Romania

Latin-rite Catholics in Romania are members of an ethnic Hungarian minority, a small community surrounded by Orthodox Christians in one of Europe’s most religiously observant societies. Catholics live mostly in homogenous enclaves in the eastern part of the Transylvania region. There is a sense that these areas are a kind of Catholic homeland. There is a widely-known legend (believed by many ordinary Catholics to be historically true) that the Virgin Mary appeared to a group of Catholics defending this region against an invading Protestant army. An annual pilgrimage to the site of this apparition helps bolster the sense that Catholicism has a “home” in this region.

In the Journal of Global Catholicism

Marc Roscoe Loustau, "Radio Maria Transylvania: National Representation, Prayer, and Intersubjectivity in a Growing Catholic Media Network," Journal of Global Catholicism 3, no. 2 (2019): 64-87, DOI: 10.32436/2475-6423.1056.

Read more

Marc Roscoe Loustau, "Risking a Miracle: Transcendentally-Oriented Improvisation and Catholic Charismatics’ Involvement in a Transylvanian Canonization," The Journal of Contemporary Religion 31 (2016): 335-50, https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2016.1206229.

Articles

Introduction: Romania's ethnic Hungarian minority takes pride in 'Catholic homeland'
Charismatics in Romania blend music festivals and church to engage youth
Csíksomlyó pilgrimage one of largest annual gatherings in Romania
Romania's Lenten rituals include straw man's burial and Easter basket blessings
Radio Maria listeners in Romania divulge stories of Virgin's intercession
In Romania, men and women assume traditional roles for calendrical rituals
Pictures of saints in the home remind Catholics in Romania to pray, teach faith to children
Pilgrimage, crown viewings, and prayer circles in Romania show devotion to Mary
Pilgrimages blend family and village history in Romania's Csík Valley
Saint Anthony devotees travel to Csíksomlyó shrine weekly through spring
Catholic wedding rituals in Romania give both men and women a chance to perform

In the News

Demographics

  • 1.United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Urbanization Prospects, 2014.
  • 2.United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 revision.
  • 3.United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Homicide Statistics 2015.
  • 4.Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2016.
  • 5.UNICEF, State of the World's Children, 2016.
  • 6. Statistical Yearbook of the Church, 2017 (Vatican City: Librera Editrice Vaticana, 2019).
  • 7.World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report, 2016.

Footnotes