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The Saint Callinicus Romanian Orthodox Church held its second annual Romanian Festival on Saturday, October 8, 2022.
The event was held at the Nativity of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church, off Route 3 in Spotsylvania County, and offered a taste of authentic Romanian food, games, and attractions for children, Romanian folk music and dancing performances, and vendors selling art and jewelry.
Among the delicacies at the Festival was the Romanian staple of stuffed cabbage. Other items on the menu included meat rolls, sausages, and beef paprikash which contains beef and assorted vegetables such as onions and peppers.
The Saint Callinicus mission was founded in 2021 and is a member of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America and is named for Saint Callinicus of Cernica. They served as Bishop of Ramnicu Valcea in Romania and lived from 1787 to 1868.
The mission currently has about 20 families as part of its congregation and rents the Greek orthodox church for its services and events, according to Father Ionel Satnoianu.
"The Romanian Orthodox Church is as old as the Romanian Nation, over 400 years old," says Satnoianu. "Along with our faith, we have brought all of our customs, beautiful and unique costumes from each region of the country, folk dancers that are unique for that area of Eastern Europe, the music and the food as well."
Satnoianu says the Festival gives the mission more visibility to the local community and hopes to attract others to the church. Saint Callinicus is also hoping to raise funds to buy a parcel of land to build its own church eventually.
According to Satnoianu, he has seen growth in attendance at this year's Festival when compared to last year. The church tried to advertise its event on social media platforms such as Facebook and local radio stations.
The Saint Callinicus mission holds its masses at the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church's Nativity at 12326 Spotswood Furnace Road in Spotsylvania County.
