Today, 9 December 2014, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church awarded ranks of iconom stavrofor, iconom and savrofor to 18 priests of the Archdiocese of Bucharest. The religious service was celebrated by His Beatitude in the historical chapel dedicated to “Saint Great Martyr George” of the Patriarchal Cathedral.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel spoke in the sermon delivered about the significance of the ranks awarded: “These ranks mean two things: a complete work, thus its confirmation accompanied by feelings of gratitude on behalf of the Church, and a future one. Whenever a distinction is awarded a work already done is confirmed or a future one is encouraged, either a work being done or a new project, or a new initiative in the parish. It was a great joy for us to see that the priests awarded today worked a lot, each of them in his field.”
The iconom stavrofor wears a pectoral cross, red girdle and epigonation at the religious services as distinctive insignia: “We are glad because this cross, which is the symbol of the Sacrifice, as well as of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord, is a spring of love for Christ who called us to the service for the Church and for the people, and to the spring of hope and joy. We feel a deserved, pure and blessed joy only when we have done a good thing. This is why “Through the cross joy for the entire world has come”. Thus, today it is the joy coming through the cross of efforts, sacrifice, of the work in time and no time, of the love for the Church, for the faithful, and of the love for the salvation of those entrusted for salvation”.
The priests awarded iconom stavrofor are the following: rev. Georgian Alexandrescu; rev. Gheorghe Cheran; rev. Nicolae Daniel Coţoapă; rev. Gheorghe Croitoru; rev. Eugen Cucu; rev. Daniel Dan; rev. Virgil Grigore; rev. Ionuţ Negoiţă; rev. Viorel Paraschivescu; rev. Constantin Protopopescu; rev. Lucian Tătaru; rev. Andrei Pavel. The priests awarded the rank of iconom are: rev. Ciprian Ion Ioniţă; rev. Marcel Matache; rev. George Constantin Leescu-Popa.The priests awarded sachelar are: rev. Eugen Balog; rev. Marius Ştefănel Clinci; rev. Petru Moraru.
To end with, all the priests awarded received spiritual presents on behalf of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
