The 2018/19 edition of ROYA’s Winter Camp took place December 26, 2018 to January 1, 2019 at the newly re-located monastery of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God in Allegan, Michigan. The turnout was incredible, close to 50 youth attended, nearly twice as many as last year’s camp. President Rareș Răducu remarked that “The reason ROYA has flourished so much over the years is because we put Christ at our core, nothing else”. There is no doubt that this fellowship in Christ was on full display at this year’s camp.
ROYA was blessed to receive in its midst His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae as well as V. Rev. Fr. Nicolae Buga as guest speakers on the subject of this year’s theme in honour of the 100th anniversary of Romania’s Great Union. Prior to the conferences, the youth, dressed in traditional attire, sang several carols for the guests, even moving Fr. Buga to the verge of tears. Fr. Buga went on to speak with great knowledge and understanding concerning the historical context in which Romania developed as an Orthodox nation, the obstacles the Romanian people were able to overcome as a result of their common faith, and the inseparability of the Orthodox faith from Romanian culture.
His Eminence added an exposition of Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae’s works on Orthodoxy and the Romanian culture, as well as stressing our duty to preserve the Orthodox faith as it was passed down to us by our ancestors having respect, in the same time, of other traditions. A key theme that emerged was Romanian Orthodoxy’s equilibrium, being neither too fanatical nor too culturally oriented: “The Romanian unites lucid rationality… with the awareness of mystery present in all things… St. Calinic of Cernica was both contemplative and practical. He was a man of unceasing prayer, but also a protector of the poor and a builder of churches.” His Eminence also graciously provided all participants with a signed and personally dedicated copy of his newly published book, On the Path of Salvation with Christ, from the Nativity to the Resurrection. Many thanks, Your Eminence!
Our beloved Fr. Hrisostom from Putna Monastery in Romania made a guest appearance via Skype – a pleasant surprise indeed! Besides this, the youth also held stimulating group discussions among themselves and with Fr. Atanasie, spiritual father of the monastery, on various faith-related topics.
Pr. Buga mentioned one traditional Romanian saying that particularly caught my attention: “Apa trece, iar pietrele rămân”, i.e. “The water flows on, but the stones remain”. This is primarily in reference to the Romanian people (popor) enduring all manner of misfortune for the sake of their homeland and its ideals as opposed to the waves of migrants that were attracted by its bounty but moved on once hardship arose. Perhaps there can even be gleaned a deeper meaning in this maxim: the worries of this life are fleeting; only the Truth, the bedrock upon which the Church is built, is eternal. This is just one of many things which demonstrate how anchored in the Orthodox Christian faith the Romanian culture truly is; even seemingly innocuous sayings can be drawn back to Christ. To be sure, so long as the Savior has not yet come again, there can be no paradise on this fallen earth. Yet in the motherland, the stones (the Romanian people) have found the best possible alternative; in their harmonious way of living, they have stumbled on a little foretaste of the paradise to come.
This is why it is said that “Om în rai, asta este România”, i.e. “Man in heaven, this is Romania”. It is a land historically united by the Orthodox faith and love for Christ, and a people which endured much persecution for His sake. When I attend ROYA events I cannot help but feel as though I am in a microcosm of this very same heaven; geographical separation is not a limiting factor so long as the spirit and mindset of our forefathers remains. The harmony and equilibrium specific to Romanian Orthodoxy which Fr. Buga and His Eminence spoke so eloquently about were clear for all to see at camp; it was cerebrally planned yet unfolded organically, in such a way that it was neither too rigidly structured, nor too haphazardly thrown together. Furthermore, we didn’t sing carols, dress in costume populare, or pray in church out of a sense of obligation. We didn’t fake attachment to each other or to our ancestral faith; we lived it authentically. Fr. Hrisostom mentioned that the state of our relationship with our neighbours is a “measuring stick” for our love of God. If my observations at this camp are anything to go by, then ROYA is surely on the right path in that respect.
No ROYA event would be complete without the celebration of the Divine Liturgy; we were blessed with three, including one at the tail-end of a magnificent vigil. To celebrate the Liturgy at midnight was an otherworldly experience, the undisputed apex of our stay. Somehow the prayers always seem to rise more easily when they are offered as a group. A special thank you to Professor Leonard Milea for his excellent guidance in chanting the services and kindling a profound interest in liturgical chant and traditional Romanian music among many of the youth.
As is customary, the midnight transition to the new year was spent kneeling in communal prayer, in which we each prayed for the intercessions of a particular Romanian or North American saint, a most fitting way to begin the new year. Naturally, this was followed by a campfire where the group sang traditional Romanian patriotic songs and carols. Upon leaving, the youth were gifted with – among other things – a copy of Eternity in the Moment, the first book on the life of Elder Arsenie Papacioc to be translated to English, and an absolute must-read!
In Romania it’s said that “man sanctifies the place” (omul sfințește locul). Romania is blessed with Orthodoxy because its people lived Orthodoxy. ROYA is similarly blessed because its members are Orthodox. So long as its individual members continue to fulfil their ministry as witnesses of Christ, by God’s providence, ROYA will continue to flourish and live up to its name (Romanian Orthodox Youth of the Americas). On that note, we’d like to thank the event planning committee, the guest speakers, Fr. Atanasie, the volunteers, the participants, and all others involved in ensuring the success of this event. We eagerly await the next edition of the Winter Camp, which will mark the first such event at the newly active monastery of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God. May God grant ROYA many blessed years!
Edward Bangala
