“Saint Calinic, the chosen flower of Cernica spirituality, combines in his spiritual profile, in a most remarkable way, prayer and the strictest self-discipline, on the one hand, with the most complete obedience within the community and care for the poor, and, on the other hand, with his work as a founder and builder of churches. In his Guidelines, he calls first and foremost for the fulfilment of God’s commandments and acts of humility and obedience, but he also states that ‘we should keep the Jesus Prayer ceaselessly on our lips and in our hearts’1. We might say that we have here an ‘integral spirituality’”2. This is how our great theologian, the priest and professor Dumitru Stăniloae, sketched the Hesychast portrait of one of the greatest Fathers of Orthodox monastic spirituality in Oltenia. His remarkable personality thus constitutes a veritable synthesis of Romanian monasticism, bringing together the authenticity of the Athonite tradition and the mysticism of the Paisian way of life, rooted in the work of his predecessors at the Cernica Lavra. He is the exponent of the ‘Hesychast renewal’, a movement described by Father Stăniloae in his valuable Philokalian analysis: The Hesychasts or Hermits and the Prayer of Jesus in the Tradition of Romanian Orthodoxy. Academician Virgil Cândea rightly considers that Father Dumitru Stăniloae was the first Romanian theologian to identify ‘the importance of Romanian participation in the Hesychast renewal’, affirming this within the framework of “his research into asceticism and mysticism, on Hesychasm and on the earliest Romanian translations of the Philokalia texts”. In the article mentioned above, V. Cândea makes several clarifications, emphasising Father Stăniloae’s contribution in the context of affirming the distinct character of a Romanian Hesychast tradition. Here is what he says on this matter: ‘We note that almost all the observations made in recent years regarding the Romanian contribution to the Paisian movement had already been formulated, in 1979, by Father Stăniloae: (1) the existence in the Romanian Lands of an unbroken Hesychast and Philokalic tradition dating back at least to the fourteenth century, which (2) attracted Ukrainian and Russian monks to our monasteries even before the arrival there of the Venerable Paisie and (3) was decisive for the fulfilment of his work on Romanian soil; (4) the fact that ‘what… he brought to Romanian monasticism is not a focus on the Jesus Prayer – for this had always been maintained amongst the thousands of Hesychasts in the mountains of the Romanian Lands – but a revitalisation of Hesychast spirituality within it’; (5) the role of the patristic literary tradition in the work of the Venerable Paisie as a translator, who, for his translations of the Philokalia, had used the Romanian versions as a benchmark for accuracy; (6) the distinction between the literary activity associated with the Philokalia (its translation and dissemination) and the lived experience of the doctrine contained in this book. (7) We also owe it to Father Stăniloae to highlight the Romanian particularities introduced into the Paisian heritage by his local disciples, such as Abbot Gheorghe of Cernica or Saint Calinic3
The mystical culmination of life in Christ, or ‘integral spirituality’, of which Father Stăniloae speaks—and which we find organically concentrated in the person and work of Saint Calinic of Cernica— is defined first and foremost by its Athonite character. He thus becomes an integral part of a living tradition spanning over four centuries in Oltenia, dating back to the time of Saint Nicodim of Tismana 4. Nevertheless, the most fitting mystical tradition from which the Hesychast personality of Saint Calinic draws its inspiration is undoubtedly the Paisian tradition. Stemming in turn from the Athonite tradition, this strand of Romanian monasticism took shape largely through the charismatic presence of its founder on our soil.
Saint Paisie Velicicovschi (1722–1794), abbot of the Moldavian monasteries of Neamț, Dragomirna and Secu, exerted ‘the most extensive and longest-lasting influence of the Holy Mountain on monastic life in the Romanian Lands’. The influence of his teachings amongst the lovers of God spread from Moldavia to Wallachia. The reality of his contribution to the formation and strengthening of the Hesychast tradition of Romanian monasticism remains indisputable; nevertheless, it is worth noting that this work was not undertaken without a foundation. In this regard, Father Dumitru Stăniloae regards the Romanian region as a pivotal point in the process of spreading the Philocalic movement throughout the world. ‘It is no wonder,’ says the Father and Professor, ‘that the Philokalia or the Philokalian writings found their way to Russia precisely from Moldavia. This can be explained by the fact that in the Romanian Principalities, Hesychasm and Philocalic spirituality in general were introduced in the fourteenth century and remained an uninterrupted reality throughout the subsequent period, just as on Mount Athos, thanks to a certain degree of autonomy that these lands were able to maintain, and to their close ties with Mount Athos. In the 18th century, the monk Paisie, who had come from Poltava, thus found in Moldavia a monastic tradition which, through its many representatives, practised a Hesychast (hermit) way of life as an unbroken continuation of this tradition, inspired by the Jesus Prayer5”.
Given his monastic formation, situated at the confluence of authentic Athonite Hesychasm and the Paisian heritage, Saint Calinic is ranked by Father Dumitru Stăniloae amongst the ‘great charismatics of the Romanian Orthodox Church’.
Given his monastic formation, situated at the confluence of authentic Athonite Hesychasm and the Paisian heritage, Saint Calinic is ranked by Father Dumitru Stăniloae amongst the ‘great charismatics of the Romanian Orthodox Church’. His assertions are supported by the mystical depth of the ascetic experiences and insights drawn from the grace-filled life of the Holy Hierarch. All of this has been and continues to be attested to by his holy relics, his disciples, our holy synaxaria, the documents surviving from his time, and the piety of the orthodox faithful who have always held him dear to their hearts as a swift helper and doer of good.
The account mentioned above serves to reinforce the portrait sketched in the pages of the Philokalia VII, which we drew upon at the beginning of our analysis. It thus presents us with the authentic image of the Hesychast of Cernica. In the person of Saint Calinic, the true image of the lover of Christ comes to life. In his life, prayer is intertwined with labour, poverty goes hand in hand with humility, almsgiving is united with fasting and ceaseless prayer, whilst above all dwells love for God and neighbour. “Having become a monk from a young age,” notes Father Stăniloae, “he mortified his young body through a very severe fast that only a perfected man could have endured. …For a long time he made do with bread and water without ever feeling full.” “At night he slept for no more than three hours, and not in a bed, but on a chair. During the day he took part in the hardest labour alongside the other monks.” He never ate meat or fish, but only vegetables. When he turned seventy, the Church entrusted him with a bishop’s see, but he continued his ascetic life and dressed in a humble habit. Through his asceticism, he sought not only to mortify his passions, but also to cultivate the virtues that oppose them. In this way, he cultivated within himself gentleness, patience, humility and, above all, love. He sympathised with the unfortunate and helped all those he knew to be in need. The money that the wealthy donated for church services, he would immediately send to the poor. He kept lists of the needy in several towns and sent them money as soon as he received any. When he had nothing to send them, he would weep and ask those around him ‘to find him some money to send to the poor brothers of Christ’. In his cell he had nothing but a jug of water, and throughout his life he wore the same coarse and humble garments. He succeeded in marvellingly reconciling asceticism and the contemplative life with his work as a builder and organiser. He built a large church at Cernica and six other churches in monasteries and parishes. He built the church and the bishop’s residence in Râmnicu-Vâlcea. Towards the end of his life, he withdrew once more as a simple monk to his monastery at Cernica. He died in 1868. His entire life was devoted to prayer and contemplation. Through his prayers, he healed the sick”6.
Tomáš Špidlik, a professor of Eastern spirituality, identifies the beautiful combination of asceticism or the contemplative life with communal service amongst one’s fellow human beings as one of the distinctive features of Romanian monastic spirituality. This observation follows a pilgrimage to the most important monasteries in Romania. “Another characteristic of Romanian monasticism,” says the Roman Catholic cardinal, “is the transition from one way of life to another. Almost always, a few disciples first gather around a hermit who has become famous, after which a prince builds a large communal monastery, from which they later depart to take refuge deep in the forest, where they make do with a shepherd’s hut, whilst others prefer the solitude of the hermit’s life’7”. Špidlik is referring here to the journey undertaken by the monk from communal monastic life to hermitage. Nevertheless, the experience of the hermit’s life was also deeply felt by Saint Calinic, who, although clothed in the bishop’s mantle, loved hesychasm with his whole being, experiencing it organically in the solitude of his cell. In this context, drawing on the example set by the Holy Hierarch and making use of Father Dumitru Stăniloae’s notes on this subject, we shall endeavour in what follows to bear humble witness to the ascetic and mystical elements of this period, which lay at the foundation of the Orthodox Church in Oltenia.
The Philocalic Image of Saint Calinic
Labouring in the field of our Holy Church like a tireless bee 8, Saint Calinic of Cernica was ordained by God for the welfare and flourishing of Orthodoxy in Oltenia. Providence brought him into the world at a time of great trial for our ancestral faith. He was ordained bishop in an era when many villages had no churches, the priests had forgotten their studies 9, and the cantors could barely muddle their way through the few liturgical books available. All these hardships, and others even greater than these, were overcome by the Holy Hierarch, who always found the strength and help to surmount all the trials that lay before him. Nothing proved impossible for the man who had been ordained a monk from childhood.
And yet, we may ask ourselves how and in what way, beyond this divine order, God has ordained for us Romanians something so good, so that we may drink, like deer, from the freshness of the spiritual springs? We find the answer by exploring the Philocalic tradition of Romanian monasticism. Deeply rooted in the legacy of Paisian Hesychasm—which emerged in the land of our forefathers by divine providence, profoundly mystical and entirely Christ-centred— this strand of Eastern tradition has gathered within itself experiences and testimonies, examples of life and holiness, beautifully woven into the tapestry of a centuries-old lineage. It was in this atmosphere that Saint Calinic, a monk who had been sorely tested and refined at the Cernica Monastery 10, lived. There he learnt the discipline of monastic Hesychasm, becoming familiar with the gift of the ‘Jesus Prayer’11 from his seasoned teachers, among whom Saint George the Abbot, a man of exceptional spiritual depth and monastic experience, was particularly noteworthy.
In the history of Romanian monasticism, his monastic school, Cernica, truly became a cave of innumerable ascetic endeavours 12 and prayers. The place of this space of asceticism and Orthodox mysticism within the tradition of Neo-Hesychasm is defined by Father Dumitru Stăniloae, in accordance with the development of the Hesychast ideas promoted by Saint Paisie Velicicovschi. ‘Much has been written about Paisie, both in Russian and in Romanian. But we believe that one aspect which deserves greater emphasis is the context of his spiritual and organisational work within the Romanian environment in which he lived, highlighting not only what he contributed to Romanian monasticism, but also what he received, in far greater measure, from it. What we believe he brought to Romanian monasticism is not a preoccupation with the Jesus Prayer – for, this has always been practised amongst the thousands of hermits in the mountains of the Romanian Lands – but rather the introduction of this prayer into communal life and, through this, a revitalisation of Hesychast spirituality within it and, through that, a revitalisation of communal life. Paisie came from the Holy Mountain with a Romanian-Russian community devoted to this prayer, and some monks from Moldavia also joined them. Vasile of Poiana Mărului insisted that the prayer of the heart is not only for hermits, but also for those in communal life 13. But is this not an influence stemming from a particular way of practising this prayer in Romania, which developed even further at Cernica Monastery? In any case, from the encounter between the profound Romanian hermitic tradition and its introduction into the wider monastic community through Paisie, the balanced spiritual life of the monasteries of Cernica and Căldărușani emerged. The restorer of Cernica and the initiator of the great surge of spiritual life instilled in it was Gheorghe of Transylvania, who accompanied Paisie for 24 years on Mount Athos and in Moldavia and declared himself his ‘disciple’14
Drawing on the experience gained alongside Saint Paisie Velicicovschi, the Most Reverend Father Gheorghe, Saint Calinic’s teacher, brought to the monastery on the outskirts of Bucharest a longing for true life in the Spirit. Feeling the need for spiritual as well as practical renewal, Saint George combined prayer and obedience with work, thereby fulfilling in a practical way the spiritual dimension of monastic life 15. He did this ‘not only to help the monks attain with certainty the perfection of impassivity, but also to make them useful to the monastic community and indeed to other people in need of help’16. The issue of the initiation of novice monks was also a very important aspect of Saint George’s work. It was a necessity, given that monastic life at Cernica had only just begun to flourish during his time. To fulfil this duty, Saint George had to adopt a simpler approach than that of his predecessors, first practising the renunciation of passions and subsequently focusing on the experience of the Jesus Prayer in the lives of the monks under his guidance. ‘Unlike Paisius and Vasile of Poiana Mărului,’ says Father Stăniloae, ‘Abbot George considered that one should not begin to practise the work of the mind until one had made progress in the renunciation of passions. Perhaps he was one of those whom Paisie had in mind as opposing his ideas about the possibility of practising the prayer of the mind. Abbot Gheorghe believed that even the most passion-ridden person cannot be cleansed of passions by keeping the name of Jesus in mind, probably firstly because such a person lacks the strength to keep the name of Jesus constantly in mind, and secondly because even the remembrance of Jesus might become a mere habit for him, losing its significance and becoming intertwined with his passionate habits”17 To this foundation were added participation in the liturgical service and obedience. Beyond this approach, which is more direct than that of Saint Paisios, Abba George always remained true to the authentic spirit of Paisian thought, whilst at the same time managing to stay close to ‘the age-old Athonite spirituality’.
At the school of asceticism in Cernica, Saint Calinic came to practise a severe form of asceticism, complemented by prayer and intensified through a rigorous liturgical programme.
Saint Calinic also drew from this beautiful tradition; having received a select spiritual upbringing, he became a fruitful olive tree under the influence of the Holy Fathers, taking their example to heart and heeding their counsel. In perfect harmony, work and prayer were interwoven in his life, fulfilling the ancient commandment ‘pray and work’ (ora et labora)18 ‘According to the monastic rule’, he was assigned, by his first abbot, the Most Reverend Timothy (1807 – 3 March 1816), Abba Pimen—one of Abbot George’s disciples—as his spiritual father. From him he “learnt to carve beautiful little crosses out of wood and was taught that ceaseless prayer of the mind. In accordance with the rule established for the monks of Cernica by Abbot George, the young brother Constantine divided his time between ‘reading the divine books’ and manual labour, that is, working with his hands, and ‘mortified his still tender flesh’ through fasting and prayer. He submitted himself, with great zeal, ‘to all the arduous ascetic practices of monastic life’, soon surpassing ‘his teachers’ and outshining them ‘with all manner of praiseworthy and labious deeds’19
In the school of asceticism at Cernica, Saint Calinic came to practise severe asceticism, coupled with prayer and intensified by a rigorous liturgical programme. All these elements very clearly define the contours of his beautiful spiritual stature, so well captured by Protos Ioanichie Bălan in the pages of the Romanian Paterikon, where he placed him alongside the other eminent saints of our nation. ‘The Venerable Calinic, even whilst he was a young monk at Cernica Monastery, fasted extensively, fulfilled his daily canon and monastic rule with great zeal, and fought against sleep. He slept for only three hours a night, but not lying on a bed, rather on a small stool in a corner of his cell, according to the testimony of the elder Hariton; and during the day he worked alongside the other monks on the monastery’s most arduous tasks”20 (The Life of Saint Calinic of Cernica). Regarding him, Father Dumitru Furtună says that he was “the most worthy successor and heir to Gheorghie”. “From his youth, when I used to see him travelling to Moldavia as a hierodeacon on charitable missions, right through to his old age, he continued to flourish and distinguished himself through a life full of piety. He looked after Cernica not only in terms of its administration, but also earned it a good reputation by adhering to the strict monastic rules and expanded its library more than ever before. It is indeed worth noting that, should anyone examine the books and manuscripts of Cernica—now held either at the Romanian Academy or at this monastery—they will invariably find each one bearing the monastery’s seal, followed by the signature of Archimandrite and Abbot Calinic, as well as the words: ‘It belongs to Cernică, let it not be alienated’! ‘With his own hand’ he took care to mark those numerous printed and unprinted books which still today bear witness to the Paisian tradition that prevails in our monasteries”. Priest Dumitru Furtună also notes that, after his departure to serve as bishop in Râmnic, he left behind a community of over 350 monks. “At that time, the disciples of Paisie of Cernica were also sending a worthy representative to the country’s high clergy.” Saint Calinic was also a distinguished scholar; from his pen came a Lament in verse (composed on 1 August 1822) entitled21 (The Lament of the Martyr), a ‘Diat’ (testament), ‘a collection of Admonitions’, as well as ‘several chronicle entries concerning the events of 1821 and, in particular, the arrival of the Turks in Cernica’. His life was written by Archimandrite Atanasie Baldovin, his disciple22
‘…Saint Calinic realised that, living amongst people rather than on a mountain inhabited solely by monks, love for God also demands love practised towards others. He reconciled asceticism, as a pursuit of personal perfection, with the social virtue of charity, demonstrating that asceticism does not confine a person to the prison of individualistic concerns, but, when properly understood, is precisely the means of overcoming selfishness, which is the main obstacle to man’s true and generous self-giving.”
As he ascended the ladder of the clerical ministry step by step, Saint Calinic “remained, through his life of asceticism, a monk even after becoming a bishop, continuing to wear the same thick woolen robe, observing the same strict fast and sleeping just as little. And at the end of his life, he returned to the same life of a simple monk, in the cell of his monastery where he had taken his vows. Throughout his life, he never acquired or kept anything for himself. In his monk’s cell there was nothing but a jug of water. All his life he walked about in a thick monastic robe, and upon his passing from this life he left no possessions behind’23
Upon becoming a bishop, Saint Calinic brought with him the tradition of the Hesychast prayer-practitioners from Cernica to Oltenia. Here he had to reconcile the asceticism and contemplation of monastic life with the concrete realities of the world. Although he never forgot the monastic rule, the saint succeeded perfectly in empathising with the needs of his flock, be they clergy, laity, monks or nuns. He became ‘all things to all people, that he might win them all over’. He offered the world the priceless gift of charity, thereby adding a new element to the philosophy of the Neo-Hesychast tradition. ‘In charity, selfishness finds its total defeat and love for others its crowning glory. It is both the contemplation of Christ in one’s fellow human beings and love for them in deed. Love in action meets the deep insight of the ascetic, the vision of Christ. That is why Saint Calinic cultivated charity with tireless zeal. It is, alongside the rigour of his life, his second chief virtue. In this he surpasses the spirituality of Sinai, which places the main emphasis on the work of the mind, as does Paisian spirituality, but also that of Athos, which generally stops at asceticism. Saint Calinic realises that, living amongst people—not on a mountain inhabited solely by monks—love of God also demands love practised towards others. He reconciled asceticism, as a pursuit of personal perfection, with the social virtue of charity, demonstrating that asceticism does not confine a person to the prison of individualistic concerns, as has so often been claimed, but, when properly understood, is precisely the means of overcoming selfishness, which is the main obstacle to man’s truly generous acts of self-giving”24
Teachings and Examples
Both through his life and the teachings he left for posterity, Saint Calinic proved himself to be a true living torch and spiritual example to monks, priests and laypeople alike. From the Cernica Lavra to the Fortress of Bănie, from Râmnic to Frăsinei, Tismana or Lainici, this bishop of Christ brought comfort to those far and near, transforming, through the power of his example, a world parched for the living water of the teachings of those who speak for God. Truly a father of virtues, the saint strove to bring into the world the Eucharistic-mystical communion of living in Christ. He succeeded in a wholly unique way in bringing together, without confusion, the two ‘polarities’ of ecclesial life: the family and monastic life, this being largely due to his gift of being a ‘father of fathers’, ‘giving birth to a multitude of spiritual sons’25
Before being called to the episcopate, Saint Calinic succeeded in enriching his ascetic experience, acquired at the school in Cernica, with the Athonite experience 26. He always directed the fruits of his countless ascetic labours and mystical experiences towards the benefit of the community, tailoring them personally to the spiritual strength and preparation of each individual monk. The example of his life reveals him as a monk of austere living, gifted by God with the charism of healing, with the gift of the unceasing Jesus Prayer, and constantly devoted to fasting and almsgiving. Thus, by the authority of his own example, the saint drew up rules for the proper order of the monks whom he guided. His exhortations remain to this day a mirror for those dedicated to being ‘alone with Christ’27 ‘This, of course, is the duty of each of us: first and foremost to observe the rule of the Holy Church, the seven hours of prayer without fail, obedience, communal meals, good order, humility, the subduing of the will, silence of the lips, the Jesus Prayer—to keep it unceasingly on our lips, in our minds and in our hearts—so that we may make the most of our time in the monastery in a monastic manner; to walk quietly, dress humbly, and wear garments of wool or linen, black in colour, and not of any other colour or material. Food: fish, milk, cheese and eggs, when available; and whoever transgresses any of these shall be a pagan and a tax-collector in the eyes of the community’28”.
On the other hand, the saint always urged his disciples to keep their minds undistracted 29, to persevere in prayer within their cells, whilst also warning them of the danger of distraction: ‘The monk who lingers outside his cell, without having been sent on a task, rots like a fish taken out of the water. Do not form special friendships amongst yourselves; do not keep a separate purse, like Judas’. In the same context, Saint Calinic, in his capacity as spiritual father to the monks of Cernica, draws attention to the thoughts that the Evil One sows in the mind of the ascetic: “I beg you, guard yourselves against the devil’s three weapons, namely: sloth, forgetfulness and unbelief, through which Satan enslaves the world to perdition”30. To these dangers, he adds that of missing the holy services 31.
All this advice was first put into practice on a personal level. The saint experienced all of it first-hand in his own life. In this regard, the significant words from his Diata, written in his own hand in 1866 at the episcopal residence in Râmnic, remain memorable: “Ever since I donned the holy monastic habit of an angel, at the Holy Monastery of Cernica, in the 19th year of my life, and have consecrated myself to God to lead a life of voluntary renunciation, from that time until I drew near to the grave, I have acquired neither wealth nor worldly goods, but only holy books. I have not gathered gold or silver; I have not sought to possess superfluous garments, nor any other possessions, but only those strictly necessary for the body; for, in accordance with the monastic way of life, through the spirit and through labour, I have striven, as far as I could, to uphold, not caring for myself, but placing all my hope in the care of God, Who has never forsaken me; and the gifts we receive from my benefactors and the income from the authorities, I have spent these on my own needs and the monastery’s requirements, whilst I was Archimandrite. Likewise, whilst serving as a Bishop, I did not hoard the revenues, but spent them on my own ascetic endeavours and on the needs of my destitute brothers in Christ, and wherever God commanded me, as well as on the restoration of the diocese, which was in a state of complete disrepair”32
Saint Calinic knew best how to give practical expression to the mystical experience of living as Christ did in asceticism. In this sense, love for one’s neighbour was the most natural form of expression. His biographer and disciple, Atanasie Baldovin, describes this aspect of his personality on countless occasions. He says that “he was so merciful that, when he had nothing to give in alms, he would give away the clothes he was wearing and, weeping, would beg me, the unworthy one, to find money from wherever I could, so that he might have something to give to the ‘brothers of Christ’, for that is what the blessed one called the poor and the helpless’33.
With his appointment to the see of Bishop of the Diocese of Râmnic, Saint Calinic complemented the fabric of his Paisian spirit, forged at the Cernica Lavra, with the mystical dimension of an experience applied in practice within the dynamics of ecclesial life 34. He entered a spiritually fertile space 35 which had, however, been deprived of the blessing of a bishop’s presence for nearly 10 years. Despite the inherent difficulties, he manages to perfectly combine ‘prayer and the strictest self-discipline with the work of a founder and builder of churches’36. At Frăsinei, for example, the saint succeeded in establishing, through a vow made on his deathbed, the tradition of a perfect Hesychast way of life, transforming a place that had previously been desolate into a veritable ‘Romanian Athos’. His care for priests, too, has been inscribed in indelible letters in the history of the Church of Oltenia. His guidance is preserved to this day in the ordination books issued during his episcopate37. Equally edifying, however, is the text of the spiritual guidance books which Saint Calinic signed following thorough assessments of future spiritual fathers in the former Diocese of Râmnicu-Noul-Severin. His teachings are at once theological, moral and practical, revealing from the outset the true calling of the spiritual father. The transliterated text is given below:
‘Kalinik,
by the grace of God,
Bishop of Râmnicu-Noul-Severin
. The gift and power which the High Priest of Priests, our Lord Jesus Christ, bestowed upon His Holy Disciples and Apostles—to bind and loose sins— the same gift and power is bestowed upon all Bishops, the successors of the Apostles, who receive them from others through the laying on of hands, by the working of the Holy Spirit; and from the Bishop, the devout priests also partake of this. Therefore, by the grace of God, having deemed us worthy of this holy gift and power, allow me to grant to your humble priest ________ from the village of _______, District ________, County __________, that in the same power of the divine gift you may bind and loose all manner of sins, and grant a good beginning with a promise of repentance. Knowing these things, may your intercession (Holiness) and, judging them as a spiritual healer, grant the healing forgiveness for every wound and sore—whatever these sins may be understood to be— that is to say: spiritual guidance and the penances which you shall prescribe to them, according to their age, knowledge and circumstances, just as you are thoroughly instructed in the Sacrament of Confession, as is also set out in the Prayer Book. And when they have fulfilled their penance with all diligence and shown the fruits of repentance, then the one who confesses will obtain forgiveness of their sins. And if, for any sins, you are unable to determine the appropriate penance, inform us or come yourself and show us, so that we may give you guidance on how to proceed. As for those who wish to enter the priesthood, you must examine them thoroughly, questioning them in detail, lest they have committed sins that bar them from the priesthood—which are specifically listed in the Rule, Chapter 58 and in the Sacrament of Confession in the Prayer Book, lest through carelessness you become a partaker of these sins, for you will have to give an account to God. And since Confession is one of the seven Sacraments of the Holy Church, you are bound to perform it with great care and the fear of God, without laziness, at all times, being alert and vigilant, and all the more so when you are called to a sick person, so that you do not delay even for a single minute. For if it should happen that the sick person dies without having confessed because of your delay, what will you do? Know that God will hold you accountable for his soul. Guard yourself and keep yourself blameless, as far as is possible, and do not let yourself be overcome by the passion of drunkenness, nor by harbouring anger or envy towards anyone, lest, carried away by this or your mind straying, you reveal the sins of those whom you hear in confession. For not only will you be hated and cast out from the presence of the Lord, but the canons also prescribe a dreadful punishment for such spiritual fathers as those who do not fear God. Do not demand any payment for this Sacrament, but only if anyone wishes to give you something of their own free will or out of charity, or so that you may commemorate them at the Divine Liturgy. You must avoid the quarrels common amongst lay peasants, whether over land or for other reasons; you must not act as a witness or accuser for anyone in any legal proceedings, nor bear witness in any matter, until you have received permission from the Bishop of the Diocese. Do not associate with dishonourable people in idle talk or drinking, or in other unseemly gatherings; for from such things the piety of Christians towards God diminishes. After all these things and others like them, which ought to be observed at all times, pray to God to enlighten your mind so that you may guide Christians along the path of salvation that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven. And when you follow and persevere in this struggle, you will benefit both yourself and those who listen to you. Therefore, this book has been given to us for our encouragement and assurance, in accordance with custom and order, sealed with our seal and signature’38
In the image of the Lord
Alongside Father Dumitru Stăniloae, who held the Hesychast identity of Romanian monasticism—and, by extension, its Paisian orientation—in particularly high regard, several distinguished scholars have recognised this beautiful Christological-mystical continuity. Among them, Metropolitan Antonie Plămădeală, in his work Tradition and Freedom in Orthodox Spirituality, draws a connection between Paisian monasticism and the ascetic tradition established by Saint Calinic in the region of Oltenia. The emphasis is thus placed on the evolution of the Paisian movement and its adaptation to the reality and needs of the Church during this period, representing a concrete transposition and adaptation of contemplative asceticism to the reality of ecclesial life. ‘Here is a brief overview of what we might call the “Romanian way” of understanding and practising Hesychasm following the death of Paisie Velicicovschi. Following his death, the Romanian prayer movement branched out into two streams: one took root in Moldavia, in the northern mountains, around the monasteries of Neamț, Secu and Sihăstria (still inhabited by sihaștri, the Romanian name for hermits); the other, initiated by Abbot Gheorghe, a native of Transylvania and a disciple of Paisie, settled in Muntenia, in the south of the country, around the monasteries of Căldărușani and Cernica. From there, Saint Calinic of Cernica spread it to other places, such as the Frăsinei Hermitage in Vâlcea, where the tradition he left behind is still observed. Both Romanian branches recognised Paisie’s importance, as he was a great figure and held in the highest esteem during his lifetime. At Neamț, he was surrounded by more than 1,000 monks. However, both his successors at Neamț and those in Muntenia ‘adjusted’ his principles slightly. They ‘rehabilitated’ an active approach to communal life, shifting the emphasis towards asceticism, obedience, work, administration and sound stewardship, leaving unceasing prayer to those who were able to practise it. They thus corrected Paisian’s contemplative exclusivism, bringing monastic life back onto a more realistic, more natural path39”. To summarise the above, we may say that Metropolitan Antonie Plămădeală sees in the ethos of Romanian monasticism a harmonious interweaving of asceticism and practical activity, linked in particular to the work of daily life. In this way, although the mystical life was held in high esteem amongst Romanian monks, one can nevertheless speak rather of an ‘active life’, this being “a normal, realistic, conscious path, where commitment to it involves one’s whole life and where human strength is limited and must not be overtaxed from the very outset”40
In keeping with this belief, Saint Calinic taught that ‘self-restraint, obedience and humility are not merely values of individual perfection, but values that foster good fellowship and brotherhood’. In this regard, Father Stăniloae holds the view that ascetics “must also, in this respect, be messengers through their deeds of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of perfect communion. And it is especially in this that the true strength of the aforementioned values is demonstrated. Whilst individual hermits or hermitages, as small groups, promote more the concentration of the mind in union with God, through Cernica, Philocalic spirituality realises its power of fraternal cohesion amongst spiritual people’36
In all the above, the portrait of the great hierarch and his place within the context of Romanian monasticism are beautifully outlined by the distinguished metropolitan and scholar of Oltenia, Nestor Vornicescu. He emphasises the social aspect of his concerns, stating that: “Saint Calinic of Cernica distinguished himself in a special way through his holiness, active in his love for people, demonstrating an astonishing understanding of the new times, making the uplifting of humanity, the discovery of its value, its freedom, and its personality worthy of all respect his primary concern. Human beings, living with deep faith in God and loving their fellow human beings, reveal all their own greatness and that of their fellow human beings. He calls for a zeal for authentic Christian holiness, whilst at the same time urging a true believer not to feel like a stranger amongst the people of his time. He showed that the saint is not a misfit, but is always relevant, knowing how to respond to the needs of any age. Saint Calinic understood the positive values to be found in the world of the nineteenth century, and the representatives of that world held him in high esteem and venerated him, because he understood the essential nature of the new world; he understood everyone’s equal right to life’s blessings and to the respect of others. Thus, making the ennoblement of man and the discovery of his authentic value his primary concern—the sublime necessity for the saint to be relevant in his own age, through a participation imbued with divine spirit and human understanding— he drew upon tradition and his long monastic experience to practise asceticism, yet spoke out forcefully against social and national oppression, his brilliant qualities shining through clearly in the verses of the akathist hymn dedicated to him: ‘Rejoice, thou who, through thy life on earth, hast been to us an example of true human living!’41
Consequently, the essence of the ethos of Romanian Orthodoxy, lived out in an ascetic manner, is concentrated in the region of Oltenia, in the life and work of Saint Calinic, Bishop of the Diocese of Râmnic and Noul Severin. A branch of Paisian neo-hesychasm, the saint left behind disciples who carried on the tradition of an authentic Christological-mystical way of life, imprinted upon the social reality of the diocese he led. Thousands of monks, lay priests and the speaking flock drew inspiration from his example, all thus learning that ‘holiness concerns everyone’ and that only ‘in communion is full freedom to be found’. Therefore, recalling once more the words of our great theologian, we are convinced that ‘in their great freedom and goodness, the saints set us free and open the gates to true communion amongst us’42
- 1
This mystical practice of constantly invoking the name of Christ in our lives is classified by Father Dumitru Stăniloae as the second stage of the spiritual life: illumination. It is prayer that transcends words, dwelling within the human heart, delving ever deeper into the apophatic nature of the divine mysteries. ‘In the prayer offered by the mind within the heart,’ writes Father Stăniloae, ‘we no longer deny the world whilst thinking of it at the same time, but simply forget the world entirely with our whole being. Only we remain—that is to say, not the ‘we’ on the surface, with the attributes or properties that can be conceived in defined concepts, but our deeper, undefined self, untrammelled by thoughts of things, which cannot be viewed or defined by any concept, leaving only the simple awareness of its presence, of our infinite reality. The heart into which the mind gathers is not so much the physical heart as the central seat of the mind, the centre of the human being, their spirit, their subject, the whole person within, not merely the intellectual or emotional one. These are the innermost chambers of man, ‘where there are no longer winds of evil thoughts’, the inner chamber of the iconostasis, where the Lord Jesus Christ dwells from the moment of Baptism” – Rev. Prof. Dumitru STĂNILOAE, Asceticism and Mysticism of the Orthodox Church, IBMBOR Publishing House, Bucharest, 2002, pp. 326–327.
- 2
Ibid., The Hesychasts or Hermits and the Jesus Prayer in the Romanian Orthodox Tradition, in Philokalia VIII, translated, with an introduction and notes by Rev. Prof. Dumitru Stăniloae, Humanitas Publishers, Bucharest, 2002, p. 548.
- 3
Virgil CÂNDEA, ‘The Place of Romanian Spirituality in the Hesychast Renewal’, in Romanians in the Hesychast Renewal: Studies Dedicated to the Venerable Paisie of Neamț on the Bicentenary of his Passing, 15 November 1994, published with the blessing of His Eminence Daniel, Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, edited by Virgil CÂNDEA, Trinitas Publishing House, Iași, 1997, pp. 19–20.
- 4
The presence of Saint Calinic in the Oltenia region is undoubtedly a providential one. He emerged in this blessed land more than four centuries after the reformist and spiritually inspired work of his predecessor, Saint Nicodim of Tismana. In this context, he “emerges as a great and skilful organiser of Romanian Orthodox monasticism”, providing “a new impetus for monastic life in the Hesychast spirit” at the heart of monasticism in Oltenia. Furthermore, Saint Nicodim is the founder of several important communal monasteries in Wallachia, such as: Vodița, Tismana, Gura Motrului, Topolnița, Coșuștea, Ilovăț and Prislop. He organised them all according to the Athonite order, some of them acquiring, by princely decree, the status of samovlastie, ‘autodespotie or self-governing foundation’, in accordance with Byzantine administrative norms, adopted in Wallachia via Mount Athos. The best example of this is Vodița Monastery, which was “a turning point in the history of Romanian monasticism; … a new and previously unknown type of monastery amongst the Romanians”. This model of organisation was adopted and perfected by Saint Calinic for the Frăsinei Lavra, where he succeeded in founding the Romanian “new Athos”. As regards scholarly activity—which is also a distinctive feature of the Athonite tradition—numerous transcriptions have been preserved from Saint Nicodim, amongst which the Tismana Tetraevangelion stands out in particular, a work written in neat hand, ‘but devoid of embellishments and ornamentation’. Associate Professor Al. I. Ciurea affirms, in this regard, the continuity of the Athonite tradition within the monasteries of Wallachia: ‘The disciples he left behind, who would go on to found other monasteries, practised the same noble Athonite traditions, which have been sacredly preserved in our monasteries for centuries on end. Thus, in the establishment of monasticism in the Romanian Lands, on a more solid and organised foundation, we see the influence of another prominent member of the Sfetagora community, more specifically in the monastic school of Hilandar, a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox to this day”, cf. Archimandrite Prof. Veniamin MICLE, ‘On Romanian Orthodox Monasticism prior to the 14th century’, in Glasul Bisericii, no. 3–4/1978, pp. 315–316; Rev. Lect. Al. I. CIUREA, ‘The Influence of Mount Athos on Religious Life in the Romanian Lands’, in Orthodoxia, no. 2/1953, p. 282.
- 5
Rev. Prof. Dumitru STĂNILOAE, The Hesychasts or Hermits…, p. 524. In addition to the rich cultural heritage he brought with him from the Holy Mountain, the period of Saint Paisie Velicicovchi brought with it an effective re-evaluation of monastic communal practices. Consequently, in almost all the monasteries where he established order, the saint decreed that services should be conducted ‘punctually, according to the typikon of the Holy Mountain’. On the right-hand side, the chanting was in Church Slavonic, whilst on the left-hand side it was in Romanian. The rules of communal life were also observed with great care. None of the brothers owned, nor did any dare to claim as his own, any particular item; rather, they were to regard everything as sent by God for the community, each receiving what he needed from the abbot. Meals were always taken in common, except in cases of illness. All duties in the kitchen, bakery, refectory, etc., were carried out by the monks. They also practised various trades, such as shoemaking, carpentry and tailoring, in addition to farm work and various other duties. Whilst working, they maintained the utmost silence. No one was to remain idle, for ‘idleness leads to all evil’.” All these teachings are reflected in the life of Saint Calinic of Cernica, thus ensuring the continuity of a neo-hesychast tradition. See also Rev. Prof. Al. I. CIUREA, “The Influence of the Holy Mountain on Religious Life in the Romanian Lands”, p. 284.
- 6
Fr. Dumitru STĂNILOAE, The Jesus Prayer and the Experience of the Holy Spirit, 2nd edition, with a foreword by Archimandrite Gheorghios Grigoriatul, preface by Olivier Clément, translated into Romanian by Maria-Cornelia Ică jr., Deisis Publishing House, Sibiu, 2003, pp. 144–145.
- 7
Tomáš ŠPIDLIK, A Life and a Theology ‘with all one’s heart’, a commemorative volume edited by Archdeacon Ioan I. Ică Jr., Deisis Publishing House, Sibiu, 2010, p. 66.
- 8
The bee was the symbol of Saint Calinic’s archbishopric, a symbol which he always bore on the handle of his crozier.
- 9
On 15 December 1850, after arriving in Craiova, the saint examined the entire clergy, the monks and all the servants of the Holy Church. In addition to the ‘Vidinists’ crisis, as the period in which the ministers of the holy altars were formally trained by the bishops from across the Danube, in Vidin, has been known in history, Saint Calinic also faced the lack of training among the lower clergy. To this end, he asked the Church Department to establish several schools attached to the deaneries for the cantors and altar servers of the diocese, as they “were unfamiliar with the church services and did not know how to modulate their voices for singing”. The Department and the Ephoria refused his request, but the saint appealed directly to the prince, who decided, in May 1853, to establish a school attached to each deanery: “Let arrangements be made for one school to be established in each deanery of that Diocese, within the boundaries described herein, and only for those who of their own free will come to school; otherwise, not. The Department of Faith shall inform the School Board and bring this to the attention of the local authorities”, cf. Bucharest State Archives, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Instruction (MCIP), File 2215, dated 1850, passim, cited in Toma Bulat, ‘A century since the death of Saint Calinic, Bishop of Râmnic Noul Severin, 1850–1868’, in Mitropolia Olteniei, no. 3–4/1968, p. 232.
- 10
Father Florin Șerbănescu believes that the monasteries of Cernica and Căldărușani, through the disciples of Saint Paisie Velicicovschi, led by Abbot Gheorghe, played a pivotal role in establishing a new monastic movement, Neo-Hesychasm or Paisianism. “The monastic order introduced by Abbot Gheorghe at Căldărușani followed the same path as that at Cernica, largely preserving the Paisian traditions from Athos, Dragomirna, Secu and Neamț, whilst also possessing certain specific features which research to date has sought to, and largely succeeded in, identifying. Essentially, these are based on the provisions set out in the 18-point charter presented by Paisie Velicicovschi in his memoirs addressed to the bishops of Moldavia in 1763, the year of his installation at Dragomirna”, cf. Rev. Dr Florin ȘERBĂNESCU, ‘The Paisian Neo-Hesychast monastic movement at Căldărușani Monastery: foundations for the organisation of communal life’, in The Holy Pious George the Archimandrite, Abbot of Cernica and Căldărușani (1730–1806), Renewer of Romanian Hesychasm, edited by Archimandrite Macarie Ciolan, Cernica Monastery, 2006, p. 101.
- 11
‘The Jesus Prayer’ or ‘the prayer of the heart’ stems from the Eastern tradition. Owing to its importance and mystical role, it has rightly been called ‘the heart of Orthodoxy’, ‘a practice that has remained alive in the Eastern Christian tradition’. Father Špidlik identifies it as being specific to the Athonite tradition, but also mentions it in Russian spirituality, considering it to be the Eastern equivalent of the Western ‘Rosary’. ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner’, repeated in time with one’s breath, imprints the Saviour’s name upon the heart of the worshipper, protects them unharmed from the fire of temptation, ‘unites the mind with the heart, clears the turmoil of the mind, and grants the strength to master the evil impulses of the soul’. The gift of the ‘prayer of the heart’ tops the list of charisms specific to Saint Paisius Velichkovsky, followed by ‘the gift of leading a multitude of brothers’ and ‘the rather rare gift of bringing together brothers of various nationalities’. “He was so aware of the distinctiveness of these three gifts—which he considered could not be attributed to him,” notes Fr. Elia Citterio – that he urged the brothers in his community to devote themselves to the practice of the Jesus Prayer, without giving it absolute preference, at least until they had purged themselves of all passions; he limited the number of brothers in the community to 130 and considered it possible for Romanian, Russian and Greek monks to live separately, without in any way diminishing their mutual love. In reality, Paisie’s work has remained unique in its main characteristics. ‘All have referred to it, yet none has reproduced the model in its entirety.’ This mystical testament to monastic life was also adopted by the abbots of Cernica Monastery, Saint George being undoubtedly the one closest to the Paisian tradition”, cf. Tomáš ŠPIDLIK, The Spirituality of the Christian East, translated by Anthony P. Gythiel, Cistercian Publications, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1986, pp. 317–318; Fr. Elia CITTERIO, ‘The Spiritual Teaching of Abbot Paisios. An Analysis of a Community”, (Bose, 21–23 September 1995), translated by Rev. Assoc. Prof. Dr Petre Semen, in Romanians in the Hesychast Renewal, pp. 122–123.
- 12
Toma BULAT, A Century Since the Death of Saint Calinic ..., p. 238.
- 13
Father Stăniloae emphasises this point further in the sermon he delivered at the canonisation service for Saint Calinic of Cernica on 23 October 1955, published in the Romanian Orthodox Church magazine under the title ‘Saint Calinic, Abbot Gheorghe and Integral Orthodox Spirituality’. In the pages of this fine homiletic work, Father Stăniloae highlights the convergence of thought between two great Hesychasts of our Romanian land: Saint Paisie of Neamț and Saint Vasile of Poiana Mărului. This highlights the practical aspect of constant prayer, the presence of Christ’s name in the monk’s mind being absolutely essential in the context of the desire for detachment from the passions. Consequently, he states that ‘Paisius regarded the so-called work of the mind as the starting point of the spiritual life of his communities. This work of the mind consists in the monk keeping the name of Jesus constantly in mind and, with it, driving away any unwholesome thought that arises from the heart. Through this prayer, the mind must seek out the place of the heart and keep it pure, until the heart becomes the dwelling place of Christ and is revealed to be filled with His light. Paisios believed that any monk could do this, even one who was merely a beginner in the spiritual life, and indeed even a layperson preoccupied with the cares of this life. The monk need not wait until he has first attained a certain purity from passions before he can practise the prayer of the mind. He had adopted the ideas of his compatriot, Vasile of Poiana Mărului, who also considered erroneous the view of those who believed that the work of the mind is suitable only for the perfected, who have attained freedom from passions. Following in his footsteps, Paisios held that merely keeping the name of Jesus in one’s mind is the best means of protecting the monk from evil thoughts and thereby gradually weakening the passions within him. ‘The holy prayer of the mind, ’ he says, ‘when practised through the grace of God, purifies a person of all passions, urges them to zealously keep all the divine commandments, and protects them unscathed from all the arrows of the enemy and from temptations’. Furthermore, the name of Jesus—and thus the thought of Him—kept constantly in mind, helps a person to see, as soon as it arises, any thought contrary to Jesus; that is to say, it enables a person to observe and recognise everything that takes place within their soul, for it constantly sheds light upon their inner movements”, cf. Rev. Prof. Dr. Acad. Dumitru STĂNILOAE, ‘Saint Calinic, Abbot George and Integral Orthodox Spirituality’, in BOR, no. 73/1955, pp. 1159–1172; Ibid., in the volume Saint George the Archimandrite, Abbot of Cernica and Căldărușani (1730–1806). Renewer of Romanian Hesychasm, Cernica Monastery, 2006, pp. 146–147.
- 14
Philokalia VIII, pp. 582–583.
- 15
Saint George, the abbot, laid the foundations of monastic life in Cernica and Căldărușani upon the rules of monastic life he had learnt from his experience as a Paisian monk, on Mount Athos and in Moldavia. He endeavoured to observe these rules in their entirety, thereby establishing the following way of life: ‘complete and voluntary poverty (renunciation of all personal possessions, all possessions being managed by the community, which provides each brother with everything necessary for life: shelter, food, clothing, etc.), asceticism (the subjugation of the will and the restraint of passions), obedience and humility, living and working solely amongst the brothers and in brotherly love, liturgical services according to the typikon, beginning with all seven daily prayers, work, assigned by the superior according to each person’s ability and strength, combined with unceasing prayer, the practice of ‘the prayer of the mind performed in the heart’ … the reading of the Holy Scriptures (both individually and collectively; this communal reading being particularly prescribed during the winter months, in the evening, until Holy Week), the translation and copying of manuscripts, frequent confession to the spiritual father and, above all, the confession of one’s thoughts, observance of the order of communal meals at the refectory and of the spirit of silence, particular attention and wise discretion in receiving visiting monks into the community, caring for the sick in the infirmary, and maintaining proper etiquette when receiving guests in the guesthouse (with the exception of women, save in special cases, in times of war or unrest), the absence of schools for lay children within the monastery, the election of abbots by the community, the exclusion of the monastery from worship, etc.” This rule was strictly observed by Saint Calinic during his abbotship. Furthermore, upon becoming Bishop of Râmnicu-Noul-Severin, he established the same rules in the monasteries of Oltenia, his foundation at Frăsinei being the most notable example in this regard. cf. The Lives, Instructions and Testaments of the Holy Abbots George and Calinic of Cernica, Deisis Publishing House, Sibiu, 1999, pp. 21–40; 41–44; Rev. Dr Florin ȘERBĂNESCU, op. cit., pp. 101–102.
- 16
Rev. Prof. Dumitru STĂNILOAE, The Hesychasts or Hermits …, p. 548.
- 17
Ibid., Saint Calinic, Abbot Gheorghe and Integral Orthodox Spirituality, p. 153.
- 18
Although of Eastern origin, drawing on the craft of basket-weaving, which was widely practised by Egyptian monks, the practice of combining prayer with work is attributed to Saint Benedict of Nursia in the form of ‘ora et labora’. ‘To understand “prayer according to the Benedictines”,’ says Columba Stewart, ‘one must be thoroughly familiar with the Rule of Saint Benedict, both in its traditional form and from its own unique perspective. Firstly, we must consider the nature of the text itself. A monastic rule in the comprehensive sense—one that encompasses both the spiritual and practical dimensions—has Eastern roots. The concept of having a ‘rule of life’ is much older, but its codification in this form is a product of the fourth century.” However, the idea of work combined with prayer is much older, finding its practical basis in Holy Scripture, for as Saint Paul the Apostle says: ‘If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat’ (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Nevertheless, there have also been instances where this combination was rejected. We are referring here to the Messalians, who, prioritising prayer, considered this to be the perfect way to work spiritually. Their practice was harshly criticised by Byzantine theologians. On the other hand, work and prayer are analysed together by most of the Holy Fathers. St John Chrysostom, for example, considers that ‘through his work, man enters into a relationship with God, the Creator of all things visible and invisible. From this perspective, work acquires a spiritual dimension, which is always realised in a social context. Through work, we can help those in need and practise charity; through work, ‘bridges between people’ are built. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Cardinal Tomáš Špidlik sees in monastic obedience ‘an ideal of work’, which ‘takes place in an atmosphere that leads to prayer. And, accompanied by appropriate prayers, it itself becomes prayer, motivated by charity’. In our case, Saint Calinic is the perfect model of one who prays and works ceaselessly. From the pages of the Romanian Paterikon we learn that ‘he never lay down flat on his bed, nor did he remove his clothes; but whenever he took a little sleep, he would sit leaning on a stool with his hands, fully clothed and with his waist girded by a wide belt. All his life he stood as a soldier on sentry duty, watching ceaselessly over his bodily weaknesses and the unseen enemies who wage unceasing battle in the mind and heart of man, so that, with God’s help, he became a pure and enlightened vessel of the Holy Spirit”, cf. Columba STEWART, ‘Prayer Among the Benedictines’, in A History of Prayer. The First to the Fifteenth Century, edited by Roy Hammerling, Brill, Leiden, Boston, 2008, p. 201; Tomáš ŠPIDLIK, The Spirituality of the Christian East, p. 168; Ioanichie BĂLAN, Romanian Paterikon. Containing the lives and words of some Pious Fathers who laboured in Romanian monasteries (4th–20th centuries), 2nd edition, printed with the blessing of His Eminence Dr. Antim, Archbishop of Tomis and the Lower Danube, published by the Archdiocese of Tomis and the Lower Danube, Galați, 1990.
- 19
Fr. Niculae ȘERBĂNESCU, ‘Saint Calinic of Cernica’, in BOR, no. 3–5/1968, p. 357.
- 20
Ioanichie BĂLAN, The Romanian Paterikon, p. 424.
- 21
Priest D. Furtună compares this Lament to that composed by his predecessor in the episcopate (who has also been canonised by the Church as a saint), Metropolitan Veniamin Costachi of Moldavia. The text of this account is published in the work by the monk Casian Cernicanul, The Histories of the Holy Monasteries of Cernica and Căldărușani, published by the Archdiocese of Bucharest, 1988, pp. 163–164.
- 22
Fr. Dumitru FURTUNĂ, ‘The Disciples of Abbot Paisie in the Monasteries of Cernica and Căldărușani’, pp. 157–158.
- 23
Rev. Prof. Dumitru STĂNILOAE, Saint Calinic, Abbot Gheorghe and Integral Orthodox Spirituality, pp. 157–158.
- 24
Ibid., pp. 159–160.
- 25
Watch the address given by His Eminence Irineu, Archbishop of Craiova and Metropolitan of Oltenia, on the occasion of the reception of the holy relics of Saint Calinic at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Dumitru in Cetatea Băniei, on Saturday, 28 April 2012, Ziarul Lumina, Oltenia Edition, 2 May 2012.
- 26
Historians date this event to the year 1812, when the saint arrived on Mount Athos, sent by the abbot of Cernica Monastery to gather funds for the repair of St Nicholas’s Church, which had been severely damaged by the earthquake of 1802. This direct contact with Athonite monasticism was ‘of real spiritual benefit to Saint Calinic’, proving instrumental in his formation as a leader and successor to the Cernica tradition, initiated years earlier by Abbot Gheorghe. Rev. Prof. Ion IONESCU, ‘Saint Calinic of Cernica’, in Romanian Saints and Defenders of the Ancestral Law, a work commissioned by the Holy Synod under the direct supervision of His Eminence Nestor, Archbishop of Craiova and Metropolitan of Oltenia, IBMBOR Publishing House, Bucharest, 1987, p. 522.
- 27
Christ, the Son of God, the Only-Begotten, is the model of the ascetic, being Himself, par excellence, a solitary figure and a celibate. He has a simple and undivided heart, for the goal to which He is devoted is but one. His Eminence Irineu Popa, Metropolitan of Oltenia, offers further explanations in this regard, illustrating through examples the profound mystical dimension of the term ‘monachos’: ‘Firstly, there is the case of Adam, who has no earthly father, and that of Jesus, who likewise has no earthly father. Adam was born of virgin soil – for it had not yet rained to make the earth fertile – and of the Spirit of God; likewise, Jesus was born of a Virgin and of the will of God. Just as Adam was created from the purity of the dust (the virgin earth), ‘for God had not yet sent rain upon the earth and there was no one to till the ground’, and was formed by the hand of God, through the Word of God, ‘for through Him all things were made’, so too He, who is the Word, by recapitulating Adam within Himself, was rightly born, enabling Him to embrace Adam within Himself from the Virgin Mary. Therefore, if the first Adam was taken from the dust, God being his maker, so too the second Adam, recapitulating him within Himself, had to be fashioned as a man by God, so that an analogy might be drawn with the first, as regards His origin. Why did God not take earth again, but instead ordain that Christ’s formation should be from Mary? Well, precisely because He was not to bring a new creation into being, but rather for that same creation to be summarised in Christ, just as it exists in Adam, thereby preserving the analogy.” His Eminence Irineu POPA, Jesus Christ is the Same …, pp. 174–175.
- 28
This passage forms part of the Instructions written by Saint Calinic for the monks of Cernica. Following on from these exhortations, Saint Calinic compiled a canonary organised into 37 chapters; see Fr. Dumitru FURTUNĂ, The Disciples of Abbot Paisie in the Monasteries of Cernica and Căldărușani, p. 134.
- 29
This aspect is discussed at length by the French professor Antoine Guillaumont in one of his works. Using a phenomenological approach, he explains the concept ofmonotropy as ‘the unity of the heart, of undivided thought, of continuous, undistracted service to God’. Antoine GUILLAUMONT, The Origins of Monastic Life. Towards a Phenomenology of Monasticism, translated from the French edition: Aux origines des monachismes chrétiens. Pour une phénoménologie du monachisme, Abbaye de Bellefontaine, 1979, pp. 57–58.
- 30
Ioanichie BĂLAN, The Romanian Paterikon, pp. 436–437.
- 31
In the case of monks who do not rise for the night services, for example, Saint Calinic prescribes the following: ‘Those who do not rise for the night service, shall make 100 prostrations at the small vespers service in front of the church, and when the priests come out of the church, with their knees bent to the ground, they shall say: ‘Forgive me for not having come to the church service.’ Likewise, those who do not attend the hours, Vespers or the pre-Vespers service shall observe this penance; but if they were prevented by some infirmity, or obedience, or blessed reasons, they should confess this to their spiritual father and receive his forgiveness” (chap. 3).
- 32
Diata by His Beatitude Bishop Calinic, in Casian Cernicanul, The Histories of the Holy Monasteries of Cernica and Căldărușani, pp. 164–165.
- 33
Ioanichie BĂLAN, The Romanian Paterikon, p. 433.
- 34
This aspect of his life can be traced in the hundreds of documents issued by the episcopal chancery in Craiova or Râmnic. Many of them are now held in the National or diocesan archives, the collections of the Diocese of Râmnic, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Instruction (MCIP), the ‘Barbu Știrbei’ collection and the ‘Dolj Deanery’ collection are just a few examples.
- 35
With the arrival of Saint Calinic in Oltenia, we might speak of an intertwining of the Hesychast-Athonite tradition, established here by Saint Nicodim at Tismana, and the tradition of Paisian monasticism, which was introduced into the Cernica school through the teachings and personality of Abbot Gheorghe.
- 36a36b
Philokalia VIII, p. 548.
- 37
Here is the text of such a document, issued on 25 March 1860 at the episcopal chancery in Râmnic: “Calinic, by the grace of God, Bishop of the Diocese of the Holy See of Râmnic and Noul Severin/ The Blessed and Most Great Apostle of the Lord, in the Epistles he wrote to his disciples, Titus the Bishop of Corinth and Timothy the Bishop of Ephesus, shows how those who wish to enter the priestly order are to be examined. He even commands that, under no circumstances, should anyone be ordained without a firm assurance of the purity of their life. Therefore, following this commandment and in humility, when the devout reader (N) came to us, desiring to be deemed worthy of this high gift of the Priesthood, we first examined him thoroughly for his worthiness; and having been attested by the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the order of the Holy Canons, as Reader, Subdeacon, Deacon and Priest; and we have given him our blessing to perform priestly duties at the Holy Church dedicated to (X), in ___, ___ parish in the county of (and he shall not be permitted to transfer to another church, nor be received there, without our blessing). Therefore, we invite all Orthodox Christians in this parish of our Diocese to recognise him and receive him as a worthy and honourable holder of this office, by our humble decree. To him, for his encouragement and assurance, in accordance with the commandment of the Holy Fathers, we have given this document of our humility, a gift in accordance with custom and order, confirmed by our seal and signature.” (A copy of the Book of Priesthood is on display in the house of Saint Calinic at Cernica Monastery).
- 38
Document signed at the diocesan chancery in Râmnic on 5 September 1859.
- 39
Metropolitan Antonie PLĂMĂDEALĂ, Tradition and Freedom in Orthodox Spirituality. With excerpts from the Romanian Paterikon and a foreword by Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, Sofia Publishing House, Bucharest, 2010, p. 269.
- 40
Ibid., p. 270.
- 41
NESTOR, Archbishop of Craiova and Metropolitan of Oltenia, ‘Introductory Study’ to the volume Romanian Saints and Defenders of the Ancestral Law, p. 29.
- 42
Fr Dumitru STĂNILOAE, A Short Course in Dogmatic Theology. Dialogues at Cernica, (edited by Fr Marc-Antoine Costa de Beauregrad), 3rd edition, translated by Maria Cornelia Ică Jr., Deisis Publishing House, Sibiu, 2007.