The local proclamation of the canonisation of Holy Confessor Priest Dumitru Staniloae will take place on Saturday at Cernica Monastery, with a divine liturgy being officiated from 09:00hrs by Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina in the island church.

The service will be followed by the reading of the Tomos of canonisation, the presentation of the icon of the saint and the chanting of his troparion, according to the Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate.

On Thursday, at the Patriarchal Residence, Patriarch Daniel blessed the reliquary of the confessor priest in the historic Chapel St George the Great Martyr.

'This beautiful reliquary, adorned in silver and gilded scenes, shows the devotion and esteem of our Church's faithful for this great saint, who was a confessor, as designated by the Holy Synod of our Church,' the Patriarch of Romania said after the service.

Daniel explained that the saint bore witness to the faith under the communist regime in two ways: 'spending five years in communist prisons, and at the same time by bearing witness through the theological and spiritual writings that he authored and published, so much so that French theologian Olivier Clement called him the greatest Orthodox theologian of the 20th century.'

Patriarch Daniel also said that Saint Dumitru Staniloae loved Cernica Monastery very much and chose it as his burial place, as well as that of his wife.

He also announced that a cultural-missionary centre bearing the name of Saint Dumitru Staniloae will be built at the monastery. It is currently in the planning stage.

On Friday in Cernica, a vigil service in honour of Dumitru Staniloae (Great Vespers with Lity and Matins) was to be celebrated.

In 2024, the Holy Synod approved the canonisation of 16 confessor saints from communist prisons and great spiritual fathers. They include Saint Priest Confessor Dumitru Staniloae.

On February 4, 2025, during the Centennial Year of the Romanian Patriarchate, the general proclamation of their canonisation took place in Bucharest, followed throughout the year by local proclamations in the dioceses where they had dedicated their lives to God.

Dumitru Staniloae was born on November 16, 1903 in the village of Vladeni, Brasov County.

He studied Theology in Chernivtsi, Bucharest and Sibiu, where he received his bachelor's and doctorate degrees and scholarships in Athens, Munich, Berlin, Paris and Belgrade. He specialised in Byzantine Studies and Dogmatics.

In 1930 he married Maria Mihu and was ordained a priest two years later, continuing an intense teaching and publishing activity.

He taught Dogmatic, Ascetic and Mystical Theology for decades, being rector of the Theological Academy of Sibiu between 1936 and 1946.

During that period, he published fundamental works, including 'The Life and Teaching of Saint Gregory Palamas', as well as the first volumes of the Romanian translation of the Philocaly, a monumental work begun in 1946 and continued until the last decades of his life.

In the communist years, he was arrested and imprisoned in Aiud, but after his release he resumed his activity as a teacher and researcher, becoming one of the most respected theological voices of Christian Orthodoxy.

Considered the 'theologian of divine love', Staniloae published dozens of volumes, articles and studies, participated in international theological dialogues, remaining the most important Christian Orthodox dogmatist of the 20thcentury.

He became a full member of the Romanian Academy in 1991.

He passed away on October 4, 1993, at the age of 90, leaving behind an invaluable theological legacy. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - editing, writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)