51 years have passed since the passing of Saint Dometius the Merciful from Râmeţ to the Lordtranslated

Monday marks the 51st anniversary of the passage to the Lord of Saint Pious Dometie the Merciful from Râmeț, one of the new saints of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

He was born on October 13, 1924, in the commune of Bălăneşti, Buzău county, receiving the name Stelian. He grew up in a deeply religious family, his mother, Saint Philotimia from Râmeț, being in her turn passed among the saints by the Romanian Orthodox Church.

From childhood he showed a special inclination towards prayer and helping those in distress. He attended the Theological Seminary in Buzău, then the Faculty of Theology in Bucharest. Both the bachelor thesis and the doctoral research were guided by St. Dumitru Stăniloae.

Disciple of Saint Arsenius from Prislop In the summer of 1949 he was ordained deacon and priest, and on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross he was ordained a monk at the Prislop Monastery by Saint Arsenius of Prislop. Saint Seraphim from Sâmbăta de Sus was his godfather as a monk.

At only 26 years old, he was elected abbot of the Prislop Monastery, after the arrest of Saint Arsenius. Later, he was sent to Afteia-Cioara Monastery, however, being followed...