| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Romania | |
|---|---|
 Logo in Romanian | |
 | |
| Area | Europe Central |
| Members | 3,103 (2023) [1] |
| Districts | 1 |
| Branches | 15 |
| FamilySearch Centers | 3 [2] |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Romania refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Romania. A small branch was formed in Bucharest in 1991. As of 2023, there were 3,103 members in fifteen congregations.[ citation needed ]
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 99 |
| 1995* | 600 |
| 1999 | 1,545 |
| 2004 | 2,302 |
| 2009 | 2,800 |
| 2014 | 2,993 |
| 2019 | 3,064 |
| 2022 | 3,082 |
| *Membership was published as a rounded number. | |
In 1841, on a trip to Palestine, Orson Hyde, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, traveled along Danube River between Vienna, Austria, and Galati, now Galai, Romania. [4]
In 1899, Latter-day Saint missionary Mischa Markow preached in Bucharest where several people joined the church. He was jailed for preaching and later banished from the city. He then traveled to additional cities, such as Timişoara and Braşov, where branches were organized. In January 1904, Hugh J. Cannon, president of the church's German Mission, created the Austro-Hungarian Conference, which included the branches in Temesvar, Brasso, and Vienna, Austria. Members met for several decades following his initial proselytism efforts. Between 1903 and 1913, Brasov had thirty convert baptisms, and forty-eight missionaries served in the city. On March 5, 1913, the conference was closed and missionaries were removed from the area. Some contact was made to members between World War I and prior to the star of World War II, but missionary work did not resume until 1990.
In October 1987, Russell M. Nelson, of the Quorum of the Twelve, and Hans B. Ringger, of the seventy, visited Bucharest to talk with government officials about the potential of sending humanitarian missionaries in Romania. They returned again in 1990 to make plans for humanitarian relief. While there, the group visited Cismigiu Park, where Nelson blessed and dedicated the country. The first eight humanitarian missionaries arrived on September 2, 1990. The first proselyting missionaries were young males that arrived in December 1990. The first female proselyting missionaries arrived October 1991. [5]
Romania's first branch was organized on July 28, 1991 in Bucharest with Octavian Vasilescu as president. Another branch was organized in Ploiesti on February 15, 1993. The church obtained missionary visas and gained legal standing through the Liahona Association that was registered with the government in 1993. In early 1995, two districts were organized in Romania. The church's seminary and institute classes began in 1996. The Romanian translation of the Book of Mormon, done with assistance of native Romanians, was released in December 1998 . [6] By 2000, there were branches in Constanța, Piteşti, Ploieşti, Arad, Timişoara, Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, Sibiu, Bacău, Braşov, Galați, and Iaşi. The first two church-owned meetinghouses were dedicated in May 2000 and were located in Bucharest and Ploiesti. [5] Romania became part of the Europe Central Area in 2000. [7] In early 2001, young Romanian Latter-day Saints gathered for a countrywide youth conference for the first time. [1] The first young women camp was held in 2009. [8] In early 2010, two missionaries died by natural gas asphyxiation in their apartment while sleeping. [9] In 2010, only about six Romanian members had received their patriarchal blessings, as there are no patriarchs in the country because no stakes were organized. In October 2018, Quentin L. Cook visited Romania where he addressed the new home-centered, church-supported gospel learning program. [10]
The LDS Church has digitized the entire Romanian census, making it easier for family history. [11]
Starting in 1990 members in Europe quickly answered the call for aid and assistance to Romania’s disadvantaged by organizing teams of medical professionals composed of members from several nations. Needed supplies were also donated that were funded by member donations.
Starting on September 2, 1990, the church started providing humanitarian support by sending missionaries. At the end of Nicolae Ceausescu's reign, about 25,000 children were warehoused in underfunded state-run orphanages. The missionaries worked in orphanages and institutions for the disabled. Included in this was organizing the Special Olympics, Romania's first, for disabled children in June 1991. In 1990, members in California sent quilts to needy orphanages in Romania. Assistance to orphanages continued in the 2000s, and there was an increase in specialized development projects. [12] In 2000, members in Washington state sent bedding materials to an orphanage in Iasi, Romania. In 2003, the church assisted the disabled by coordinating with members and local medical professionals fitting and allocating prosthetic devices. In 2010, the church donated Braille writers to a school for blind children.
During the fall of the communist government, the University Library in Bucharest burned. In August 1991, retired Brigham Young University professor George S. Barrus and Russell M. Nelson facilitated a book drive for the library, which collected over 40,000 books. This was the single largest book donation from the United States. [5]
The church offered humanitarian assistance following severe flooding along the Danube River in 2006. In 2014, Latter-day Saints participated in efforts with the Podul Dragostei Foundation to rebuild and then donate computers to foster children in Romania. Romanian members alo reached out to others during the 2015 refugee crisis. [1] By 2017, the church had conducted a total of 300 humanitarian and development projects in Romania since 1985. [13]
As of February 2023, Romania had the following districts and congregations:
Brașov Romania District
Congregations in a district are called branches, regardless of their size.
After the LDS Church gained official recognition in Romania in 1990, the country was part of the Austria Vienna East Mission. This mission was discontinued in 1992 and missionaries were then assigned to the Hungary Budapest Mission until July 1, 1993, when the Romania Bucharest Mission was organized with John R. Morrey as president. This mission also administered church work in Moldova, and was eventually renamed the Romania/Moldova Mission. [5] On July 1, 2018, the Romania/Moldova Mission was merged with the Hungary Budapest Mission and renamed the Hungary/Romania mission. [14] Responsibility for mission work in Moldova was then transferred to the Kyiv Ukraine Mission.
In July 2023 the Romania Bucharest Mission was recreated. [15]
As of 2024, the church does not have a temple in Romania. The country is located the Rome Italy Temple District. A closer temple, the Budapest Hungary Temple, was announced on April 7, 2019, by Russell M. Nelson, who by then was serving as the church's president.
Public roads in Romania are ranked according to importance and traffic as follows:
Selgros is a cash and carry chain in Europe, owned by Transgourmet Holding, a wholly owned subsidiary of Coop (Switzerland). It started in 1989 as a joint venture between Rewe Group (50%) and Otto Group (50%). In March 2008, Rewe took over 100% of the company, and in October 2008 formed the Transgourmet Holding company with Coop. In 2011, Coop purchased the remaining interests of Transgourmet, which included Selgros.
The regions represented the result of a Soviet-inspired experiment regarding the administrative and territorial organisation of the Romanian People's Republic between 1950 and 1968.
Metropolitan areas in Romania are private agencies of public utility which were established by Law no. 351 of 6 July 2001 with the aim of encouraging the development of neighboring towns and communes within a radius of 30 km. The first to be established was the metropolitan area of Iași, on 8 April 2004, while the last is that of Drobeta-Turnu Severin, on 28 August 2019. There are 24 metropolitan areas in Romania that have been constituted as of 2019.
The Brașov railway station is the main station in Brașov, Romania. The building on the current location was opened to traffic in 1962. The station's bell chimes preceding the announcements represent a few notes from Ciprian Porumbescu's operetta Crai Nou.
Iași railway station is the main railway station in Iași, and one of the oldest in Romania. It is part of the Pan-European Corridor IX.
The 2011–12 Cupa României was the seventy-fourth season of the annual Romanian football knockout tournament. The winner of the competition qualified for the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League.
The 2003–04 season was Bihor Oradea's 45th season in the Romanian football league system, and their 18th season in the Divizia A. At the end of the season the team finished on 16th place and relegated back to Divizia B, after only one season in the top flight of the Romanian football. During this season the club was known as FC Oradea.
The 1965–66 Știința Craiova season is the 18th season in the club's history, and the 2nd consecutive in Divizia A, the top league of Romanian football.
The 1946–47 Divizia B was the eighth season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Poland refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Poland. At year-end 1989, there were fewer than 100 members in Poland. In 2022, there were 2,184 members in 11 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been present in Albania since at least the early 1990s. In 1993, there were approximately 100 members in the country. In 2022, there were 3,314 members in 14 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Guianas refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Guianas, primarily French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. This is part of the Caribbean Area which is more similar culturally and linguistically than the rest of South America.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Belize refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Belize. The first branch was organized in Belize City in 1980. In 2022, there were 5,534 members in 12 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Caucasus refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. When the Church was registered in Armenia in 1995, there were approximately 200 members in that country. In Georgia, converts were not allowed to be baptized until 2003. In 2022, there were 3,546 members in 5 congregations in Armenia, and 252 members in 2 congregations in Georgia. It's unclear how many members are in Azerbaijan as the LDS Church doesn't publish these numbers, but there was a branch of 37 members as of 2011.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bulgaria refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Bulgaria. The first convert baptisms were performed in November 1990. In 2022, there were 2,398 members in 7 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Croatia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Croatia. The first missionaries arrived in Croatia in 1974. In 2022, there were 633 members in 6 congregations.
| State-recognised |
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| Semi-recognised (as a religious association, but not a denomination) | ||
| Not state-recognised | ||
| Others | ||
