Name Day of Patriarch Daniel Celebrated at the Romanian Patriarchate

On 17 December 2014, a Te Deum service was celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral on the occasion of the name day of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, as thanksgiving to God for the protection and help given to His Beatitude in the service of the Romanian Orthodox Church and of the Romanian people.

On the feast of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel’s name day celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral, the Divine Liturgy on the occasion was focused especially on the Saint Daniel the Prophet together with the three young people: Anania, Azaria and Misail. After the Divine Liturgy, there followed the celebration of the traditional thanksgiving service for the benefits God bestowed over our Patriarch and over the Romanian Orthodox Church as well.

His Grace Timotei Prahoveanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest, celebrated the thanksgiving Te Deum service assisted by a group of servant priests. Hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, His Eminence Naum, Metropolitan of Ruse, on behalf of the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, His Grace Qais, Bishop of Erzum, on behalf of the Patriarchate of Antioch and All East, as well as many clergy and faithful participated. Members of the Standing Meeting of the Church National Council, of Standing Meeting of the Eparchial Council of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, of the teaching staff of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology and of the Orthodox Theological Seminary of Bucharest, archpriests, abbots and abbesses from Bucharest, Ilfov and Prahova also attended.

The chants of the Divine Liturgy and of the Te Deum service were sung by “Tronos” psalmic group of the Patriarchal Cathedral. To end with, the polichronium service was celebrated, a festive chant, which remembered His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, Romanian Orthodox hierarchs, clergy and the faithful of the Church.

At the end of the service, His Eminence Irineu, Metropolitan of Oltenia, delivered a solemn speech on the significance of the name of Daniel.

“Your Beatitude have the name of the Saint Daniel the Prophet, which means God is the Judge, God is my help. Your Beatitude received the name through the Sacrament of the Holy Baptism and through that of monasticism. The name defines, or better said shows what the man is, the deeds that make the man, and it crowns and ennobles the person of Your Beatitude”, His Eminence said.

Then, the Patriarch of Romania spoke about the help received from God through His Saints.

“Today, we pray Prophet Daniel and Saints Anania, Azaria and Misail to intercede to God to give us the power to follow their example, to be confessors of the right faith not only at home, where we are in majority, but also when we are among foreigners, and to love God and hope first of all in Him, not in our own forces or in the humans’ help. We thank God for the help received from Him through His saints and we always remember what the Wonderful Psalmist says what God is in His Saints. The Saints of God partially reflect various aspects of God’s kindness, wisdom and holiness. The One really Holy and Spring of holiness is only God; but the Merciful God shares His holiness only to those who believe in Him and love Him, doing His will. This is why God is wonderful in the crowd of His Saints from various centuries, places, professions and ethnic affiliations”, His Beatitude said.

The Patriarch of Romania has also spoken about Saint Daniel the Prophet, pointing out the fact that he foretold, through his life and the wonders God made over him, the coming of Messiah in the world and the liberation of the humans from under the bondage of sin. “Saint Daniel the Prophet and the three young men Anania, Azaria and Misail are often remembered in the religious services during the Advent, because they were great fasters. The wonders they made, the fact that they were put in the burning oven and protected by angels not to be burned alive, and Daniel was even in the den of the lions which he tamed, mysteriously shows us the preparation of the humankind for the great mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, which is a work higher than nature, a wonderful work, which exceeds the usual natural limits”, His Beatitude explained.

To end with the anniversary festivity, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church offered the Christmas Pastoral Letter to all those present.
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