Site Description
Lăpușul Românesc Monastery (or RUOAIA) is considered one of the oldest Monasteries in Maramures, located 20 kilometers away from Rohia Monastery. Its Feast Day is on September 8th – The Nativity of the Mother of God. The monastery stands out through its authentic traditional monastic life in the Orthodox faith and the efforts to preserve the culture and local traditions of Maramures region. Abbess Maria Magdalena (a disciple of Elder Cleopa for 25 years) and another nun relocated from Gaia Monastery to start the mission at RUOAIA with the blessing of bishop Iustinian Chira of Maramures. Today, the sisterhood of the monastery consists of 10 nuns. The construction of the buildings afferent to the monastery started in 1995. Abbess Maria Magdalena has been leading the monastery building projects; with the nuns and limited volunteer help from the villagers, they have been toiling with their own hands for the past 28 years to build the current structures. The monastic grounds consist of a wooden church in the typical Maramures style, a summer altar, a complex of three different buildings for pilgrims, and a beautiful Monastery church currently under construction.
In general, the nuns struggle with various health problems (e.g., anemia, osteoporosis, etc.) because of limited access to proper nutrition and health care. In spite of all the health issues, Abbess Maria Magdalena is the first one greeting the pilgrims with a sincere smile on her face and with addictive inner joy. She has an authentic sense of humor and the wisdom that comes from a life-long sacrificial love of service and prayer to our Lord and to the Most Holy Theotokos. Through health issues and financial struggle, the nuns never stop offering heartwarming hospitality to all the pilgrims, and they continue to pray and ask for God’s help through the daily challenges.
SPOC Contributions
A total of $13,350 has been granted to the monastery in 2023 for the following needs: painting the exterior walls of the new church, purchase of the most needed stainless-steel pots and pans for the trapeza, 30 bed sheet sets, and coverage of other monastery expenses in response to the community needs.