Like Father, Like Son...
by V. Rev. Fr. Vasile Hategan

I was always intrigued by Archbishop VALERIAN’s unusual character.  I often wondered what made him tick and why he was the way we knew him.

Here was a simple man, unsophisticated and uncomplicated, who had to undergo much pomp and ceremony demanded of his office.  Here was a man who abhorred hypocrisy, false formalities and unnatural gestures, who had to comply to a set of rules and regulations of ages past, which are so outmoded and passé in the modern world of today.  Here was a serious person with a rather severe continence, who could be ever so kind, who could joke and take a joke, who could laugh and be congenial.  Here was a man who did not wear his spirituality on his sleeve, who sown deep, was a humble, loving, caring, and forgiving person.  Here was a man who was wronged and hurt, but did not retaliate in kind.  Here was a man who early in life learned it is better to give and to serve than to receive, who spent the rest of his life trying to live-up to this philosophy.  Here was a man who loved his Romanian origin and was proud of his heritage, but who learned, appreciated and propagated the ideals of American democracy and its culture.  Here was a man who was not frivolous or fun-loving, but could play table tennis with a 15-year old and laugh with an elderly parishioner.  Here was a man who had delegated responsibilities, who drove his own car, cooked and cleaned, answered his mail promptly and conscientiously.  Here was a man who spoke and wrote in a simple language, who was truly a scholar, well-read, knowledgeable in languages, and the collector of books.  Here was a man who could have been morose and revengeful after all that had happened to him who remained serene and composed throughout all his trial and tribulations.  Here was a man who could be stern and demanding, who would put his hand in his pocket and to help someone, who could help a fellow priest who had fallen by the wayside, who could be understanding and forgiving.  Here was a man who outwardly seemed free and easy, who in reality was well-disciplined and orderly.  In other words, here was a MAN!  He may be gone, but these traits, virtues and examples live on and should be emulated.

When Archbishop VALERIAN’s father, Dionisie Trifa, was brought over from Romanian after more than 35 years to surprise his son, I found my answer.  Archbishop VALERIAN was a chip off the old block.  His father inculcated these qualities in his family.  He came from a hardy family of mountaineers, “Moţi”, direct descendents of the Dacian forefathers who fiercely preserved their language, customs and beliefs, inspite of the barbarian invasions and the temptations to those in political power.  Whenever trouble came, they retreated into their beloved mountains and waited until it passed by.  They had to be ingenious, well-disciplined, learn to live frugally, work the poor soil and eek out a meager living.  As the Romanian saying goes, “Our mountains are full of gold and we must beg from door to door.”  These “Moţi” never mixed with other nationalities and gave Romania some of its most dedicated sons and leaders.  The Trifa’s were related to the famous Avram Iancu, fighter for freedom and prosperity.  The Moţi are sincere and devoted believers and are not easily swayed from their religion.  All these characteristics helped them to endure the vicissitudes of the past and exigencies of the present.  When the archbishop’s father, mother and sister were arrested and sent to forced domicile for many years in the arid regions of Dobrogea, they accepted their fate, did not waiver in their beliefs and endured the hardships of their oppressors.  Unfortunately, the archbishop’s mother died while incarcerated.  So the archbishop, brought-up in the beautiful but harsh atmosphere of the Romanian Western Mountains learned early what hard work was, what deprivation was, what oppression was and that nothing comes easily, was truly fortified for the later difficulties in life.  These in-born qualities saw him through the persecution of the Carlist regime in Romania, the concentration camps of Germany, the vicious attacks on his character here in America, and the loneliness of his life in Portugal.

Knowing this, we feel sorry for all he had to endure throughout his life, but know that he could take it and go on with the job – and what a wonderful job he did!  God never gives you more than you can take.  Archbishop VALERIAN had a surplus of those things which make life meaningful and death fearless.

This was the stuff the Archbishop was made of!

* from The A.R.O.Y. Newsletter, February 1996