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On the second day of Christmas, on the feast of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church visited and consecrated a Church daycare centre in southeastern Romania.
The St. Stylianos Children’s Day Centre in Urlați was initially inaugurated by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel in 2013. It was blessed again on December 26 after being expanded and modernized.
The centre offers after-school services, tutoring, and counselling for 35 children from the local area who come from financially struggling families, families with many children, and single parents. School students receive hot food, school supplies, clothing, shoes, and toys throughout the school year.
The centre also holds extracurricular activities, such as chess tournaments and art classes.
“The Synaxis of the Mother of God is a day of blessing for all those who take care of children, just as the Mother of God took care of the baby Jesus,” Patriarch Daniel said after the consecration service.
And emphasizing the importance of education, the Romanian primate noted that for many who became saints, “childhood and early childhood education were very important.”
“Therefore, we consider that the greatest form of love is humble love that doesn’t expect a reward,” His Beatitude added.
Patriarch Daniel also offered an icon of the Mother of God as a sign of appreciation for the centre’s work.
