More than 4,000 Orthodox Christians took part in a procession in the eastern Romanian city of Moinești on September 4, as a revered relic believed to be the Belt of the Virgin Mary was carried through the streets, according to Basilica.ro.

The relic was brought from the Kato Xenia Monastery in Greece and placed in an 18th-century silver reliquary made in Wallachia. The procession was led by Archbishop Ioachim of Roman and Bacău and Bishop Theophilos of Trotuș, together with priests, nuns and thousands of pilgrims.

A church service was held at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas. Following the service, Bishop Theophilos celebrated a prayer service marking the beginning of the new school year, with particular attention given to children and families.

As part of the event, 297 Moinești students who completed the previous school year with an average grade of 10 received certificates and commemorative medals. Another 267 children from socially vulnerable families received assistance through the charitable initiative “Let’s Shoe Barefoot Romania.”

The celebrations also honored eight couples who had been married for more than 60 years, as well as eight young large families raising more than seven children.

In an address to the students, Archbishop Ioachim encouraged them to maintain critical thinking amid the rapid development of technology. He noted that children today have access to more information than any previous generation, but stressed that this makes the ability to distinguish reliable information from false or misleading claims increasingly important.

The Belt of the Virgin Mary was brought to Romania by a delegation of the Greek Orthodox Church from Kato Xenia Monastery. It is the second time the relic has made a pilgrimage to the Moinești area. Following the procession, it continued its journey among local Orthodox parishes.