Commemorated on April 11
Our holy Father Callinicus (Calinic) of Cernica, who served as bishop
of Ramnicu Valcea in Romania was born in Bucharest on October 7, 1787,
near the church of St Bessarion. His parents, Anthony and Flora
(Floarea) Antonescu, were honest and pious people. In holy Baptism he
received the name Constantine.
Constantine’s mother brought her
son to church and taught him his prayers, instilling in him a deep love
for the Most Holy Theotokos. When he was old enough, he was sent to
school in Bucharest. In addition to the usual subjects taught at that
time, he also learned Greek.
After raising her children, Flora
became a nun in the monastery of Pasarea, and was given the new name
Philothea. Her first son became a priest, and later he received the
monastic tonsure, taking the name Acacius. It is not surprising that the
younger son, Constantine, became attracted to the monastic life and
wished to follow their example.
On Feast Days, Constantine loved
to visit the monastery of Cernica. The igumen at that time was the most
devout George, who was a disciple of St Paisius Velichkovsky (November
15). The Cernica monastery also followed the Rule of St Paisius.
In 1807, when he was twenty years old, Constantine left his home and
entered the monastery. He was given into the care of Father Pimen, a
master woodcarver, and one of the Spiritual Fathers of the monastery. In
a short time, Constantine surprised the rest of the monks by the way he
fulfilled his monastic obediences, by his prayer and fasting, and by
his exceptional love and innate goodness. At his tonsure, he received
the new monastic name Callinicus, and was soon esteemed for his love of
prayer, his humility, and his balanced spiritual life. Some of the less
zealous monks, however, were ashamed when they saw his exceptional
fervor.
The young monk continued to fulfill his obediences, and
amazed the brethren with his purity, knowledge, long-suffering,
kindness, and unfeigned love (2 Cor. 6:6-7). Therefore, Fr Pimen decided
not to wait for the full three years of monastic trial for Constantine.
On November 9, 1808, with the blessing of Igumen Timothy, Brother
Constantine was tonsured with the name Callinicus.
Fr Callinicus
prayed, fasted, fulfilled all the rules, and permitted himself only
three hours of sleep each day. Because of the strictness of his life,
and his good example to others, he was ordained to the diaconate on
December 3, 1808. He remained under the supervision of Father Pimen, for
no one may enter the Kingdom of Heaven without obedience.
Hierodeacon Callinicus, because of the strictness of his life, soon
attracted the notice of Igumen Timothy. In 1813, after many of the
priests at the monastery had died from cholera, Deacon Callinicus was
found worthy of the holy priesthood. His ordination took place on
February 4, 1813. Though at twenty-six he was younger than most of the
other monks, they respected his wisdom and asked him to become their
Confessor and Spiritual Father. So it was that on September 20, 1815
Metropolitan Nectarius himself made him the Spiritual Father of the
monastery.
So great were his spiritual qualities that many people
came to him for Confession, not only monks and laymen from various
lands, but even the Metropolitan himself. They all found in him the
consolation and tenderness of God. Since the humble Callinicus knew the
monastery’s rules so well, Igumen Timothy also made him the Ecclesiarch.
Elder Timothy reposed on March 3, 1816, departing this life with his
soul at peace. He had built a large church on the island of St Nicholas,
and dedicated it to that saint. Although the work of painting icons in
the church was only half finished, he knew that others would complete
the work he had begun.
St Callinicus took part in this work
himself. In 1812 he and his Spiritual Father Pimen went to Moldavia
looking for help. Upon their return, Fr Pimen went to the Holy Mountain
for greater tranquility. St Callinicus found himself under obedience to
Fr Dorotheus, who was elected to replace Fr Timothy as Igumen in 1816.
Since Fr Dorotheus was quite old, most of the cares of the monastery
rested on the shoulders of St Callinicus. These responsibilities did not
interfere with his work of enlightening his own soul, however.
In 1817, Fr Dorotheus, feeling that his end was near, sent St Callincus
and the monk Dionysius (who spoke Turkish) to bring Fr Pimen back from
Mount Athos so that he could replace him as igumen. St Callinicus was
happy to undertake this journey. Arriving on the Holy Mountain, St
Callinicus and Fr Pimen visited many of the monasteries there, observing
the life of the monks. He learned many things which he later applied
when he was the igumen of the monastery, and even as bishop. He listened
to the counsels of the Athonite monks, both the learned and those who
were humble.
After helping the monasteries with whatever they
had, they celebrated the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, St
Callinicus and Fr Pimen returned to Romania in 1818. When they got to
Cernica, they found Fr Dorotheus still alive, and he told Fr Pimen to
take his place. The Lord, however, decreed otherwise.
The
ever-memorable Fr Dorotheus fell asleep in the Lord on December 13,
1818. On the following day, the monks of Cernica elected St Callinicus
as the next igumen. Fr Pimen was not saddened by this at all. He
remained as the Spiritual Father of St Callinicus, and until his death
he continued to advise and to love his former disciple. Fr Pimen was
placed in charge of the monastery’s vestments, and of all the
monastery’s business. He introduced some new rules to Cernica, which
were similar to those he found on Mount Athos. The monks of Cernica
found these rules very difficult to follow. Perhaps that is the reason
why St Callinicus was chosen as igumen, rather than Fr Pimen.
Eleven years had passed since the saint entered the monastery, and now
he was thirty years old. In less than two years he had completed the
iconography work in the church of St Nicholas on the island. He also
finished the exterior of the church, and furnished it with everything
needful. Seeing the zeal which St Callinicus had for God’s house,
Metropolitan Dionysius Lupu raised him to the rank of Archimandrite.
St Callinicus was very patient and kind with people, but he could also
be very strict when it was necessary. He counseled those who were lazy
or disobedient, and he sent some of them away to other monasteries so
that his monks would not be influenced by their bad example. He would
not allow slander in the monastery, considering this vice to be “the
death of the soul.” Abba Or says something similar. See SAYINGS OF THE
DESERT FATHERS, transl. Benedicta Ward London, 1975, p. 207, # 15.
The saint fulfilled his responsibilities as igumen with great fervor,
though he knew what a difficult task to govern men is. He believed that the
igumen should be “the heart of all hearts who seek him or ask him for
instruction or consolation. He is the path to perfection for all the
believing souls around him.
Just as Sts Anthony the Great
(January 17), Pachomius (May 15) and Macarius (Jan. 19) were responsible
for many monasteries in the desert of Egypt, so was St Callinicus
responsible for several monasteries and sketes in addition to his own.
The monasteries of Pasarea, Tiganesti, Caldarusani, and the Sketes of St
John of Tigia, Poiana Marului, Ratesti, and Ciorogirla.
The
parish churches at Campina, Ghenoaia, and Tohani Buzaului were also
under his authority. In the latter church, it was the prerogative of the
Spiritual Father of Cernica to choose the chief priest.
St
Callinicus was the igumen of Cernica during difficult times. In March of
1821 the uprising of Tudor Vladimirescu began. After this, the Turks
attacked the country, and many of the citizens of Bucharest sought
shelter in the monastery of Cernica.
St Callinicus received
everyone with paternal love, hiding them in the cells of the church of
St Nicholas. At this time he sent monks to the island of St George. On
May 15 of the same year, the Turks came to the town of Catsela, which
was close to the monastery. Someone informed the Turks that some rebels
were hiding in the monastery. The Turks surrounded the buildings and
placed cannons everywhere, intending to raze the monastery.
Learning of this danger, St Callinicus assembled the people and the
monks in the church. After encouraging them, he prayed all night in the
church with them, asking that they and the monastery might be spared.
The next day he sent a monk to the Pasha at Catsela to assure him that
there were only simple folk from Bucharest with women and children in
the monastery. The Pasha changed his mind, and sent soldiers to protect
the monastery from danger.
The supply of food for those staying
in the monastery began to run low, but the monks had no more provisions.
Deeply saddened, St Callinicus prostrated himself in front of an icon
of the Most Holy Theotokos and St Nicholas, and prayed for assistance.
When he finished praying, a miracle took place. Five carts loaded with
bread and drawn by two bulls came through the monastery gates.
Another Pasha came to the monastery of Pasarea in the village of
Panteleimon, and kidnapped one of the nuns. St Callinicus moved the rest
of the nuns from Pasarea to the monastery of Snagov for their safety.
He then wrote a letter of protest to the governor, who ordered the Pasha
to release the nun. The Pasha swore that he would destroy the monastery
of Cernica and take revenge upon St Callinicus. Once again, the saint
learned of the Pasha’s intentions, and he prayed all night long with his
clergy for the monastery to be spared.
At midnight, the Pasha
was prepared to attack the monastery, but first he asked for a cup of
coffee. A servant handed him the coffee, and as he did so, he shot the
Pasha. The bullet struck the bag of gold coins which he wore under his
shirt, and so he was not killed. In gratitude for his deliverance, he
sent the gold to St Callinicus saying that it should be used to build a
well for the monastery.
Fearing some sort of trickery, the saint
told the Turks, “If you wish, and if you are telling the truth, then you
yourselves should build the well next to the bridge.” Workmen built the
well on the north shore of St George’s Island, and it is known as the
Well of the Turk, to this very day.
On another occasion, the
monastery cook told St Callinicus that they had no more flour. He
replied, “Let us place our hope in the Mother of God and in St Nicholas,
and we shall want for nothing.” The saint went to his cell to pray
before the holy icons, asking St Nicholas to help them.
A miracle
took place that evening after Vespers. A cart with two drivers came to
the monastery with a load of flour. They asked Fr Charalampus, the
ecclesiarch, where to unload the flour which their master had sent as a
gift. When the monk asked for the name of their master, they said that
he wished to remain anonymous. St Callinicus served a Molieben of
Thanksgiving to St Nicholas, and then went to bless the flour, which was
used to bake bread for the consolation of the brethren.
In 1827,
a certain man came to the monastery when St Callinicus was speaking to
his Spiritual Father, Pimen. The man asked if he might borrow fifty lei
(Romanian currency). An hour after this man had left; a young man came
to St Callinicus and kissed his hand saying, “Holy Father, my father has
died. Before his death he told me to give one thousand lei to the
monastery. I do not have the full amount now, but here are five hundred
lei, and later on I will bring you another five hundred lei.”
St
Callinicus realized that the person who had requested the loan of fifty
lei had been sent by God to test his mercy and his love, and so he
received ten times that amount in return. Fr Pimen asked him, “What were
you thinking, Fr Callinicus, when you gave alms to that man?”
The saint replied, “I wanted to give one hundred lei, but I did not have
that much. I gave him fifty and received five hundred. As the Gospel
says, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy’ (Matt.
5:7).”
After Matins one morning in July of 1829, St Callinicus
was in his cell reading the Life of St Nicholas. When he got to the
sixth chapter, he fell asleep from weariness after the all-night Vigil.
Suddenly, St George appeared in his armor and St Nicholas in the
vestments of a bishop. Behind them was Father George, the late igumen of
Cernica.
“Arise,” said St Nicholas, “and on this island build a
church dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr George.” St George told him,
“We will send you everything that you require.” Then Igumen George said,
“Do not doubt in your heart.” They departed after saying these things.
When he woke up, Fr Callinicus continued reading the Life of St
Nicholas until he reached the end. Then he went out to visit his
Spiritual Father Pimen on the small island of St George in order to ask
him whether this vision might have been some sort of temptation from the
Devil. “No, my child,” Fr Pimen replied, “this is not demonic, but is
really something from God. These same three individuals also appeared to
me three times tonight, ordering the work to begin at once. I have just
finished getting dressed so that I could pass on their instructions to
you.”
At that time there were only a few cells on St George’s
Island, among them was the cell of the late Igumen George, where Fr
Pimen had now taken up his residence. There was also a small church
dedicated to St George, a gift from Bratovian. Next to this, St
Callinicus built a large and beautiful church.
In time, the words
of St George were fulfilled, and indeed all that was necessary was
provided. Several years after the uprising of Tudor Vladimirescu, a
certain Romanian noble made a secret agreement to banish the Phanariots
from the country and to choose a Romanian king. They collected money and
other necessities for this purpose. The funds were to be held by Bishop
Ioannicius, who lived in Bucharest. The nobles told him that if their
plan failed, and if they had to flee the country, that the money should
be used to build a church. The holy bishop also contributed some of his
own money to this sum.
In 1831, during an outbreak of cholera,
Bishop Ioannicius came to Cernica and entrusted all the money to St
Callinicus. The building of the church had already begun in 1823. It was
completed in 1836 and consecrated that year on the Feast of the
Transfiguration (Aug. 6).
In January of 1838, the church was
destroyed by a great earthquake. The saint restored it and built cells
nearby, surrounding the buildings with strong walls. This work was
completed in 1842. In 1846, he began construction of a church at the
Skete of Pasarea, which was consecrated the following year.
St
Callinicus also built a church in Buesti on the Baragan River, and he
built stone houses in the village for the overseers. He also built barns
for Cernica Monastery’s animals. Many people were surprised when he
tilled the land and planted willow trees in the middle of the field.
Several times when Alexander Ghica was governor, St Callinicus was
selected to become Metropolitan, but he always declined. He had no wish
to leave the monastery where he had labored for so many years.
About this time, someone in the monastery poisoned the saint. The
brethren of the monastery were much saddened by this evil deed. Since he
was near death, he advised the monks to select someone to replace him
as Igumen. They chose the most devout Benjamin Katulos.
One
night, as St Callinicus lay in bed waiting for the Lord to take him, he
entreated, “O Lord my God, I did not think. I do not wish to die from
poison.” At that moment he seemed to hear a voice say to him, “You will
not die from poison. Arise and be well, for soon you shall become the
Bishop of Ramnicu Valcea. There you will guide the church on a true
course, for some have caused it to deviate from the right path.”
At once, he felt himself to be completely well. He got up and went into
the church, where the monks were chanting the midnight service. They
were amazed to see him fully recovered and standing in his usual place.
They went to his cell after the service to ask him how he had become
well all of a sudden. He shared with them everything that the voice had
told him. They all rejoiced, giving glory to God.
The assigned
governor of Romania, Barbu Demetrius Stirbei had just returned from the
Sublime Porte (this was the official name of the gate leading to a block
of buildings in Constantinople which housed government offices). He was
an intelligent man and a good ruler. As such, he decided to put the
Church’s affairs in order, as well. So he had bishops elected to fill
sees which were vacant.
St Callinicus was elected Bishop of
Ramnicu Valcea (a city located north and west of Bucharest) on September
14, 1850, and only with great reluctance did he accept the position. He
accepted only because he did not wish to make the sovereign sad. Since
he would have to leave his monastery in order to fulfill the
responsibilities of a bishop, the monks elected Archimandrite Nikander
to replace him.
The monks loved their Spiritual Father who had
guided them on the path to salvation by his words and by his example.
When he left Cernica, the great bell was rung until everyone had
gathered in the church to bid the saint farewell. There were about 350
monks in the monastery at that time, and even those who were ill got up
from their beds in order to receive his blessing one last time.
St Callinicus entered the church and read the Prayer of Forgiveness,
asking them to maintain the rules of the Church and of the monastery.
When the service had concluded, everyone left and went outside and
walked to the waiting carriage, to the sound of the monastery’s bells.
Many were weeping, and even the hardest hearts were softened. St
Callinicus took several monks with him so that they might assist at the
Divine Services in the diocese. In this manner the saint left the
monastery of Cernica where he had lived for almost 43 years, serving as
Igumen for 32 of those years. As the carriage bore him away, St
Callinicus looked out the window at the domes of the monastery’s two
churches. As he remembered his life in this place, his eyes filled with
tears.
Ramnicu Valcea, the see of the diocese, was in Craiova,
the capital of the province of Olteni. During the long journey, he would
stop at several towns and villages, where the people greeted him with
the traditional bread and salt. At Craiova the church bells rang, and
many people sang songs written in his honor. So many people came to see
him that the church of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius could not contain
them all. Prayers were offered for the new bishop’s health, and
official representatives of the city’s clergy and lay leaders
congratulated him and wished him success in his archpastoral ministry.
St Callinicus began his work the next day, visiting churches and
monasteries, and correcting those things that were not according to the
proper order of the Church. His door was always open to the poor and
downtrodden, and he taught his flock by word and by personal example.
Things continued in this way until 1854 when war broke out between
Russia and the Turks. These were also difficult times for Romania,
because the Turks entered the province of Olteni on July 18. Even
though St Callinicus had been ordered to return to Bucharest with his
clergy and staff, he went instead to Ramnicu Valcea, the former See of
the diocese. The church and its surrounding buildings had been damaged
when a fire broke out there on March 27, 1847. St Callinicus was able to
restore everything in two years.
The holy bishop was also a
writer. He composed a “Lamentation,” various poems, and an “Instruction”
for monks, in addition to a Chronicle of the events of 1821. At the
same time that the See was returned to Ramnicu Valcea from Craiova, St
Callinicus set up a printing press so that he could print service books
for the churches, and spiritual books for the benefit of the faithful.
The saint had the gift of working miracles, and many people were aware
of this at the time. A young monk who was close to him and was able to
observe his holy life said of him, “I was struck by his spiritual life,
because I had read a great deal concerning the lives of other Holy
Fathers. I understood then that I was serving a living saint.”
St
Callinicus also knew the thoughts of others. The same young monk
recalled that after evening prayers the bishop would call him and talk
to him about faith and about his obligations as a monk. One time he was
listening to the bishop and thought that His Grace might be glorified as
a saint after his death. St Callinicus answered his unspoken thoughts,
“Why do you think so highly of me? I ask God that after my death my
sinful body might be returned to the earth, and not what you are
thinking, my pious one.”
The monk asked his forgiveness because
he had this thought about him. Then the bishop told him not to speak of
his gift of discerning thoughts during his lifetime. “My son,” he said,
“there are monks and laymen who are believers only in word. Their
thoughts, however, are far from Christian righteousness; thus, they do
not need to know what you know of me. After my death, you may tell those
who are true Christians about me, through both the spoken and written
word.”
St Callinicus once made the body of a person who was long
dead turn to dust. In the summer of 1854 he went up the river Valea
Jiului to the skete of Lainici. Many of the faithful from all the
villages came out to receive his blessing. Among these were the sons of a
certain wealthy man who had died some time before. They asked the
bishop to stay in their home that night, because the next day was a
Saturday and they wanted him to serve a Memorial Service for their
father.
The saint agreed to stay at their home that night. With
great sadness they told him that their father had reposed a long time
before, but that his body had not yet turned to dust. They opened his
grave three times, and had bishops and priests conduct Memorial Services
for him. Since the body still had not decayed, they thought that some
sort of curse had been placed on him.
The next day St Callinicus
served the Divine Liturgy in the village church, then went to the man’s
grave, which had been opened for the fourth time. The body was taken
from the grave and placed by the church wall. All of his clothes looked
as if they were new.
After the service the bishop read the prayer
of forgiveness of all sins. As he was reading, the body began turning
to dust, starting with the feet. When the prayer was finished, nothing
was left of the body but a pile of dust and some white bones. Those
present began to glorify God, Who had endowed Bishop Callinicus with
such miraculous power.
After three days at the Skete of Lainici,
St Callinicus set off along a mountain path for his metochion. At a
certain hill, he suddenly stopped, sat down on the ground, and started
to weep. One of his disciples asked if he felt ill. “No, my son,” he
replied, “but I did not think that I would outlive the Elder of Cernica.
Elder Nikander has fallen asleep.”
The disciple noted the exact
day and time of this conversation. Later, when he went to Bucharest on
business, he stopped at Cernica. There he was told that Elder Nikander
had indeed reposed on the very day and at the very hour that he had
spoken to St Callinicus in the mountains.
On another occasion, St
Callinicus healed a woman who had been possessed by a demon. He
performed this miracle in one of the churches of Ramnicu Valcea. This
took place in the presence of Father Kostako, the Archpriest of that
city, Archimandrite Anastasius Baldovin, and the land owner Kostako, who
built the Skete of Frasinei and other sketes.
St Callinicus had
just finished serving the Divine Liturgy when he was asked to read a
prayer for a woman who was quite ill. Possessed by an evil spirit, she
was restrained by four men. Her clothes were tattered and torn, and she
screamed and foamed at the mouth. It was only with great difficulty that
they brought her to the bishop and had her kneel.
The saint read
the prayer, blessed her three times and said, “Arise, in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ.” At once the woman got up, completely healed in
soul and in body. She bowed before the holy icons and gave thanks to
God. She asked for some clothes, since she could not go out in the rags
she was wearing.
St Callinicus also healed the son of the land
owner Kostako, who showed signs of epilepsy. Each day he seemed to get
worse. When the young man fell to the ground foaming at the mouth the
land owner went to the bishop and told him about his son. “Go home,” the
saint told him, “and pray to the Mother of God.”
When Kostako
reached his home he found his son praying before an icon of the
Theotokos. The young man told his father and his family, “You should
pray to the Mother of God, as well. Do you not see how the bishop is
praying? Now I shall not be sick any more.”
Kostako went back to
the bishop to thank him for this miracle. At the gate to his home
Kostako met Archimandrite Anastasius Baldovin, who carried a silver
reliquary containing the head of the holy Martyr Mercurius (November
24). The monk asked him where he was going. “I am going to thank the
bishop, because my son has become well,” he answered.
“His Grace
has sent me here with the relic of St Mercurius so that your son may
venerate it,” said Fr Anastasius. From that hour the young man was
completely well.
A certain peasant in the village of
Muereasca-Valcea had a daughter who was ill. She could not be brought to
the bishop at the nearby Skete of Frasinei because St Callinicus did
not allow women there. He followed the example of St Athanasius of Athos
(July 5), who did not permit women to set foot on Mount Athos, the
Garden of the All-Holy Theotokos.
A tablet had been placed at the
boundary between the Skete and Muioriaska-Vylcha. The inscription read:
“Callinicus, by the mercy of God Bishop of Ramnicu Valcea and Noul
Severin, order that no woman should set foot beyond this place.”
No one disobeyed the order, because the people were afraid to do so. In
the summer of 1862 or 1863 a girl from Muereasca unknowingly crossed the
boundary line while chasing a cow. She became ill and had fits.
Her
parents asked the village priest to ask for St Callinicus to forgive and
heal her. When the bishop heard of this he agreed to go and see the
girl.
Upon entering the girl’s house, St Callinicus found her in
bed and in great pain. He asked her, “Do you recognize me?” The
afflicted one nodded her head. As he caressed her head the saint told
her, “You will become well; yes, you will become well. I have forgiven
you; now let us pray to the Lord that He may also forgive you.” He read
the Prayer of Forgiveness, and told her again, “Yes, you will be well.”
The girl, of course, was healed, and news of the miracle spread
throughout the district.
St Callinicus performed similar miracles
during the seventeen years he served as Bishop of Ramnicu Valcea. When
he reached the age of 80, he began to feel the approach of death. He had
served the Lord for sixty-two years, and he was much weakened by all
his labors, and thought that he should retire from his Episcopal duties.
He decided to return to the monastery of Cernica, where he wanted to be
buried.
On May 24, 1867, the saint arrived at the monastery,
where he saw some of the monks he had known in his younger days. As he
looked around him, he saw many reminders of his earlier accomplishments.
There was St George’s Island, and the church of St George which he had
built, and surrounded with strong walls. Everything in this place was
dear to him, and it was fitting that he should come here to rest, and
also to die.
On the second day after his arrival, St Callinicus
went into the church and prayed for a long time in front of the holy
icons. After the service, he gave out prosphora to everyone and gave
them his blessing. After this, he returned to his cell, and he never
left it again until the end of his life.
For nearly a year, the
saint remained in his cell. On Great and Holy Thursday in 1868, he
called seven priests to come and administer to him the Mystery of Holy
Unction. At the end of the service he said to them, “Fathers, pray to
the Lord for me, for soon we will be parted.”
On the radiant day
of Christ’s Resurrection, he asked one of the priests to bring him Holy
Communion. After partaking of the Holy Mysteries, he received one of the
monks who wanted to obtain his blessing to travel to Ramnicu Valcea,
where he was being sent.
“You will go on April the eleventh,” he
told the monk, “but until then, please read the Prayer Rule for me,
since in my weakness I cannot read it for myself.”
At five
o’clock on the morning of the date specified, the saint asked his
disciple Germanus to give him a clean shirt, for several high-ranking
individuals had come to bid him farewell. St Callinicus also asked that a
cross be placed in his hand. He kissed it and said, “Holy Cross, help
me.” Placing his head on the breast of Fr Germanus, he sighed three
times and gave his soul to God.
St Callinicus had lived almost
eighty-one years. He had lived for forty-three years at Cernica, spent
seventeen years as bishop, and returned to Cernica in the last year of
his life. About two weeks before his repose, he told the pious
Anastasius Baldovin, “I have fourteen days to live, and then I shall
leave you. Do not forget to clothe me in the garments which I have shown
you.”
St Callinicus fell asleep in the Lord on April 11, 1868.
Not only did he know the time of his own death, but also foresaw the
date of Metropolitan Niphon, his spiritual child. When the Metropolitan
came to confess to him, the saint spoke with him for some time. When the
Metropolitan left, Fr Germanus entered the cell of St Callinicus. The
saint told him that there was hope that Niphon would live for another
seven years. “My son,” he continued, “seven years after they dig me up,
Metropolitan Niphon himself will be placed in the grave.”
So it came to pass. Seven years later, on May 5, 1875, Metropolitan Niphon reposed.
St Callinicus also made predictions concerning the Romanian land. He
prophesied that a foreign prince would be placed on the throne, that in
1877 the Russian Tsar would cross the Danube with his army and do battle
with the Turks, and that there would be a great war, “such as there has
never been upon the earth (World War I).”
News of the saint’s
repose spread quickly to Bucharest, and to other cities and towns. Many
people came to Cernica to see the holy bishop for the last time.
St Callinicus was dressed in the vestments he had received as a gift
from Sava Brancoveanu when he was consecrated as bishop. He was brought
to the church seated in a chair, holding the Gospel and a staff in his
hands. He remained there for two days.
On Saturday, April 16,
1868, Metropolitan Niphon arrived at Cernica with four bishops, and
chanted the service for the departure of a soul together with all the
clergy of the monastery. Afterward, St Callinicus was buried in the
narthex of the church of St George.
St Callinicus died in
poverty, for he gave everything away to widows and orphans, donated
funds for the building of churches, and also for other charitable
purposes. Though he renounced worldly riches, he had acquired great
spiritual treasures during the course of his holy and God-pleasing life.
Through the prayers of St Callinicus, let us strive to lay up for
ourselves similar spiritual treasures, holy and incorruptible, in the
Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). Amen.
SOURCE:
SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2014(with 2013's link here also and further:, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and even 2008!):
Commemorated on April 30
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