Romania: Bishop Paisie of Sinaia urged students to embrace responsibility at opening of Theological Seminary year

“Even if we had the most dedicated educators, the most loving parents, even if, by some miracle, we had the best government and the best schools in the world, none of this would help, would not matter, if you, the students, do not fulfill your part of the responsibility,” Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia told the students of the Bucharest Theological Seminary.

The patriarchal auxiliary bishop participated in the school year’s opening ceremony on Monday. During the ceremony, he spoke to the students about the most crucial responsibility in the educational process: “Although you, students, are still children, you still have a great responsibility, first and foremost, to yourselves,” the hierarch told them.

“Do you want to be a priest, a doctor or a teacher? Do you want to be a nurse or an architect, a journalist or work in IT? You will need a good education for all these careers and many others! You cannot fulfil your great dreams without school and acquiring knowledge and skills! You must train, work and learn for this.”

Adults’ efforts make children responsible

“It is not always easy to go to school! Many children do not have all the advantages of concentrating only on learning and going to school,” Bishop Paisie reminded them.

“There are lonely children, or those with only one parent, who lack the support they need, perhaps because their mother or father lost their job and do not have enough money to support their children’s education. There are many shortcomings and challenges in the lives of many of us, which make it difficult to provide children with everything they need.”

“We must remember that parents sometimes make immense efforts and work hard to send their children to school and to give them a good education,” the hierarch continued.

“Therefore, there is no excuse good enough for you, children, after all these efforts, to neglect your homework, not to pay attention in class, or to have an inappropriate attitude at school. There is no good excuse not to try to become a better version of yourself.”

Don’t dream of easy success

“I know that sometimes children and young people, in general, believe, dream, that they can quickly gain fame and money, that they can easily become more successful people than their parents or teachers: bosses, stars, celebrities, like on TV, or the internet, without any hard work,” said Bishop Paisie.

“I am telling you that you may never become such a person! First, because what you see on TV or the internet is not always true, it is not always a reality!”

Bishop Paisie of Sinaia also mentioned the importance of perseverance, continuous work, and communication with trusted adults.

“Some of the most successful people in the world are those who have had countless failures before reaching success,” said the patriarchal auxiliary bishop.

“These people succeeded because they understood that we cannot let our flaws, our shortcomings, define us – we must use failures and defeats as life lessons. We must learn from them what to do differently next time.”

“Nobody was born good at everything! We become good in different areas through hard work. You can’t be a high-performance athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every musical note in the score when you sing a song for the first time. You have to practice! The same principle applies to schoolwork.”

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it! Adults do this every day! They couldn’t manage alone! Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength, of power, because it shows that you dare to admit when you don’t know something, and this allows you to learn something new,” added the patriarchal auxiliary bishop.

“So, find an adult you trust – a parent, a grandparent, or a teacher – and ask them to help you stay on track and achieve your goals and dreams,” added Bishop Paisie of Sinaia.

The hierarch gave the students gifts from Patriarch Daniel: a prayer book with images from inside the National Cathedral.

A school that opens more academic paths

“The teaching staff is elite both intellectually and morally. And our students have this privilege to be formed both intellectually and spiritually in this space of Radu Vodă Monastery, a space that helps them to perfect their spiritual side, to get closer to God, and to manifest – in the world in which we live, a world full of contradictions and identity crises – empathy and compassion for their fellow men,” said Father Marian Colțan, the director of the seminary.

“Those from the theological profile have a wide range to choose from, not only the Faculty of Theology, but many of them attend the National University of Music, the Faculty of Journalism, and the Faculty of History. As I have observed over the four years of study, each ultimately follows their vocation, and it is essential to follow this path and find themselves in what they will do later.”

The “Metropolitan Nifon” Theological Seminary in Bucharest has 408 students enrolled this year in the Theology section and the Post-Secondary Sanitary Profile.

Photograph: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
Source: basilica.ro