Father Roman Braga, the man of balance and love

Fr. Roman Braga is a true blessing, not only because of his imposing spiritual and cultural status, but also because of the opportunity to meet one of those giants of the Spirit who knew how to transfigure the great suffering of the communist imprisonment. The dialogue with His Holiness is an opportunity for a fruitful reunion, also thanks to the thorough cultural formation that the Father has received since the interwar period in Romania.

Moreover, he is convinced that only the resumption of the link with the local cultural tradition between the two world wars will naturally lead to the formation of a true Romanian culture. His Holiness speaks of the need to preserve the specificity of Romanian spirituality if we do not want to lose our identity. The Father Archimandrite also believes that this moral, political and other crisis in which Romania finds itself today is also largely due to the fact that there is no deep connection with what our forefathers achieved in the inter-war period.

Father Roman Braga has been in America for over 40 years and his presence there, along with the nuns of the convent, has had a special significance for many Americans and Canadians who have converted to the true faith or have become more aware of their own Orthodox identity. Here’s what one of them had to say: “It is a great honour for the Romanian nation, where the first nuns and Father Roman came from, because it has given us Orthodox Christians in North America a special gift”.

Father Roman Braga was effectively expelled from Romania during the communist regime, but God had a certain plan for His Holiness in relation to the Orthodox mission in the United States. Father’s book, Exploring the Inner Universe, has been published in several editions in English and is much sought after by American converts. His Holiness has translated many of the Romanian psalm chants into English with grace and professionalism. In this way, the monastery’s English-language services bring something of the atmosphere of Moldovan monastic settlements and attract seekers of truth like a magnet. American (neo-)Protestantism is currently undergoing a major crisis which, perhaps unexpectedly, is opening the doors of Orthodoxy on the American continent. Conversions to Orthodoxy are becoming more numerous and spectacular. Going to the Monastery of the Assumption in Rives Junction, one suddenly realises that Romanian Orthodoxy can transmit something profound to the whole world, if it is confessed with right account, with love and without arrogance.

Father Roman Braga knows the problems of young people very well, as the following words will show. Students from the surrounding universities regularly come to the monastery, even though some of them are not Orthodox. They also come to talk to the priest, who, at 91, is unfortunately no longer able to receive them all the time. Father Roman Braga is not only a very good scholar, but also a man of balance and love. His Holiness tells young people that intellectual superficiality can become a veil that prevents us from finding God. At the same time, Father teaches us that we exist only as long as we help others. Only service to others gives meaning to our lives. For those of us in the country, Father Archimandrite tells us that there is a great need in Romania for a mature, dignified Orthodoxy, independent of the political factor, an Orthodox faith capable of responding adequately to the challenges of globalisation.

Perseverance and seriousness in prayer have made the Assumption Monastery near Detroit a living miracle, an oasis of grace and confidence in the power of faith. In this blessed place, Father Roman Braga gives credible witness to what Orthodox and Romanian spirituality is all about.

(Protos. Theophan P. – Magazine “Words for Young People”, Putna Monastery, Year VI, 2013, pp. 12-13)

1. The original title of the article, “Father Roman Braga, the last survivor of the Burning Bush”, is uninspired, because Father Roman is not the last survivor of the Burning Bush, there are still alive Emanoil Mihăilescu and Dan Pistol, both arrested and convicted as students of the “Burning Bush” conspiracy. We have therefore taken the liberty of replacing the title given by the author.