On September 15, 2024, the academic year was ceremoniously opened at the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj-Napoca. During the morning service, István Lukács Dénes, the chief notary of the Reformed Church District of Királyhágómellék, encouraged the theology students with the words of Psalm 100 to prepare for service with gratitude in their hearts and to always serve with joy.

The afternoon opening ceremony followed traditional liturgical practices, where the class teacher of the newly admitted first-year students read scripture and prayed for God’s blessing. Éva Éles, mentor of the first-year students, quoted from Apostle Paul’s speech at the Areopagus (Acts 17:16–34), suggesting that today’s pastors should preach the gospel with the same preparedness and ingenuity as Paul did among the learned philosophers, using their own arguments.

Following the sermon, Rector Sándor Kovács delivered the opening speech, discussing the Hungarian novelist Mór Jókai. He highlighted how the well-educated writer was knowledgeable about religions and pointed out that his entertaining novels can still be enlightening for readers interested in understanding intellectual trends. (The full rector’s speech can be downloaded from the attachment.)

The rector concluded the opening speech by presenting the current student numbers of the institute. For the 2024–2025 academic year, a total of 116 students enrolled at the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj-Napoca (58 from the Transylvanian Reformed Church District, 34 from the Western Romanian Reformed Church District, 18 from the Hungarian Unitarian Church, and 6 from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania). A total of 22 students were admitted to the first year, including 18 Reformed, 2 Unitarian, and 2 Evangelical students.

After the rector’s speech, the first-year students took a solemn oath, pledging to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of theologians and to prepare faithfully for service. The ceremony was enriched by a performance of the student song “Gaudeamus” by the institute’s mixed choir, and after singing the hymn to conclude the ceremony, the invited guests, both secular and ecclesiastical leaders, attended a reception.