Glory to Jesus Christ!
I am pleased to share the wonderful news with you that on 12 July the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized the beloved Elder and Confessor of Sihastria Monastery in Romania, St. Ilie Cleopa. The solemn proclamation will take place in 2025 but we can now venerate the relic of St. Ilie’s fez (priest’s hat, skufia) as a Saint’s relic even as we ask his holy prayers and intercessions.
Our relic of St. Ilie, the renowned elder and confessor of Sihastria Monastery in Romania, one of the destinations on our semi-annual pilgrimages, will be placed on the analog before the iconostas and the icon of the Holy Theotokos, together with other items from St. Ilie’s cell at Sihastria Monastery that we are blessed to have, All are invited to come and venerate his holy relics and ask his holy prayers.
When asked what one needs to have to come to inherit eternal life and work out one’s salvation, Elder Ilie’s response was, “patience,” (Romanian, răbdare) as you can hear in the following video clip where he is wearing the fez we are blessed to have at Holy Archangels:
May Christ our true God bless you and may Saint Ilie intercede for the salvation of our souls!
In Christ’s love,
Fr. Robert+
