Bishop Benedict, with the pilgrims on the way to the Nicula Monastery: Hardship brings joytranslated

On Tuesday, Bishop Benedict of Sălaj accompanied a group of believers who set off on foot from Valcău de Jos, Sălaj county, to the Nicula Monastery, to participate in the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Before leaving, the hierarch highlighted the spiritual meaning of the pilgrimage, showing that "toil brings joy".

"It is a special work that you are starting today, going to the Nicula Monastery. We are entering a succession of experience, because successive generations, for tens, maybe hundreds of years, have been doing the same thing. This continuity of faith, but also of experience, is very important, showing our faith as something alive, very alive."

Referring to the fact that the pilgrimage requires considerable physical effort, the Bishop of Sălaj emphasized that it is precisely this effort that gives the moment a special value.

"An essential component of the pilgrimage is the desire to work hard, confirming once again what has already been established as a law: true joys are acquired only and only through work," said His Eminence.

The prayer that sanctifies the way The pilgrims gathered on Tuesday, 12.08.2026, at...