Father Hierodeacon Visarion Iugulescu is one of the greatest missionaries of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the last decades, a confessor with a thorough living of the orthodox faith.His missionary work, carried out with eagerness and ardent love, on the way of the most pure Christian Orthodox tradition, had a great impact on a large number of Christian believers.
His magnetic and vibrant word attracted to a new life - a spiritual one - thousands of people, many of them being young people, who came to the light of Christ, filling the Churches - which made a known orthodox hierarch to call him " a miracle of our days".
His constant effort for the spiritual renaissance of the believers was based on the teaching of the holy fathers.
He was born in Branesti - Dambovita county - in October 1922, being baptised as Vasile. Since he was a child he was preoccupied about the spiritual missionary work. He loved the church very much, he had an ardent love, he used to study the writings of the holy fathers, wanting to store more and more knowledge for the salvation of the souls.
He contacted the Christian missionaries who went through the villages, preaching the word of God. He went along with them from village to village, in many churches, where despite his youthfulness he spread he word of God and strengthened the faith of the people. He painted roadside crucifixes and icons for missionary support and spent his life advising and directing the lives of the Christians on the way to God.
During the war he was incorporated as a soldier in the regiment of cavalry in Brasov, being very impressed by the discipline of the army. On Sundays, when the soldiers went to the church together with the officers, he used to chant at the lectern, and with the approval of the priest he preached in front of the officers and the soldiers. He went to the front - in Russia - where during the fights he was kept as prisoner together with his companions. On the way to the prison camp from Siberia, he miraculously escaped - helped by God - and he returned to Romania.
After demobilisation he retired near Brasov, where he met many spiritual fathers, authorised missionaries who spread the word of God through the country.
Between 1948 - 1950, day-by-day, he had done the missionary work together with father Damaschin - who previously was the father superior of Lainici Monastery. Since then the political authorities forbade them through severe actions to do their missionary work. Father Damaschin appreciating his sermons but also his determination and spiritual attitude, recommended him to the Bishop Irineu Mihalcescu and thus he took the holy order of Missionary Ipodeacon at the holy relies of St. Parascheva in Iasi. He was 28 years old.
Meanwhile he met the missionary orthodox association "Patriarhul Miron" from Bucharest, he met father Iosif Gafton, the writer Lascarov Moldoveanu, he met Vasile Ionescu, father Toma Gherasimescu from "Margaritarele lumii" ("The pearls of the world") - one of the greatest missionaries of our country.
Needing quietness and also longing for an achioritic life, he had retired in Reteiului Mountains, but God sent him again in the middle of the world. On December 25, 1950 he was ordained as hierodeacon for Balaciu Monastery, under the name of Visarion, by the Bishop of Buzau - Antim Anghelescu - at the Episcopal Cathedral of Buzau.
Here, with the blessing of his father superior he performed the same activity of spiritual strengthening, having many disciples. Many of his followers became monks, deacons, priests, superiors of many monasteries. We mention here
father Protosinghel Ilarion Lupascu who was the father superior of the Romanian Hermitage Prodrom in the Holy Mountain Athos.The Bishop Efrem called him to Cernica Monastery, where he came from Balaciu Monastery with a great number of his disciples. He took the course for guides and he was appointed as a guide in Snagov Monastery.
In 1960 he was affected by that terrifying order that proclaimed the closing of some monasteries and the removal of the young monks from the monasteries. After that he worked as chanter in many churches.
In 1973 he remained at St. Nicolae Sirbi Church in Bucharest, where for ten years he performed a tireless spiritual activity, spreading with and without time the word of God, soothing, comforting the turbulent souls, admonishing with kindness, directing the souls to Lord Christ.
He impressed everyone with his angelic voice, which was predestined to say prayers and chants; he used to chant the hymns of the church as no one else, and most of all he awoke the consciences with the might of the truth of his sermons, which were uttered in front of the Altar.
With his mild and clever eyes, with his angelic face and the monastic appearance, father Visarion revealed a profound spiritual life. Such a light couldn't be hidden under a "basket" and - in short time - a lot of young people gathered around him and the church became very crowded and too small.Many of those who were overwhelmed by sins, when they met his holiness, despite their mounts of sins, they had transformed themselves - being born again as people with healthy souls.
His holiness offered them with generosity: crucifixes, icons, religious books with holy teachings and lives of saints, cassettes with sermons which rose up their souls. These sermons were registered by the Christians during the holy services. Most of those things were hardly found and with great sacrifices.
He was also endowed with the gift of painting. Many icons painted by him adorn the houses of the Christians or different churches were they were donated.
About himself he liked to say that he is "a painter of souls".
The charity works, which were done together with the believers, varying with the possibilities of those difficult times (communism), were aimed to help the hospitals, nursing for elders, orphanage, families in poor conditions, children from orphanage who didn't receive the baptism, dead people who had no one to bury them.
The persons endowed with different talents (singing, painting, poetry writing, carving, etc) were encouraged to use their talents in the service of God.
Gradually his works incited the envy of many other who couldn't level themselves in the same way, and following some conspiracies, in 1983 he was investigated, interrogated and he was forbidden to preach.
Although they couldn't blame him of anything, from then on, he was forbidden to enter into the church and they forced him to retire.
It was such a difficult period for him and for the Christians , who were worried about the injustice he had suffered. The ardent love for God made him face the trials with dignity and bravery.
The Christians who had followed him, spread out to many churches, helping the priests and rising centres of faith in the churches, which beamed over those around them.
Acting with great wisdom, now is doing his missionary work under cover, as in "catacombs", according to the circumstances and the possibilities of the times.
However, due to the living conditions and the trials, the health of his holiness has seriously weaken.
After the revolution from December 1989, has been created a large front of work for the spiritual site of life. He has now the possibility to do a large catechisation work, acting with ability and spreading the word of God to a large number of auditors.
He is invited by many priests, both in Bucharest and in other sites of the country, and he preaches in many churches, his sermons being appreciated with superlatives and aiming to enlighten the mind, to strengthen the will and to move the hearts for receiving Christ in our souls.
During all this period it has been continuously performed the practical activities for supporting the Church, the charity works and also answered to the requests of the priests. Disciples full of missionary eagerness has successfully performed missionary works with some religious movies on lantern slides accompanied with remarks that made the auditors shivered and vibrated the deep of their souls.
Together with his closed disciples he publicised the review - "Bread and Water for Soul" - which is very much wanted and appreciated by the believers of our Orthodox Church and which is meant to help anyone who wants to know and live the Orthodox faith.
In everything he did, he proved a deep understanding of the human soul, dominating it with ardent love.
The activity of father Visarion within the Orthodox Church of Christ, his missionary eagerness - similar to a true apostle - his determination for enlightening the souls and for the spiritual renaissance of the believers, had a strong impact on the Christians of our Orthodox Church.
His strong personality remains engraved in the hearts of those who love and admire him.