The Radiance Within: Nicolae Steinhardt's

"Journal of Joy" Launches in Belgravia

UK launch of Nicolae Steinhardt’s “Journal of Joy”, the first official translation of the uplifting and revelatory Romanian classic.

“This is the Journal of Joy, a joy founded on the Resurrection, unconquerable by the manifest powers of death. Now at last available in English, its joy can help transform the petty anxieties that beset us.” - Archpriest Andrew Louth, Professor Emeritus, Durham University.

The launch of Nicolae Steinhardt's “The Journal of Joy” (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Yonkers, NY, 2024), translated by Paul Boboc and revised by Peter Andronache, is the first official translation of the great Romanian classic—Foreword by Răzvan Porumb.

🗓️ When: Friday 23 May, 6 pm

📍 Where: RCI London, 1 Belgrave Square, SW1X8PH

Alongside our incredible partners at The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies - Cambridge (IOCS) and the Romanian Embassy in London/ Ambasada României în Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii şi Irlandei de Nord, a profoundly moving event dedicated to Nicolae Steinhardt and his “Journal of Joy” („Jurnalul fericiriiˮ) - an enduring testament of faith, inner freedom, and resilience in the face of adversity and suffering. The evening marked the launch of the first official English translation of the great Romanian classic, recently published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Yonkers, NY.

Following a welcome address from RCI London Director Aura Woodward, H.E. Laura Popescu, Romania’s ambassador to the UK, highlighted the universal appeal of Steinhardt’s message, reminding us of the transformative power of faith. The evening continued with profound and uplifting interventions from the Right Revd. Dr. Rowan Williams - former Archbishop of Canterbury, Revd. Prof. Bogdan Bucur - Associate Professor of Patristics at St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, NY, and Dr. Razvan Porumb - Vice-Principal and Director of Research of the Institute for Orthodox Studies in Cambridge, UK. The discussion was moderated by Father Dragoș Herescu, Principal of IOCS, who also read a message from His Eminence Archbishop Atanasie of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The event was also graced by the presence of The Very Reverend Archimandrite Macarie Motogna, Abbot of Rohia Monastery (where Steinhardt lived his monastic years), as well as Dr. Alex Tudorie, President of Saint Vladimir's Seminary.

We’re deeply grateful to all our partners, guest speakers and everyone who joined us for making this such a memorable evening. Thanks to this extraordinary translation project, “The Journal of Joy” will undoubtedly continue to touch hearts across generations and borders.

The Right Revd. Dr. Rowan Williams is a celebrated Welsh theologian who was Archbishop of Canterbury between 2002 and 12. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in theology at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy in theology by Wadham College, Oxford, in 1975. After teaching at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, he held a series of academic and ecclesiastical appointments, culminating in his Professorship of Divinity at Oxford (1986–92). Before becoming Archbishop of Canterbury, he was elected bishop of Monmouth in 1992 and archbishop of Wales in 2000. A fellow of the British Academy since 1990, he published numerous books, which include: ‘On Christian Theology’ (2000), ‘Arius: Heresy and Tradition’ (2002), ‘On Augustine’ (2016), ‘Looking East in Winter: Contemporary Thought and the Eastern Christian Tradition (2021), ‘Passions of the Soul’ (2024), ‘Discovering Christianity: A guide for the curious’ (2025) and many others.

The Very Rev. Dr. Bogdan Bucur is an Associate Professor of Patristics at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York State. Born in Romania, he earned his MA and PhD in Religious Studies from Marquette University. Fr. Bogdan has served as a priest in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, bringing extensive experience in Early Christian Studies and the Reception History of the Bible. His research interests include the Jewish roots of early Christology and Pneumatology, as well as Byzantine Theology and Hymnography.

Dr. Răzvan Porumb is the Vice-Principal and Director of Research of the Institute for Orthodox Studies in Cambridge, UK. Author of the Foreword of this English edition of the ‘Journal of Joy’, he is also the author of ‘Orthodoxy and Ecumenism. Towards an Active Metanoia’ (Peter Lang, 2019) and of many other journal articles and essays, many of which have been devoted to the work of Nicolae Steinhardt.

Photography by Bogdan Iosub