The Romanian Orthodox Church has formally proclaimed the local veneration of Venerable Philothea and Venerable Elizabeth of Pasărea, two nuns recently added to the Church’s list of saints. The solemn ceremony took place at Pasărea Monastery in Ilfov County following the Divine Liturgy attended by hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

During the service, synodal tomes of canonization were publicly read, officially including the two women in the Church calendar and liturgical books. Their feast days have been established as April 12 for St. Philothea and June 5 for St. Elizabeth.

Particular attention was drawn to the canonization of St. Elizabeth of Pasărea, one of the most contemporary Romanian saints. She died in 2014 at the age of 44 and was widely known as a hermit nun who spent many years in prayer and ascetic struggle in the mountains of Bukovina.

Photo: basilica.ro

Born in 1970 into a large family in Suceava County and baptized with the name Rodica, the future saint entered Pasărea Monastery at the age of 16. She later served at the Romanian Orthodox Representation in Jerusalem before returning to Romania and embracing a life of solitude in the mountains of Jumalău and Neamț. There she devoted herself to prayer, fasting, and spiritual contemplation.

Even during her lifetime, St. Elizabeth gained a reputation among believers for her spiritual wisdom and compassion. Many attributed to her the gifts of discernment, comforting the suffering, and healing through prayer. Following her death, pilgrims continued to visit both the places where she lived in seclusion and her grave at Pasărea Monastery, reporting accounts of spiritual assistance and miraculous healings.

On the eve of the canonization ceremony, Romanian Patriarch Daniel consecrated a reliquary containing the saint’s relics as well as several icon-reliquaries. The Patriarch described St. Elizabeth’s life as an example of prayerful service, humility, and selfless love for others.

Alongside her, the Church also glorified St. Philothea of Pasărea, the mother of St. Calinic of Cernica, one of Romania’s most revered nineteenth-century hierarchs. Living during the first half of the 19th century, Philothea raised four sons before entering monastic life at Pasărea Monastery after the death of her husband. Contemporaries remembered her as a woman of profound faith, mercy, and humility.

In a message issued for the occasion, Patriarch Daniel noted that although nearly two centuries separated the lives of the two women, they shared the same commitment to constant prayer, sacrificial love for their neighbors, and readiness to help those in need.

The celebrations at Pasărea Monastery formed part of a broader initiative to honor Romanian saints. Church leaders emphasized that the canonization of Sts. Philothea and Elizabeth demonstrates that the tradition of holiness remains a living reality in Romania, flourishing not only in the distant past but also in the modern era.