Last month, I drove a few hours south to Lynchburg, Virginia to attend a talk titled “Truth Before Peace: The Message of Fr. George Calciu to Today’s Youth.” It was given by Father Theodore Stanway, a monk of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York, the same ROCOR monastery that I was baptized in.

Father Theodore’s talk shares how to maintain the Orthodox faith in an increasingly materialistic and secular society by highlighting the teachings of Romanian priest Fr. George Calciu, a powerful confessor of Orthodoxy during Romanian communism.

Here is the video recording of the talk:

These two books help supplement Father Theodore’s speech:

• Father George Calciu: Interviews, Talks, and Homilies – thoughts on imprisonment, prayer, and defeating temptations
• The Saint of the Prisons – details of the horrible torture during Romanian communism alongside incredible states of grace

We are treading down a road already traveled by saints who had faith stronger than ours, so it would be wise for us to listen to what they have to say.

Thanks goes out to Pano Kostouros for hosting the video. You can view his Orthodox channel here.

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