The Sunday after the Baptism of the Lord, January 08, 2023, represented for the faithful of the Parish Saints Peter and Paul - Falcău, a special cultural and religious event: the launch of the volume entitled Father Vartolomeu Dolhan – Icon of a confessor in the prisons communist, signed by Fr. Nicolae Crăciun, pastor of the Parish of Pârcovaci in Iasi County and Mrs. Luminița Vartolomeu, teacher from Suceava.
The meeting took place with the blessing of His Eminence Calinic, Archbishop of Suceava and Rădăuților and started with the celebration of the Holy Mass in the parish church. Nicolae Crăciun and was composed of Fr. Ionel-Constantin Maloș, protopriest of the Rădăuți Deanery, Archimandrite Vartolomeu Chira, minister of the Cathedral St. John the New from Suceava, Protosinginghelul Hrisostom Ciuciu, minister of Putna Monastery, Fr. Saint Nicholas - Suceava I Deanery, parish priest Gheorghe Solcan and deacon missionary deacon George Mironescu.
The divine service was followed by the Mass of Parastas, in the middle of the church, where, on the table adorned according to the ancient tradition with a traditional table cloth, candle, coland and coland, was placed the photo of Father Dolhan, framed in a woven cloth with bores, being surrounded from the right apse of the church by the painted vestment that the father once wore at holy services and by his metanier, exposed on a stand. When the choir raised the grapes for eternal remembrance, all the faithful gathered close to the priests, as a single family, coming to commemorate from the heart and with deep piety, the priest confessor who passed away.
The opening of the cultural event was made by the word of the father of Rădăuți, Ionel-Constantin Maloș, who was also the moderator of the presentation. His Holiness addressed a nice and warm welcome to all those present and congratulated the authors of this recent publication which evokes the distinguished Archimandrite Vartolomeu Dolhan.
Guests awaited with emotion by parish priest Father Gheorghe Solcan and all parishioners of Falcăului, were: the cultural counselor Father Constantin Oprea, Mother Augustina from Sucevita Monastery, Father Vasile Popescu from Vicovu de Jos. They were greeted with the same love, fathers Florin Boțic and Mihai Iațentiuc from the parish of Straja I, as well as the mayor of Straja, Mr. Mihai Juravle.
It was - in its totality - an atmosphere of peace, calm and serenity of soul, an atmosphere of communion in which one could feel the vibration of the love of beauty, kindness and, above all, gratitude. Each speaker recalled, in a few words, dear memories of Father Vartolomeu.
The first of the authors of the volume - Fr. Nicolae Crăciun - brought to the attention of the listeners the exhortation of His Most Reverend Father Archbishop Calinic to collect the testimonies of those who knew Fr, archimandrite and church painter who, in the ’60s of the last century, frescoed the church of his native village Pârcovaci, under the patronage of the Holy Empress Pulheria from 1834 to the present day, and also the church here in the village of Falcău. His Eminence also wrote the beautiful Forward of this edition, published in the collection Bukovinian Theological Writings IV and published by Crimca Publishing House of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților.
Glimpses of the luminous activity of the archimandrite, evoking his childhood, the school he graduated, the educational journey in Vorona, the school of church singers in Botoșani, the Faculty of Fine Arts in Iași, the hierarchical steps, but also the years of imprisonment followed by forced residence in Falcău, Râșca and Văratec (where he will move to the Lord on September 15, 1980), have revealed the face of a gentle, generous, spiritual and loving monk.
Professor Doina Ciobanu, who signs the volume with the pseudonym Luminița Vartolomeu, an apprentice of the father since his arrival in Falcău Parish, evoked the bright and gentle figure of the man who was to her, and to many young people in the parish, mentor and confessor. Childhood memories, punctuated by the impressive and dominating presence of the patriarchal figure of the father, marked the entire life of the teacher. Thus, she described in beautiful and praising words, glimpses of the beautiful relationship apprentice-mentor- confessor, had with the archimandrite during the beautiful years when he served in the church of Falcău and after his departure to the monasteries of Râșca and Văratec.
Fr. Archimandrite Vartolomeu Chira, minister at the Cathedral St. John the New from Suceava, also a disciple of Fr. Dolhan, presented in plastic images, the impressive gentle and gentle figure of the man who was his confessor and guide to monasticism. He felt honored that, upon entering monasticism, he received the same monastic name as his mentor.
Whether it was the word of Father Adrian Iftimiu, of Mother Augustina from Sucevița, the memories of Father Vasile Popescu or the appreciation of Father Protosinghel Hrisostom, or the emotion of the experience spoken by Albina Ursaciuc from Falcău, all were harmoniously interwoven with an artistic and authentic dedication. There was also the fruitful collaboration between the School and the Church, because the young Maria Popescu, the pupils coordinated by Mrs. Elena Croitor, teacher of Romanian language and the folkloric group Ulciorașul coordinated by Mariana Maloș, singing teacher at the school in Falcău, enchanted the audience with the incomparable breeze of Radu Gyr's lyric poetry and the sonorous and silvery inflected tones.
The large audience rewarded the artists and their mentors with generous applause.
The event ended with the gracious thanks of Father Dean Ionel Maloș, Dean of the Deanery, addressed to all those present for their patience and involvement in the development of this book launch, asking the parish priest Father Gheorghe Solcan to add a word to the audience and His Holiness, as humble minister at the Holy Altar where he served and Father Archimandrite Vartolomeu Dolhan.
Father Solcan quoted a word from the writings of His Eminence Metropolitan Antony of Suroj:
„Lord, when you come to judge the living and the dead, do not look upon the cruelty, the atrocities and the suffering that our torturers have brought upon us.
But just look at the patience, the companionship, the generosity that this suffering has engendered in many of us.
And let this be their justification.
Let our torment and death be their redemption, not eternal horror.”
(† Metropolitan Antony of Suroj, Prayer)
At the end of the event, the two authors handed out books and autographs to those present.
