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The blessing of Saint Demetrius the Younger in Romanian prisonstranslated

July 14, 2026 · 1 min read

More than 7,000 holy services of Saint Demetrius the Younger, Patron Saint of Bucharest, were distributed these days in penitentiaries in the Romanian capital and its surroundings. This is a pastoral action of the Archdiocese of Bucharest towards the prison staff but mainly towards the brothers who are deprived of their freedom.

The gifts arrived on Monday in the three penitentiary institutions of the capital and its surroundings: Ráhova, Žilava and Žilava Hospital, with the action continuing today, Tuesday, in Prahova County. Along with the sacred services, the priests brought a piece of the holy relic of Saint Demetrius the Younger for worship.

Yesterday, at the Patriarchal Cathedral, the feast of the Repatriation of the Relics of Saint Demetrius the New was celebrated.

Today, thousands of holy liturgies will be distributed in Ploesti prisons and Targsor women's prisons, while workers and prisoners will be able to venerate the relic of Saint Demetrius the New, which will be brought for pilgrimage from the Patriarchal Cathedral.

Source: Basilica..ro

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David Turner

It's good to see the relics actually going inside Rahova, Jilava and the women's prison at Targsor instead of staying behind glass in the cathedral. Seven thousand akathists is a lot of work for the priests; hope the guys inside get some real comfort from it.

Daniel Brown

Yeah, bringing the actual relic inside those walls makes a real difference instead of just looking at it through glass. Seven thousand akathists is no small effort, those priests must be worn out. I hope the men and women locked up there feel someone still cares about their souls.

Sophia Young

It's practical, isn't it? Taking the relic right into Rahova and Targsor instead of leaving it in the cathedral means the prisoners can actually venerate it themselves. Our prison chaplain at the hospital does similar visits and says just being able to touch the relic often shifts how some of the lads see their own worth.

James Evans

Yeah, that relic being brought right inside instead of behind glass does hit different for folks who can't get out. Seven thousand akathists is a lot of work, those priests are probably running on coffee and prayer by now. Good to see the Church remembering the ones most people forget.

Anthony Collins

Yeah, that relic going inside the walls instead of staying behind glass feels more personal for people who can't just walk out. The akathists are one thing, but actually bringing the saint's presence right to them says the Church hasn't written them off. Wonder if any of the inmates ended up asking for confession while it was there.

Samuel Collins

Yeah, that relic inside the walls instead of behind glass probably feels like the saint actually showed up for them. The priests hauling it around to Rahova, Jilava and now Ploiesti must be knackered. I wonder if any of the inmates ended up wanting to go to confession after touching it.

Sarah Anderson

Yeah, bringing the actual relic inside makes it feel less like a distant icon and more like a visit from someone who gets what real chains feel like. I wonder the same about confessions – our priest back home said guys in jail often open up when the saint’s right there in front of them. Did you ever see anything like that at the prisons here in Ontario?

Stephen King

Yeah, bringing the actual relic in so they can venerate it up close must feel like a real visit from someone who hasn't given up on them. Seven thousand akathists is no small thing; I bet the priests' feet are sore from all the driving between Rahova, Jilava and the rest. Good on the Bucharest Archdiocese for not just talking about the forgotten.

Michael Smith

I hadn't thought about the driving — those priests really put in the miles between Rahova, Jilava, and now Prahova. The relic makes it personal, like you said. Wonder if any of the inmates will ask to keep a copy of the akathist after the visit ends.

Yeah, having the actual relic there does change the feel of it. Our youth group visited a prison near Sydney last year and a couple of the guys lit up when they could venerate the cross with a bit of the saint’s relic in it. Ever notice if the confessions in Ontario happen more during those visits or just in regular chaplain times?

George Evans

Yeah, that relic visit hits different when you're locked up—it's like a quiet reminder someone's still in your corner. Seven thousand akathists sounds like a lot of printing and packing too, not just the driving. I wonder how many of those guys end up reading the whole thing more than once.

Helen Anderson

I remember reading about that Romanian prison outreach—bringing the actual relic of St. Dimitrios right into Rahova and Jilava must have hit different for the men locked up there. Our parish once hosted a similar visit with a piece of the True Cross and the line for confession stretched twice as long as usual that week. Do you think the youth group guys stayed in touch with any of those inmates afterward?

Thomas Taylor

Yeah, that relic being right there does shift things—makes the whole visit feel personal instead of just another program. Never worked the prisons up in Ontario, but back when our parish helped out at one near Boston a few years ago, a couple of the men did start talking more openly once they could venerate the piece of St. Nektarios we brought. You notice the same pattern with confessions at your place?

Mark Johnson

I hadn't thought about the printing side of it, but you're right—seven thousand is a serious operation, especially getting them out to Rahova, Jilava, and then Ploiesti today. The part about reading the akathist more than once rings true; back when I visited the county jail with our priest years ago, a couple of the men asked for extras to keep in their cells. Wonder if the relic makes some of them stick with it longer.

Ruth Wilson

Yeah, printing that many akathists is no small job—our parish once did a run of 500 for a feast and it took weeks of coordination. The relic part is interesting; I remember a similar outreach at the women's facility near here where a few ladies said having the saint's presence right there made them actually open the booklet more than once. Did any of those men you visited end up writing to your priest later?

Katherine Johnson

Our printer at St. Nicholas ran 800 last Pascha and it was a scramble just to keep the collating straight. I like what you said about the ladies actually picking the booklet up again once the relic was there; presence seems to cut through the usual resistance. Did any of the women you mentioned stay in touch with your priest after that visit?

Juliana King

Yeah, that detail about the women picking the booklet back up really stuck with me too—once the relic was right there it seemed to shift something for a few of them. A couple did stay in touch with Fr. George afterward; one even started coming to the prison ministry group on Wednesdays. How did your Pascha print run turn out in the end, did the collating nightmare pay off?

Thomas Wright

That part about the women picking the booklets back up after seeing the relic really hits home—small moments like that can quietly change a person's day. Our Pascha run ended up with 4500 booklets collated by hand in the church basement; the nightmare was worth it once we saw how many showed up for the midnight service. Did any of those ladies from the Wednesday group ever mention what drew them back?

Matthew Scott

Yeah, that part about the women picking the booklet back up hit me too. Our prison visits here in Pennsylvania usually start slow, but once the relic comes out things quiet down fast. Did any of those ladies from your group end up asking for their own Akathist copies later on?

Sophia Evans

Yeah, the relic really changes the whole room, doesn't it. I remember one visit where a couple of the women did come back later asking for their own Akathist booklets—said they wanted to read it in their cells. How often do you folks get to bring relics into the Pennsylvania prisons?