The Forbidden Church

THE COMMUNIST REGIME (1945-1989)

Silviu Sana

• Éditeur: Harmattan Hongrie
• Année: 2020
• ISBN de l'eBook: 9782336905716
• Sujet: Sciences sociales
• Sujet: Sociologie

We are facing history book that speaks about the suffering and martyrdom of a Church, wich has not been defeated by the Communist atheism that chained Romania between 1945-1989. The facts described here come to answer pertinent questions that any good faith reader asks to find the truth: "How did the Romanian Greek Catholic Church survive during the Communist persecution, what were the reason for being persecuted?"The present book, titled "The Forbidden Church" written by Mr. Silviu Sana Ph.D., comes to answer the pertinent questions, in light of the fact that in the nearly 50 years of the Catacombs, the Greek Catholic Church continued to exist, being a landmark of Christian principles among Romanians, in a "society" that denies Christianity and even the existence of God.

The Portrait of a Martyr
The Archbishop Valeriu Traian Frentiu3

His Excellency, Valeriu Traian Frentiu – Bishop of Lugoj (1912 – 1922), Bishop of Oradea (1922 – 1952) and Apostolic Administrator in Blaj (1941 – 1947) – was one of the most outstanding hierarchs of Romanian United Church in a time marked by the two world wars and by the two “worlds”: The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the Romanian Kingdom. He distinguished himself as a priest by exemplary piety and godliness and, after-wards, as a bishop by a very good administration of the territory belonging to the Eparchy of Oradea.

Origins and Childhood

Valeriu Traian Frentiu was born on April 25, 1875, in Resita (Caras-Severin county) to his parents Ioachim Frentiu, priest, and Paraschiva-Rozalia, born Demeter4. On May 23, 1875, he receives the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, being given the name Valeriu Traian Adolf, the service being officiated by the Dean of Bocsa, Mihai Gianu, while his godparents were Adelhaida and Adolf Diaconovici5. His father, Ioachim Frentiu6, was a priest in the town Resita Montana7 and his mother, Rozalia, was a housewife. God blessed the family with other children, as well, two girls (Maria and Lucretia8) and a boy (Cornel)9.

His first years of life are defined by the family background from which he came and, since his father was a priest, his entire education is characterized by the calling which God intended for him. His father, Ioachim, fulfilled his sacerdotal services in a parish where the majority of parishioners came from the workers in the mining industry and the ones in the metallurgic industry. In the middle of these parishioners, but also among the priests from the eparchy, Ioachim Frentiu proved to be renowned for his distinguished piety10. At the age of 5 he became an orphan upon his mother’s death, Rozalia’s duties being taken over by his elder sister, Lucretia, who stood by Valeriu Traian his entire life11.

Studies

He attended primary school in Resita. Then he continued by attending the Gymnasium from Resita12, from where he transferred to the Superior Gymnasium in Blaj, which he graduated in 189213. In 1890 we find him as 4th grade alum of the Seminary from Blaj14.

The paternal role model gave young Valeriu Frentiu the impulse to follow the sacerdotal calling. But his leaving for theological studies in Budapest15 was due to his intellectual and spiritual qualities, his potential being exploited in this place16.

In 1895 he attends the pastoral theology and canonical law courses at the University of Budapest17, being and alumn of the Central Seminary in Pesta. This is his second place where Valeriu Frentiu develops intellectually and where, through the Philosophy and Theology courses, he comes in contact with the ideas and currents belonging to Catholic theology. It appears that his father’s pietist heritage was augmented in this place by the novelties coming from the Roman-Catholic Church, especially that of devotion for the Sacrament of Holy Communion, his entire life being marked by the cult for the Holy Communion18. On the other hand, Valeriu Traian Frentiu moulds himself as a good Romanian – despite the denationalization politics led by the Budapest government – frequenting together with other students “Salba” Reading Society which belonged to the Romanian students19.

He completes his Theology studies at the University of Pesta in 189820.

After being consecrated priest on September 20, 1898, he continues his theology studies in Vienna, at the famous „Augustinianum” Theology Institute from the Viennese University21, where, on April 29, 1902, he defends successfully his doctoral thesis22.

During the time spent in Vienna, upon Augustin Bunea’s request, who was in Blaj, he copied many of the manuscripts from the Archives of the Court of Vienna, helping the erudite professor from Blaj with the book “Petru Pavel Aron and Dionisie Novacovici”23. Moreover, Valeriu Frentiu would have wanted to stay longer in Vienna to study architecture24.

Both in Budapest and in Vienna, Valeriu Traian distinguished himself due to his extremely strong devoutness and irreproachable clerical conduct25.

The Priesthood

He receives the sacrament of Holy Priesthood on September 20, 1898, in the Cathedral from Lugoj, on The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, being consecrated celibate priest by his eparchy bishop, Demetriu Radu26. According to the document emitted on the occasion of his consecration, Valeriu Traian was consecrated to honor his priestly duty in the capital city of the Empire27, but also to fulfil his military priest position for the Romanians from the Viennese garrison28. He offered this special pastoral zeal to redeem souls to the Romanian soldiers and to the Romanian Catholics who went through spiritual troubles29.

Every day he celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Greek-Catholic church Saint Barbara, where his remarkable piety and devoutness brought many Romanians back to God, people who had not confessed for 20 – 25 years30. For the 500 – 1000 Romanian soldiers he lectured about religion to determine the youngsters to become aware of the importance of faith in their lives, a fact which was described by a newspaper as follows:

“For these services he did not receive payment, he got only spiritual consolation when a soldier asked to be Dienfrei [For Free] and came to confess and to take communion, or when a soldier, who previously did not want to know anything about Christian duties, returned to faith”31.

In 1902 he returns home, being named by the bishop in the eparchy chancellery. Thus, from December 190232 until 1904, he held diverse positions in the administrative body fo the Diocese from Lugoj: archivist, librarian, consistory registrar33. During this time, he was trusted with preparing the historical schematism for printing, with moving the eparchy library and archives in the newly built wing of the see34.

On April 2, 1904, due to the vacation of the dean position in Orastie, Bishop Vasile Hossu names Frentiu as dean administrator in place of priest Iuliu Ratiu35. After this trial period, when he proved to have real pastoral qualities, came the decree by which he was named dean, signed on September 15, 190436.

The fact that he received this ecclesiatical title at the age of only 29, to be responsible for a wide ecclesiastic territory with such a colourful ethnic and denominational diversity was attributed to hi...

Table des matières

• Cover
• Back cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• To the Readers…
• The Portrait of a Martyr. The Archbishop Valeriu Traian Frentiu
• Fr. Alexandru Ratiu – An American Priest in the Visor of the Securitate (1945-1948)
• Bishop under surveillance. Iuliu Hirtea in the records of the Securitate (1947-1978)
• Greek-Catholics under the Orthodox Church The “Unification” from 1948 in Augustin Paul’s Report from 1957
• The Library of the Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Oradea (1948-1950)
• Bibliography
• Abbreviations