Virgil Maxim, one of those prison saints

A very important figure, admired by all of us, was Virgil Maxim, who was arrested in 1941 while still in the 8th grade (the equivalent of today’s 12th grade). When I met him, he had already spent nearly nine years in prison. He possessed a profound intellectual background, was a deeply moral man, and a loyal comrade. He always knew how to offer sound advice and inspire confidence in one’s ability to endure — always finding words that touched the heart. A man of faith, his conduct was impeccable. He belonged to the same spiritual category as Ioan Ianolide and Valeriu Gafencu, with whom he had shared imprisonment in Aiud — one of those saints of the prisons.

He never spoke ill of anyone, never lost his temper, and never quarreled. You must understand that when people find themselves in dire circumstances — in filth, hunger, and constant fear — arguments can erupt over the smallest things. Yet this man accepted every deprivation and every hardship with dignity. He never raised his voice, never complained, and never wavered in his calm.

He was released in 1964. Despite having spent twenty-three years behind bars, he remained serene and joyful. He later married, had children, and even grandchildren.

(Nistor Man — Saints I Met. A Conversation with Traian Călin Uba, Civic Academy Foundation Publishing House, Bucharest, 2012, p. 70)