Viorica Vețian, the oldest living woman in Romania, turned 110 years old on 3 October in Sighișoara, Mureș County.
Viorica Vețian was born in the commune of Băla in Mureș County, Romania, on 3 October 1916.
Sister Rodica was a Romanian Greek Catholic religious sister and teacher who dedicated much of her life to education and her religious vocation. She entered the Congregation of the Mother of God (CMD) as a young woman, was ordained in 1939, and made her perpetual vows in 1948, shortly before the communist regime dissolved the congregation.
She taught in Blaj and at the congregation’s primary school in Cluj-Napoca, where she also served as principal. Following the outlawing of the Greek Catholic Church in 1948, she and the other sisters were forcibly removed from their convent and later deported to Orthodox monasteries. As congregation superior, Sister Rodica was among those subjected to particular pressure by the communist authorities to renounce her faith and convert to Orthodoxy, but she steadfastly refused. After being released and returning to her family in Reghin, she continued to face surveillance and pressure from the secret police, including attempts to recruit her as an informer. Her refusal led to the loss of her accounting job, and she subsequently endured periods of difficult manual labor before returning to accounting. She eventually worked as a senior auditor in Reghin until her retirement.
On 14 September 2026, following the passing of 111-year-old Paladia Noja, she became the oldest living woman in Romania. She is currently the nation’s second-oldest resident, after Iosif Rus.
LongeviQuest extends warm congratulations to Viorica Vețian on her 110th birthday.
