Grigorie Gh. Comșa (; born Gheorghe Comșa; May 13, 1889–May 25, 1935) was an
Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
-born
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n cleric who became a bishop within the
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the East ...
.
Born in
Comăna de Sus,
Brașov County
Brașov County () is a county (județ) of Transylvania, Romania. Its capital city is Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" (''țări'') Burzenland and Făgăraș.
Name
In Hungarian language, Hungari ...
, in the
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
region, he went to the village church school where his father taught for over thirty years. He then attended the state Hungarian gymnasium in nearby
Făgăraș
Făgăraș (; , ) is a municipiu, city in central Romania, located in Brașov County. It lies on the Olt (river), Olt River and has a population of 26,284 as of 2021. It is situated in the historical region of Transylvania, and is the main city of ...
from 1900 to 1908, and went to the
Sibiu
Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...
theological institute from 1908 to 1911. On a scholarship from the
Sibiu Archdiocese, he studied at the law faculty of the
University of Budapest
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...
from 1911 to 1915, obtaining a doctorate.
[Păcurariu, p. 445] Meanwhile, he attended the faculty of Catholic theology. He later studied theology at the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...
, taking an undergraduate degree in 1921 and a doctorate in 1925.
Ordained in September 1915 as an unmarried deacon by
Ioan Mețianu, he served at the
Sibiu Orthodox Cathedral. Having previously published articles there, from January to September 1918, he was interim editor of ''
Telegraful Român''.
From 1918 to 1919, following the
union of Transylvania with Romania
The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day (also called ''Unification Day''), celebrated on 1 December, is a Public holidays in Romani ...
, he was a secretary at the presidency of the Directing Council, the temporary authority in the province. From 1920 to 1925, he was an administrator within the
Religious Affairs and Arts Ministry. During these years, residing in the national capital
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, he was a deacon at the
Amzei Church
Amzei Church () is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 12 Biserica Amzei Street in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Feast of the Annunciation.
The original church on the site, a small single-domed structure dedicated to Saint Nicholas ...
. In 1920, he
was elected to the
Assembly of Deputies, serving in the second legislature of
Greater Romania
Greater Romania () is the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union or the related pan-nationalist ideal of a nation-state which would incorporate all Romanian speakers.Irina LivezeanuCultural Politics in Greate ...
.
In May 1925, he was elected
Bishop of Arad, tonsured a monk at
Sinaia Monastery
The Sinaia Monastery, located in Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, was founded by Prince Mihail Cantacuzino in 1695 and named after the great Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt. As of 2005, it is inhabited by 13 Christian Orthod ...
and took the name Grigorie. He was consecrated bishop in June and enthroned the following month, serving until his death. In 1934, he was elected an honorary member of the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life.
According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...
. He also belonged to the
Romanian Writers' Society The Romanian Writers' Society () was a professional association based in Bucharest, Romania, that aided the country's writers and promoted their interests. Founded in 1909, it operated for forty years before the early Communist Romania, communist re ...
and the syndicate of
Banat
Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...
journalists, and was part of
Astra
Astra (Latin for "stars") may refer to:
People
* Astra (name)
Places
* Astra, Chubut, a village in Argentina
* Astra (Isauria), a town of ancient Isauria, now in Turkey
* Astra, one suggested name for a hypothetical fifth planet that became t ...
's central committee.
Although a tall and energetic man, a severe illness kept him in bed for several weeks, and he died at the age of 46. He was buried alongside previous bishops of Arad at the
Hodoș-Bodrog Monastery
The Hodoș-Bodrog Monastery is one of the oldest monastic institutions in Romania. It was originally a Roman Catholic (Benedictine) monastery, built before 1177 and destroyed before 1293. The present monastery, which belongs to the Romanian Ortho ...
.
During his time as bishop, Comșa was appreciated for his oratory and missionary spirit. He countered efforts at conversion by Protestant denominations, initiated several series of theological and moral works, guided the theological academy in
Arad and oversaw the diocesan bulletin ''Biserica și Şcoala''. He published some 75 works, including books of sermons and anti-Protestant pamphlets.
["Grigorie Comșa"]
, entry in Mircea Păcurariu, ''Dicționarul Teologilor Români'', Editura Univers Enciclopedic, Bucharest, 1996 He was probably the foremost Orthodox polemicist against
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
, complaining that the group continued to meet secretly after being denied official recognition.
[Sabrina P. Ramet, ''Protestantism and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia'', p. 379. Durham: Duke University Press, 1992. ]
Notes
References
*
Mircea Păcurariu
Mircea Păcurariu (30 July 1932 – 13 January 2021) was a Romanian theologian, historian and priest in the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Biography
Born in Ruși, Hunedoara County, he was the son of the village priest. He enrolled in the History ...
, ''Cărturari sibieni de altădată''. Cluj-Napoca: Editura Dacia, 2002.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comsa, Grigorie
1889 births
1935 deaths
People from Brașov County
Romanian Austro-Hungarians
Bishops of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Eötvös Loránd University alumni
University of Bucharest alumni
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania)
Romanian newspaper editors
Romanian civil servants
Honorary members of the Romanian Academy