Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania, September 20, 2019
Photo: basilica.ro
His Grace Bishop Gurie of Deva and Hunedoara of the Romanian Orthodox Church has personally reached out to citizens in Hunedoara County, in an effort to help them deepen their knowledge of the Orthodox faith that they practice and confess.
Every family in the county received a catechism free of charge, with a personalized dedication to each family written by hand and signed by His Grace, reports the Basilica News Agency.
The distribution, part of the diocesan “Let Us Know Our Faith!” project, also included a letter for each family explaining why it was receiving the book, explained Fr. Gabriel Miricescu, the diocesan spokesman.
“Every day, His Grace finds time to lean over each copy of this book, personally signing the dedication to the families of Hunedoara Christians as well as the attached letter,” Fr. Gabriel said.
Photo: basilica.ro
More than 90% of the 90,000 copies have been successfully distributed thus far.
The “Let Us Know Our Faith!” project began in 2017. The distribution of catechisms is the first phase in Bp. Gurie’s efforts to deepen the faith of his flock, to be followed by the distribution of the New Testament and Psalms to every family. This second phase will begin next year.
The distribution of the books is carried out through parishes, where each priest compiles a list of all the families in the parish, which is then given to the diocesan administration. The books are published by the Bible Institute and the Orthodox Mission, and can also be purchased online.
The catechism is currently on sale for $5.95 (25.50 lei), meaning the diocese has given away $535,000 worth of free catechisms.
