← News feed Romanian Orthodox Church

The International Day of Charity honors the memory of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a Catholic missionary of Romanian origintranslated

September 5, 2026 · 1 min read

"Our acts of charity are nothing more than the outpouring of the love of God within us. That is why the one who is closest to God loves his neighbor the most," said Mother Teresa.

In 2012, in her memory and to promote involvement in philanthropic acts, the United Nations (UN) instituted the International Day of Charity, marked on September 5, the day in 1997 when Mother Teresa passed away.

The page dedicated by the UN to this day emphasizes the power of charity to achieve solidarity on a global level. The organization emphasizes that philanthropy benefits from the use of online fundraising platforms, youth engagement, and a culture of equity and ethics in society.

How near is our neighbor On numerous occasions, the Blessed Father Patriarch Daniel compares those who give alms to "the hands of Christ's merciful love".

The Romanian Orthodox Church, through church organizations, is one of the most important actors in the field of philanthropy in our country. All these works are done with the involvement of priests and with the help of the faithful, who are called not to...

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

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (10) 🌐 Show original

Тодор Иванов

Mother Teresa is right that almsgiving comes from closeness to God. Here in Plovdiv, the father from "St. Marina" often reminds us of the same thing when we collect for the old people's home. It is good that the Romanian Church is also doing so much - hopefully we, the Bulgarians, do not stop helping our neighbor, instead of just reading about it.

Paweł Nowak

Yes, I agree with what Todor wrote - closeness to God really changes the heart. Here in Białystok, sisters from the monastery of St. Marty also regularly collects money for nursing homes and no one comes back empty-handed. It's good that Romanians push this so hard through their parishes, it's real work, not just words.

Tomasz Nowak

Yes, Todor is right, closeness to God does change the heart. In our city in Gdańsk, after the service, we often collect money for a homeless shelter and we always end up with more than we expect. And these sisters from Białystok, it's interesting - do you know what exactly they do in these nursing homes?

Олександр Ткаченко

In Lviv, after the service in our church, we also often collect for a shelter for the elderly, and always more than planned. It is good that the Romanian church is doing this so actively through the parishes, just like ours. But what exactly are the sisters collecting in Bialystok, it would be interesting to hear the details.

Красимира Василева

Yes, and at home in the church "St. St. Constantine and Elena" in Veliko Tarnovo, we collect after the Sunday liturgy for the old people's home in Arbanasi - last time it came out almost twice as much as expected, just as the boys from Gdansk and Lviv wrote. It's good that the Romanians also do it through their parishes, and not only on TV. I wonder what exactly the sisters in Białystok collect, maybe we can get an idea.

Petar Popović

Here in Belgrade, after the liturgy in the Church of St. Mark, we often collect for the home for the elderly in Bežanijska kosa and we are always surprised how much more comes out than we planned, just like those from Plovdiv, Gdańsk and Veliko Tarnovo write. It is good that the Romanian Church also does this through the parishes, and in our country it is done through the Red Cross and parish committees. Closeness to God is really seen in action, not just in words.

Dorota Wiśniewska

Yes, in Lublin, after the liturgy, we often collect money for a children's hospice and someone always adds more than we planned. These sisters from Białystok probably have their hands full, and what about your parish - do you have any regular campaigns with the monastery or are they just one-time collections?

James Bennett

Our parish in Ottawa does the same thing after Divine Liturgy – last month we collected for the local food bank and ended up with three extra boxes of pasta and rice nobody had planned on. The part about charity flowing from being close to God rings true; our priest quotes Patriarch Daniel on that pretty often. Anyone know what the Romanian church groups are focusing on right now?

Петър Димитров

Todor, this is exactly the case with the father from "St. Marina" - and I have heard similar words from our priest here in Veliko Tarnovo when we were collecting for the shelter. It's good that Romanians don't just talk, but also act, I hope we don't stop at just talking here too. What exactly are you collecting for the nursing home in Plovdiv now?

Agnieszka Kaczmarek

Yes, closeness to God really changes the heart, it's true. In our town in Hajnówka, after the liturgy, we also collect money for the hospice and there is always more than we planned. As for the sisters from Białystok, I know that they run a nursing home for the elderly and there they mainly provide daily assistance with washing, feeding and praying with the people under their care.