Grig Gheorghiu
Jan 29

Father Proclu Nicau—baptized Gheorghe—was born on November 13, 1928, in the village of Mitocu Balan, Neamt County, Romania. He was received into the monastic community at Sihastria Monastery in Neamt County on November 1, 1948.

In 1949, together with other monks from Sihastria, he was sent to Slatina Monastery to revive the monastic life there. Father Proclu was a disciple of some of the great abbots of Romanian monasticism: Archimandrite Cleopa Ilie and Hieroschemamonk Paisie Olaru [both now Saints].

Father Proclu’s spiritual experience was further deepened through his life of withdrawal and solitude. After Decree 410 of 1959, with the blessing of his spiritual father, Father Cleopa, Father Proclu chose a life of quietness. For decades, he lived simply, in a small house on the edge of the village of Mitocu Balan. He passed away on January 28, 2017, and was laid to rest at Sihastria Putnei Monastery.

What follows are excerpts from a conversation that His Grace Nectarius, Bishop of Bogdania, the former abbot of Sihastria Putnei Monastery, had with nuns from Paltin Monastery in 2024:

Charity on a Freezing Winter Night
I want to tell you something Father Proclu used to say: “Listen carefully: what you do for someone in need, even something that seems insignificant, is so great before God that you cannot even understand it!”

That reminded me of an incident when I was returning from Bucharest around two or three in the morning, in winter. It was extremely cold, and a poor man was walking along the road. He had come out of Putna, where the roadside cross stands at the entrance to the village, and was crossing a field toward a school, carrying a bag. When I passed him, I thought, “Lord, where is this man going at this hour?”

It was two in the morning. I turned the car around, stopped, and asked him, “Where are you going?”

-“To the train station.”

– “Which station? There isn’t any.”

Lord, that man would have frozen to death; it was bitterly cold.

-“Where have you been staying?”

-“I wanted to remain at Putna Monastery, but the gates were closed. No one received me.”

He did not know about us at Sihastria Putnei Monastery; at that time few people did.

I called a few of the fathers, and they washed him, clothed him, gave him food, lodged him here, and afterward I told him, “We’ll arrange a car for you, give you some money, and send you where you need to go.”

Believe me, that came back to my mind later. Sometimes such a small, insignificant thing matters greatly. If I had passed him by, God’s blessing would have passed me by as well. And I think of how often we pass by blessings that God sends us. As the saying goes, “God gives to you, but He doesn’t put it in your bag.” You have to notice and respond. I believe that when you, as a person, are sensitive to others’ problems, God brings them into your path and reveals these things to you.

The Miracle of Forgiveness
So Father Proclu helped you greatly.

At that time he helped us enormously, since we had so many debts and unfinished buildings! God helped us, and Father Proclu too. And Father Proclu continues to help us.

Let me give you a personal example. I usually hear confessions on Saturdays, because during the week I handle administrative matters. On Fridays I confess the nuns from Marginea, and on Saturday evenings I confess the monks and laypeople.

One Saturday evening, while I was hearing confessions, a certain priest was not answering my messages. I thought, “He must be upset about something.” I called once, twice, and when someone doesn’t answer, that is the first thought that comes to your mind.

After finishing confessions, I usually go and venerate the grave of His Eminence Pimen, to walk a little and get some fresh air. I also went to Father Proclu’s grave. I remembered, “That father didn’t answer me; I should go to his cell to see what’s going on. Maybe he’s sick, maybe there is something else going on.”

As soon as I touched my forehead to the cross on Father Proclu’s grave, I said, “Father, if I have done anything wrong toward this priest, let him forgive me, let him open his heart.” Because in the end, a person cannot forgive unless his heart is opened.

You see, when you do not forgive, your heart becomes hardened, and there is malice there; there is malice, because the Holy Spirit is not there. And the very moment I said this at Father Proclu’s cross, in that split second—why didn’t he send the message ten minutes earlier or later?—I received a reply. He wrote: “Father Abbot, please forgive me; I was troubled.” In that very second! And I thought: if Father Proclu responds so quickly to small things, what about the great ones?

Source: https://romelders.substack.com/p/remembering-fr-proclu-nicau-by-bp?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=774362&post_id=186160536&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=2u0jqf&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email