Among the hierarchs of the Orthodox Church in Banat lights the personality crowned with the halo of sanctity of St. Joseph the New. Metropolitan (Archbishop) of Timişoara and the whole county Banat "the salvation of believers, a beautiful praise for Timisoara" so he’s called in the Acatist (prayer) dedicated to honor him. Too little is still known about his life and deeds, but enough so that we can realize that the righteous monk gave his whole life to Christ and the Church. Therefore he had enjoyed during his lifetime the halo of sanctity having the gift of miracles making and strengthening the right faith of ancestors of these lands. We know about him that he became a monk since he was young, he went through all the steps of service to the Church until he was elected Metropolitan (Archbishop) of Timisoara, serving between 1650 - 1653. From here he retired voluntarily to the Partos monastery where he lived for a few years, after that he moved to the eternal grounds. The slab covering his grave was identified early in the last century as having the following inscription: "Reverend Joseph the New, former Metropolitan (Archbishop) of Timisoara".
As a testimony to his holiness we have a note from a sacred slavonic book in 1529: "This book belongs to Kir Iosif Metropolitan of Timisoara in 1655 ... who voluntarily left the diocese, retreating to the Partos monastery, where he lived for several years and then moved to where saints live eternal life”. In 1929, the priest Bizerea wrote that "even since he lived he knew the fame of a true saint, and after his death he left among people and the monks a memory of a true Saint." In 1749 someone called Peici, "palmer" in Jerusalem, donates a Gospel to the Partoş monastery before his departure, on which it wrote: "This holy book, the so-called Gospel, is put by me, a sinner servant of God, Hagi Piece. I submit it to Partos monastery where the body of bishop Saint Joseph is lying, which has as the spiritual patron Saint Archangel Mihail, for our sake and for a happy trip to the great city Jerusalem."
Tradition says that the daughter of the administrative judge of Timisoara, Marcu Mutiu, was cured of a disease at the saint's tomb and in gratitude of this her father built near the wooden church another one made of stone, in the baroque style, which exists today.
From 1782 we have kept the sacred image of St. Joseph the New painted by the priest Stephen Bogoslov at the request of the Dean of Jebel John Şuboni, who donated it to the monastery to be placed above the grave.
On the 28th of February, 1950 the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church decided the canonization of St. Joseph the New of Partos and the relocation of his relics from the Partos monastery’s church to the Orthodox Cathedral in Timisoara. The formal canonization took place on October the 6th to 7th 1956, in Timisoara. Since then until today the relics of St. Joseph rest in the right narthex of the Cathedral, in a beautifully carved coffin made of rosewood, yew and lemon tree wood.
Troparul (a prayer) of St. Joseph the New of Partos:
Since your youth you fully obeyed the Lord with prayers and labors and fasting. For this, God, seeing your struggles, bishop and pastor of his church ordained you; and after death in holy bands you dwelt, Holy Father Joseph. Pray to Christ God to grant us forgiveness of our sins, those who faithfully and lovingly commit to your holy memory .
