Alexander Ratiu
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Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...
Alexander Ratiu (; 4 May 1916 – 25 July 2002) was a
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
-American priest of the
Romanian Greek-Catholic Church The Romanian Greek Catholic Church or Romanian Church United with Rome is a ''sui iuris'' Eastern Catholic Church, in full union with the Catholic Church. It has the rank of a Major Archbishop, Major Archiepiscopal Church and it uses the Byzanti ...
. While serving in his family's country of origin, he became a
political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...
, and later, after his release, an author. Ratiu served as a
pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
in both Giurtelecu Șimleului,
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, and in
Plainfield, Illinois Plainfield is a village (Illinois), village in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 44,762 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the C ...
, in the United States.


Early life

Ratiu was born on 4 May 1916, in Scalp Level, Pennsylvania, in the United States, one of the four sons of Elisabeta Chindriș and Grigore Rațiu, immigrants from Romania. His brothers were named Grigore, Ioan and Emilian. In 1921, his family moved back to
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
where he was raised in Moftinu Mic,
Sălaj County Sălaj County (; ) (also known as ''Land of Silvania'', ''silva, -ae'' means "forest") is a Counties of Romania, county (''județ'') of Romania, located in the north-west of the country, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of ...
(now
Satu Mare County Satu Mare County (, , ) is a county (Counties of Romania, județ) of Romania, on the border with Hungary and Ukraine. The capital city is Satu Mare. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian, it is known as ''Szatmár megye'', in German language, Ge ...
). In
Carei Carei (; , ; /, , ) is a municipiu, city in Satu Mare County, northwestern Romania, near the border with Hungary. The city administers one village, Ianculești (). Geography The municipality of Carei is situated in the north-west of Romania, aw ...
, Ratiu attended "
Vasile Lucaciu Vasile Lucaciu (January 21, 1852 – November 29, 1922) was a Romanian Greek-Catholic priest and an advocate of equal rights of Romanians with the Hungarians in Transylvania. Biography He was born in Apa, Szatmár County, the son of Mihai Luc ...
" State High School. Then he studied philosophy at
Oradea Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...
, where he was a schoolmate with Coriolan Tămâian, who later became a noted
prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...
of the diocese. Following his university studies, in preparation for the priesthood, he studied theology at the
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
in
Blaj Blaj (; archaically spelled as ''Blaș''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Blußendref'') is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 17,816 inhabitants as of 2021. The city administers eight villages: Deleni-Obârșie ('' ...
. Ratiu then went to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, where he attended the Pio Romano Seminary and the
Pontifical Urbaniana University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...
, where he received a doctorate in theology. Ratiu was a classmate for seven years with Virgil Maxim (1923–1997), who was also a noted prisoner of the Romanian
communist government A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
for his religious beliefs.My Orthodoxy "A Christian marriage role model: Virgil and Petruța Maxim"
/ref>


Ministry in Romania

Ratiu was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
a priest of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church in Rome on 20 July 1941, by
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
Alexander Evreinov, for the
Greek Catholic Diocese of Oradea Mare The Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Oradea Mare is an eparchy (equivalent to a diocese in the Latin Church) of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church which is an Eastern Catholic particular church of the Catholic Church that is in full communion with ...
in the region of
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
in Romania. Ratiu worked as a volunteer for the
National Peasants' Party The National Peasants' Party (also known as the National Peasant Party or National Farmers' Party; , or ''Partidul Național-Țărănist'', PNȚ) was an Agrarianism, agrarian political party in the Kingdom of Romania. It was formed in 1926 throu ...
, for which, in 1946, he worked to organize the country's
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
. In May 1947, he served as a priest in Giurtelecu Șimleului. Between May 1947 and July 1948, Ratiu was arrested and imprisoned for his political activity against the
Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ; PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system ...
. After his release, Ratiu taught at the Greek-Catholic seminary in
Oradea Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...
. A few months later, in October 1948, the Romanian government dissolved the Greek-Catholic Church in the country, declaring that the will of the people was to join the
Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the East ...
. They seized all its churches and institutions and gave them to the Orthodox Church. The government then arrested the six bishops of the Church, along with many priests and lay leaders, and attempted to convince them to declare publicly their allegiance to the Orthodox Church. Refusal led to torture and often death. Ratiu refused, however, to renounce his faith.


Political prisoner

Consequently, Ratiu was arrested again on 19 October 1948, by the Communist government and remained imprisoned for the next sixteen years, of which eighteen months were passed in solitary confinement at the
Sighet Prison The Sighet Prison, located in the city of Sighetu Marmației, Maramureș County, Romania, was used by Romania to hold criminals, prisoners of war, and political prisoners. It is now the site of the Sighet Memorial Museum, part of the Memorial ...
. Between 1948 and 1964, Rațiu was imprisoned at a succession of prisons: Căldărușani, Sighet (May 1950 – July 1955),
Gherla Gherla (; ; ) is a municipality in Cluj County, Romania (in the historical region of Transylvania). It is located from Cluj-Napoca on the river Someșul Mic, and has a population of 19,873 as of 2021. Three villages are administered by the city: ...
(1955–1959),
Jilava Jilava is a commune in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania, near Bucharest. It is composed of a single village, Jilava. The name derives from a Romanian word of Slavic origin ( Bulgarian жилав ''žilav'' (tough), which passed into Romanian as ...
, Bătești, followed by being sent to
labor camp A labor camp (or labour camp, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are unfree labour, forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have ...
s at Strâmba, Stoienești, and
Great Brăila Island The Great Brăila Island () is an island on the Danube river in the Brăila County, Romania. It has on average length and width, with a total area of . The two river branches which separate it from the mainland are and . Adjacent to the west a ...
. Ratiu was subsequently placed under
house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...
for another two years (1962–1964), during which time he was confined in Lățești,
Ialomița County Ialomița County () is a county () of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Slobozia. Demographics In 2011, the county had a population of 258,669 and the population density was 58.08/km2. Romanians make up 95.6% of the population, t ...
.


Return to the United States

In 1964,
Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (; 8 November 1901 – 19 March 1965) was a Romanian politician. He was the first Socialist Republic of Romania, Communist leader of Romania from 1947 to 1965, serving as first secretary of the Romanian Communist Party ...
, the
Secretary General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...
of the Romanian Communist Party, declared a general amnesty for political prisoners, which set Ratiu free. The Communist authorities allowed him to leave Romania in 1970, and he returned to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in 1971, staying with his brother Grigore and his family. Rațiu met with
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
in Rome and presented the situation of Greek-Catholic Church in Romania. He served in the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois The Diocese of Joliet in Illinois () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Illinois in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Chic ...
from 1974 until his retirement. Ratiu was an assistant priest at St. Mary Immaculate Church in
Plainfield, Illinois Plainfield is a village (Illinois), village in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 44,762 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the C ...
(1975–1982). Rațiu became a member of the
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
József Mindszenty József Mindszenty (; 29 March 18926 May 1975) was a Hungarian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Esztergom and leader of the Catholic Church in Hungary from 1945 to 1973. According to the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', f ...
Foundation in 1977, and for 25 years served on the Board of Directors, participating in the foundation's conferences in
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
, Kankakee, and
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, where he gave many talks. An abridged edition of his book, ''Stolen Church'', was a Christmas gift by the Foundation to its members. Ratiu was generous in his friendship and financial support for countless persons in Romania seeking to emigrate to the United States. He helped establish a Romanian Greek-Catholic Mission of
Saints Peter and Paul Peter and Paul may refer to: * Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle considered together ** Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June in the Catholic liturgical calendar ** St. Peter and St. Paul's Church (disambiguation) * ''Peter and Paul'' (film), 19 ...
in Chicago in December 1994. Ratiu spoke eight languages fluently, and this aptitude for languages led him to learn Spanish to celebrate Mass for
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
migrant workers. In 1996, following the collapse of Communist rule in Romania, Rațiu returned for a visit to witness the rebirth of the Greek Catholic Church. He preached to large crowds of the faithful as parishes reopened, and attended the
consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
of several new bishops for the
Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...
.


Awards

In 1983, the Polish Freedom Fighters bestowed upon Alexander Ratiu the Solidarity Freedom Award.


Death

Rațiu died on 25 July 2002, at his home in
Plainfield, Illinois Plainfield is a village (Illinois), village in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 44,762 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the C ...
, at the age of 86. On his deathbed Rațiu said, "Spiritual freedom gives us courage, the courage to preach. So I preached freely and defended the faith when the persecution began, and I rejoiced when I was arrested." His funeral took place at the Romanian Greek Catholic Church "Sf. Gheorghe", in
Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in northeastern Illinois, United States. It is located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River west of Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, second-most populous city in Illinois, with a popul ...
, on the morning of 27 July 2002. Ratiu was interred in Plainfield, Illinois.


Legacy

Alexander Rațiu remarked that prison had an unexpected effect on priests and other believers, as well as former atheists: "In prison one either goes mad or becomes a
saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
." For many who suffered imprisonment, it was the first time in their lives that they were led to pray and to look for God's support:


Works

* Alexander Ratiu and William Virtue, ''Stolen Church: Martyrdom in Communist Romania'' (Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1979). * Alexandru Rațiu, ''Biserica Furată'' (Cluj-Napoca: Ed. Argus, 1990). * Alexandru Rațiu, ''Persecuția Bisericii Române Unite'' he Persecution of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church(Oradea: Imprimeria de Vest Publishing House, 1994). * Alexandru Rațiu, ''Memoria închisorii Sighet'', Editor Romulus Rusan (București, Ed. Fundației Academia Civică, 1999). .


See also

*
Anti-communism Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism, communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global ...
*
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
* Criticisms of communism * Criticisms of Communist party rule *
History of communism The history of communism encompasses a wide variety of ideologies and political movements sharing the core principles of common ownership of wealth, economic enterprise, and property. Most modern forms of communism are grounded at least nomina ...
*
Re-education in Communist Romania Re-education in Romanian communist prisons was a series of processes initiated after the establishment of the communist regime at the end of World War II that targeted people who were considered hostile to the Romanian Communist Party, primarily me ...


References


External sources

* Who's who in Romanian America: Serban C. Andronescu, Compiler; American Institute for Writing Research Corp., Editor; By Șerban Andronescu, American Institute for Writing Research, American Institute for Writing Research, Published by Andronescu-Wyndill, 1976, 188 pages *
Radu Ciuceanu Radu Ciuceanu (16 April 1928 – 12 September 2022) was a Romanian historian and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party and later the Greater Romania Party, he served in the Chamber of Deputies from 1990 to 1992 and again from 2000 t ...
 — Regimul penitenciar din România 1940–1962, Institutul Naţional pentru Studiul Totalitarismului, București, 2001. * Max Bănuș — Cei care m-au ucis, Ed. Tinerama, București, 1991 (Stoeneşti, Salcia). * Alexandru Mihalcea — Jurnal de ocnă, Ed. Albatros, 1994 (Salcia, Luciu-Giurgeni, Grădina, Stoeneşti). *
Ion Ioanid Ion Ioanid (28 March 1926 – 12 October 2003) was a Romanian dissident and writer. Ioanid was a political prisoner of the Communism in Romania, communist-led regime after World War II, who spent 12 years in prison and labor camps. He is best k ...
 — Închisoarea noastră cea de toate zilele, vol. I-V, Ed. Albatros, București, 1991–1996 (Salcia, Stoenești). * Doru Novacovici — În România după gratii, Fundaţia pentru tineret Buzău, f.a. (Luciu-Giurgeni, Grădina, Stoenești). * Aurel Maxim — Amintiri din temnițele comuniste, Ed. Hermann Sibiu, 1996 (Luciu-Giurgeni, Strâmba).


External links

* http://www.procesulcomunismului.com/marturii/fonduri/ioanitoiu/dictionar_r/r/dictionarr_9.htm * http://www.librarything.com/work/4070222 * https://web.archive.org/web/20110728032220/http://www.smip.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=130&Itemid=128 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ratiu, Alexander 1916 births 2002 deaths People from Cambria County, Pennsylvania People from Plainfield, Illinois American people of Romanian descent
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
Pontifical Urban University alumni Romanian activists Romanian essayists Romanian Greek-Catholic priests Romanian human rights activists Romanian theologians 20th-century Romanian memoirists 20th-century American essayists Prison writings Romanian anti-communist clergy People detained by the Securitate Prisoners and detainees of Romania Inmates of Sighet prison Inmates of Gherla prison Inmates of Jilava Prison 20th-century American memoirists