Schitul Lăzești

Father Rafail Noica, the son of the renowned philosopher Constantin Noica, is considered one of the most important contemporary Romanian spiritual leaders. For over two decades, he has lived in seclusion in the Apuseni Mountains, in the village of Lăzești, Albac commune, leading a hermit's life and rarely participating in public events. However, when he appears at conferences in Alba Iulia or Bucharest, he attracts crowds of people eager to listen to him.

Born in 1942, Rafail Noica received little religious education in his childhood. His father was mainly concerned with the philosophical aspect of life, and his mother was of the Anglican denomination. At the age of 13, he moved to England with his mother, who wanted to provide him with a better education. He went through several Protestant denominations – Anglican, Pentecostal, Congregationalist, Salvation Army – and stayed for a longer time among the Baptists, where he found an environment closer to his soul. However, in 1961 he returned to Orthodoxy, and in 1965 he was tonsured a monk at the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist in Essex, under the guidance of Father Sofronie Sakharov.

In 1993, after 38 years spent abroad, he returned to Romania. The Patriarchate proposed to him to become a bishop, but he refused, preferring a secluded life. He settled in Apuseni, where he lives in isolation, but remains a living spiritual presence through his conferences and published writings.

Although he humorously states that his first book, *Gânduri*, was completely blank, considering it a joke inspired by the expectations of those who hoped that Noica's son would write something profound, his thoughts and words can still be found in volumes such as *Celălalt Noica*, *Cultura Duhului*, articles and translations published in the magazine *Epifania*. He translated two books by his spiritual father, Father Sophrony Sakharov, from Russian, and brought the teachings of Saint Silouan the Athonite to the public’s attention.

About his father, Constantin Noica, he says that he knew him little, due to his parents’ divorce and the communist regime. However, over time, he understood the depth of his father, even if he could not read his philosophy, feeling that between them there existed, towards the end, a silent harmony, difficult to express in words.

Thus, Father Rafail Noica remains a special figure – a cultivated, profound, withdrawn monk, but with a strong spiritual impact on those who know him or listen to his words.

But I felt another current underneath that united us and, in a way, I felt in my calling a legacy from my father. "Maybe he also felt, as he expressed himself, a fulfillment through his son, who came to another philosophy, to another culture."

Sursa: proalba.ro