Three Saint Hierarchs Celebrated by the Theologians of Bucharest

On 30 January 2013, the day of the Three Saint Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of “Patriarch Justinian” of Bucharest celebrated its protectors.

On this occasion, His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Saint Spiridon the New Cathedral – patriarchal chapel, assisted by a group of priests and deacons.

His Grace explained, in the sermon delivered, the reason why the three saints are celebrated together on this date: “It is a well known fact that during the second half of the 11th century certain disagreements appeared among the pious Christians in the capital of Byzantium who wanted to know who was the most brilliant, important and greatest saint of Orthodoxy. Some of them, who manifested special devotion for Saint Basil the Great thought that he was the most important. Those who had heard the speeches of Saint Gregory thought that Saint Gregory the Theologian was the most important. Those who knew the deep reforms initiated by Saint John Chrysostom and remembered his sermons thought that this Saint was the most important. But God wanted to show them that all the three of them were as great, important and brilliant for the Holy Trinity, so that he enabled metropolitan John of Euhaits of a divine discovery when God revealed the truth that all the three of them enjoyed the same honour in the Kingdom of God.”

After the Divine Liturgy, a remembrance service was celebrated for the late professors and students of the educational institution.

During the celebration the official proclamation of the year 2013 as Commemorative year of “Dumitru Stăniloae” took place in the presence of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, of many theological students, of professors of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Bucharest, and of many officials and faithful.

To end with the religious service, His Grace Varlaam Ploieşteanul presented the decisions of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church on: the organisation of the National Contest of “Father Dumitru Stăniloae – 110 since his birth and 20 since his passing away”; how the Theological-Educational Department of the Romanian Patriarchate will work out the concept of contest at the level of all theological schools and inform all the participant schools on the criteria of the contest and organisation of the National Symposium entitled “Theology of Father Dumitru Stăniloae after 20 years since his passing away” at Sâmbăta de Sus Monastery, from 6 – 8 October 2013.

Then, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel showed in his sermon that the work of Father Dumitru Stăniloae needed deepening especially in these times of confusion and spiritual drought: “Due to his vast, deep, and rich theology, as a creative synthesis between Tradition and actuality, father Dumitru Stăniloae remains in the memory of the Church as a confessor of the divine love and defender of the human dignity both in time of freedom and in time of oppression. For Father Stăniloae the human person is a permanent mystery and something new. Because he was a man of prayer, he wrote a theology in which he urged to prayer, to the union of man with God, the Source of life and eternal joy”.

Then, the Patriarch of Romania awarded prizes to the winners of the eparchial phase of the National Contest of “Father Dumitru Stăniloae – 110 years since his birth and 20 since his passing away”.

“We congratulate all those who organised the contest here, those who took part in it and especially the winners. May God give us the joy of those who pray the saints and of those who study the teaching of the saints, especially the saints’ teaching for our time! Follow the example of the Three Saint Hierarchs and most of all study very attentively the theology of Father Dumitru Stăniloae who is a continuator of the theology of the Three Saint Hierarchs in a little different context, not in the 4th century, but in the 20th one. We called him confessor because he confessed the faith in the hard time of communism and spent several years in prison. When somebody asked him: What experience did you have in prison?, he said: “I learned to pray more”.

Three prizes and a mention, as well as participation diplomas were awarded during the contest. 9 theologians participated in the phase for the Archdiocese of Bucharest. It was the first edition of the Contest.

“Thank you very much with great gratitude for having been with us at the celebration of our Faculty and for having made Father Professor Dumitru Stăniloae present. We assure you that we shall keep the light of the theology of Father Professor Dumitru Stăniloae burning in our Faculty just as we endeavour to keep burning the light of the Three Saint Hierarchs, so that we are confident that through the light of Father Dumitru Stăniloae we shall reach the light of the Three Saint Hierarchs, or in other words Father Stăniloae makes the Holy Fathers contemporary with us, beginning with the Three Hierarchs”, said Rev. Prof. Dr. Ştefan Buchiu, dean of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Bucharest.

The Archdiocese of Bucharest will be represented by Apintiliesei Ciprian Costin, student in the first year of study at Master for Doctrine and Culture at the metropolitan phase of the contest, which will take place in March.

To end with, His Beatitude offered several books for the library of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Bucharest.

The celebration of the Faculty of Theology of “Patriarch Justinian” of Bucharest continued in Europa Christiana Hall of the Patriarchate Palace. During the manifestations, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel awarded the Order of Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen for clergy to Rev. Prof. Viorel Ioniţă and the Order of Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen for laic to Prof. Remus Rus from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Bucharest.

The History of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of “Patriarch Justinian” of the University of Bucharest (1881 – 2013) and the Annual for 2012 of the institution were launched during the same festive ceremony.

“The 670 pages of the book include all our history as much as the sources noted down and they could find. There are lots of documents printed maybe for the first time, at least in the ecclesiastic space, which show us that our Faculty honoured its place in the University of Bucharest. Frankly speaking, this is a challenge for the students too if we have the honour to be part of the first University of the country, so that we feel we ought to do our best to be the first Faculty of Theology of the country too. The book also includes the gallery of our professors, not only the great ones of long ago, but also those employed today. It is a fresco of what we think it is illustrative for what it meant and means and we hope it will mean the Faculty of Orthodox Theology from now on. The second book is the Annual of the Faculty which appears in 12 years time continuity. This year was more prolific, so that we have a larger number of pages, almost 700, because the research and didactic activity of our Faculty has really developed a lot”, explained Rev. Prof. Ştefan Buchiu, dean of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Bucharest.

The ceremony dedicated to the celebration of the dedication day of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Bucharest ended with an artistic festivity performed by the Chorus of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Bucharest.

His Beatitude congratulated all those who contributed to the two books launched, as well as the students of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Bucharest: “We thank God for this special day of celebration of the Three Saint Hierarchs, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, the protectors and saint patrons of all the Schools of Orthodox Theology throughout the world. It is a joy for us to see the professors and students in this hall called Europa Christiana. Today it was for the first time when the feast of Three Saint Hierarchs extended from the Faculty to this Hall. That was because it is the commemorative year of Father Dumitru Stăniloae, as well as because this year too our missionary concerns are focused on Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen. Thank you very much for the organisation of the solemn moment over here after an even more solemn one, namely the Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Grace Assistant Bishop Varlaam Ploieşteanul. We are very glad for that and we focus, at the same time, with hope, on all the new activities of the Faculty of Theology, of all the Schools of Theology and congratulate all those who contributed to the publication of these two books recently appeared.”

To end with, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church received an icon of the Three Saint Hierarchs on behalf of Rev. Prof. Dr. Ştefan Buchiu.

The decision to proclaim the three saints protectors of the schools of theological education was taken in 1936, at the Congress of the Faculties of Orthodox Theology held in Athens.

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