Memories with Father Vasile

Father Vasile Pătrașcu died “like a tear of blood” in the middle of the 23rd of September 2006. We lost a confessor with much grace, loved, respected and sometimes feared for his firm orthodox attitude, but combined with great modesty and, above all, full of the spirit of Christian gentleness.

Born in Bârlad on 1 January 1922, he studied economics and theology. A militant since his youth, he joined the Brotherhood of the Cross, then spent 18 years in prison, tortured constantly for his intransigence and uncompromising attitude, and then continued his fight for faith and nation as a priest until the end of his life.

Father Vasile was a man of great humility, sensitivity and kindness – a great soul, always ready to help those in need. The tortures he endured in the prison of Pitești did not succeed in washing out his brain, poisoning his soul, turning him into a “re-educated” man who denied all that was holy in him. On the contrary, the hell of Pitești strengthened him and strengthened his faith. Like other “Piteștians”, he did not like to talk about what he suffered there, but in all the memoirs that have appeared, Father Vasile Pătrașcu is quoted as a resilient man of integrity who did not give in, who did not bow to Satan.

I met him in the parish of Nefliu-Măgurele, where I sometimes attended Sunday Liturgy or Holy Unction.

The first thing that catches your eye when you enter the beautiful and flowery cemetery is the mass of small white crosses surrounding the bones of priests that Father Vasile collected from churches demolished during the communist era.

Father Vasile’s spirit of stewardship and leadership was evident everywhere. From a poor village church, with his grace and effort, a true place of pilgrimage was created, attracting the faithful from neighbouring villages, from Bucharest and even from other parts of the country. The old church was consolidated, renovated and painted, and in its courtyard Father Vasile built a parish house, surrounded by a beautiful garden with flowers and ornamental trees. He also made other foundations and helped some parishes in need.

The monumental neon crosses that he erected in the churchyard, in front of the Institute of Atomic Physics in Măgurele and in other well-chosen places illuminate even the most indifferent passer-by, who seems to wake up and make the sign of the cross.

As a priest, Father Vasile was a priest who distinguished himself by the diligence with which he served, without omitting an iota of the typical. Every Liturgy was an offering, his own and that of the faithful of the Church, through the meticulousness with which he served, through the conscientiousness with which he read all the rosaries of the year, through the order and discipline that reigned in the Church. Sunday Liturgy for him began early in the morning and ended around 2 p.m. Most of the faithful remained on their knees for hours during Mass, not because Father imposed it on them, but simply because they felt the need to pray in the state of devotion that prevailed in the Church.

A gracious, tireless and much sought-after confessor, Father Vasile was of a just but gentle severity that made one fulfil the canon not as a punishment, but with the joy of spiritual healing and gratitude.

The Holy Unctions celebrated in the church of Nefliu were of great benefit to those who came with the faith of healing of soul and body, up to the earth-shaking exorcisms, unforgettable for those of us who witnessed them. The Holy Unction, which he celebrated every Wednesday with two other priests, brought to the church a special atmosphere of supplication for the help of God’s power in the struggle to defeat the evil that torments and sickens the faithful.

There was almost always an afflicted person in front of the altar, from whom an inhuman cry could be heard from time to time, like a roar or a howl. These cries would grow louder as the priest came to the altar and began to read the Molitves of St. Basil the Great, with the curses addressed to Satan. I can still see Father Basil stopping the reading, looking over his glasses and commanding like thunder: “Shut up! – and the howls would stop…

A lady who came to every Unction told how Father had cured her of an illness for which the doctors had found no cure. She felt as if she were burning all over, although her body temperature was normal. She came to Father Vasile and begged him, crying: “I’m burning, I’m burning, do something for me, Father!” And with much prayer and effort, Father Vasile healed her – and now she came to Holy Unction to thank God.

I personally loved and honoured Father Vasile in a special way; he felt this and although he was not my confessor, we would sometimes sit and talk for hours. Once he told me about a difficult exorcism when Fr. asked the evil spirit: “Who are you?” and it answered, “Beelzebub! And I will cripple you!” In the same month, a dog bit Father on one leg and the other on the other. These wounds took several months to heal.

Vasile’s church was always full, but more with people from other places than with people from his village. The reason was that Father Vasile showed them, without mercy and with frightening icons, the consequences of abortion, witchcraft and other sinful practices in the village, due to which the village witches created a bad atmosphere among the inhabitants.

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For me, Father Vasile Pătrașcu was much more than a dear friend. For my family he was a true, good and just confessor who helped us in difficult moments. The faithful always come to his flower-filled grave in the church garden, full of gratitude for the spiritual, moral and material help they received from this unique priest.

May God forgive him and may his great soul rest in the garden of heaven!

(Erast Călinescu – Orthodox Family, no. 20)