INFORMATION BULLETIN

Archbishop Valerian’s pastorate was long and eventful.
The historical time was one of profound turmoil, rapid changes, and extraordinary mutations. All the existing historical challenges which Archbishop Valerian confronted in a manly manner, he solved with stunning wisdom. In fact, his pastorate represalii me historical time when the F a m mim American community gained its identity and proudly claimed its freedom. In a larger frame, the election of Valerian as leader of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America represented the moment when the nefarious communist regime imposed on the Romanians was confronted and forced to back off.
The historical events are now well-known, books were written, thousands of articles analyzed the events and in fact, conclusions were reached. (It is interesting to note that right now, in Romania, a certain type of historical revisionism is flying high. Those “histories” and “historians” can not deny the unique importance of Archbishop Valerian’s pastorate but, at the same time, they try to accommodate the rather shameful machinations of the rather pathetic ecclesiastical contraptions brought into being by the Romanian communist regime. It is equally important to note that during the same time and in the same country, the writings of Archbishop Valerian continue to be censored as will be documented in pages printed in the January-March, 2008 issue of the “Information Bulletin” of the Heritage Center.) >>>Alexandru Nemoianu>>>

“Nothing has been left from Valerian; and whatever he did was bad.”
That’s the statement and the thinking of one of the new priests in our Episcopate which was uttered at the Vatra not too long ago. A more reasoned priest, an old-timer, hearing that statement, told him to “leave the Archbishop alone; he’s now resting in his eternal sleep,” as if the new priest had committed a sacrilege. It was a rather mild admonition compared to the absurdity of that statement.
It is ironic that such a statement was made on the grounds of the Vatra, the site of Archbishop Valerian’s greatest accomplishments. Obviously, that recently-arrived priest knows very little - if anything - about the history of our Episcopate, how an estate with dilapidated farm buildings was transformed by Bishop Valerian into an administrative center which is the envy of other Orthodox Churches, as well as into a center of religious education and a meeting and resting place for all Romanian Orthodox in America.
The St. Mary’s church and Pioneer Chapel, as well as the dormitories for the religious education courses and Camp Vatra, did not fall from heaven Father; they were judiciously planned and built by Bishop Valerian with the support of our faithful who believed in his leadership. In St. Mary’s cemetery at the Vatra, planned by Bishop Valerian, rest hundreds of our faithful from throughout the United States. >>>>>

Archbishop Valerian was a personality of numerous talents and a born leader. He had the capacity to understand the problems of his people, the wisdom to resolve them, and the power to sacrifice himself for the good of his flock.
It was given to him to have an eventful life and to spend long periods of time in different parts of the world in diverse nations and cultures. However, he fulfilled the mission of his life among his own people in the New World.
In studying the history of Archbishop Valerian’s life, a parallel between his particular destiny and that of the group of people he descended from should be noticed.
He descended from the “Mori,” the very special and noble branch of the Romanians living in the Western (Apuseni) Mountains of Romania, a group of people that were remarkable for their dignity, courage, steadfastness under adversities and respect for traditions. In the very turbulent history of Romanian Transylvania, a lot of the legendary leaders of the struggle for liberty and human dignity were “Mofi” like Horia, Cloşca and Avram Iancu; and, all of them met an undeserved tragic end. >>>>>