Interview with Father Dan Sandu by Alan Shiyar
– Father Dan Sandu, you are a senior lecturer and responsible for the Erasmus program at the faculty of Orthodox Theology at the University of Iasi. Welcome to Sankt Ignatios. Could you tell me something about the institution you work at?
– Yes, certainly, I come from the oldest modern University in Romania, it is in the city Iasi, which is located about 20 km from the border of the Republic of Moldova. This university has been here since 1860 and the faculty of theology is one of the founding faculties together with the faculty of Law and Philosophy. Now the university has fifteen faculties of theology. Our faculty has about one thousand students and has been reopened in 1991 after it had been closed by the communist regime. It opened by the request of the university. It was not the church that wanted to open it, although it was needed. Now it has become one of the leading faculties of theology in Romania.
– Could you also tell us something of your vocation in the Orthodox Church and your way toward joining the faculty?
– Yes, it’s fascinating – although I have worked in the Orthodox Church since 1993 when I first came to Iasi, after my graduation, the former metropolitan of the Moldavian diocese I belong to invited me, because he said, you know foreign languages and I need young people to rejuvenate the church. He said, I trust so much the young people because, even if they don’t have knowledge, they have enthusiasm. At least I had much enthusiasm, and he actually offered me a huge possibility to learn from him, and from the whole structure of the faculty. So, I became a young research fellow at the faculty of Orthodox Theology in 1993, two years after the reopening. Soon after, I became a deacon, and for one and a half years I was the Metropolitan’s deacon. It was a wonderful time where he consecrated churches and ordained more than 900 young people into priesthood. Afterward, I was ordained a priest and I have served in a chapel in the middle of the city called The Royal Church of St. Nicholas. Since 1993, I have been a lecturer and am now a Senior lecturer responsible for the Erasmus program since 2004. I developed, somehow, this program and now we got relationships with 21 universities in Europe and universities like Balamand and Universities in New York. We are very open to the exchange of students.
– I understand that the Erasmus program has broadened the dynamics of the faculty of Orthodox Theology and also created opportunities for students and teachers in relation to learning as well as listening and teaching. Coming to that, here at Sankt Ignatios College we have both students preparing to become priests or deacons at the same time as we have students who have dedicated themselves to become theologians both within the Orthodox Church and in other denominations. Coming to the pastoral and theological aspects of an education like this, what would be a message you would like to give to the pastoral students?
– First, I want to say that I am glad to be here and experience the spiritual atmosphere. I love it. It’s like a bigger family in Christ, everyone is feeling at home but at the same time there is a wonderful togetherness in learning and in studying and marching towards the kingdom. I mean, here I did not see the gap between the ”all-knowing” teacher and ”nothing-knowing” students – on the contrary, it’s like the liturgy, a ceaseless liturgy happening every single day I stepped into this building and among you. Regarding pastoral students, our largest part of students concern those who are to become priests and servers in holy orders. What I would let them know is to follow your vocation: you are not here by misstake, you are not here because of curiosity and even if it’s so, take it as a vocation. If you don’t find or search for your vocation, make sure vocation finds you.
The experience you describe being here, in relation to the diversity at Sankt Ignatios College, what could you take with you from this perspective to your faculty and students in Iasi?
– Of course, the first is the sense of belonging, and the second the responsibility which the students here take. It is true that the students here are older and at our place they are younger and sometimes not so much aware of their calling. Here I can see that every student is really interested, really deeply involved in what she or he is doing, and this is the kind of responsibility I want to share with my students, that studying theology is not just a matter of choice, it is a matter of program, I mean it’s not just a bachelor or master’s program, it is the whole life, a full length life-program. Theology studies is where the foundation of being Christian is laid in the full sense of the word, becoming compatible with the kingdom of God as Christ expects us to be.
– Thank you fr. Dan for your vist and exchange with us, and before we end, is there a general message you want to give both to the faculty and the students here?
– Of course, help to grow, I so much hope to be a light. This year I, in terms of “Christ is risen – He has risen indeed,” as we say during Easter. This year was the first year that I didn’t answer “He has risen”, but I answered, “He is risen”. Because it is not just a historical event, it is a permanent event. We carry with us the risen Christ, He is within us, He is with us. That is my hope, not only for Sankt Ignatios’ students and our students, but for churches in general. I am so happy that there are signs in present times to this effort for a larger and fuller glory of God.
Alan Shiyar is a Master’s student at Sankt Ignatios College within the religious educator program.
