Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa

Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa (November 23, 1925, Mahmudia, Tulcea County, Romania – November 21, 2006, Woodburn, Fairfax County, Virginia) he was a Romanian Orthodox priest, anti-communist dissident and human rights activist. During his detention in the student prison in Pitești (1949-1951) he collaborated with the Securitate participating in the so-called re-education, in the torture of detainees, among other things, in collaboration with Eugen Țurcanu, activity for which, later, he repented profusely.

Biography

He served 21 years in prison during the Communist regime. He was first imprisoned in 1948, an account of his first imprisonent Dan Lucinescu, his cellmate, wrote in the book Jertfa: In this situation, it's good to have an example, chosen not by chance, Calciu was urged to strike a colleague of his by the Securitate, but he fell to his knees in a position of prayer and from the suffering eyes as of a wounded deer, tears began to flow and blood began to stream from his wounds.

Following the general amnesty of 1964, Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa was released from Aiud prison in 1963, and he was granted residence in Bărăgan. Afterwards he studied Philology and Theology, after finishing his studies he was tonsured with the grace of the priesthood. He became a professor at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Bucharest. At the great earthquake of March 4, 1977, in Romania, a wing of the boarding school of the Seminary collapsed. Called by seminarians, he comes to aid the people at the side in the middle of the night and is the only teacher who, along with a few students, works barefoot all night trying to save the four seminarians buried under rubble.

As a professor at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Bucharest, he opposed atheism. During the Lent of Easter, in 1978, he gave a series of 7 lectures, entitled "Seven words to young people", sermons that enjoyed a wide audience among students from many faculties in Bucharest. He took a public attitude towards the demolition of the Church of Aeneas in Bucharest, on the site of which the construction of a tavern was planned. Throughout this period, he received daily threatening phone calls, meant to confuse and terrorize his family. Both his sermons and his protests against the demolition of the Church of Aeneas brought him back into the sight of the Securitate. He was arrested in 1979, tried and abusively sentenced to over 10 years in prison.

His property is also confiscated, so that his wife and child are left without a refrigerator, stove and other items of strict use. The execution of the sentence was followed by a new re-education of him. This fact caused a wave of protests from the Romanian exile. The intellectuals in exile rose to his aid: Mircea Eliade, Virgil Ierunca, Eugen Ionescu, Monica Lovinescu, Paul Goma. He was first admitted to the psychiatric ward of the Jilava penitentiary. He was later transferred to the Aiud penitentiary, where he had cellmates convicted of murder. However, he spent most of his detention in solitary confinement. During his detention, he was beaten, humiliated and kept uneaten. After 5 and a half years, on August 20, 1984, he was released due to international pressure from world leaders such as Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II. Contrary to his will, in 1985 he was forced to leave the country with his family.

Life during exile

In 1985, he moved to the United States, where he received honorary citizenship. Between late 1985 and 1988 he lived with his family in Cleveland. To ensure his existence and that of his family, he also worked in construction as an unskilled worker. In 1989 he moved with his family to Washington DC, where he took over the Romanian "Holy Cross" parish. He continued to work in construction until he managed to buy a house, about 20-30 kilometers from the parish church. During his ministry of the Holy Cross Parish, the number of believers increased impressively. Many people of other faiths converted to Orthodoxy because of Calciu's love, grace, and improved life. In the USA, he continued his fight in the name of God and his efforts to defend the interests of Romanians, being the author of the Romfest idea and one of the founders of the biennial event, being the biggest celebration of Romanians anywhere, and he also led the International Committee of Romanians.

We was received at the White House by 2 presidents: Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

He was defrocked by the Romanian Orthodox Church, this wasn't recognised by the Orthodox Church of America.

After Ceaucescu's regime fell, he traveled almost every year in Romania, giving conferences and visiting friends.

He contracted pancreatic cancer and he went under surgery at the Military Hospital in Bucharest, he received various visits, among them was Father Archimandrite Iustin Pârvu from Petru Vodă Monastery, by Î.P.S.S. Bartolomeu Anania, Metropolitan of Cluj, Alba, Crișana and Maramureș and Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church at that time, Most Blessed Theoctist.

Death

He died in the United States on November 21, 2006. The funeral service was officiated by Vicar Bishop Irineu Duvlea. At the countryside, he was promoted to the Radu Vodă church (from where he had been expelled in 1979) by the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church itself, Teoctist, along with other hierarchs and former students, who have now become priests. According to his wish, he is buried in the countryside, in the cemetery of Petru Vodă Monastery, from Neamț County. He was survived by his wife of over 40 years, Adriana, and their son, Andrei.