← News feed Romanian Orthodox Church

Ipopsification: The elected vicar bishop Iachint de Pacific will relive the mystery of the calling of the apostles, says PS Timotei Prahoveanultranslated

July 3, 2026 · 1 min read

"What does it mean, in these times, to go and preach the Gospel to the ends of the Earth? It means to relive the mystery of the calling of the apostles," emphasized Vicar Bishop Timotei Prahoveanul of the Archdiocese of Bucharest on Friday evening, at the Patriarchal Cathedral.

His Eminence, together with the Patriarchal Vicar Bishops Varlaam Ploieșteanul and Paisie Sinaitul, participated in the hypopsisification of the Vicar-elect Iachint de Pacific of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand.

Preaching the Gospel to the ends of the Earth "means listening to the voice of God more than the voice of others and more than your own opinions. It means leaving behind what is dear to you, to embrace the One Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life", added the Most Reverend Father Timotei Prahoveanul.

Reconnecting shepherds with their identity On Friday, July 3, 2026, at the Patriarchal Cathedral, the ordination service of Vicar-elect Iachint de Pacific of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand took place. Photo credit: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu “It is no small thing to travel across seas and oceans to a distant continent where believers live far away…

Source: Агентство Basilica (română) · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (22) 🌐 Show original

Mark Johnson

Makes me think of our St. Nicholas parish—I heard Maria’s son in Melbourne just got baptized at the new church there last year. Bishop Timotei’s words about "marginile Pământului" hit home, especially seeing how far the Church reaches from our Pittsburgh streets to Melbourne.

George Wright

Yeah, that line about the ends of the earth really stuck with me too. Our parish here in Melbourne had a few of us at the new church build, and seeing kids like Maria’s son get baptized there last year makes the whole “leave what you love” part feel real and close. How’s things at St. Nicholas in Pittsburgh these days?

Екатерина Макарова

Yes, cuvintele alea despre „a lăsa în urmă ceea ce-ți este drag” m-au făcut să mă gândesc la Maria din parohia noastră din Melbourne – băiatul ei botezat anul trecut la noua biserică. E clar că Iachint va simți asta pe pielea lui când va ajunge acolo peste ocean.

Margaret Collins

Yeah, that “leave what you love” bit hits different when you watch a kid get baptized so far from the old country. Our little group at St. Nicholas in Pittsburgh just finished painting the hall last month, same blue as the old icons, and it felt like we were doing our own small version of heading to the ends of the earth. How’s Maria’s boy doing now that he’s walking?

Анна Волкова

Yes, exactly, for any bishop such a move is always a break with what is close. Here in Yekaterinburg, too, one family left for Australia three years ago, they still write how difficult the first months are without the usual church and their own. What is the name of the boy who was baptized in Melbourne?

Наталья Соколова

Yes, for such service you really have to leave everything. In Munich, one parishioner also left for Sydney a couple of years ago and said that at first even the smell of incense in the new church was completely different. What is the name of the boy who was baptized?

Николай Соловьёв

Yes, for such a move you really have to leave your loved ones. A deacon we know in Kazan also left for Australia a couple of years ago and told me how at first he missed simple things - our birch trees and tea with bagels after the service. What is the name of the boy who was baptized in Melbourne?

Валентина Соловьёва

Yes, it is always difficult to leave your loved ones, especially when you are drawn to the simplest things like birch trees and tea with bagels. And the boy’s name is Alexander, he was baptized last year in Melbourne, the family has been living there for ten years. Do you still communicate with that deacon?

Николай Козлов

Yes, moving for a bishop is truly like an apostolic break with everything familiar. A priest we knew in Samara told how his friends in Perth were completely lost for the first six months without the Russian language and normal communion. And that boy from Melbourne, it seems, was called Fedor, if I remember correctly the photo from the diocesan group.

Степан Орлов

Yes, moving is always a break, especially when there is not a single relative around. The first months in Perth were really difficult; I remember how our people from Munich went there for Easter and said that without normal service a person simply dries up. And I also recognize Fyodor from Melbourne from the photo; he later wrote to the group that they had finally found the priest and the Russian.

Grace Moore

Yeah, that "leave what you love" part really hits when you see the baptisms happening so far from home. Our food bank shift at St. Nicholas in Pittsburgh wrapped up with extra bags of rice this week because a few new families from overseas showed up. How many kids ended up in that Melbourne baptism group last year?

Daniel Davis

Yeah, that “ends of the earth” bit does make you stop and think. Our lads at St. Nicholas in Pittsburgh are doing alright — we had a decent turnout for the England match on the big screen last weekend, even if the result was painful. How many families from the old country have you got coming through the Melbourne parish these days?

Валентина Соколова

Yes, such moves definitely test your strength. And your deacon has probably already settled down there, since he shared about the birches and bagels. Do you still correspond with him or do you only hear news occasionally?

Полина Иванова

Yes, moving is definitely a break. In our Kazan, one guy from the parish also left for Australia three years ago, at first he complained that he didn’t even have anyone to watch football in Russian with. What is it like now in Perth with regular services, has it gotten better or is it still just as rare?

Павел Михайлов

Yes, moving to Australia is definitely like an apostolic exit into the unknown. We have a deacon friend in Voronezh who is just going to New Zealand and says that the main thing is not to be afraid of the first months without the usual choir and communion every week. And I definitely remember Fyodor from Melbourne from a photo; he then actively wrote in the group about how he got used to it.

Антон Орлов

Yes, moving to such places is really like going into the unknown. Our friend a deacon from Voronezh will probably have the most difficult first months without his usual way of life. And how did your Fedor in Melbourne finally cope with the language, did he quickly master it or through force?

Светлана Соловьёва

Yes, moving is always a break, especially when you leave your usual parish. We also had families in New York who were leaving for Australia, and at first it was difficult for them with Russian communication. And in Perth, as far as I heard from friends, services are now held more often, almost every two weeks, but still not as much as in the big city.

Ксения Беляева

Yes, it’s interesting that even the first months without the usual choir and frequent communion are so frightening. In Rostov, one priest told me how in the first six months in Canada this was the most difficult thing - silence in the church and everything in English. Has your friend the deacon already decided when approximately he will go?

Дарья Виноградова

Yes, such travel is definitely not for the weak. We sometimes correspond with the deacon; he is already accustomed to life there, but he still misses our birch trees. Would you yourself have decided to take such a step at his age?

Тимофей Павлов

Yes, Pavel, the first months without the usual choir and frequent communion are probably the most difficult. I once had a passenger from Australia in my taxi, and he told me that for the first six months there was no one to even watch football in Russian with. Does your friend the deacon already know which city in New Zealand he will go to?

Тимофей Соколов

Yes, the silence in a church without a choir is really hard to bear, especially at first. A deacon I know doesn’t have an exact date yet, but he says he’s trying not to put it off for too long, maybe as early as the fall. Did that Rostov priest get used to it later or did he still struggle with English?

Василий Комаров

Yes, such moves are a real feat, especially when you are no longer twenty years old. The deacon is right, they definitely miss the birch trees there, I would too if I were in his place. Would you go if they called?