www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Prayer OCMC Romania Trip

Dear Dave,

Surprise me! (and if you see an icon of All Romanian Saints - yes!!).

I hope you love peppers stuffed with rice pilaf!

My mother is preparing a batch for us tonight!

A Romanian priest told me recently that the Church came across an old, boarded up church (courtesy of the communists).

In front of the church they found an unmarked grave.

They exhumed it and found in the wooden coffin the body of a priest - completely incorrupt!!

But they have no information as to who this priest was, what years he lived, what he did etc.

In the Crimea, they've come across some ancient Shrines to Christian saints, and the Orthodox Church there has put into the calendar "An unnamed Saint, whose name is known only to God."

Perhaps this saint could be so named . . .

Alex

Another tasty food is sarmale cu mămăligă . Delicious. It is a most try, or how you say there in America.

Regarding that Saint, here he is known as the unknown Saint, or Sf�ntul necunoscut de la Neamţ . His holy remains were discovered on 26th May 1986, under the yard's pavement of the Holy Monastery Neamt.
Sometimes it is no need to know the deeds and the life of a Saint, because a such Saint is a deep lesson of the humbleness. Also.

May God have mercy upon all of you. Amin.
Doamne ajută!

Marian

Dear Marian,

THANK you for sharing that information!

Is he formally in the Romanian Orthodox Calendar of Saints?

That would be lovely if he is!!

Where could one buy a Romanian icon of All Saints of Romania?

Alex

Beloved brother in Christ, Alex,

I have no knowledge that this unknown Saint is in the calendar. To be a little more sure I looked in the General Orthodox Sinaxar, with all the Saints of the Orthodoxy, but I have not found. Maybe someone else knows better.

Regarding that Icon, there are such Icons, I have one in my living room (in the center is St. Paraskeva, and around her are the most known Romanian Saints, of course at the top of the Icon our Lord is and also His Most Holy Mother), although new Saints are added, for example about 3 weeks ago 5 new Romanian Saints were added.
A such Icon could be bought, in principle, from a monastery, or Orthodox Cathedral, or so.

If Dave goes to the feast of the Dormition at Holy Nicula Monastery, he might look for.

Regarding me, I prepare to go to hospital, to Bucharest, next week, for some deep analyses on heart. It seems my heart is wrong.

Doamne Iisuse Hristoase, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, miluieşte-ne pre noi. Amin.

In Christ, brotherly, Marian

Dear Marian,

Your heart is RIGHT, brother!

We shall pray for you!

(Do you know the names of the five new Romanian Saints?)

Alex

Marian,

Is this the same type of Sf. Parascheva icon you are talking about?

http://users.pcnet.ro/vlad.adrian/icoane/10%20Octombrie/14-PARASCHEVA%203.JPG

Dave

To Alex:
The five Saints are: Saint Ierarch Petru Movila, Metropolit of Kiev, Saint Metropolit Dosoftei, Saint Pahomie (from Skete Pocrov), Saint Gheorghe from Cernica, Saint Onufrie from Sihastria Voronei.

To Dave:
Yes, this is the Icon. Also it can be viewd here:
http://sfparascheva.mmb.ro/

May God have mercy on all this world.

Marian

Awesome! He is one of my favorite saints.

Saint Peter was glorified by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (and by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate ) in 1996 (I think). It's great to know that the church in the land of his birth has glorified him, too!

Dave

Dear Marian,

Yes, the first three are saints in Ukraine and Serbia (the second one).

The second saint supported the Carpatho-Rusyn Orthodox Saint Alexius in his mission.

St Pachomy is buried, if I'm not mistaken, among the Saints of the Kyivan Caves Lavra according to his wishes and he was a disciple of the Paisian tradition of Hesychasm of St Paissy Velichkovsky.

Sorry . . . St Paisius of Romania, I should have said!

As for your health, Friend, this is good advice from the Roman Catholic Saint Pio of Pietrelcina:

Pray, hope and don't worry!

Another RC saint said: God commands you to pray - He forbids you to worry!

Alex

Dear Alex,

You know well that St. Paisie Velichikovski is born in the actual Ukraine. You know all his life. What were the reasons for which he left his natal land, traveling along Moldavia, having as spiritual elder St. Vasile from Poiana Marului, until Holy Mount Athos, and back to Moldavia.
I consider all the Saints belonging to the Most Holy Trinity. Do you remember that spiritual story ( a true one, so I do believe) about Saint John Chrysostom, where he is after his passing?
Not St. Paisius of Romania, but simply St. Paisie V., or St. Paisie de la Neamt.

All these Saints are urges from God to be in Life, but not to die.
They are witnesses, and it does not matter in what borders they were born, from San Francisco until Vladivostok. All this planet.

Thank you for your words, so I do, pray and hope, striving to give up all the vain worries.

May God bless all of you, in every aspect of your life.

In the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Marian +

Dear Marian,

As you know, St Paissy fell in love with the Romanian language and culture - and loved it all his life!

He was at the Kyivan Mohyla academy but didn't like the study of pagan philosophy.

He went to Mt Athos in search of monastic spirituality and patristic wisdom, spent time in the Carpathian mountains and went to Neamt, as you know.

He had disciples from ten different nationalities, including "Ukrainians and Hutsuls" but always signed his name "Paissy, Native of Poltava."

He was descended from a great Kozak family of the Kochubeys . . .

St Paissy's descendant, Vasil Velichkovsky, was a Greek Catholic missionary and became Underground Greek Catholic head of the Church in Ukraine.

He was released from communist prison - but was injected with slow-acting poison.

He died here in Canada at Winnipeg in 1973 and was glorified a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

His shrine can be seen at: http://www.yorktonredemptorists.com

St Vasil Velichkovsky consecrated my great-uncle as archbishop of the underground Ukrainian GC Church in 1963.

Archbishop Volodymyr Sterniuk spent 10 years in Siberia and was under house arrest 18 times after he was released.

May all these Saints pray to God for us - and especially for you, our dear brother Marian!

Alex

Brother Alex,

I bow before Saint Vasil Velichkovsky. A true martyr of Christ.
Unfortunately the Greek-Catholic Church suffered also in Romania after the second world war. Many Greek-Catholic priests and bishops were imprisoned in very hard conditions. Same treatment for the Orthodox. You should know that the treatment was like in Siberia. This fact is less known.
After the revolution from December 1989, when that nightmare communism did fall in my country, there were and still are disputes between the Greek-Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. I am Orthodox till the midst of my bones, but I want an end to these old conflicts. And brotherly peace.

St. Paisie succeded to translate, together with His disciples, the Philokalia, or Dobrotoliubie, printed in two volumes at Moscow, in 1793.

This Saint is also a model to my soul.
He left from Poltava and Kiev, to Moldavia (see St. Basil from Poiana Marului), until Athos, and back to Moldavia to Dragomirna Monastery, the Secu Monastery and finally Neamt Monastery.

He is a philocalic Saint, and he taught so much people to say the heart's prayer.

And he and his disciples were translating the Philokalia, during in the West the Illuminism was in flower. A sharp contrast.

Sometimes, we, the Romanian, are asked how we contributed for Europe. But, even if this country is humble, many riches spreaded out from this land.

Glory to the Most Holy Trinity for a so Saint like Saint Paisie de la Neamt.

Glory to the Most Holy Trinity for Professor Priest Dumitru Staniloae (1993 +), for translating and adnotating wonderfully all the Philokalia. In my language there are 12 volumes, all. Eternal memory for his soul.

How is spreaded in America Philokalia? I strongly believe that it is a huge treasure, a common heritage of all the Orthodox and Catholic Church, all the Churches which recognize the 7 Sacraments.

Peace,

Marian +

Glory to Jesus Christ!
Brother David, Father Gregory's email is working, he is usually very prompt in answering, I wonder what went wrong? He and Khouria are at the Archdiocese convention in Detroit for the next week or so, and Shannon and alot of the SOYO kids are at the Antiochian Village finishing their 2nd week or camp, some of Father Gregory's kids are there too. We are going to pick them up Friday. Rest assured we are praying for you and most of the kids Icons were finished shortly after you left. Safe journey!
N�l aon tint�an mar do thint�an f�in!!!
(Theres no place like home)
Michael Aidan

Dear all,

Doamne ajuta! ("God help!" is a greeting in Romania)

Well, I'm off to my orientation in Florida tomorrow, and I'm leaving for Romania on Sunday.

I will take photos, and make them available once I return.

Thank you for your prayers, support, and best wishes. Please continue it while I'm away!

God bless you all!

Dave

Dear Dave:

Vaya con Dios!

Don't you worry, we will continue "it" whatever that is!

Amado