Message on the National Day of Honoring Martyrs
from Communist Prisons
May 14
Every year, on May 14, the Romanian people honor their martyrs of communist prisons – people who, in times of darkness and persecution, had the courage to speak the truth, to defend their faith and to refuse the compromises of a totalitarian regime that sought to destroy the freedom, conscience and spiritual identity of the Romanian people.
The day was established in memory of the tragic night of May 14 to 15, 1948, when over 10,000 young people – students, intellectuals, clergy and citizens from all social categories – were arrested for peacefully and with dignity opposing the establishment of the communist regime. For them, life became a path of suffering, humiliation and sacrifice.
On this day of remembrance, we pray for the repose of the souls of those who suffered in the camps and prisons of Pitești, Gherla, Aiud, Târgu Ocna, Sighet, Râmnicu Sărat, Jilava, Văcărești, Arad and in so many other places of suffering. They have become today landmarks of collective memory and of spiritual and moral resistance.
From among those who suffered for the faith and the nation, personalities of remarkable spiritual stature have risen, luminous figures of Romanian Orthodoxy: Father Nicolae Steinhardt, Father Daniil Sandu Tudor, Father Arsenie Boca, Father Ioan Iovan, Father Dumitru Stăniloae, Father Sofian Boghiu, Father Arsenie Papacioc, Father Gheorghe-Calciu Dumitreasa, Father Iustin Pârvu – people who transformed suffering into confession and prison into a place of holiness. Some of them are among the saints.
May 14 is not just a commemorative moment, but a call to reflection on the fragility of freedom, on the importance of truth and a clear conscience. Our duty is to keep alive the memory of these martyrs, to honor their courage and to carry forward the creed for which they suffered: freedom, human dignity, Christian faith and love of country.
From here, in Canada – far from our country, but close in heart and faith – let us not let oblivion fall upon the sacrifice of these martyrs. Let us speak to our children about them. Let us carry them in prayer. Let us take them as models of courage, steadfastness and faith.
They were oppressed by an unjust system, but they overcame in spirit. They were imprisoned, but they became free in Christ. They were expelled from the city, but they were welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Today, let us all, wherever we are, be part of this special remembrance. Let us keep their memory alive and carry forward their ideals.
Eternal gratitude and remembrance to the martyrs of communist prisons! Their sacrifice is the foundation of our freedom today.
† Ioan Casian
Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada
Saint-Hubert, May 14, 2025
