Viorica Vețian, the oldest known living woman in Romania, celebrates her 110th birthday

The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mrs. Viorica Vețian (known as Sister Maria Rodica), the oldest known living woman in Romania, celebrated her 110th birthday in Sighișoara, Mureș County, on 3 October 2026.

Viorica Vețian was born on 3 October 1916, in the commune of Băla, Mureș County, Romania, into a respected family from the Gurghiu Valley. Her father, Traian Vețian, was a beloved schoolteacher from Șerbeni, while her family also included distinguished figures of the local Greek-Catholic community. Shortly before her birth, in 1915, her father made a generous donation to Romanian soldiers who had lost their sight during the First World War.

Viorica experienced loss early in life. Her mother died in 1929, at only 36 years of age, and her father followed in 1933, aged 43. Nevertheless, she chose a life devoted to faith, education, and service to others.

On 8 April 1939, at the age of 22, she entered the Congregation of the Mother of God (CMD) in Blaj and took the religious name Sister Maria Rodica. With a deep love for children, she became a teacher, serving in Blaj and later at the “Mother of God” Primary School in Cluj-Napoca. During the 1945–1946 academic year, she served as the school’s principal. On 30 November 1945, she led the school’s teaching staff of religious sisters when they were presented to Bishop Iuliu Hossu.

Her life changed dramatically after Romania’s communist regime outlawed the Greek-Catholic Church. Prevented from continuing her teaching vocation, she returned to her sister in Reghin in November 1949. In the years that followed, she endured repeated interrogations and pressure from the Securitate, which attempted to persuade her to convert to Orthodoxy and become an informant. She steadfastly refused.

Forced to rebuild her working life, Viorica held a succession of difficult jobs. She worked for the Consumer Cooperative, planted saplings while commuting long distances, and even washed bottles in Borsec. Through perseverance, she eventually became a chief accountant with the cooperative organization in Batoș and Breaza and later worked as an audit accountant, the position from which she ultimately retired.

The fall of communism and the restoration of religious freedom allowed her faith once again to be practiced openly. For decades she remained devoted to the Greek-Catholic Church. Until the age of 99, she prayed and sang in the choir of the “Dormition of the Mother of God” Greek-Catholic Parish in Reghin. She continued tending her garden until 101.

At 105, another remarkable chapter began: following eye surgery, her vision improved so greatly that she could once again see clearly without glasses—a moving coincidence in a family story that had begun with her father’s 1915 donation to soldiers blinded by war.

In her later years, Mrs. Vețian settled in Sighișoara, where she has been lovingly cared for by the granddaughter of one of her sisters. Despite everything she endured, she has carried no bitterness toward those who persecuted her; instead, she has prayed even for their souls.

On 14 September 2026, following the death of 111-year-old Paladia Noja of Alba County, Viorica Vețian became the oldest known living woman in Romania. Then, on 3 October 2026, she celebrated her extraordinary 110th birthday, becoming the first documented supercentenarian in the history of Mureș County.

Across 40,177 days of life, Viorica Vețian has witnessed two world wars, profound political upheaval, communist persecution, the return of religious freedom, and the transformation of Romania into the country it is today.

Her 110 years are therefore far more than a number. They tell the story of a teacher, religious sister, survivor, worker, woman of faith, and witness to history—a life in which dignity survived persecution, forgiveness overcame bitterness, and faith endured the passage of more than a century.

As of her 110th birthday, she’s the second-oldest known living person in Romania, after Iosif Rus of Cluj County.

Happy 110th birthday, Mrs. Viorica Vețian. Many blessed returns!

The GRG extends warm congratulations to Mrs. Viorica Vețian on her 110th birthday.

110 ani și 40.177 de zile de istorie vie: Viorica Vețian, prima supercentenară a Mureșului și cea mai vârstnică femeie din România　(Facebook post)