The Latin word pietas means faith or religious fervor.  In the dative case, pietati, it means (more or less) “[dedicated] to faith.”

Lutheran churches in Romania typically don’t have names, like St. Michael’s or Holy Cross.  They are simply identified by their hometown.  One speaks of “the Lutheran [or Evangelical] church in Sibiu,” for example.

The church in Cluj, home to the English Ministry, is an elegant building, with the simple lines and modest decoration typical of its era.  It has no statues nor, apart from the beautiful altarpiece, any paintings.

But over the door, facing the street, it is decorated with a single word, announcing its purpose to the world:  PIETATI.  The church is dedicated, as our ministry is dedicated, to stirring up faith in Christ.