Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Cetatea de Baltă (Agenzia Fides) - “Our faith is our life” was the theme of the fourth missionary camp, organized at the beginning of July in Cetatea de Baltă (Alba district) by the Greek Catholic parish of the Holy Trinity in Cetatea de Baltă under the direction of Fr. Father Sorin Ivan, in collaboration with the National Direction of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Romania.
The focus of the days, which alternated between educational opportunities, spiritual moments, and recreational activities, was Blessed Iuliu Hossu, Greek Catholic Bishop of Cluj-Gherla and martyr, on the occasion of the anniversary dedicated to him. Iuliu Hossu, who was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1969, was the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Romania. Appointed cardinal "in pectore," he died in 1970 during the persecutions that took place in Romania under the communist regime. He was beatified by Pope Francis on June 2, 2019, during a mass in the Freedom Field near Blaj, along with six other Romanian bishops who died as martyrs in various places in Romania between 1950 and 1970.
On June 2, Pope Leo XIV also commemorated his life and work at a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel: "This year," the Pope said, "is a special year dedicated to Cardinal Iuliu Hossu, a symbol of brotherhood beyond all ethnic and religious boundaries. The process for his recognition as 'Righteous Among the Nations', initiated in 2022, is based on his courageous commitment to the Jews of Northern Transylvania when the Nazis implemented their tragic plan to deport them to concentration camps between 1940 and 1944."
Blessed Cardinal Hossu also uttered the words "Our faith is our life," which were the focus of the missionary summer camp in Cetatea de Baltă. In addition to games and workshops, a day at Bethlen-Haller Castle, and a visit to the ViaTV Cluj television studios, the program also included several moments of prayer, the daily communal celebration of Holy Mass, and a catechesis inspired by the life of the Blessed. Among the most important moments of the summer camp was the presentation of the cross to the participants by Cristian Crișan, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia and Făgăraș. The cross was presented to the camp participants in the presence of the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Romania, Fr. Eugen Blaj, who also shared his experience of missionary work in Kenya with those present. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 9/7/2025)
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