It is with great sadness that we received the news of the passing of Father Dumitru Colotelo, a priest of exceptional academic and spiritual stature. After a life devoted to study, education, and service to the Church, Father Dumitru has gone to his eternal rest, trusting in the mercy and love of the Holy Trinity.

Father Dumitru Colotelo was born on June 21, 1950, in the village of Hăpria, Alba County. After completing elementary school in his native village and high school in Alba Iulia, he pursued his undergraduate studies at the University Theological Institute in Sibiu (1969–1973) and then his doctoral studies at the University Theological Institute in Bucharest (1973–1976), specializing in liturgical theology, pastoral theology, and Christian art. He subsequently earned a Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Bucharest with a dissertation titled “The Liturgical Movement in Western Christianity.” He then continued his studies in liturgical and pastoral theology through a postdoctoral program at the State University of Munich, within the Faculty of Evangelical Theology. His professional career was particularly multifaceted, combining teaching with clerical and administrative duties.

Between 1976 and 1986, he served as a professor at the Theological Seminary in Cluj-Napoca, after which he served as parish priest at St. Spyridon Parish in Ploiești (1986–1989). Subsequently, he served at the Parcul Domeniilor–Cașin Parish in Bucharest, Sector 1 Deanery, until his retirement in 2016.

Between 1989 and 1996, he contributed as a professor and director of the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Bucharest, distinguishing himself through his administrative and pedagogical skills. From 1991 to 1994, he served as a substitute professor in the Department of Liturgy at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University in Iași. Subsequently, from 1997 to 2000, he served as a patriarchal advisor, playing an active role in organizing social assistance and the system of religious assistance within state institutions. Beginning in 2000, he served as a lecturer at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at “Ovidius” University in Constanța, where he taught courses in Universal Church History and Patrology, while also supervising numerous bachelor’s theses and dissertations.

His scholarly work was extensive; he authored numerous studies, articles, and books, including *Pastoral Care in the Contemporary World: A Compendium of Pastoral Theology* (Iași, 2009) and *The Nomocanon of Saint Petru Movilă* (Constanța, 2014).

After his retirement in 2016, Father Dumitru Colotelo continued to serve the Church at the Ukrainian Parish of Saint Peter Movilă in Bucharest as an affiliated priest, offering comfort and spiritual guidance to the faithful. A man of vast culture, fluent in French, Russian, and German, Father Dumitru was a model of academic rigor and priestly devotion.

In these moments of sorrow, we pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to grant rest to the weary soul of His servant, Father Dumitru, together with the righteous, in the peace, light, and love of the Holy Trinity.

May his memory be eternal from generation to generation!