Sofronie Drincec (born 3 November 1967 as Radu Ștefan Drincec) is a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of ...

Life

Drincec was born in Arad,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, and is the son of Petru Drincec and Maria Drincec. In 1986, he graduated from the Moise Nicoară National College after studying

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

. Between 1987 and 1993, he studied in the Victor Babeș University of Medicine and Pharmacy at

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

, receiving the

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

. In 1993, he entered the

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

faculty of the Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, from where he would graduate in 1997. While studying at the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, Drincec worked as a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

in Arad between 1993 and 1994. During the course of the years 1994, 1995 and 1996, he also performed

spiritual formation Spiritual formation may refer either to the process and practices by which a person may progress in one's spiritual or religious life or to a movement in Protestant Christianity that emphasizes these processes and practices. The processes may inc ...

in the

Patriarchal Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist The Patriarchal Stavropegic Monastery of St John the Baptist is a monastic community for both men and women, directly under the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It is located in Tolleshunt Knights, near Maldon, Essex, in England, and is the oldest Orthod ...

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the River Blackwater, Essex, Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. In 1995, he was sent to the

Hodoș-Bodrog Monastery The Hodoș-Bodrog Monastery is one of the oldest monastic institutions in Romania. It was originally a Roman Catholic (Benedictine) monastery, built before 1177 and destroyed before 1293. The present monastery, which belongs to the Romanian Ortho ...

, and during the fast of the

Dormition of the Mother of God The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of ...

of the same year, Drincec was ordained as a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

and given the name "Sofronie" for the office. Later, still in the Hodoș-Bodrog Monastery, he became a

hierodeacon A hierodeacon (Greek: Ἱεροδιάκονος, ''Ierodiákonos''; Slavonic: ''Ierodiakón''), sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a monk who has been ordained a deacon (or deacon who has been tonsured monk). Th ...

and then a

hieromonk A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church and E ...

. Subsequently, he would be appointed

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

. He then went to the St. Simeon Stylites Monastery at Arad, where he would carry out his new office between the end of 1995 and mid-1997. On 15 December 1998, he was appointed as the main candidate to fill the vacant position of

of the

Diocese of Gyula The Diocese of Gyula ( hu, Gyulai Román Ortodox Püspökség; ro, Episcopia Ortodoxă Română din Gyula, also or ) is the Romanian Orthodox diocese of the Romanians in Hungary. History The diocese was established in 1999 for the Romanian min ...

. The

Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or Reverence (emotion), reverence among believers. The property is often asc ...

would grant him the title of bishop on 4 February 1999 and the

Patriarch of All Romania The Patriarch of All Romania ( ro, Patriarh al Întregii Românii; ) is the title of the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Patriarch is officially styled as ''Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrogea, Locum tenens o ...

Teoctist Arăpașu Teoctist (, born Toader Arăpașu, 7 February 1915 – 30 July 2007) was the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church from 1986 to 2007. Teoctist served his first years as patriarch under the Romanian Communist regime, and was accused by som ...

made him

archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...

three days later. Finally, on 21 February, the ordination and installation ceremonies of Drincec as the first bishop of the Diocese of Gyula, in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, took place. He would remain in office until 13 February 2007, when he was elected as bishop of the

Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Oradea Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

. His

enthronement An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. Enthronements may also feature as part of a larger coronation rite. ...

occurred on 25 February at the

Moon Church The Moon Church ( ro, Biserica cu Lună) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 10 Piața Unirii, Oradea, Romania. It is dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. Origins The local Orthodox community mainly lived in the Velența and Ora� ...

Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...

. There, Drincec spoke with the bishop of the

Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Oradea Mare The Greek Catholic diocese of Oradea Mare is the Eparchy of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church for the area of Oradea. It was founded in 1777, followers of the Greek Rite having been up to that time under the jurisdiction of the Latin bishop. ...

Virgil Bercea Virgil Bercea (born 1957) is the Bishop of the Eparchy of Oradea Mare of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church since 1997. Life Virgil Bercea was born on 9 December 1957 in Habic, Mureș County, Romania. He studied in his town, and after the militar ...

and asked him to help overcome the differences between the

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

and

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

s of the city. He was succeeded as a bishop in Gyula by

Siluan Mănuilă Siluan Mănuilă (born 16 September 1971 as Cristian Constantin Mănuilă) is a bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He is the bishop of the Diocese of Gyula since 2007 and was the leader of the Diocese of Dacia Felix from 2017 to 2022. He co ...

on 11 March. On 17 August 2020, news that Drincec had retired as the bishop of Oradea broke out on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

. However, they were proven to be false since the diocese did not have any account on the platform at the time.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drincec, Sofronie Bishops of the Romanian Orthodox Church People from Arad, Romania 1967 births Living people Romanian Orthodox Church in Hungary