Bucharest, February 3, 2020
Photo: Basilica News Agency
The Diocesan Assembly of the Archdiocese of Bucharest of the Romanian Orthodox Church met in its annual meeting on Saturday, February 1 under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, discussing, among other things, the Archdiocese’s social and philanthropic activities over the course of the previous year.
The session began with Te Deum celebrated by Pat. Daniel in the Patriarchal Cathedral, reports the Basilica News Agency, after which the Romanian primate read his general report on the Archdiocese’s activities in 2019.
In particular, he noted that social and philanthropic activities were among the most significant, with $1,939,441.55 (8,373,345.05 leu) being spent in this area—the most the Archdiocese has ever spent. In 2018, the Archdiocese dedicated $ 1,297,077 (5.6 million leu) to such programs and activities.
In 2019, the diocese maintained its many existing social and medical assistance programs and launched new ones, including the construction of a new day care center for children with hearing impairments in Bucharest, the extension of a day care center in Urlați, the construction of three family houses near Turnu Monastery, and the continuation of the food bank project in Bucharest.
The Archdiocese also spent an additional $1,434,291 (1,295,878 euros) on its Table of Joy program that feeds the needy, thus spending $3,373,732 altogether on social and philanthropic activities in 2019, in addition to the many charitable activities run by individual parishes.
In August, it was reported that the Archdiocese of Bucharest gave $1,184 (5,000 leu) to the family of Fr. Marius Gabriel Bărăscu of Parava, Bacău County, a young priest who tragically died in a car accident, leaving behind four small children.
