The man whom Nicolae Iorga called „one of the peacemakers” scientists, happily shut away in the small room where they carry out their painstaking work”, Dimitrie Onciul, is being commemorated these days in Straja, his native village, in Chernivtsi, where he is buried, and at „Ștefan cel Mare” University in Suceava.
On the centenary of the passing of Dimitrie Onciul, former president of the Romanian Academy and director general of the State Archives, in The Third Sunday during Holy and Great Lent, also known as Holy Cross Sunday, On March 19, 2023, the Holy and Divine Hierarchical Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Straja, Suceava County. The service was officiated by His Eminence Joseph, Metropolitan of Western and Southern Europe, and His Grace Damaschin Dorneanul, Vicar Bishop of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți, along with a large assembly of priests and deacons, in the presence of the faithful dressed in the traditional folk costumes of the region. The officiating clergy also included delegates from the Diocesan Center of Suceava, among whom were Archimandrite Paraschiv Dabija, administrative vicar of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți, and Ionel Constantin Maloș, archpriest of the Rădăuți Deanery.
In addition to the guards, the event—held with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Calinic—was also attended by representatives of central and local authorities, such as Gheorghe Cîrciu, Secretary of State at Department for Romanians Everywhere, and Mihai Juravle, mayor of Straja.
During the Liturgy of the Hours, His Eminence Joseph, Metropolitan of Western and Southern Europe, delivered a sermon in which he emphasized that God the Father, through His boundless love for humanity, sent His only Son to be sacrificed on the Cross for the redemption of our sins.
„The Savior tells us that our greatest concern is to live our lives together with Him. This gift He has given us—which is our very life—we are to share with Him; we must not seek salvation in anything or anyone other than Him. That is, let us care for ourselves as for the most precious gift He has given us. But not for ourselves, but for Him. (..) For each of us today, each of us who are His most holy treasure, He was crucified for each of us. Can we understand this? For each of us. But we, too, each of us crucify Him and drive nails into His hands when we sin. And this from morning till night. (…) And after we have crucified Him, and after He has died, rising from the tomb, He tells us: EnjoyHow can we not rejoice when we realize, when we see what He has done for us? But let us not forget that at the center of our Christian life, at the heart of the church, is His Cross, which is the new tree of life. And that our entire Christian life, if we can understand it, revolves around this life-giving tree of life. It is the absolute testimony of His love for us. (…) God gave His own Son so that we might live.”
This was followed by a memorial service for the soul of the man who made a significant contribution to Romanian historiography. Thus, he was commemorated alongside his family in the Church dedicated to the „Dormition of the Mother of God,” built in Straja during the time of Father Dimitrie Onciul, the historian’s father.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, Fr. Constantin Oprea, diocesan advisor within the Sector Cultural, read aloud the texts of the diocesan decrees that His Grace Damaschin Dorneanul had issued, on behalf of His Eminence Calinic, distinctions of merit awarded to benefactors and supporters of the Church’s work as a sign of appreciation and gratitude for their outstanding contributions to the promotion and support of ChristianRomanian Orthodox values.
Order „Bukovina Cross”, the highest honor awarded by the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți, was presented to Mr. Gheorghe Florin Cârciu—Minister of State at Department for Romanians Everywhere, and to Mr. Mihai Juravle, mayor of Straja, „for his outstanding service to the Church and the community.”.
Order „St. Hierarch St. James James the Putnean” was awarded to Prof. Maria Paraschiva Patraucean, principal of the „Dimitrie Onciul” in Straja, „for following the example of Saint Jacob of Putna, a brilliant teacher and founder of schools, whose name is associated with the printing of the first ABC Romanian and the printing in Romanian of books of worship and other soul edifying works, tireless spiritual shepherd and defender of the faith, who assumed as his mission the cultural and spiritual help of Romanian Orthodox Christians within the Carpathian arc.”.
It was then presented The Jubilee Medal – inscribed in the two-thousand-year-old legacy of the Romanian people’s history and sacrifice to teachers Vasile Pasaila of Bucharest and Petru Bărbuță of Straja, as well as to Mr. Dorin Patraucean, a keeper of traditions from Straja, „as a token of deep gratitude for their significant contribution over the years to the preservation and promotion of the spiritual, heritage, educational, philanthropic, missionary, civic, cultural, and social values of the Church and the Country.”.
Finally, as a token of gratitude for the bishops„ visit, parish priest Ioan Morar presented each of them with an icon depicting the Mother of God, and the mayor of the Bucovinian community presented them with a traditional pouch containing a commemorative plaque and two books, the latest publications from the Crimca Publishing House of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți: ”Dimitrie Onciul—Historian, Professor, Founder, Patriot,„ and a volume of ”Sermons” authored by the father of the great historian.
The series of commemorative events began on Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Chernivtsi, with a memorial service at the grave of historian Dimitrie Onciul, during which the recently restored tomb was consecrated. The event was attended by numerous believers from Romania and Ukraine, as well as officials from both regions, including Secretary of State Gheorghe Florin Cârciu, the Consul General of Romania in Chernivtsi, Irina-Loredana Stănculescu, and Niculai Barbă, Vice President of the Suceava County Council. In the afternoon of the same day, at the Cultural Center in Straja, the multifaceted personality of Academician Dimitrie Onciul was commemorated, while the value of his works in strengthening the sense of love for the homeland and the nation was also highlighted.
On Monday, March 20, 2023, exactly 100 years after his passing, both at „Ștefan cel Mare” University in Suceava and at the school named after the great historian, scientific conferences will be held to highlight the boundless love for his country and people demonstrated by the historian, academician, professor, and, last but not least, the man Dimitrie Onciul.
Along with delegates from the Archdiocese, the two events will be attended by historians from the National Library of Romania, „Ștefan cel Mare” University in Suceava, and „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University in Iași, the Romanian Academy of Sciences in Iași, as well as the National Archives in Iași.
The commemorative events, organized by the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți in partnership with the Straja Commune City Hall and Department for Romanians Abroad They aim, as a tribute, to shed light on the remarkable personality of one of those who contributed with wisdom and patriotic devotion to shaping the history of our people.
Dimitrie Onciul was born on October 26, 1856 in Straja, Suceava County, being the first son of priest Dimitrie and his wife Singlitichia. He was educated in Chernivtsi and Vienna, and was at one time president of the „Junimea” Student Society in Chernivtsi and vice-president of the „Young Romania” Student Society in Vienna.
After becoming professor of history at the University of Bucharest in 1895, Dimitrie Onciul was appointed Director of the State Archives in Bucharest in 1900.
He was President of the Romanian Academy from 1920 to 1923 and was elected as a member in 1906.
Through his works, Dimitrie Onciul demonstrated the formation of the Romanian people in an area on both sides of the Danube. His works include: Roesler's Theory. Studies on the Romanians' persistence in Thracian Dacia (1885); Radu Negru and the origin of the Principality of Wallachia (1892); Origins of the Romanian Principalities (1899); Historical tradition in the question of Romanian origins (1907); The idea of Latinity and national unity (1919).
He passed away on March 20, 1923, in Bucharest, but, according to his wishes, he was buried in Chernivtsi.
Irina Ursachi
Photo credit: Fr. Iosif and Dina Andronic
