Narcisa Maria MITU
3rd Degree Scientific Researcher, PhD, “C.S. Nicolăescu-Plopşor” Institute for Research in Social Studies and Humanities of the Romanian Academy, Craiova;
E-mail: narcisa_mitu@yahoo.com
Abstract
In this study I try to present the involvment of the Romanian Orthodox Church in an ample activity of helping the less favoured, an action which has been later developed into an ample humanitarian campaign. From the charitable activities of the Church, we stopped our attention on the school canteens, for which establishment, the efforts of the teaching staff were also supported by the priests. The necessity of founding these canteens, was well understood and supported by the teachers and priests, who intuited that their existence would lead to a regular and numerous attendance of the children from the poor families. So, during 1940, at the initiative of the Metropolitan Nifon Criveanu, few canteens were founded, one in each county capital: “Iubirea Aproapelui” from Craiova; “Iubirea Aproapelui” from Turnu-Severin; “Clerul Gorjean” from Târgu-Jiu; “The Canteen of the Church” from Caracal and “Iubirea de copii” from Râmnicu-Vâlcea.
Keywords
church, school canteens, Oltenia, priests, Nifon Criveanu.