of the National Cathedral – the Cathedral of the Nation’s Salvation, so that it may be consecrated on October 26, 2025. On the occasion of the Holy Feast of Pascha, we extend to all of you our heartfelt wishes for health and happiness, peace and joy, together with the Paschal greeting: Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Your prayerful intercessor before Christ the Lord, † DANIEL Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church Footnotes: [1] St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John VII–VIII, in Writings. Part Four, trans., intro. and notes by Rev. Prof. Dr. Dumitru Stăniloae, Church Fathers and Writers collection, vol. 41, Ed. of the Biblical and Missionary Institute of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Bucharest, 2000, p. 752. [2] St. Cyril of Alexandria, Writings. Part Four, p. 752, n. 1414. [3] St. Maximus the Confessor, Ambigua, trans., intro. and notes by Rev. Prof. Dr. Dumitru Stăniloae, Ed. of the Biblical and Missionary Institute of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Bucharest, 2006, p. 78.

“Christians, rise up in joy!” WCC Easter message brings hope that enters a broken world

Easter Message 2025 of World Council of Churches Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

In its Easter message, the World Council of Churches (WCC) urges Christians to rise up in joy, emphasising a hope that enters the brokenness of the world. Shared with the WCC global fellowship and with all people of good will by WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay and moderator of the WCC central committee Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, the message offers the reassurance that God is at work to renew the world and to ensure that life will triumph over death, good over evil, and light over darkness. “God is for us, always creating and sustaining life,” reads the message. “God is with us, always healing and redeeming us and all creation. And God is in us, always present and beckoning us to personal and social transformation and into God’s New Creation.” The message also acknowledges that the world is not at peace. “Conflicts and wars among nations, tensions between peoples, and violence against the powerless are growing,” the text reads. “The world is not reconciled—and it is questionable whether it is even trying to be.” Yet the mystery of Christ makes us see for ourselves and witness for the world a life-giving hope and love precisely when they appear to be lost. As the message notes: ”In this Special Ecumenical Year we mark anniversaries important to the Church—like that of the Council of Nicaea (325) and the centenary of the Stockholm Conference (1925)—and coincidentally all Christians will celebrate Easter on the same day.  Could it not always be so, with a common feast of Easter, the heart of our shared faith? It would be a profound sign of reconciliation and a tangible expression of the unity for which Christ prayed.” “So let us go forth as witnesses to the resurrection—not only in word, but in life,” the message concludes. “Let us sow signs of spring even in winter. Let us walk with the Risen Christ and with one another, embracing our time and working toward the day when all shall truly be one in the Lord.”   Christ Is Risen, and Life Is Liberated! Easter Message 2025 “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ… who rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (Nicene Creed) Christians, rise up in joy! The Lord has risen, and all creation is freed for a new vitality. The glory of the Lord moves our lives and our world into sharp relief and hope. Christ’s resurrection not only vindicates Jesus’ life and suffering.  It also confirms his gospel of justice and peace, lifts our spirits, and ignites in us the sure hope that—despite the mountainous challenges and uncertainties we all face—God is at work to renew the world and to ensure that life will triumph over death, good over evil and light over darkness. “We have seen the Lord!” The witness of the women and of his other closest disciples to Jesus’ presence after his ignominious death grounds our faith in his continued redemptive presence among us—healing the world, lifting the downhearted, and embracing all creation in joy. So now we know: God is for us, always creating and sustaining life. God is with us, always healing and redeeming us and all creation. And God is in us, always present and beckoning us to personal and social transformation and into God’s New Creation. As Athanasius, that champion of the Nicene Creed (the 1700th anniversary of which we celebrate this year) saw, Christ’s Resurrection involved “a marvelous and mighty paradox… for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonour and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat” (On the Incarnation, 24.4). In that “marvelous and mighty paradox” is the foundational mystery of our redemption. Christ’s superabundant love and self-giving redeems our human condition and offers us a new story to live and to tell: As Christ-followers, we are risen with him to new life and new possibilities through self-giving love. Nothing matters more to us and to the world. We know that this world is not at peace. Conflicts and wars among nations, tensions between peoples, and violence against the powerless are growing. The world is not reconciled—and it is questionable whether it is even trying to be. Yet, as we embrace faith in the Resurrected Lord, we perceive that it is precisely in those moments when hope seems lost, when disunity appears victorious, when injustice seems to reign, and when life appears surrendered to death— that we are met by the mystery of Christ. This marvelous and mighty paradox makes us see for ourselves and witness for the world a life-giving hope and love precisely when they appear to be lost. In this Special Ecumenical Year, we mark anniversaries important to the Church—like that of the Council of Nicaea (325) and the centenary of the Stockholm Conference (1925)—and coincidentally all Christians will celebrate Easter on the same day.  Could it not always be so, with a common feast of Easter, the heart of our shared faith? It would be a profound sign of reconciliation and a tangible expression of the unity for which Christ prayed. It would also spur more common witness: speaking truth to power and engaging in joint action for justice, peace, and reconciliation, fired by the promise, “if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5). In a world where despair often feels stronger than hope, and fragmentation is more visible than fellowship, the Church is not called to retreat—but to witness boldly, joyfully, in one accord. To proclaim the resurrection is to resist the powers of death. To believe in the Risen Christ is to offer a living hope—a hope that is not deferred, but present, active, and at work in our lives, our deeds, and our world.  A hope that enters the brokenness of the world with hands ready to heal and hearts ready to forgive. So let us go forth as witnesses to the resurrection—not only in word, but in life. Let us sow signs of spring even in winter. Let us walk with the Risen Christ and with one another, embracing our time and working toward the day when all shall truly be one in the Lord. For Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Yours in the Risen Lord, Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay     Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm General Secretary              Moderator, WCC Central Committee World Council of Churches

Palm Sunday Pilgrimage in Bucharest (April 12, 2025)

Saturday, April 12, 2025, on the eve of the great feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), the Romanian Patriarchate and the Archdiocese of Bucharest will organize the Palm Sunday Pilgrimage in Bucharest, which will be attended by hierarchs, priests, monks, nuns, and lay believers from the Capital and Ilfov County, the Archdiocese of Bucharest announced in a press release. This religious-missionary event is organized with the support of the BASILICA Press Centre of the Romanian Patriarchate. The pilgrimage will begin at Radu Vodă Monastery and will follow this route: Mărășești Boulevard, Dimitrie Cantemir Boulevard, Unirii Square (Eastern and Northern sides), Saint Anthony Church – Curtea Veche (first stop) – Unirii Square (Western side), Brâncoveanu Cross (second stop), Colina Bucuriei – Patriarchal Cathedral. The procession will conclude at the Patriarchal Cathedral, where the pilgrims will be received by His Beatitude Father Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Key moments of the pilgrimage:

• 2:30 PM – Vespers service at Radu Vodă Monastery
• 4:00 PM – Blessing of the willow branches at Radu Vodă Monastery, which will then be distributed to the faithful present
• 4:30 PM – Departure in procession from Radu Vodă Monastery toward the Patriarchal Cathedral
• 5:35 PM – Stop at Saint Anthony Church – Curtea Veche, where the procession will be welcomed by the priests and parishioners of this church
• 5:50 PM – The procession reaches the Brâncoveanu Cross at the base of Colina Bucuriei (second stop)
• 6:05–6:20 PM – Arrival at the Patriarchal Cathedral, where the pilgrims will be greeted by His Beatitude Father Daniel, who will bless the icon of the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, offer a blessing prayer for the pilgrims, and deliver a spiritual message.

Photo credit: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu

Support Through Art: A Fair of Resilience and Talent for Ukrainian Artisans in Timișoara

On April 12, 2025, at the AMBASADA venue in Timișoara (Splaiul Peneș Curcanul 4-5), an event will take place featuring Ukrainian artisans. Our colleagues from the AIDRom Multifunctional Center in Timișoara will be present at the fair, providing logistical and organizational support. “It is important for refugees to have material support, but also access to opportunities that can restore their confidence and sense of agency. This fair is about dreams, talent, and resilience,” said Francesca Joldea, a member of the AIDRom team.

This fair will offer a safe and visible platform for Ukrainian artisans to showcase their products and engage with the local public. Among the exhibitors are artisans and artists presenting handmade jewelry and paintings—many of which are made from recycled materials—festive Easter collections, crocheted toys, brooches, bags, scented candles and other accessories, as well as handcrafted stone flowers and artisan dolls. Also present will be creators of handmade beeswax candles infused with dried herbs and essential oils, and artisans offering sweet treats—from colorful lollipops to French macarons, Japanese mochi, and American-style NY cookies.

The event is generously hosted by AMBASADA, an alternative cultural space and social enterprise within the PLAI Cultural Center Association, acting as a catalyst for collaboration between creative and non-profit communities.

We invite you to support the Ukrainian community, discover unique products, and be inspired by the stories of those who have turned their passion into art.

📅 Date: Saturday, April 12, 2025
🕙 Time: Starting at 10:00 AM
📍 Location: AMBASADA, Splaiul Peneș Curcanul 4-5, Timișoara

Food for those in need

Until April 24, our colleagues from AIDRom are waiting for you in the Lidl stores in Bucharest and Timisoara, supporting the food collection organized by Lidl and the Food Bank (Bamca pentru Alimente).​ At the participating stores, you can donate non-perishable products such as:​ oil, flour, sugar, rice​, canned food, pasta, sauces,​, UHT milk, biscuits, coffee, tea, jam​. All the food collected will be distributed to vulnerable people, including children, the elderly and families in need, to help them have a brighter and more peaceful festive season. One of our colleagues involved in this action said:​„aking part in this collection is an opportunity to provide direct support to those in need. Every donation makes a difference and brings a smile to someone’s face.”​

Thank you to the colleagues who are directly involved in the action, the team of the Bucharest Food Bank, the Lidl Romania stores and all those who generously offer a little bit of joy to those who are in great need of help.​

For more information about the products that can be donated, please visit:​

https://bucuresti.bancapentrualimente.ro/colecta-de-alimente-organizata-de-lidl-si-banca-pentru-alimente/

A new newsletter brings good news from AIDRom

Annunciation 2025: What Are the Most Powerful Traditions, According to the Priest

Father Gabriel Cazacu from Cașin Monastery in Bucharest, coordinator of the Department for Inter-Christian and Interreligious Relations at AIDRom, spoke with Digi24 reporter about the Feast of the Annunciation. We invite you to read the article by Camelia Sinca, taken from the Digi24 website.

The Annunciation, or “The Announcement,” is one of the most important religious holidays in March, marked with a red cross in the Orthodox calendar. It is the first feast of the ecclesiastical year dedicated to the Virgin Mary, takes place during Lent in 2025, and commemorates the moment when the Archangel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.

Father Gabriel Cazacu, priest at Cașin Monastery in Bucharest, explained to Digi24 the meaning of the Feast of the Annunciation and the most significant traditions associated with it.

The Annunciation is also popularly known as Blagoveștenia, and it is a day of joy and spiritual rebirth. It has been celebrated since the 4th century, which is why it is also considered one of the oldest Christian holidays.

Annunciation 2025 – A Day of Dispensation for Eating Fish During Lent

“The Feast of the Annunciation marks the moment when the Virgin Mary received the message from the Angel (Archangel) Gabriel that she would become the mother of our Savior, Jesus Christ – she was chosen to become a ‘holy vessel,’ and from her would be born the Beloved Son. It is the oldest feast dedicated to the Mother of God and the most awaited moment of spiritual renewal and fulfillment, foretold by many prophets of the Old Testament. From this point onward, the journey toward the Salvation of Humankind truly begins, and it is the moment when our Good Lord once again turns His face toward Mankind,” declared Father Gabriel Cazacu.

First Dispensation for Fish During Lent

“On the Feast of the Annunciation, there is the first dispensation to eat fish, oil, and wine during Lent. On this holy day, Christians are encouraged to come to church and participate in the Divine Liturgy. It is a celebration of joy in all churches and a moment of blessing for the people,” added the priest.

Traditions and Customs of the Annunciation

“All the traditions and popular customs make this feast day more special and beautiful. It is a day eagerly awaited by both children and the elderly across the country, an event closely associated with the arrival of spring, shortly after the spring equinox. From now on, according to tradition, migratory birds return home, and beekeepers bring out their hives into nature,” said Father Cazacu.

Women Who Wish to Conceive Are Encouraged to Read the Akathist Hymn of the Annunciation

“It is a joyful holiday for all expectant mothers, but also a day of hope for women who wish to have a child. Women should take the Virgin Mary as their intercessor and trust that She will work miracles for them,” adds the source from Digi24.

The Annunciation or “The Day of the Cuckoo”

In popular tradition, the Annunciation is also known as The Day of the Cuckoo. According to custom, the cuckoo’s song is heard for the first time on this day. In some regions of the country, bonfires are lit on the Annunciation to ward off evil spirits and purify the household.

“From March 25, nature begins to awaken, and my recommendation is for people to also awaken from the bondage of sin and turn toward the holy churches and monasteries, with hearts full of trust, love, and salvation. Starting from this day, it is good to forgive our loved ones, draw closer in spirit to those who suffer, to help and to love. We should also continue the Lenten fast with hope in the salvation that comes with the glorious feast of the Resurrection of the Lord,” concludes Father Gabriel Cazacu.

Photo credits: Basilica.ro