ROMANIA: An icon of our dear Fr Arsenie Boca is weeping in Romania VIDEO

A Biography: Father Arsenie Boca - on the Path of a Saint

At Prislop Monastery in Romania situated near Ancient Dacia in an outstanding landscape, a wood cross is reigning over a tomb covered with flowers in permanent blooming. The man buried inside is an unknown miracle; Father Arsenie Boca, one of the greatest illuminates of Orthodoxy, considered a saint by all the fortunate souls who had the chance to meet him during their lifetime. 

Strong, unshaken in faith, he passed the “red” desserts of atheism and the terrors of the communist prisons without deviating from the righteous path he followed along with many Christians. Adored by people for his sermons and miracles, feared by the authorities of the times due to his high influence, Father Arsenie died as a martyr; yet the trail of light he left to us is blinking even in our days among us.

 

Father Arsenie Boca came into this world in a small village in the Carpatian mountains. Born on September 29, 1910 in Vata de Sus (Romania), he was the only child of a good standing family. He finished the high school in Brad, where he is distinguished by his profound thinking and intuition. He entered the Theology seminary in Sibiu finishing the studies in Ceranauti, currently Moldavia; He has proved to be a great artistic talent and as a consequence he was sent to Bucharest for a second degree in fine arts.

One of his paintings

After graduating the Fine Arts, he attended the 3^rd school- thge University of Medicine.

When he finished the three years he was sent by His Holyness Metropolitan Balan to Mount Athos to a Romanian skete (a very small monastery with a few monks).

His short staying in Athos brought him the first spiritual experiences. There he kept fasting for periods up to forty days, as he would later recall to a few Christians (note: in his case fasting probably meant eating nothing at all or only a bit of bread to drink water).

In Mount Athos he will experience Divine visions and consolations.

Many people would come from faraway places, even on foot just to meet Father Arsenie.

The people who desired the Holy Communion were taken by Father Arsenie to a spring up on the mountain. There he would keep them for 7 days and nights eating only bread and honey. All this time they prayed together and listen to sermons. Whoever was not fasting and ate something else, like meat…he was invited to leave the place. In the morning Father Arsenie came into the cells where the Christians slept together like brothers and selected only the ones he thought were prepared for confession and sharing with the Holy Communion.

During the war many people came to Father Arsenie, especially young men who had to leave for war. He told some of them: “your soul walks along a different path, go after it”. He felt that their souls were not in the Church; for them the pilgrimage was a formality. To others he sayed, “yes, come in”. 

He invited them in the Church to listen to the Holy Liturgy. He gave the Holy Cross to kiss but not to all of them. Some he would anoint with mirth, others he would not. Once someone asked him; “father, why do you give the Holy Cross only to some people?”. He responded: “my child, those to whom I give the cross to kiss will not return home. You will return and we will meet again. And those he mentioned never returned, except the ones who did not kiss the Cross.

Many people loved Father Arsenie Boca because he genuinely cared about the spiritual side of the human being. He asked from people to return to God and live a life devoted to Christ. Even before the 2^nd World War he was a suspect for the communist (atheistic) regime since many people appealed to him for advice. The Security Secret Service suspected him of conspiracy, as a main catalyst of the movement against communism.

During the restrictive times of communism (Christianity became illegal) Father Arsenie continued his mission of spiritual father. At this time miracles were needed to escape the authoritarian communist persecutions which ferociously hit against anything that did not fit the narrow communist ideology; and Father Arsenie was a man the Holy Spirit did many miracles. 

After 89 in front of Sambata de Sus monastery a cross was placed with all those who died fighting in the anticommunist resistance in Fagaras Mountains. The first name on the cross is Father Arsenie Boca, even though he never advised anyone to take arms and fight, nor did he ever touch a weapon. However, he breathed courage and faith to those who did choose to fight. It is said that many people were helped through his prayers when they were persecuted by the security.

Water out of Stone

Father Arsenie had a cell in the mountains above Sambata monastery where he retreated for fasting and prayer in solitude. It is said that the space and path towards the cell were sanctified and Father Arsenie would never speak of it, and he took only a few people he considered pure at heart. Up at the cell there was no water, only small brooks formed during spring out of the snow. 

One time those who were climbing with Father Arsenie said to him: “Father, we are really thirsty, and we have finished the water we brought with us”. Father Arsenie looking thoughtfully at them, took a small rod from the ground and started praying. Afterward he asked them with compassion: Do you wish to drink water?”. “Yes we wish!”. He then smited a stone and water started coming out of a stone creek; and even today water drops out of that rock; not a lot, but permanent water drops.

 St. Arsenie Cell

In 1948 Prislop monastery re-enters in the possession of the Christian Orthodox Church. Father Arsenie is sent to Prislop monastery and in a short time he brings life to the monastery. Even today, after so many years we can see the way the flowers were arranged by Father Arsenie Boca, or how each stone was placed with care in the place he thought it would  fit.

In a short time people heard about the grace of Father Arsenie Boca and they flooded him in big number for consolation and spiritual healing. Father Arsenie had time for everyone and never rejetced anyone. The abbes of the monastery told us: “He would descend to everyone’s level and spoke to them in a language they personally understood. On one hand he captivated and enticed you, and on the other hand he was screening your conscience. He described your own spiritual state; explained to you where you stood, who you were, and what you may become.

He knew you so well”.

He is captured by the security from Prislop in 1958 and forced to hard labor in Dobrogea labor camp where he would spend the rest of two years.

The Saint in Shackles:

Even though he was put in jail and sent to the Danube Channel labor camp, Father Arsenie Boca was never condemned, simply because the security could never find any fault. Judging by the allegations we wonder whether Father Arsenie has accepted his sentence to be able to comfort and help the souls of those in prison. 

One of the people close to Father Arsenie Boca tells us:

“In Dobrogea, at the Danube Labour Camp, where Father Arsenie was sent the second time, it was very hard. They had a norm to shovel, the workers were drained since they were given extremely poor food, so they had no power. Father Arsenie sayed to them: “my good children, we’ll make it” and it is unknown how they did it for they finished their norm and survived.

At night Father Arsenie disappeared, nobody knew how. The guards started speaking among themselves: “there is one who disappears at night!” One time when Father returned to his cell he told to one of the guardians, “do not be afraid, no one will harm you”. Today it was like this, the next day the same, eventually the guardian told the rest of the guards: “either I’m going crazy or I’m having visions, there is a man here who disappears”. One night the guards went to see him, since he used to do his Holy Liturgy by himself at night. They saw him outside the jail, moving his lips, praying. They wanted to stop him but they did not dare. The large jail cell door with heavy locks would open in front of him without anyone touching them, both at night when he left and in the morning when he returned. During this time Father Arsenie also created sketches of his plans for building the shrine at Prislop monastery. 

ROMANIA: What people say about Fr Arsenie Boca

Everything I am telling you I know as I say it, I know this from his close people because I am too young to know these. I always asked how did Father Arsenie had the gifts from God , this godly force to do so many miracles?This is what I found out. In 1937-1938 , Metropolitan Balan of Transylvania asked the young Zianu Boca, son of peasants from Apuseni Mountains to become monk. 

And he made him monk at Sambata monastery and named him Arseny. And soon after that , in 1939 the metropolitan asked Father Arseny at only 29 years , the monk with eyes of fire, like angels, to Mount Athos to learn. And Father was there At Romanian monastery Prodomu , an old and beautiful monastery .Staretz was Father Antipa Dinescu, a monk with great force. And there on Mount Athos a miracle took place , like a great light that changed his entire life .Because of modesty , Father did not speak about what happen to him , in 1939, at Holy mountain. 

So in the Holy Mountain he prayed to Jesus , in a deep forest . He prayed and prayed for a spiritual Father to help him go on the hard path of salvation. But Jesus din not respond. The Father Arsenie started praying even more powerful to Holy Mother of God. And, after a time, as Father said, Holy Mother of God came from clouds to him and took him on his hand and put him on a Mountain so high that you could not even look down.And there , on the top of this Mountain , Holy Mother of God let him to learn from a Saint that lived 200 to 300 years before, Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Then Holy Mother of God disappeared in skies as she appeared. And for 40 days he learned from Saint Seraphim of Sarov , going on the Mountain. 

And for 40 days Father Arsenie fasted continuously with help from Holy Mother of God. And after one year he came back to Romania but he was another man. He was a true prophet and his great power that only if you looked at him you would start shacking. And he knew all your thoughts , your name without even knowing you and everything you did good or bad he knew and you could not hide from him.This is how Father Arsenie changed and how our life changed too.

ROMANIA: Fr Arsenie Boca, a modern prophet - cell (PHOTO STORY)

After coming from Athos, while he was painting an icon of Jesus, Father Arseny heard a 

voice, Arseny, don't paint me on icon, because time is close, go and paint in the hearts of 

people.

 

 

 

 

 

A Miracle of Fr. Arsenie Boca, After His Death

“Fr. Arsenie was a unique phenomenon in the history of Romanian monasticism; a figure of high monastic stature, of a kind that the Romanian Orthodox Church never had before him.” -  Fr. Dumitru STĂNILOAE

-         How long did you stay around Father Arsenie?

-         Not too much; for about a year, because he was arrested, afterwards. Later on, we were arrested, too – myself and five other monks, because we didn’t want to leave the monastery and hence were considered “mystical agitators”.

-         Do you know how Fr. Arsenie was arrested?

-         One day, five men from the Security came, together with an attorney. But Fr. Arsenie had known beforehand that they would come to pick him up, because that was his gift. And when they arrived, he met them with the words: ”You guys, I know why you’ve come, but why don’t you go back home, because if the people see that you’re taking me away, they’ll chase you off with stones. I’ll come to you myself, tomorrow morning.”

The guys didn’t say anything, they just left with their heads down.

-         Were they afraid of him?

-         Maybe not. But they were afraid of the people possibly rioting, because it was early in the period of terror; the worse hadn’t started yet, it was around ’48, when they weren’t sure how the people would react and there were already rumors about the partisans in the mountains. Fr. Arsenie knew about the partisans, as he would help them and receive them for confession. Maybe the Security guys were afraid of the partisans, too.

-         Did you see Fr. Arsenie again later on?

-         Yes, all the time, until the end. After he got out of prison, Fr. Arsenie was taken under Patriarch Justinian’s protection… He was painting the Maicilor Skete (*in Bucharest) and that’s where I saw him again for the first time after he came out of prison. And once, when I was talking to him, he told me, all of a sudden: “You go home, in Făgăraş, and start badmouthing me, [you hear?] – and if you don’t badmouth me, don’t come back here to see me, any more!” I asked him what I should say.

And he said: “That’s ok, you’ll think of something.” (What he meant was that we all knew how to badmouth, if we wanted to.) I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t do what he had asked me to.

-         And what did he say later on, when you saw him again?

-         He was painting – and as I opened the door, he told me: “I told you not to come back to me any more if you didn’t badmouth me.” I replied: “Well, if I had badmouthed you, Father, you wouldn’t have seen me any more.” ”Why?” “Because they would have broken my head.” He laughed.

 -         What was the reason for this test?

 -         I think there were two reasons: first, to find out how the people felt about him, whether they’d stand up for him if they heard someone say anything bad about him… And then, to see if I had kept my sound judgement after having come out of prison.

-         Have you ever experienced any miracle that was related to the Father’s spiritual power?

-         Several, but I can’t talk about them, because people wouldn’t understand. He told me once:

“You [all] come to me, I give you advice, but you also expect miracles. But let me tell you this: I will help you more after I have gone to the Lord, than I do now.” And he was right. I have always felt his help after he passed away. And I lived a miracle, three years ago. I went to the Commemoration that they hold for Fr. Arsenie every year at the Prislop Monastery. I had not been there before so I had set my mind on going there and serving the Liturgy before I [get too old and] die. It was very beautiful.

At about 4 in the afternoon, I left to go back to Bucharest, with somebody who had a car. It was only the driver and myself. But throughout our way back, we felt like there was someone else with us in the car, in the backseat. And I can honestly state that the car didn’t touch the ground until we arrived here in Bărcăneşti. (*village outside Bucharest)

-         What do you mean?

-         It was like floating… We got back in three hours, although when we had left to get there, we had driven for eight hours. On our way back, we came across stops, accidents, but we didn’t stop, we drove through all of them as if we were going through the air. I was looking at the driver and was wondering, why does he cross on the red light, is he asleep? He didn’t say anything; neither did I. It was like we were both afraid to speak. When we got closer to the Monastery here in Bărcăneşti, we could hear how the car was [finally] running on the ground.

And the driver said: “Our car is running on the ground.” I asked him: “My good man, what did you feel?”

He said: “I felt like there’s been someone in the backseat; that’s all. I wasn’t the one driving all the way up here; all I know is that the car went by itself”. At that point I heard a voice in the back: “That’s as far as I will accompany you.” When I turned around to see who had been talking, there was nobody.

 -         Have you told this to anyone else?

 -         No, because today’s people don’t believe any more.

 -         What is the most valuable teaching that you are left with from Father Arsenie?

 -         We should be prepared for the moment of our death by the way in which we lead our lives here, so that we can give a good answer at the Last Judgement. And through the courage of our confession, we should tell the truth, come what may. I have listened to him, which is why I was put in prison.

-         Were you ready to die?

-         Yes. I am now, too.