RomOC to celebrate Synaxis of Holy Romanian Women for the first time

Believers at a service in the Romanian Orthodox Church. Photo: basilica.ro

The Romanian Orthodox Church will celebrate the Synaxis of Holy Romanian Women for the first time on the third Sunday after Pascha, the day dedicated to the Myrrh-bearing Women, according to the official website of the Romanian Patriarchate.

The feast was added to the Church calendar by a decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church on March 27, 2025. The Church is now preparing for the first liturgical celebration dedicated to the Synaxis of Holy Romanian Women.

Earlier, the Holy Synod canonized 16 Romanian women – martyrs, nuns, wives of rulers, mothers of saints, and confessors of the Christian faith. Their church-wide glorification took place on February 6, 2026, at the Patriarchal Cathedral, after which local festivities were held in honor of each of the newly glorified saints.

The commemoration of the Holy Romanian Women was established for the third Sunday after Pascha, which is also dedicated to the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women.

In his message for the occasion, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said: “The Myrrh-bearing Women are great teachers of the Church [...] expressing faith and courage, humility and reverence for the Saviour who was crucified and rose from the dead,” describing them as “apostles to the Apostles.”

He also stressed the relevance of their example today: “The Myrrh-bearing Women are models for Christian women,” who are called to be “bearers of the Light of Christ” in family life, monastic life, and service to others.

Speaking of the newly glorified Romanian saints, the Patriarch said: “They shone through deep humility, steadfast faith, sacrificial love, patience in trials and fearless confession of Christ in times of persecution."

The message also notes that the Church honors "martyrs, confessors, monastics, wives, mothers, noblewomen and simple women of the people, known and unknown, as well as holy women whose relics are found in Romania."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Romanian and Serbian Orthodox faithful in Serbia had held a joint cross procession.

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