Vladimir Ghika
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Ghika was a prince, diplomat, writer, man of charity and the Romanian minister's nephew Grigore Alexandru Ghika, the last prince of Moldavia. Ghika Vladimir's father was John Gregory Ghika, minister of foriegn affairs of Romania. His brother was Dimitrie I. Ghika. There is an ongoing process of his beatification in Rome.

Early life

He was born on Christmas Day of 1873 in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), was the grandson of the last ruler of Moldavia, Prince Ghika Gregory V. Prince (1849 - 1856), son of John Ghika (major general, Minister Plenipotentiary) Alexandrina de Blaremberg Moret (descendant of Henry IV , King of France).

He had four brothers and one sister: Gregory - who died at a young age, Alexander, George and Ella - they died young, and Demetrius (1875 - 1967).

He was baptized and anointed Orthodox, his mother being a very faithfully attached to the Church, his father being at that time Minister Plenipotentiary of Romania to Turkey. In 1878 he is sent to school in France, in Toulouse, and left in the care of a Protestant family in terms of education and religious practice, because there was no Orthodox church in the area. He finished in 1895, after which he attended the Paris University of Political Sciences. He attended courses in medicine, botany, art, literature, philosophy, history and law.

Romania

He returned to Romania because of angina pectoris, where he continued his studies until 1898 when he went to Rome where he followed the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology, Dominicans in Rome, the Angelicum. It was during this period (1902) when, after a mysterious discernment to be "more Orthodox", he embraced the Catholic faith to the disappointment of his mother who disliked to the death the decision of her son.

He wanted to become a priest or monk, but pope Pius X advised him to abandon the idea, at least for a while, and to devote himself to the apostolate as a layman. He worked in an extraordinary way worldwide in Bucharest, Rome, Paris, Congo, Tokyo, Sydney, Buenos Aires ... Later, in jest, Pope Pius XI will call him a "great apostolic bum." Thus he became one of the pioneers apostolate of the laity.

Back in the country, he dedicated himself to charitable works and opened first clinic in Bucharest without charge, Mariae Bethlehem, hospital and nursing home called St. Vincent de Paul, he founded the first hospital free of charge in Romania and the first ambulance, and he became the first founder of a Catholic charity work Romania.

He participated in health services in the Balkan war of 1913 and was committed to patient care without fear of cholera in Zimnicea.

World War I

During World War I he was busy with diplomatic missions to help the Avezzano earthquake victims, the patients of the mental hospital and tuberculosis of Rome, people wounded in the war, ranging from the diplomatic environments popular with surprising naturalness.

On 7 October 1923 he is ordained a priest in Paris by Cardinal Dubois
Cardinal Dubois
Cardinal Dubois may refer to:*Guillaume Dubois , Archbishop of Cambrai and French statesman*Louis-Ernest Dubois , Archbishop of Paris...

, Archbishop site, he will carry out priestly ministry in France until 1939 [1] . The Holy Seat has granted shortly after ordination and the right to celebrate the Byzantine rite . Prince Ghica such becomes the first Romanian priest of the Old Kingdom to have the right to celebrate biritualy.

He is assigned as parish in a poor and dangerous neighborhood of Paris, Villejuif, where he gives to the ground changing neighborhood spirit. In 1930 , when ill, he retired and was appointed rector of the Paris Church for foreigners.

In 1924 he founded a subsidiary company of missions, Brothers and Sisters of St. John Opera and buyed a dilapidated building, a former prison for women for this purpose (centuries ago was a convent), he will sell for financial reasons and members will disperse.

On 13 May 1931 he is appointed by the pope apostolic Protonotar. He hesitated to accept this appointment because the vote had entered the clergy not to ever accept ecclesiastical dignities. ” A receipt, however, by the observation that "nothing will change my way of life will be just a narrow ribbon added to the reverend."

World War II

On 3 August 1939 to return to Romania, where he is during World War II. He refuses to leave Romania in order to be with the poor and sick, to assist them and encourage staying in Bucharest which is under ally bombing.

After the Communists came to power he also refused to leave with the royal train for the same reasons. He was arrested on 18 November 1952 on charges of "high treason and imprisoned in Jilava where he was threatened, beaten up to blood and tortured. A year later there is a show trial, and on 16 May 1954 he passed away due to the bestial treatment he had undergone.

He was "a priest, confessor, spiritual director, lecturer, scholar, diplomat, who performed his work in all environments and with all sort of people, from crowned heads, heads of state, politicians, philosophers, artists, writers, theologians, to anarchists, occultists, homosexuals and prostitutes."

He was a promoter in many areas, his work transcends religious and spirit of the time, being a true forerunner of ecumenism.

1878 - 1893 - School of Toulouse (France)
1893 - 1895 - Follow the Paris Faculty of Political Science, also attended courses of medicine, botany, art, literature, philosophy, history and law, falls ill and returns to Romania, where for two years will continue their studies in private
1898 - 1905 - Below is the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology of the Dominicans in Rome (Angelicum) and a doctorate degree in philosophy and theology
1904 - 1906 - In Thessaloniki continue with studies in philosophy and theology

Although she had a great culture and exceptional abilities, he avoided to produce personal writings. He's forced by circumstances and need. He did research work in the Vatican archives, publishing some of the resulting feedback in the "Revue Catolique. He has written journal "Literary Talks", "La Revue Hebdomadaire", "Les Études", "Le Correspondant, La Revue des Jeunes, La Documentation Catholique. He was wont to note the findings of short pieces of paper, personal meditations, were subsequently published in various editions as "Pensées pour la suite des jours." We have sent a few sermons, articles, conferences and publications.

Writings published in French

  • Meditation Sainte de l'Heure, first edition, 1912
  • Pensées pour la suite des jours, first edition, 1923
  • Les intermedes of Talloires, 1924
  • La Messe de St-Jean Byzantine inappropriate Chrysostom, 1924
  • The count des pauvres, first edition, 1923
  • Roseau d'Or (Chroniques - Volume VIII), a collection of thoughts (such Pensées pour la suite des jours), 1928
  • La Sainte Vierge et le Saint Sacrement, 1929
  • Vigie (Book IV), a collection of thoughts (such Pensées pour la suite des jours), 1930
  • La femme adult évangélique Mystere, the pièce théâtre, 1931
  • La souffrance, first edition, 1932
  • La Liturgie du prochain , prima ediție, 1932 The Liturgy du prochain, first edition, 1932
  • La Présence de Dieu , prima ediție, 1932 La Presencia de Dieu, the first edition, 1932
  • Derniers témoignages [hair] Monsignor Vladimir Ghika. Yvonne Hair Présentés Estienne, 1970 , posthumous publication that collects various other unpublished thoughts

Writings published in Romanian

  • Our Lady and the Blessed Sacrament. Speech delivered by Msgr. Ghika in November 1928 Eucharistic Congress in Sydney, Australia (translation)
  • Adulterous woman. Gospel Mistery including a prologue, an act, an epilogue. Pieasă theater (translation)
  • Thoughts for the days ahead (translation)
  • Spiritual Talks (translation)
  • Stay in Talloires (translation)
  • The last witness, Vladimir Ghika, pref. Yvonne Estienne (translation)
  • Posthumous Fragments. Unpublished texts from the archives of the Institute "Vladimir Ghika (unpublished translation of documents)
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