Oșorhei, Romania, June 3, 2021
Photo: eparhiaortodoxaoradea.ro
The Oradea Diocese of the Romanian Orthodox Church has been busy building new housing for orphaned and abandoned children.
Two houses were inaugurated in April, and His Grace Bishop Sofronie of Oradea just blessed and opened another house in Oșorhei. The land for all the houses was provided for by the Church.
The push is part of a larger project aimed at deinstitutionalizing children in the Placement Center No. 2 in Oradea, the diocese reports.
The children will be cared for in the new homes in order to prevent social marginalization (school dropout, begging, vagrancy, dependence on community support, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, etc.) and will be given support in their spiritual and psychological-emotional development, and support in social integration.
Altogether, the diocese aims to provide five family-type houses. The latest house has enough space for 12 children. The houses are built by the Diocese’s Philanthropy Association and the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection of Bihor County.
At the end of the blessing service on Tuesday, Bp. Sofronie congratulated all involved in building this “beautiful, elegant, and welcoming” house, which is under the patronage of three wonderworking Holy Hierarchs—Sts. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Spyridon of Tremithus, and Nektarios of Aegina. He also gave the new house an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, so that her presence would always be felt.
His Grace then consecrated the carved wooden crucifix that guards the entrance to the house and seals the house, pointing with much love and holy reverence to Him with Whose help it was erected.
The parishes that provided the land for each house will take care of the respective children. 5 minibuses will also be purchased to transport the children, which will cost more than $60,000 (50,000 euros).
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