Veritas

This morning we went with Dorothy Tarrant to the House on the Rock, a beautifully restored 17th century building that houses the International Cafe and offices of Veritas. We met with the staff who gather on Tuesdays for a time of devotion and sharing.

These are all bright and well-qualified women, social workers, educators, accountants, who run programs for children, youth and the elderly. Immediately after we were introduced, they started asking many questions. "What is the United Church of Canada? What do you believe? What is happening with the church in Canada?"

Eva, who operates programs for special needs kids, is Hungarian Reformed, Dorothy is Nazarene, and all the rest are Orthodox. We had hoped to be able to meet some Romanian Orthodox and it was good to get their perspective on the issues facing the church. In a lot of ways it sounded just like home. Many of the people who attend their churches are elderly women, raising concerns about the future. Church doesn't seem to appeal to the young. People are so bound by tradition and concerns about buildings, there is little attempt to reach out to a new generation.

Several of the women described new social service projects initiated by the Orthodox Church or in cooperation with other faith based organizations. One challenge in Romania, however, is that while the church historically assisted the disadvantaged, under Communism this responsbility was taken over by the state. It's like the church has to re-learn its mission. We did hear about a day centre for the elderly, financed by EU money, but with all professional staff, leaving little room for local members to get involved.

However, Petra, who spoke very good English, talked about the current patriarch of the Romanian Church who is committed to seeing the church take back many of its traditional social responsibilities. He is also very open to cooperation with other denominations. Another of the women talked about her own priest who makes a real effort to connect with children in the parish, congratulating on doing well in school or in observing disciplines of fasting.

Later, over lunch, Dorothy commented on how there is little "family of faith" sense among the Orthodox. It is difficult for many of them to discuss their faith or to have the confidence to lead Bible study or pray aloud. There is a sense that the church does what the church always has done, and there is no need to cultivate attractional community. Our friend Don Wolf, a Roman Catholic priest, recently traveled in Romania and Bulgaria and sent us some interesting reflections on Orthodox spirituality. This is part of what he wrote:

[People] come, light a candle, pray before the icons, and leave liturgy goes on, much of it behind the iconostasis and thus out of sight of anyone except the priests and deacons, whether there is anyone present or not. Neither the priests nor the people expect anyone to actually be there. After all, if it’s holy and good for the people, it will be just as holy and just as good whether anyone actually attends....Eucharist is the encounter of the Church with the presence of Christ and God’s plan of salvation. It is just as great an encounter if it takes place with the clergy as it would be if it included five thousand people gathered all at once.

It's a good reminder of what widely divergent attitudes, world-views and experiences are gathered under words like "church" or "Christianity."

We got some insight into the cultural mix of Transylvania which has deep-rooted German and Hungarian influences as well. Most of the Germans in Sighisoara left for Germany in 1990-1992 after the fall of communism, bringing to a sad end 8 centuries of robust German culture. But the Hungarians are still very much present. Eva, the social worker, spoke about how important it is to retain Hungarian institutions like the church, but how frustrating she finds it that the intransigence of an older generation is a barrier to younger people coming to faith.

Dorothy told us that one of the woman would be sharing a personal reflection. Oana brought a book about a Romanian monk who was much sought after for his wisdom and spiritual insight. She read a portion in which this monk reflected on the healing of the man lowered through the roof of the house in the Gospel of Luke. Even those weakened and broken physically can be healed and strengthened in their spirits.

It was great to be welcomed by this group of accomplished Christian women who are dedicating themselves to working with many disadvantaged people in Sighisoara.