Bucharest, October 28, 2024
Photo: basilica.ro
The Romanian Orthodox Church celebrated the glorification of St. Macarie the Protopsaltis on Sunday.
The Liturgy with the proclamation of canonization was headed by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. He was concelebrated by Metropolitan Georgios of Cyprus and Metropolitan Nektarios of Kition of the Cypriot Church, who brought a relic of St. Lazarus for the week-long pilgrimage in honor of St. Demetrius the New, the patron saint of Bucharest, as well as His Eminence Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu (Church of Greece), and His Eminence Metropolitan Naum of Ruse (Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
The Synodal tomos of canonization was read out by His Grace Bishop Varlaam of Ploiestianul, vicar of the Patriarch of Romania, reports the Basilica News Agency.
After the reading of the act, the troparion of St. Macarie was sung and the icon of the new saint was presented. He was canonized by the Romanian Holy Synod one year ago. His feast will be celebrated annually on August 31.
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Photo: Trinitas TV St. Macarie, Protopsaltis of the Metropolitan Church of Bucharest, was the most famous music teacher of his time and a great composer of Church music.
He was born in Perieți, Ialomița County, around 1770. Being endowed by God with a love of the Church and the gift of singing, he learned to chant from an early age. Then he and his sister decided to take up the monastic life, and St. Macarie entered Căldăruşani Monastery.
Hearing of his talent, Metropolitan Dositei brought him to Bucharest and sent him to St. Sava College. He then ordained him as a hieromonk. In 1820, seeing St. Macarie’s proficiency in both ancient and modern styles of chant, appointed him director of the school of Church music, where he helped prepare candidates for the priesthood.
Venerable Macarie was a humble and spiritually advanced monk, a good servant of the Church of Christ and a distinguished orator. Both the song and the sermon of Hieromonk Macarie were inspired by the Holy Spirit and were performed with all piety and righteousness.
St. Macarie later began translating Greek hymns into Romanian, adapting them to the soul and style of the Romanian people. He produced several books that were printed in Vienna, and upon returning to Romania, he labored to spread the new chant everywhere, visiting cities and villages, churches and monasteries. By 1829, all the cities throughout Wallachia had music schools in the language of the people, teaching according to the method of St. Macarie. His books also reached all the seminaries and monasteries.
St. Macarie was also known as a great composer of Church hymns, especially known for his katavasias, hymns of the Liturgy, and hymns in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Thus, St. Macare is considered the founder of Romanian Church music, having adapted Eastern chant to the Romanian language and style without doing harm to the spirit of the music.
In 1829, with the banishment of Metropolitan Grigorie, St. Macarie was forced to leave Bucharest. He stayed in several monasteries in Moldavia, continuing to teach the monks his new chants. In 1833, he returned to his native monastery, and then, falling ill, he was taken in by his sister Justina, who was by then abbess of Viforâta Monastery.
In the autum of 1836, St. Macarie peacefully reposed in the Lord, to sing eternally of the greatness of God together with the angels.
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