In Memory of Father Cleopa

The world-renowned Romanian Orthodox monk, Fr. Cleopa Ilie, of the 14th century Sihastria Monastery, 200 miles north of Bucharest, is reported to have fallen asleep in the Lord on December 3, 1998. He was 87 years old.

Fr. Cleopa was a much sought-after spiritual father whose talks drew so many visitors that an amphitheater was constructed after 1989 to accommodate the growing numbers of people. Cleopa was born in northern Romania, the child of illiterate peasants, and he entered Sihastria Monastery in 1934 at the age of 25. He cared for the monastery's sheep for 12 years. The story is told that only the abbot of the monastery knew about Cleopa's remarkable memory, a gift which allowed him to recite long sections of scripture and the teachings of the Church fathers by heart. The abbot gave him books from the monastery library, and Cleopa would read them while he was in the fields with the sheep. The other monks thought of Cleopa as a simple, uneducated man. Therefore, when the abbot of the monastery was on his death bed and named Cleopa as his successor, the other monks were astonished. Only after the monks told Cleopa of the abbot's wishes and heard him speak to them, quoting the scriptures and Church fathers from memory, did they understand why the abbot selected him to lead the community. From 1950 to 1953, Fr. Cleopa left the monastery and became a hermit in the mountain forests due to pressure from the communist authorities who did not like the fact that so many people went to him for spiritual guidance. A book of his sermons for Sundays throughout the year and some short books and cassettes recorded by his disciples present many of his informal talks on various spiritual topics. Translations of some of his writings are available in English. Those who personally met Fr. Cleopa remember how joyful he was, how he was able to speak in simple ways that were at the same time very deep and went to the heart of his listeners. He often greeted visitors with the phrase: "May heaven consume you."

Archimandrite Cleopa Ilie