Patriarch Teoctist remembered 19 years after his repose

The Romanian Orthodox Church commemorates Patriarch Teoctist Arăpașu on 30 July, marking 19 years since his repose in the Lord.

Patriarch Teoctist of blessed memory reposed in the Lord on 30 July 2007, after 21 years as Patriarch of Romania and 57 years of episcopal ministry.

Born Theodor Arăpașu on 7 February 1915 in the village of Tocileni, Botoșani County, he was the tenth child of Dumitru and Marghioala Arăpașu.

He entered monastic life at a young age, first at Vorona Monastery and later at Neamț Monastery. On 6 August 1935, he was tonsured a monk at Bistrița Monastery, receiving the name Teoctist.

He studied at the Monastic Seminary of Cernica Monastery before graduating from the Faculty of Theology in Bucharest in 1945.

Patriarch of Romania In 1946, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. He served as a priest at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iași and, between 1946 and 1948, as Great Ecclesiarch and Exarch of the monasteries of the Archdiocese of Iași. During the same period, he also attended courses at the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy in Iași, seeking to broaden his academic formation.

In 1950, he was elected Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop with the…