Today, 17 December 2013, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania celebrated his name day, on the day of Saint Daniel the Prophet.
After the Divine Liturgy and the Te Deum celebrated in the Patriarchal Cathedral at 12.30 hours, a festive time was held in Europa Christiana hall of the Patriarchal Palace, moderated by His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch.
The event began with a programme of carols and Christmas traditions performed by the choral group named “Calusarii din Romos”, made up of Olympic students from the high schools of Hundedoara county. The group was accompanied by members of the teaching staff and officials of Hunedoara County. The programme continued with carols performed by the group of Bucovina named “We are Steven’s soldiers” from Vicovul de Sus village, of Suceava county.
On this occasion, several congratulatory messages were sent to His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Thus, the congratulatory message of Mr Traian Basescu, President of Romania, was read by Mr. Gheorghe Razvan Murgeanu, state counsellor. The message of Mr Victor Ponta, Prime Minister of Romania, was conveyed by Victor Opaschi, State Secretary for Religious Affairs, and the message of Mr Valeriu Stefan Zgonea, president of the Chamber of Deputies, was read by His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul. Mr Mihnea Costoiu, delegate minister for high education, scientific research and technological development sent a congratulatory message to the Patriarch of Romania as well.
To end with the event, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church spoke about the remarkable personality of Saint Daniel the Prophet: “It is a great joy when we glorify God praying the saints to help us accomplish the will of God the same as they did it in their time. Saint Daniel the Prophet is an advisor through the grace of God not only due to his own wisdom. His inspired prophesies have also been the result of the prayers and faithfulness in hard times. This prophet lived in exile and due to the wisdom received from God and through his devotion he has become an advisor of the four emperors”.
His Beatitude has also shown that the young carollers are missionaries of the Orthodox faith: “These carols are important because they are a traditional programme. Only when a programme becomes tradition it is verified in time. This is why we thank them, and we are glad when the young ones convey what they have received from their grandparents, and parents, and when this relationship between generations cultivates the Romanian conscience, Christian faith and love of beauty. Orthodoxy is not only the religion of truth, but also of beauty, of the glory of the love of the Most Holy Trinity, while the person who expresses communion in various forms of visual beauty reporting to the heavenly unseen beauty is a confessor. These children are missionaries, and they convey faith just as the angels sang at Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests”.
Ministers, MP-s, academicians, hierarchs, personalities of the Romanian public life, members of the Standing meetings of the Church National Council and of the Eparchial council of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, archpriests of the nine deaneries of Bucharest, Prahova and Ilfov, professors of the “Patriarch Justinian” Faculty of Theology and of the Orthodox Theological Seminary of Bucharest, priests and faithful were present in Europa Christiana hall.
