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Archimandrite Ioanichie Balan The Holy Bishop JohnA Great Hermit of
the in the
Translated from Romanian by Alina Badus |
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FOREWORD The secret life of the
soul of the Holy Bishop John, ex-vicar of the Finding refuge in There Bishop John was seen many times by a few fathers from the monasteries Secu, Sihastria and Agapia. Around 1930 his confessor was the priest Vasian from Sihla. Another father who knew him was the archmandrite Cleopa Ilie, who met him in the Sihla Mountains in the Fall of 1930 while he was guarding the sheep with his brother, Basil, whose close death Bishop John foretold. The one who transmitted the most information about the Holy Bishop John was Father Teodul Varzare, the confessor at the Agapia monastery between 1940-1981. The three meetings in the forests between Sihastria and Agapia, at the place called “Trapezei Meadow,” are the heart of this story, where we learn a few things about the life and works of this holy bishop. |
Father Teodul relates, “What amazes us the most is the angelic life he had reached during his last years, when he was subsisting only on prayer and on the Holy Communion”. He also had the gift of unceasing prayer of the heart, the gift of reading thoughts, the gift of tears and of prophecy, as well as the gift of being invisible to humans. Although he would have
liked to return to his country in his old age it is believed that he remained
in the He was last seen in the forests around the Sihastria monastery in 1951. After that, no one else saw him again. Only God knows where this great man of prayer and performer of miracles rests. After St. Teodora of Sihla, he was greater than all the other hermits in the area. This book also contains a series of drawings based on the text that enrich its contents. It is recommended to all those who love Christ, to use for nourishing their souls.
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Bishop John, Vicar of the |
BISHOP VICAR IN
During the
years 1915-1918 the Holy Bishop John, a great worker for Christ, was the
vicar bishop at the Being gifted by the Holy Spirit, Bishop John rose step by step, working incessantly with his prayers and guiding many souls on the way of redemption. Therefore he was sought after by many faithful laymen and monks who would come to him for confession and for learning the will of God. THE ATHEIST PERSECUTION
Starting in
1918 as the merciful God allowed, atheist Communism entered Seeing the terrible massacre of the Christians, the Metropolitan of Kiev together with his vicars and all the clergy put on laymen’s clothes and hid anywhere they could, to save their lives. Some of them were shot by the Communist army. Others were taken to the gulags in Siberia, where they were killed after the harshest tortures: cold, hunger, thirst, prison, forced labor. And yet others found refuge in forests or in the homes of Christians. Never before in the history of Christendom, except in the persecutions of the first three centuries, were so many Christians and clergy-men killed by pagans and atheists as in the Communist years (1918-1989). It is believed that the Metropolitan of Kiev himself was exiled to Siberia in 1918 together with other clerics and that all were killed there. |
COMING TO
The Bishop
Vicar of In daytime
they would stay hidden on fields and in forests and at night they would walk
towards This is
exactly what the blessed Bishop John did. Guided by the Holy Spirit he
thought it was better to seek refuge in Oltenia[1],
further from the Russian border, than to settle in AT THE CRASNA HERMITAGE His soul, however, could not find peace in the big monasteries of Valcea. He wanted to be as solitary as possible and not engage with anyone on Earth. This is why he went to the monasteries in Gorj county and with the will of God settled at the Crasna hermitage, a small and very quiet hermitage. This was around 1920-1921. At that time, the abbot of Crasna was the priest Dimitrie Lungu, a good father confessor. To this Father Bishop John presented himself, dressed in civilian clothes, unknown to anyone, and through a translator he asked the Father to receive him in the Crasna hermitage, saying: |
Bishop John, shepherding the sheep of the hermitage Crasna - Gorj |
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“Father Abbot,
I am a Christian Orthodox from “Allright, brother! Stay with us; you can be a shepherd for our cattle until you learn Romanian.” But no one besides God knew that the humble John was a bishop and had a high and special life. For three years the blessed bishop worked as a shepherd for the cattle at Crasna hermitage. He was so humble and obedient that he never spoke, never complained and never got angry about anything. On the contrary, he worked with great dedication and love, fasted every day until evening and always prayed in his heart, as he had done since he was young. After three years, having lived them in humbleness and obedience, the abbot told him one day: “Brother John,
prepare yourself: we will tonsure you as a monk at “Yes, father, I will be ready to be tonsured tonight.” That night,
however, before the HERMIT IN THE
For a long
time nothing was heard about this holy bishop. After a few years, around
1926, there was talk about a great Russian hermit dwelling in the |
Bishop John and his confessor, Father Vasian from Sihla |
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other than the blessed Bishop John. There was also talk about a forester who protected the wild animals in the area and who also took care of this holy hermit, bringing him all that was necessary to his hut. Between 1928-1930 the blessed Bishop John was already known to the hermits from Sihlei and Sihastriei Mountains. They even knew that he was a bishop and some of the old fathers would search him for blessings, advice and even confession. From 1929 the priest Vasian Scripca from the Secu monastery retreated to the Sihla hermitage. With this occasion Bishop John chose him as confessor. Thus every time he felt the need he would walk on the ridge of Sihla Mountains to Father Vasian’s hut for confession. The great bishop was sometimes accompanied by a deacon from Bassarabia[3], who would act as translator. At some holidays the deacon would also help him perform the Holy Liturgy. BISHOP JOHN’S PROPHECY ABOUT BROTHER
BASIL’S END
By the will of God, in the Fall of 1930 the brothers Basil and Constantin Ilie (the future Father Cleopa) were guarding the sheep of Sihastria on the mountaintop, at a place called Coroi’s Gorge. Brother Basil walked in front of the sheep, reciting the Psalms of David which he knew by heart and Brother Constantin walked behind him. At that hour the blessed Bishop John was walking on the mountain ridge towards the Sihla hermitage with his deacon. The bishop was walking on the train and the deacon was a bit behind him, each of them reciting the prayer of the heart. When he approached the younger brother Constantin, Bishop John told him through his deacon, in Russian: |
Bishop John foretells Brother Basil’s approaching end |
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Bishop John, hermit on the Ceahlau Mountain |
“Brother Constantin, tell Brother Basil to get ready and go ahead, as he has a long journey!” Then the bishop blessed both brothers and continued his journey towards his confessor, Father Vasian from Sihla. Indeed, after six months Brother Basil fell ill and surrendered his soul to God. HERMIT ON THE CEAHLAU MOUNTAIN
Later when the two brothers arrived with their sheep near Sihla they told Father Vasian about their encounter with Bishop John. Father Vasian told them “Oh Brothers, that is a holy bishop who came here from Russia. But he doesn’t live here any more. He left towards the Ceahlau!” Vasian’s words must have been true, because between 1930-1945 the holy bishop was not seen by anyone. Those 15 years of harsh hermitage on the Ceahlau Mountain probably marked blessed Bishop John forever as one of the greatest hermits and workers of Orthodoxy in the first half of the twentieth century. Only God knew about his great spiritual needs and filled his heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. With him the word of Holy Scripture was fulfilled, saying “Wonderful is God in His saints, the God of our fathers!” In the spring of 1945, this holy hierarch returned to the mountains of Sihla and Sihastria. THE FIRST MEETING WITH FATHER TEODUL
The first father who was destined to meet the Holy Bishop John after his return from the Ceahlau Mountain was Father Teodul Varzare, the confessor of the Agapia Monastery. |
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It was in the summer of 1945. Father Teodul had celebrated the Holy Liturgy at Agapia and wanted to go to Sihastria to talk about something privately with Father Cleopa. Guided by the Holy Spirit, he took his walking stick, crossed himself, passed the ridge of the mountain and started the slow descent towards Sihastria. But as he was passing through the Trapezei Meadow he encountered an unknown hermit with a serene, pious face. He was rather short, with a very bright face and he radiated holiness and contentment. He had blue shiny eyes, his beard was white but not too long. His head was uncovered and his long hair flowed on his back. He wore only one piece of clothing, some sort of tunic he had weaved with his own hands from wool shed by sheep in the forest, as he said. His waist was surrounded by a piece of thick string and he wore no shoes. He didn’t carry a walking stick or a bag or anything else, only a string of prayer beads made from red berries of wild rose. The hermit blessed him with both hands and called him by name, also telling the reason for his journey to Sihastria: “Father Teodul, are you going to Sihastria to see Father Cleopa? asked the great hermit. I go to Sihastria many times and attend the services, but nobody can see me!” Father Teodul was speechless. He was very surprised and felt that he was seeing a great hermit like those of the past ages. Every word of the holy bishop, full of wisdom, entered his heart and brought peace and an unspoken joy to his soul, that he had never felt before. Furthermore, the holy bishop could foresee events and read his thoughts. Thus even before Father Teodul could tell him why he was going to Sihastria, the bishop spoke with him with the voice of prophecy: “Father Teodul, I know you want to move from Agapia to Sihastria, but your holiness shouldn’t do that. You should stay at Agapia because that is where you are needed the most. Your salvation lies there!” |
The first meeting of Bishop John with Brother Teodul |
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Bishop John attends unseen the Holy Mass celebrated by Father Cleopa |
When the
father saw that the bishop could read his thoughts and give advice for the
future he developed some courage and started to ask him where he was from,
what his name was, where he had lived and how he had found his way to those
places. With no hesitation the hermit started to speak: “My name is John and
I am a bishop…” Then he recounted his entire life, from being a bishop in Their talk lasted for more than an hour and the priest wished it never ended, as he had never met a man as pious as Bishop John. He wanted to ask him many, many things because he felt that he was gifted by the Holy Spirit. And as there was still war and turmoil among the peoples, Father Teodul asked him: “Holy one, what is the meaning of all these wars and terrible times that have come upon our world?” “Father Teodul, these are apocalyptic times. To understand them better, read the Gospel by St. Matthew, chapters 24 and 25. The prophecies written there have begun to come true…” The time went by fast and the Holy Bishop John got ready to leave. At the end of the talk he told Father Teodul: “Father Teodul, bring me a stack of paper and a kilo of ink” “But what do you want to do with them, o holy one?” “I need to write something” “Should I bring you a pen as well?” The good hermit pointed to the crowns of the trees and said: “I only need a nib, look how many pens I can find here!” “But where should I deliver the paper?” “Don’t worry about this, Father Teodul. God takes care of everything!” |
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“Holy one, do you want me to bring some bread as well, or some other food?” “I don’t need anything; by God’s grace I have everything I need!…” After this talk Father Teodul kissed his hand and asked for his blessing. The bishop blessed him with both hands and told him: “May God bless you and forgive me!” This is what he always used to say. Then Father Teodul descended in the valley towards Sihastria and Bishop John remained leaning on a fir tree for a moment. He then disappeared in the darkness of the forest without a trace, like a deer. Father Teodul’s heart was filled by a great and strange joy. He had spoken to a holy man who lived in the forest by himself, only in the presence of God. It seemed that he didn’t have a disciple any more. Who can know the secrets of the hermits? Perhaps the deacon had died or had followed a different path. THE SECOND MEETING WITH FATHER TEODUL
After his return to the Agapia monastery Father Teodul went immediately into the village to buy paper and ink. Although they were very hard to find, he was able to obtain a thousand sheets of paper and a bottle of ink as soon as he had requested them from the storekeeper. Not long after this, during the same summer, Father Teodul put the paper, the ink and some bread in his bad. He then took his walking stick and started walking on the same trail leading from Agapia towards Sihastria, trusting that God would bring the Holy Bishop John on his path again. His heart was burning with the desire to see and speak to the wonderful hermit once again |
The second meeting of Bishop John with Father Teodul |
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Council in Trapezei Meadow |
After passing the Agapia ridge towards Sihastria, as soon as he reached the edge of Trapezei meadow he found himself face to face with the holy bishop again, without seeing where he had come from. Father Teodul felt a calmness of soul, peace and hope for redemption. Bishop John held his prayer beads in his left hand, and the right hand was on his chest, as in prayer. He seemed alien of all earthly things and human joys. After Father Teodul kissed his hand, Holy John blessed him with both hands and asked him kindly: “Father Teodul, are you heading towards Sihastria? You should return to Agapia, as Father Cleopa is gone today: he was called for a council at the Neamt monastery!” “Holy one, I brought you paper and ink. Here are some nibs as well!” The bishop received them with great joy, thanking God and the priest for granting his wish. Then he carefully put them in his backpack. Who knows what he was going to write? Maybe private teachings of the soul. Maybe some godly discoveries. Or maybe even his life, so full of tribulations and yet so unknown. Only God alone knew all these. “Holy one, said Father Teodul, I brought you some food as well: bread, fruit and a bit of wine. Receive them in the name of God!” “God will reward your love, Father Teodul, but I don’t need anything. God takes care of me!” And now matter how much Father Teodul insisted, he wouldn’t even look at the basket to see what was in it. But in order not to upset the priest or neglect his love, the good hermit added these words: “Father Teodul, a very useful thing for a monk is to fast. You should know that there are seven steps of fasting, so there are seven kinds of food for man: |
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1. The meat-eaters, meaning those who always eat meat. They are on the lowest step of the fast. Even if they sometimes restrain from food, they can never advance in holy prayer. 2. The lacto-vegetarians, those who never eat meat but only milk, cheese, eggs and all sorts of boiled vegetables. This is the second step of fasting, usually held by the monks in big monasteries with communal life. 3. The vegetarians, those who eat only herbs and vegetables, cooked or raw. This style is held by the most dedicated monks in the big monasteries. And from this point on, the harder steps of fasting are usually followed only by monks in hermitages and by the devout hermits. 4. The fruit-eaters, those who eat only once a day bread and raw fruit, never tasting any other kind of food. Those who reach this stage of fasting, those can easily control their bodies and thoughts and can advance greatly in prayer. 5. The grain-eaters, those are the monks who eat once a day but only dark grain bread and softened grains of wheat, corn, millet, lentils, peas, etc. 6. Dry food, the sixth stage of monastic fasting, is usually attained only by the most devout hermits. Those who undertake this difficult commitment eat only bread soaked in water, with salt or a bit of vinegar, and this only once a day and in small quantities. 7. Godly food or manna, the last and highest stage of fasting, is only reached by very few hermits after prolonged prayer and being strengthened by the Holy Spirit. They only take Holy Communion, the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which they receive once or twice a week and taste nothing else but water. God’s grace helped me and I have attained this last stage so I feel no hunger nor need for bread or vegetables. |
The life of the hermits, and of all those who yearn for God, is very happy |
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Through this detailed description of fasting and of its stages, Bishop John showed himself to be a true follower of the Holy Fathers and a great faster, on the same level as the holy hermits of the past. And if he confessed that he was on the seventh step of the fast, taking only the Holy Communion, this was only by the will of God, so that we can appreciate his holiness better, believe that saints can live even in our times and also realize how great and important fasting is on the path of human redemption. Without fasting, tears do not come. Without fasting and humility no one can reach the godly stages of prayer. This is why the good saint did not take any food from Father Teodul. Because he felt no need for it. Because he nourished himself mostly with the word of God; more with prayer than with bread. His food consisted of the Holy Sacraments and ceaseless prayer. After Father Teodul asked him other things about fasting and prayer, he added: “O holy, in the forest where you live, aren’t you cold, don’t you need warmer clothes, especially in the winter?” “I am the citizen of the “Holy one, said Father Teodul, I would like to retire to the Sihastria monastery, among the monks! I think I would have more peace and time to pray there.” “If the Metropolitan sent you to Agapia, then you should comply; you were sent there only by the will and orders of God.” Father Teodul would have asked Bishop John many more questions. However, the bishop didn’t talk much because he didn’t want to cease saying the Jesus Prayer, which was always in his heart. Therefore Father Teodul thanked Holy John from the bottom of his heart for the advice and useful words, kissed his |
hand and asked for a blessing so he could leave. And the bishop, marking him with the sign of the Holy Cross, told him: “May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and forgive me…” Father Teodul returned to the Agapia monastery and the Holy Bishop John – “the citizen
of the No one heard anything about this holy bishop for another year. The only one who could have said more and who understood him better was undoubtedly Father Vasian Scripca, his confessor, who was then the abbot of the Secu monastery. THE THIRD MEETING WITH FATHER TEODUL In the spring of 1946, Father Teodul decided to visit Father Cleopa again at the Sihastria monastery. He also wanted in his heart to meet the Holy Bishop John once again,to ask for his advice and blessing. So taking his walking stick he climbed the mountain and when he reached the Trapezei meadow he saw the gentle and serene face of the Holy John. Father Teodul kissed his hands and bowed, and the bishop blessed him, kissing his forehead. Then they sat to rest on the trunk of a felled tree. Here in the mysterious air of the forest they spoke many words about the redemption of the soul. Nothing earthly, not a single word about men, about their needs or joys. Time went by fast, the sun seemed to rise on the sky faster and the bishop stood up. HE seemed to be lost in thought: “I wish to go back to my country! Bishop John said. We have plenty of forests that I could dwell in there. I would like to spend the end of my life there. Then Father Teodul said: “How could you go to your holiness’s country now, with the atheist persecution that still exists there?” “I trust in God that nobody will be able to see me when I |
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The third meeting with Father Teodul |
leave, being covered by His hand!” A few moments of deep silence followed. The Holy John would have liked to live his last years in the country where he had first seen the light of day and where he had found God. But he hadn’t decided yet. He was waiting for some brotherly advice. Then understanding that it was better to stay than to leave he prepared to return again to his beloved solitude. Bowing to each other, they kissed for the last time in Christ. Then after the usual blessing with the sign of the Holy Cross, they parted. From that hour and day a few years of deep silence passed. Nobody knew anything about Bishop John. Nobody met him in the forest again. Therefore it was believed that he had either passed into eternity or had returned to his native country. Not even Father Teodul the confessor saw him, although he would often cross the ridge of the mountain to Sihastria and stop in the Trapezei meadow; he would sing a hymn there or call his name, but nobody came to talk to him or bless him. Then Father Teodul would go back with a heavy sorrow in his heart. THE MEETING WITH BROTHER STEPHEN
After five years of silence, in the spring of 1951, blessed Bishop John was met by one of the brothers from Sihastria monastery, Stephen Juncu, who was shepherding the sheep in the Chitele meadow. The grass and tree buds had just begun to grow. Brother Stephen was walking alone behind the sheep. Suddenly he noticed that all the sheep had gathered together and stopped grazing, and the dogs had stopped and seemed astonished. When he looked closer he saw among them an old hermit. It was the Holy Bishop John, alone and full of years. Brother Stephen had heard about him and in that moment concluded that it could only be him. Then he heard Holy Bishop John say, “I wonder how I sinned before God, since he revealed |
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me to men…” And suddenly the hermit summoned Brother Stephen to him and, calling him by name, told him: “Brother Stephen, come here and don’t be afraid! I know you confess to Father Abbot Ioil. But please don’t tell anyone, not even your confessor, that you met me today!” Undoubtedly, the venerable hermit was upset because he had been encountered by humans. He lived the hardest hermitic life here, in the middle of the forests, above the Sihastria monastery and he was so advanced in faith that he needed no outside help: neither shelter, nor food or clothing. He didn’t even want to see a human face until the end of his life. This is why he was sad when he saw this brother. And this happened to be for a small mistake of his, as he himself admitted, to humble him or for our benefit. That day having passed, Brother Stephen descended with his sheep to the sheepfold. Then he came to the monastery and was struggling with the thought of not telling anyone that he had met the holy hermit. After a few days, however, prevailing over temptation, he dared to confess to Father Ioil, his abbot and confessor, everything that had happened in the forest. And the abbot, as soon as he heard this, took in his bag some dried bread and some more food and walked for almost a week in the forests around the monastery with Father Visarion from Sihla but without finding the pious John. THE CANON OF DISOBEDIENCE Brother Stephen couldn’t find his peace. He was very sorry for breaking his promise to a holy bishop. His conscience was scolding him and he kept thinking about how he could find the venerable bishop to confess his sin. And after one month, while he was walking with the sheep through the forest, he met the holy hermit John again. Brother Stephen bowed immediately |
Bishop John, surrounded by the sheep from Sihastria |
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Holy Bishop John, scolding the disobedient Brother |
and asked for forgiveness for breaking his promise. And the holy bishop forgave him and gave him a canon for repentance, saying: “Brother Stephen, I asked you one thing and you didn’t fulfill it. You should know that you’ll join the army but you won’t come back and stay in the world instead!” And this is exactly how it happened. The brother was taken in the army[4] and left to Ardeal[5]; after his release he didn’t return to the monastery. THE LAST YEARS That was the Holy Bishop John’s last meeting with the inhabitants of that place. Since 1951 nothing is known about the holy bishop. Most people believe that he passed onto God, because he was old and tired after so many trials as a hermit. If that is true, then we wonder where is his grave? Does anyone know when and where he died? Or maybe he passed his last years completely separate from men, like the saints of the past? If it is so, and we believe that this is the truth, then Bishop John can truly be considered a saint of our days who must be honored as such. There are many cases when in the forests, under rocks and in abandoned huts bones of holy hermits are found who had lived alone with Christ and had died alone, without anyone burying them. It would be no wonder for someone to discover, with God’s help, Holy Bishop John’s earthly remains! This would be one last blessing to us. Others that knew about him think that Bishop John retired to his native country as he had wished and that he fell asleep in the Lord there. |
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In any case, we know one thing, that Bishop John was a great worker of God, maybe the greatest to have lived in this area, besides St. Teodora from Sihla. He led a sacred life and will be a living model of piety, humility, patience, unceasing prayer and true life in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, please take Bishop John the faithful one among your hierarch saints and with the prayers of Your Holy Mother and of all the saints strengthen the true faith on Earth and redeem our souls. Amen. |
Bishop John, blessing |
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