The prayer at “Neagra” with Fr. Gheorghe Calciu

Dialogue with Father Gheorghe Calciu on Facing the Hardships of Prison through Prayer

The “Black” was a dark cell containing only a single full tin can, which was never emptied. We used it as it was, to avoid walking across the cell, but everything was filthy — smeared with dirt and urine, even across the floor. We remained there for seven days [this was just one of many times Father Calciu was held in Neagra – n.n.]. Food was given only once every two days: a little tea and a few cakes. There was no light; you didn’t know where you were or where you were going. You knew nothing.

– Was it a normal cell?

– Ordinary, I think — perhaps two by three meters. You had to feel your way around to explore it, but you couldn’t, because it was completely dark. At night, they didn’t give you anything to sit or lie on. You slept just as you were, leaning against the wall.

I often slept on my back — pressed tightly to the wall so that I wouldn’t end up sitting on the floor. When my knees began to slip, I would wake up. And you held on. It wasn’t that hard!

– Wasn’t it difficult to stay like that for seven days?

– Well… then they took me out and let me go to the toilet.

– And what did you do during this time in the Black?

– I prayed to God, because I had nothing else to do — I couldn’t even dream. So I prayed.

– Did you feel peace or calm during that time?

– Yes, it was a state of peace.

– But you knew you were going to get out, didn’t you?

– Of course. I knew I had seven days. I had a fixed sentence for that punishment.

– Many of the Fathers I’ve spoken with said that imprisonment helped them spiritually. Did Your Holiness find it helpful as well?

– Of course. If it helped those Fathers, imagine how much it helped those of us who weren’t theologians! Prison is like purgatory — to use that expression. It’s a purgatory that cleanses you of sin and, above all, elevates you spiritually. I have never been closer to God than when I was in prison. It’s inexplicable, but when you had a Gafencu or an Oprișan in your cell, or when you shared space with a priest, there was a holy atmosphere. I spoke to God more often and felt His presence more intensely there than I do now.