Srs Cornelia and Ramona fcJ from the Bucureşti community tell us about the national pilgrimage of consecrated persons in Romania. Here we adapt the text by Sr. Ildikó Homa, SSS and images from the Diocese of Iaşi with permission.
This year a national pilgrimage of consecrated persons was organized for the first time on Saturday June 21 2025. Şumuleu Ciuc was chosen as the place of pilgrimage, so that Sisters and Brothers could easily arrive from all corners of the country.
The pilgrimage, organized in the Year of Hope, also reminds us of the words of our beloved Pope Francis, who six years ago while visiting Romania said in this place: Shrines (…) preserve the memory of the faithful people, who, in the midst of suffering, never tire of seeking the source of living water from which to renew their hope. They are places of celebration and commemoration, of tears and prayer.
Ramona and Cornelia left the house at 4:00am in order to join the Bucharest pilgrims bus departing at 4:30 going to Șumuleu Ciuc. The pilgrimage began with a solemn Holy Mass, celebrated by the apostolic nuncio Giampiero Gloder, who conveyed the greetings of Pope Leo XIV to everybody present there. Concelebranting with His Excellency were Bishops Ioan C. Bot and József Csaba Pál. At the end of the Liturgy, Bishop Ioan, responsible for consecrated life within the Romanian Bishops’ Conference, expressed his gratitude for the lives of consecrated persons.
The vocation and the response given to it are a mystery, which can be summarized in the words of the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts 4:20): We cannot but speak of him, we cannot live without Jesus Christ, we must do what he calls us to do. The person of Jesus has seduced us, convinced us. We want him, even in death and beyond it, we want to reach the arms of the Father. This mystery is reflected on our faces, it is something visible in our gaze, reflected on our countenance, but which cannot be explained.
Bishop John thanked the monks and nuns for the fact that, through their lives, they show people a personal and living God, making him „human” and „credible” and opening the door to the often-forgotten God. He thanked them for taking on prayer, suffering and for being „Cyrenees” and „Veronicas” for others.
The pilgrimage continued with a lunch, a conference and an interactive moment which helped us to socialize more with each other and make new contacts in an entertaining and pleasant way. The meeting ended with a short procession, led by the flower-adorned statue of the Mother of God to a smaller parish church, where they recited the consecration prayer written especially for this occasion.
The three hundred consecrated persons present left with gratitude in their hearts, because this day offered them the opportunity to experience what the jubilee means in the Church: rekindling the fire of first love and renewing our community relationships.
