Archimandrite Roman (Braga)

Archimandrite Roman (Braga) (1922-2015)

Roman may be spelt Romain, Romanos, Romanus,

Early life of Roman Braga

The future Father Roman Braga (his pre-monastic name is not available at this writing) was born on 2 April, 1922. He was born in Romania, in Condrița, Bessarabia, near the Monastery of Condrița, a monastic community of the Romanian Orthodox Church. This is about 25 km (16 mi) distant from Chișinău (Kishinev) (which is now the capital of Moldova). He was the seventh and last of the 7 children of Cosma and Maria Braga. (When he was born, Bessarabia was not yet a part of the Bessarabian Soviet Socialist Republic formed in 1924. (Bessarabia is a region of the former principality of Moldavia, and now part of the Republic of Moldova.)

His devout Orthodox Christian mother raised him and his siblings carefully in a family whose focus was the worship of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the bosom of the Romanian Orthodox Church, in frequent contact with the monks of the Monastery of Condrița.

Condrița Monastery

During his formative years, he had the living example of his mother who imprinted on her children the virtues of Christian life. Many times he would recall that his mother would attend the long worship services at the monastery, and that, sleepy and tired as he might be, he was always at his mother’s side. These formative years laid the foundation for the strict discipline that served him throughout his entire life, up to the very last day of his life.

In 1929, at the age of 7, he began his studies in the public school of his village.

Formation, education, 1934

In 1934, at the age of 12, he was sent to the Căldăruşani Monastery near Bucharest.

Later, he was sent to the monastic seminary in the Monastery of Cernica (also near the Romanian capital), in Cernica County.

Cernica Monastery

In Cernica, he formed life-long friendships with many of the great future spiritual fathers of Romania, including Fathers Sofian Boghiu, Felix Dubneac, Benedict Ghius, Grigore Babus and Gratian Radu. Later in his life, he would be imprisoned together with some of them, and he would meet them and others later in the USA.

These exceptional and exemplary men may not be well-known in North America ; however, it is very important to get to know them, since they are significant examples of loving, faithful servants of Christ. They are considered by many to be new-confessors for Christ, because of their suffering as Orthodox Christians at the hands of the atheist communists. They are considered to be similar to martyrs who have shed their blood and died for the sake of Christ.

Father Sophian Boghiu, Father Roman Braga

Archimandrite Felix Dubneac

Further education, 1942

In 1942, he returned to Bessarabia, to Chişinău (Kishinev). There, he entered the Seminary of Chişinău for a year.

In 1943, he enrolled in studies in the Theological Institute, in the School of Letters and Philosophy, and also at the same time in the Pedagogic Institute in Bucharest. He graduated “Magna cum Laude” in 1947 from the Theological Institute, and he received the diplomas of Professor of Theology and Professor of the Romanian Language.

In 1948, he entered the doctoral programme at the Institute of Theology in Bucharest.

Prison, 1948

However, during that summer (1948), he was arrested by the secret police, and his studies were halted. He then endured a year under interrogation, having been accused of belonging to an anti-Semitic movement. He was detained in Bucharest at the Jilava prison, and he was then sent to the Piteşti prison, the place where the infamous brainwashing experiments took place. In Piteşti, he and the others spent much time in solitary confinement.

"Brainwashing" is, in fact, a mild term for the methods used. The determined and evil methods used (called "unmasking", which included the replacement with lies of everything they knew to be true of themselves and what they believed) caused so much intense pain that almost no-one could escape succumbing to committing blasphemy – itself a pain that persisted for the rest of their lives. Mercifully, there is repentance which the Lord accepts.

Clearly, the programme of completely replacing a person's self-knowledge was not necessarily indelible, since Father Roman and the other Christ-loving confessors were able in Christ to recover. Moreover, Father Roman Braga and Father Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa (who were both in that prison) would later say that they had no calendar ; but from the words and blasphemous songs of guards, they could discern what season it was, and even what feast-day it was. Thus, they would persevere in their prayers and praise to the Lord accordingly.

First imprisonment

In 1951, he was sent to a labour camp in the Danube Delta, where many people died in slavery.

Release, 1953

He was eventually released under parole from the prison, in the summer of 1953. He was required to live in Bucharest. He then secretly went to Iaşi, where his sister, the nun Benedicta, was living. There, also, he was teaching in schools.

Monastic tonsure, 1954

In January, 1954, while he was in Iaşi, he was tonsured to be a monk, and he was given the name Roman.

Diaconal ordination, 1954

A week later, the Monk Roman (Braga) was ordained by Metropolitan Sebastian (Rusan) to the Holy Diaconate at the Iaşi Metropolia, where he was permitted to remain (under surveillance by the state secret service).

Diaconal service

During the following years, the newly-ordained Hierodeacon Roman (Braga) served daily at the metropolia headquarters, and he sang in the choir. He also conducted theological sessions with students from the Medical School and other universities, in which he discussed the practice of the Prayer of the Heart, and he interpreted the Philokalia for them.

Prison, 1958

In 1958, the consequence of this was that Hierodeacon Roman was arrested again, after which he spent another year under interrogation. The authorities seemed never to be certain precisely what sort of accusations to bring against him, so he was accused of having been part of the Burning Bush movement along with 15 others. On 8 November, 1958, he was sentenced to 18 years of forced labour and 10 years of civic degradation because of his conviction for being an enemy activist against the communist "democratic" government.

 The spiritual movement, 'The Burning Bush', was meant to increase the fire of faith in the hearts 
 of believers in those times of crucifixion.  It 'could not escape the scornful eye of security, 
 and the end was predictable : the arrest of the initiators and participants'.

Father Roman commented :

 The Bucharest government was panicking.  It was afraid of the 'Burning Bush' more than all the 
 centres of resistance in the Carpathians.  For revolutionaries, there is the punishment of 
 imprisonment and death.  But what do you do with that 'center' of man that no one can control.  
 One of them, the Abbot Daniil Sandu Tudor, 'Saint Daniil' as he was called among the prisoners, 
 died in 'Zarca de Aiud', after four years of torture and beatings, being among the few prisoners 
 who wore chains throughout their detention.  This fact is attested by the former prisoner of 
 Suceava Teofil Dumbrăveanu, who in a letter addressed to Metropolitan Antonie Plămădeală shows : 
 'At the exit on the gate, to the cemetery they threw an iron spear in their heart, to see if he 
 is alive or dead, as in classical martyrologies.  In 'Zarca de Aiud', amongst  the prisoners, 
 the memory of "Saint Daniel" is always kept.  Later, the young men who dug a ditch in prison 
 found a skeleton with chains on the legs. They believed that he was the prisoner "Saint Daniel'.

That the dead prisoners were given an iron spear in their hearts is confirmed by Archimandrite Iustin (Pârvu), a political prisoner for 17 years.

Second imprisonment

In a book written about the Confessor Priest Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa, it is explained that the title "Burning Bush" comes from a specially-written icon of the Mother of God. It was written by a founding priest, and all meetings were held before this icon (which later remained with Father Roman in the Monastery of the Dormition in Michigan). Father Roman and others like Father Dumitru Staniloe did belong to this movement, whose purpose was to keep shining the light of the Orthodox Faith.

Aiud prison

From 1959 to 1964, Father Roman spent time in various concentration camps in the Danube River Delta : Jilava ; Canal ; Balta Braila ; Salcia colony ; Ostrov.

This was the treatment given by the godless state to all those who kept feeding Christ's rational sheep with life-sustaining spiritual food. With God's help, Father Roman and many others (both clergy and lay-persons) were responsible, through their faithful witness and suffering, for keeping the Orthodox Christian Faith alive and productive throughout the years of communist oppression in Romania.

Amnesty, 1964

On 31 July, 1964, under pressure from the West, the General Amnesty decree was issued, which freed all political prisoners.

After this, the political situation and the close watch kept on the bishops by the security agents made it difficult for Hierodeacon Roman to be ordained to the Holy Priesthood.

Presbyteral ordination, 1964

However, later in 1964, Hierodeacon Roman was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Bishop Valerian (Zaharia) at the Episcopate of Oradea.

Pastoral service

On 1 January, 1965, Hieromonk Roman was installed as the parish priest in Negrești, a village in the northeastern part of Romania. There, he organised a choir of 100 children, a Sunday School, and he performed all priestly duties for 2 years. The authorities did not look favourably on his work. Therefore, he was secretly transferred to another parish.

Since he came to be considered to be an “unwanted element” by the communist government, the Patriarchate sent him first to Serbia, and then as a missionary to Brazil.

Emigration, 1972

After 4 years in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1972, Father Roman was invited by Archbishop Valerian (Trifa) of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America to transfer to the USA. For the next 5 years, he worked for the Romanian Episcopate by translating Romanian Church music into English ; he was active in the religious education programme for children ; he was a member of the committee that translated religious texts from Romanian into the English language ; he served briefly in vacant parishes, and he substituted for vacationing or ailing priests in various parishes throughout the USA and Canada.

In 1979, Father Roman was assigned to be the parish priest at Holy Trinity Church, Youngstown, Ohio.

In 1982, he was assigned to be the rector of Saint George’s Cathedral in Southfield, Michigan.

In 1983, he was assigned to be the serving priest and spiritual father for the Monastery of the Transfiguration, Ellwood City, Pennsylvania.

Archimandrite Roman

Retirement, 1988

In 1988, Father Roman retired to the Monastery of the Dormition, Rives Junction, Michigan, where his sister, Mother Benedicta (Braga), was the abbess.

In 1996, Father Roman's book "Exploring the Inner Universe" was published. It was well-received at the time, and it continues to serve as a support for those who wish to follow Christ. On the internet, the book is highly rated as being well-worth reading. The following quotations help us to appreciate the value of this writing. The first quotation from the book about Father Roman's experience in prison.

 I do not like to speak too much about prison, what happened to us, because the most interesting aspect of the 
 'Romanian Gulag' is what happened with our souls.  That we were beaten or did not have enough food is not 
 important.  This would be just information for the archives.  What was interesting was our conversion and how 
 God conquered us.  It was a purification.  Communist prisons in Romania were great academies (p. 52).

The second is about a person's impression on having met Father Roman.

 His homily was fiery, full of inner fire and passion, and his face also spoke volumes of charity and goodness.

Father Roman and the Sisterhood of the Dormition

During his life of service in this monastery and in the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City, Father Roman never missed a service (until the last 2 years of his life), and he maintained intact the offering to the Lord of his daily prayer rule. He would rise at 2:00 a.m., read the morning prayers, prepare for the services, and then be in church at 5:00 a.m. sharp. He maintained most of the same rhythm even after he was diagnosed as having prostate cancer. However, as time passed, he no longer had the strength to attend all the services. Nevertheless, he never missed a Divine Liturgy (for which he always prepared in advance), regardless of how weary he might have felt.

During his very last celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, it is reported that Father Roman, Archbishop Nathaniel (Popp), and the nuns continued the old custom of carolling which he had established there. On the day of the Synaxis of the Theotokos, a session of carolling is held there, and the session can continue for 2-3 hours, and it includes all types of songs and languages. The archbishop noted that at the last such session, "Father Roman was present ; he was ill, but you would never have known. He was like a cherub".

Father Roman serving

Although Father Roman’s spiritual children were numerous, he never forgot any of them. This was always the case, even if he had not seen them for many years and even while his health deteriorated.

During the Spring Session of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the OCA, on 17 March, 2015, Father Roman was awarded the Order of Saint Romanos in recognition for his outstanding contribution to the field of liturgical music in the OCA’s Romanian Episcopate of America. The award was personally presented to him by Archbishop Nathaniel (Popp) on the Feast of the Annunciation to the Theotokos on 25 March, 2015.

He became bedridden only 10 days before his repose, but he remained lucid and completely aware of his surroundings until the very end.

Repose, 2015

On 28 April, 2015, Father Roman (Braga) fell asleep in the Lord in the Women’s Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Rives Junction, Michigan.

The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Priest were offered for Father Roman on 1 May, 2015, in the Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God, at Rives Junction, Michigan. They were led by Archbishop Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit and the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America. He was assisted by 2 other bishops, and by very many clergy.

After the conclusion of the funeral obsequies, the body of Archimandrite Roman was interred in the monastery cemetery.

At the interment

Reflections

A summary of the life and words of Archimandrite Roman (Braga) appears on the internet in the alphabetical list of “Romanian Martyrs and Confessors in Prison with Christ”.

During his lifetime in North America, Archimandrite Roman (Braga) was a well-respected and loved Spiritual Father to 2 communities of nuns. He (as did others) suffered greatly at the hands of communist authorities in Romania because of his fervent love for our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Therefore, many would be inclined to give him the title “Confessor”. Furthermore, very many are convinced that he is a saint, and they were firmly of that opinion during his lifetime.

The fact that Archimandrite Roman and his sister, the Abbess Benedicta (Braga), worked together as they did can bring to mind the the era (even from early times in the Church) during which when whole families served the Lord with love, and this service bore much good fruit.

Father Roman is known to have said : “I pray for those who tortured us in prison”. “Jesus Christ is first and foremost in each of us !”

“At the Canal, there was Father Evghenie (Hulea), a simple man, spiritually. He made me a monk. That’s why I approached him. But what kind of simple man ? He knew the ‘Ladder’ of Saint John of Sinai by heart. Catholic priests and monks came to him. Everyone admired him. He did not read, but he recited the Holy Fathers. He had an extraordinary memory. He influenced me the most. At one point, he said, ‘You know that God has brought you to prison for a certain purpose’”.

“Like any man, when I got to prison, I also asked myself, at some difficult times : ‘Why, Lord ? Why me ?’ I was also like the thief on the left of the Cross, who asked : ‘Why should I suffer and not others ? If You are the Son of God, do something !’ [see Luke 23:33-45.] But God brought out some people who explained to me that God brought me there for a certain purpose. And this point I explained during my second incarceration (I was imprisoned twice). Then I was isolated. The priests went through isolation for a year or two, alone in cells, because they [the authorities] wanted them to become beasts, like animals ; I'm telling you that in 11 years in prison, no political prisoner saw paper, pencil or book. This was the ‘treatment of intellectuals’”.

“There I discovered the infinite in us [...]. I discovered that the human person is infinite, that God did it – He blew on him and gave him something that never dies. That the depth within us, which is - according to the Holy Fathers – and the place of prayer, where God dwells, is a place you will never forget. In this deep within us is the Temple of the Living God, as the Holy Apostle Paul says. Then, in that situation of isolation, for almost two years alone, then I understood the words of Scripture, which I had once memorised : ‘You are the Church of the living God and the Spirit of God dwells in you’ (1 Corinthians 3:16)”.

“Then I understood why the Saviour said, 'The Kingdom of God is in you'. God is not material or spatial, to place Him in a corner, somewhere. In order to find Him, we must return inward, explore the universe within us. This is an experience that needs to be done. There is a word from Saint Seraphim of Sarov that says : ‘The exit from you is the exit from Paradise’. It is a great and lonely adventure in human life. There is something extraordinary in us : God is there !”

Words by Metropolitan Saba (Isper)

On Friday, 20 September, 2024, Metropolitan Saba (Isper) wrote the following :

This is How God’s Pure Ones Think

Father Roman Braga, a confessor of the faith, was born in Romania in 1922 and fell asleep in the Lord in the United States in 2015. Considered by many as a saint, they continually pray for the official announcement of his canonisation. He endured a harrowing eleven-year imprisonment in communist Romania, enduring severe physical and psychological torment. Even after his release, he continued to suffer moral persecution until his departure for Brazil in 1968. Patriarch Justinian (Marina) facilitated Father Braga’s departure in order to save him from further harm from law enforcement because of his active involvement in his parish.

Father Braga, released as a deacon, struggled to find employment in various dioceses to make ends meet. Despite facing rejection from some bishops, he harboured no resentment, nor did he hold a grudge against them. Rather, he recognised their fear of persecution that the Church was suffering at the time.

We come to know him more intimately through his book, Exploring the Inner Universe : Joy – The Secret of Life, which is an extensive interview with him. In this book, he delves into various aspects of his life, the history of the contemporary Orthodox Church in Romania, the spirituality of the Orthodox Church and its people, and many other topics.

I was particularly struck by the purity and clarity of his spirit in some of his responses to the interviewer’s questions. The interviewer, also Romanian, posed a lengthy question spanning several pages, criticising the bishops who compromised with the communist authorities and remained silent about the brutal persecution of Christians in prisons and detention camps solely for their faith and zeal for the Church. At that time, the authorities fiercely opposed any grassroots pastoral work, keeping some churches open and allowing high-level theological publications that the general populace did not understand and thus posed no threat. This façade served to show the world that the Church was alive while concealing the reality of persecution.

In his critique of the bishops, the journalist indirectly suggests that the Grace of God has left the “open” churches and moved to the prisons, where believers endure daily horrors.

Father Roman responds, “I never believed that the Spirit moved from the Romanian Church into the prisons, as you seem to imply in your question. When we were in prison, we would pray that the hierarchs of the church would stay where they were and not come to us, because the Spirit is where the Holy Sacraments are, where the Holy Liturgy takes place, and where the Hours, Vespers, and Matins are read. The Holy Spirit is the life of the Church. Only if we are truly members of the Church, members of the Holy Body of Christ, we are nourished only by the Holy Spirit. The Church cannot exist without its clerical hierarchs. The Church is comprised of the hierarchy, the clergy, and the people. As you cannot mistake the Church for the fault of some individuals, you cannot confuse it for some hierarchs. It is true that the hierarchs made compromises, but they worked to maintain and continuously offer the Holy Sacraments. And the Church could not exist without them. We know this also from the Holy Fathers. You cannot have the Church comprised only of people and no hierarchs” (p. 101).

He continues : “I believe that the Church, at least in Romania and Russia, was strengthened during the Communist persecution. I dare to say that suffering compels individuals to mature, but also the Church. Nikolai Berdyaev, a Christian philosopher, in one of his books, affirms that the Church was strong during the first 300 years of persecution. Later, when Constantine the Great gave freedom to the Christians, the spiritual life of the Church became diluted ; the Church was more of an institution than a spiritual reality”.

“The same thing happened during Communism : the Church was obligated to limit all her activities to the interior of the four walls of the temple. I do not know the situation in other countries, but the Romanian Church today launched a campaign of physical and spiritual reconstruction. Priests are now serving in schools, hospitals, and the army. I’m optimistic ; I think that the Romanian Church will contribute in renewing Orthodoxy in the soul of the Romanian nation” (p. 102).

In his answer to the question about the Church’s historical state, which witnessed heretical patriarchs and bishops who indulged in their desires, Father Roman says : “To tell you the truth, I am not comfortable with the idea that if the hierarchs are sinful, then the Church no longer exists. Nor am I comfortable with the idea of what is called spiritual elitism. All bishops, without exception, must be free from suspicion and lead exemplary lives. But their failure to do so does not negate the existence of the Church. I do not dare say that if a bishop is personally sinful, the Spirit of God no longer works in him, because the Holy Spirit always works for the salvation of all people, regardless of the worthiness of those who officiate at the Holy Sacraments. The Holy Spirit uses one hierarch today and tomorrow another, but the Church remains the same. Many priests are not worthy, but the Holy Spirit does not come and go in relation to our worthiness or unworthiness. The Holy Spirit is the life of the Church, even if some of the members of the Church are sick or wounded by sin” (pp. 101-102). When the journalist challenged his assertion that bishops’ virtuous lives are insignificant to the Church’s continuity, he replied, “I never implied that”. He noted that countless holy bishops existed and convened ecumenical councils even during periods of widespread episcopal heresy. Nevertheless, the Church persisted, and the Holy Spirit remained active despite numerous crises.

Father Roman then cited the Faithful who filled the churches even amidst severe persecution, emphasising the significance of their ongoing spiritual nourishment through the Church’s sacraments. This, in his view, preserved the Church.

He says, “The faithful Orthodox people were wise in those days and did not leave the church. The churches under persecution were more crowded with believers than in the so-called free period, that is, when we began to enjoy freedom and democracy during the Constantinian era and our bishops no longer bargained with the authorities. When we were in prisons, we prayed for our hierarchs. We used to pray for the hierarchs, hoping they would do something to keep the churches open” (pp. 103-104).

He cited Saint Gennadius II (Georgios), Patriarch of Constantinople, who signed an agreement with the Ottoman Sultan after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, stipulating that Christian services be limited to the remaining churches. He quoted the saintly patriarch, “It is time to sacrifice the forms in order to keep the essence”.

May God have mercy on us and infuse our souls with His Grace, as He promised, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”.

Writings

• Articles in the Christian periodicals of "The Herald," (“Solia”)

• Editor of the monastic journal "The Burning Bush" and the theological magazine "The Light" (1991)

• "On the Way of Faith: Faith, Freedom and Love" (HDM Press Inc., 1997) ISBN-10 : 0964347814 ; ISBN-13 : 978-0964347816.

• "Spiritual Steps - Interview with Father Roman Braga" (Publishing House of the Ordered Romanian Archdiocese, 1998). ISBN : 978-606-607-188-8.

• "Exploring the Inner Universe" (HDM Press Inc., 1996) ISBN-10 : 0964347822 ; ISBN 13 : 978-0964347823

• “God is Always with You”

• “The Icon of the Birth of the Lord”

Writings about Archimandrite Roman (Braga) by various authors :

• “Curte, Cristian, God sent us to the West to open the Gates of the Church”

• “Nicholas Brother Nicholas, look at me [ … ]”

• “Dumitrescu-Bușulenga, Zoe, In Remembrance : Roman Braga – a Man of God”

• “Father Roman Braga : a Legend of Universal Orthodoxy”

• “Father Roman Braga : a saint among the saints of the Burning Bush Pray-ers”

• Gomboş, Stelian, “About true Prayer, which must never end”

• “Hinshaw, Dr. Dan, Father Roman Braga : A Legend of universal Orthodoxy”

• “In Memoriam – Interview with Archimandrite Father Roman Braga”

• “Lazar, Father Laurence, Archimandrite Roman (Braga)”

• Monastery of Lepavina article about Archimandrite Roman Braga

• Petcu, Adrian Nicholae, “Roman Braga in the spiritual Fight against Communism”

• Pravmir.com Interview

• Protos. Theophan, “Father Roman Braga, the Man of Balance and Love”

• Stănescu, Gheorghe, “The Sufferings of the Student Roman Braga after Re-education”

• Trosc, Dr. Paul, “Father Roman Braga – an Icon”

An image of Father Roman (Braga)

References

Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America (OCA) obituary

OCA “In Memoriam” : Archimadrite Roman (Braga)

Orthodoxwiki Biography

Orthochristian.com obituary

Doxologia.ro biography

Article : “Father Roman Braga, amongst the new-confessors and martyrs”

Holy Dormition Monastery biography

Additional information :

Bugea, Eleanor, “Romanians in Canada” (Michigan : Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, 2009). ISBN : 978-1-929200-14-6.

Pacurariu, Mircea, ‘Romanian Christianity’ in “The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity” (Oxford : John Wiley & Sons, 2007). ISBN 10 : 0631234233 ; ISBN 13 : 9780631234234.

Tarasar, C J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976” (Syosset, NY : Orthodox Church in America, 1975).

Monastery of Condrița

Căldăruşani Monastery

Monastery of Cernica

Metropolitan Cathedral, Iași

Romanian Orthodox Church web-site

Orthodowiki article about the Church of Romania

Wikipedia article about the Romanian Orthodox Church

Holy Trinity Church, Youngstown, Ohio

Saint George’s Cathedral in Southfield, Michigan

Monastery of the Transfiguration, Ellwood City, Pennsylvania

Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America web-site