Social Pastoral Center “Holy Cross”

Starting with 2011, with the blessing of Blessed Father DANIEL, in Caraiman Monastery the Social Pastoral Center “Holy Cross” started functioning and carrying out its activity.

In this center can be organized conferences, trainings and other cultural and educational events.

The center consists of two buildings (Horeb I and Horeb II) – accommodation; a body building (Tabor) – accommodation, conference room, seminar room, dining hall and kitchen; a sports field for recreational activities.

The conference room is equipped with all necessary utilities (flip-chart; video projector; color TV set; projection screen; wireless internet; digital television; conference sound system and the necessary annexes), for a smooth running of the meetings.
Theologians, philosophers and scientists met between 29th September and 2nd October 2011 at the Caraiman Monastery, from Prahova district, at the National Symposium “The Dialogue between Theology, Philosophy and Science”, having the theme “Reality and Significance of Space – theological, philosophical and scientific approach”. The academic meeting was correlated with the summer school within the international project: “Dialogue Courses between Science, Religion and Philosophy, from the Orthodox Perspective” attended by teachers from the secondary school, masters of art and doctors of philosophy.

In 2011, respectively 2012, at the Caraiman Monastery was developed the project “Choose School” of the Romanian Patriarchy, in collaboration with the World Vision Foundation.

The project programme took place during the summer vacation, the whole accommodation space of the monastery being occupied, with the accommodation of the children, who attended this programme. (1800 children).

The overall objective of the project “Choose School” is the prevention and combating of early school leaving and the prevention of juvenile delinquency by developing alternative types of solutions like “Sunday School”.

The project proposes to develop a special programme for keeping pupils in education and preventing early school leaving.

At the Social Pastoral Center “Holy Cross” from the Monastery “Exaltation of the Holy Cross” Caraiman, from Prahova district, took place the Vth national Congress “Christ shared with children”. The congress took place between the 11th and the 13th of September 2012, with the blessing of Blessed Father Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, who analyzed all catechetical programmes held at the Romanian Patriarchy in 2012. It was taken into consideration the training of educational programmes of catechesis for 2013.

Between 28th January and 4th February 2013, the Youth Center “The Holy Voievode Stephen the Great” of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of the Northern Europe organized in Romania, at the Social Pastoral Center “Holy Cross” from the Caraiman Monastery, a winter camp and a pilgrimage dedicated to the Holy Emperors Constantin and his mother Elena, at the monasteries and churches from the Archiepiscopacy of Bucharest.

At the Social Pastoral Center “Holy Cross” was also held the International Camp of orthodox tradition and spirituality in 2013, organized by the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western Europe and Southern Europe. Children and young people originating from Romanian families established in western countries attended these camps. The project offers to children and young people from the diaspora the possibility to get in touch with the traditions and the cultural, linguistic and religious identity of their parents and to live, for a period of two weeks, in their country of origin.

The representatives of the Romanian Patriarchy, of the Romania World Vision Foundation, diocesan advisers and inspectors responsible for the catechesis parish, met on the 17th September 2014, at the VIIth national Congress “Christ shared with children”, that was held at the Social Pastoral Center “Holy Cross” at the convention hall of the Caraiman Monastery – Buşteni.

For two days , the participants of the VIIth national Congress “Christ shared with children”, have analysed the impact the catechetical projects have had among preschool and school children, but also the optimization prospects for the catechetical activity. The event started with the session dedicated to the relationship between the religious education in school and the catechetical education in the Church. At the opening of the works, All-Holy Father Varlaam Ploieşteanul, Patriarchal Vicar Bishop, read the message from
Blessed Father Patriarch Daniel, entitled “Christ shared with children – a Christian perspective in education”.

Accommodation and Meals for the Believers

Conferences and Trainings

Helping the construction of the monastery

Events