An Interview with Sanziana Tamiian. (Full Interview)
Sanziana Tamiian is the eldest daughter of Fr. Calin Tamiian and Sarah Tamiian. She is currently a first-year student of Clinical Psychology at Franciscan University of Steubenville. In her free time, she loves to read, travel, knit and meeting new people. She is so excited to be helping and serving the Romanian Greek Catholic Church in America.
Q: Sânziana, can you tell me about your faith and your faith journey?
A: I am a priest’s daughter. Being born into that role has a big influence in who I am and what I believe. I would say that my faith journey started from the moment I was baptized into the Romainian Catholic Church.
I view my faith as a love affair. I view all that I do as a way to show how I love God and how I love the traditions that he has given us. I demonstrate that through the fact that I am a cantor at our church; I lead catechism classes with our youth; I try every day to say the Jesus Prayer which is a very important part of my life. Practicing that has definitely directed me and helped my faith grow. What has helped me at this point now, and how I am growing in my faith, is being able to read more of the Church fathers. I really use these beautiful resources in order to really understand what it means to be a Byzantine Catholic and how I can live that through every moment of my entire life.
”To be a Byzantine Catholic is to be in love with all aspects of who Christ is.”
Q. What does it mean to be a Byzantine Catholic? What does it feel, smell, taste like?
A: To be a Byzantine Catholic is to be in love with all aspects of who Christ is, from what our faith is as Christians. For me what it smells like (to being Byzantine) is just the smell of our past, of the antiquities of being a Byzantine Catholic. The minute you walk into a Byzantine Church you know exactly what it is through the smell of the incense, through the smell of the old foods that we have, and to hear the laughter of our children.
To be Byzantine is to have community. To be Byzantine is to know everyone in your church and to love everyone and to see everyone as your brother and sister in Christ. To be Byzantine is to be persecuted. To know that overseas and here we are struggling to survive, but yet, we do. To be Byzantine is difficult. To be Byzantine is to be alone. But there is such strength that comes from that. The fact that we have survived when we were persecuted by our own brethren and yet here we are, we are standing for something that would be otherwise lost. We represent who Christ was and where he came from, and that is what it means to be a Byzantine for me. It is the constant identity of the past, to realize that the blood of countless martyrs is on our shoulders. And so, every time I go to Divine Liturgy, that is what I think about when I look at our icons, our gold vestments, our decorations – this feeling that you are walking into paradise.
Q. How do you relate to friends and others who are not Byzantine, and how do you let them know about your faith?
A: First and foremost, I always start from a position of patience, of love, and take the approach of not being afraid or trying to hide who I am. Being Byzantine Catholic is what dictates and what drives my every motive. The way I represent that to my lovely brethren, to my Roman Catholic friends, is that I learned what it means to be Byzantine. I learned our tradition so that I could answer their questions. I’m not afraid to answer their questions. So, yes it takes some work on my own. For example, I ask my father questions, to study on my own. When I go to these gatherings, since I do go to a Roman Catholic University, people do ask me what it is like to be Byzantine and what does that mean. So, I just start from a position of honesty, and a position of truth, and a position of love. I want to share with them the totality and beauty of what it means to be Catholic, which means universal. Yes, there have been some difficult interactions. The fact that people don’t understand, or it gets them out of their comfort zone, or the fact that I will never give up on my fellow Roman Catholic friends and I will never say no in answering their questions — that’s where patience comes in. But also, ultimately, I don’t have to answer to anyone for who I am. I also ask people to come to a Byzantine Divine Liturgy at my parish that is nearby in Weirton (WV). Or I will loan people some of my books, such as The Pilgrim. Or I will sit down, and I will show others the difference between our chants to theirs. Or I will sit down and use the internet to show them what it means to have an icon screen.
Most of the time people are dumbfounded; they get excited and are so happy to see that the Catholic Church is not just this one, mainstream, “this is what it is.” I discuss that we actually represent what it means to be human — we are all different, but we are all unified in what means to be human.
Q: How can a teenager or young adult fit in the Byzantine Church if they did not have a strong upbringing in the tradition? What would you tell them?
A: What I would tell them is that first and foremost you must be open, to be comfortable while being uncomfortable. At the same time there are so many resources out there. Gone are the days when we could not communicate with people easily across the country. For example, as a young adult I have my own personal phone, which is a little computer in my hand, and on that I have countless resources. For example, using Wikipedia, I can say, “what is Byzantine Catholic?” We have so many Byzantine churches across the area – Romanian and others. Although we are small, and although we do not have a lot of “shout out,” it’s not that hard to find us if you just have an inquisitive nature. So, I would suggest to someone who does not have the privilege of a priest as a father is to say to them, “don’t be afraid to jump on the bus that somebody has already offered to you.”
I feel like what really needs to be done is that the people who do have my privilege, and the other Byzantine children who were born into this tradition, need to take the initiative and actually let people know that this exists. Let them know when a Divine Liturgy is being celebrated nearby and invite people. That is what I feel really needs to be done – encourage this desire for truth and not just lie back on what you know and what is comfortable.
Q: Do you get a chance to interact with other Byzantine Catholic youth?
A: When I was in Romania I did interact with some Byzantine youth. [In the US] I mostly interact with my siblings, but here on campus there is also a Byzantine club. I’m also part of a couple Byzantine Catholic youth Facebook groups such as Searcher for the Lost Byzantine group and Byzantine singles. And those are just easy ways that we can talk about what it’s like to be Byzantine nowadays — to share articles. For example, here on campus we have a book club and a little prayer time that we have on Sundays where we are reading The Pilgrim. Then at my parish in Weirton there’s a couple of youth as well that serve on the altar. Those are the places that I interact with other Byzantine youth the most.
Q: Do you see any opportunities that are currently not explored at the Eparchial level regarding your fellow youth?
A: First and foremost, what is really important is the fact that we need people to know about our traditions, because the older generation is getting older. Who is going to be sacristan, who is going to make the sarmale (Romanian for ”cabage rolls”), who is going to make the flower arrangements, or who is making the bread for the church? We want our traditions. The youth do not want our traditions to change. The youth are attracted to what our tradition is. But the problem is that they need something to do. So, if I was in a position of change I would actually teach my people how to make the prescura. In our mission back home, my sister makes the prescura, and we learned how to do it. I would have a choir of the youth and teach them how to sing. Also, today the Catholic youth are very involved in the pro-life movement. I believe that we should have a pro-life group that is very active, because that creates the community. That creates what it means to be Catholic. Catholic is not like the Protestant who just will go to a Sunday service and they’re done. Being Catholic means how do you live every breath of your entire life as a Catholic. These will all promote the youth to get involved.
I think that it is very important for us that we are Romanians, so what does it mean to be Romanian Catholic? Do the youth know how to make sarmale for the Church fundraiser? Those are the questions and the changes that I would make because I know from myself, that is one of the reasons why I am so in love with my tradition’s faith. It is the fact that I was so active in my own parish and the fact that I helped my father or my family with every activity that we did.
”When you walk into a Byzantine Church community you just feel this overwhelming sense of joy.”
Q: What are the Romanian Byzantine Catholic elements that attract you personally and that you think others may find attractive?
A: The joy! When you walk into a Byzantine Church community you just feel this overwhelming sense of joy. The tradition. The minute I walk into our church I always cry, I always tear up, because I’ve never felt so close to God. My entire body is just enamored with God. All my senses are tantalized – my smell, my sight, my touch, my everything. That is what it means to be a Byzantine – that you know where you are as soon as you walk into the church. It’s also the community. It’s the fact that after the Liturgy everyone goes down for coffee and doughnuts, and there are children and elderly and everyone is talking to one another – no one is allowed to leave until they have some food. It’s the fasting and the feasting. We actually try to practice what we preach. I would definitely say the services themselves – the fact that there is so much beauty in our services, even just the wording. I just love to read the Divine Liturgy. If you just open the book and listen to the words, they will speak to your soul. It gives me such a sense of refreshment because as a young person nowadays we are constantly bogged down, with pressure. We are constantly having to do well with material things, to do well with education, trying to get married and have children – all good things. But it reminds me of the Gospel of the men who had all those different excuses, but the wedding feast was the most important thing. So, what really attracts me the most, and why I have chosen to remain Byzantine Catholic, and why I would die for this Church, is because I love it so much.
Q: So, from your very first breath you were Byzantine,but also grew up in a Byzantine way. Yet, there are people who may have been born and baptized Byzantine but for some reason they are not practicing Byzantines, hence do not possess this experiential knowledge that you do. How would you try to encourage people who have not had this powerful experience?
A: For my brethren who were baptized Byzantine but for some reason or another do not understand what is happening all the way, first and foremost I would have patience on them. But I would also invite them and have open conversations about what it means to be Byzantine for you? Many of our youth do not understand what it’s like to be Byzantine in the sense of the fasting, the feasting, or our Saints stories. So, the first thing I would do is educate them on our past and explain what makes us kind of cool, what makes us different. Then I would give them a job in the church, a reason to make them feel needed and active, and part of that community. So, then it’s not just “Oh, I’m going because grandma wants me to go”. No, I’m going because this is who I am. I would suggest that a conference of some kind would be helpful where we can bring all our youth together.
I’m going to the Franciscan University in Steubenville and we have the Steubenville youth conferences which can change people’s lives. From my experience of watching youth come and go, what really turns people off is this sense that “Oh, we’re just coming in on Sunday”. This is not what it is. This is our life. So, when I’ve seen people get active, tasked with a job, educated, and learn what it’s like to be Byzantine Catholic, then you see where the love comes in. Just think about human relationships and how you become best friends with someone. You become best friends when you realize that “oh, wow” this person is a living and breathing person. This person is someone who has loves and interests. The Byzantine Church, like the Roman Catholic Church, is not just people that go there, say a couple of words and oh, yeah, we’re done. It’s a living, breathing part of the Church of Christ. I think that is something that is so beautiful, and anyone who fully understands that will fall in love. They will want to be active and live their faith.
”We have to train our eyes to see the invisible before we see the visible.”
Q: Another aspect of this is that maybe people only see the visible, and don’t see God in all that. Where do you find God in your day to day life?
A: Something that St. John Paul II said is really close to my heart. He said that we have to train our eyes to see the invisible before we see the visible. I think that is very beautiful and I think that is definitely what being Byzantine means. So, for me, I see God when I walk to my classes in the morning; I see a tree and some moss growing on a tree; I see just the way the sky is, the way the tree is positioned – it’s awe striking and beautiful. For me, God is there. I also see God in every single person I meet. I may not know their names, and I may not ever meet them again, but I see God in them. Anything with beauty, anything with truth, is where I see God. When I read Shakespeare and the words speak to my soul, I feel God’s presence. That is how I never feel alone or never forget that He is there. But that took practice and that took prayer. What really led me to that was just putting away my phone, putting away all the busyness of the world, spending time outside two minutes a day and really appreciating everything.
Also, saying the Jesus prayer, trying to practice and saying it constantly, that really helped me – and that’s how I see God every day. And I’m still working and practicing on this, while hoping and praying that I get stronger in it, because I think it is something very, very important.
The world nowadays is not created for that kind of personal prayer. The world is constantly flashing distractions. They may not all be bad, but you do have to sit back a second and say, ok, what is the most important thing right now. And I know I may be speaking from a different perspective, but youth nowadays can see what has happened in the past and there is this feeling of wanting peace – that is what young people want today. I feel truthfully, the only way to find peace is to appreciate the small things and see that God is in the small things, because God is everywhere.
Q: You mentioned youth and their phones. Can we find God in technology? Can we find God in the “digital continent” as Pope Benedict XVI had said? Is there an opportunity for us to be missionary disciples in the online world?
A: Definitely. I would say that the internet has been a great tool for me in showing my friends and people who have questions what it means to be a Byzantine. Now I can just Google and I find music, photos, videos and lots of information about being Byzantine. What I have noticed is that people love their social media. Facebook is kind of going out, but Facebook is definitely a tool. People now love Instagram, which is a great opportunity to show that, for instance, today we’re making prescura (Romanian for prosphora – the leavened bread for the Eucharist), or this is our icon screen. My parish in Weirton is now broadcasting a Facebook livestream of their Divine Liturgy which people watch. I would also think that every church needs an actual website, with the homilies posted, the readings of that Sunday, or music to listen to. But I also think that podcasts are great, it could be a youth podcast. One of my favorite apps on my phone is Pray As You Go, which is a Jesuit mission and it’s the readings of the day, then there is a reflection. I listen to it when I work out, or if I’m going to class, or if I just want some quiet meditation. It’s just 12 minutes long, and so it’s not that big of a deal.
I would also say that we should continue to use the tools that we have and in that way we can let people know [about our church]. People are ready to go, but they need to have it easy in the beginning. So, there is definitely God on the internet and it can be used as a tool for our mission on this earth as Byzantines.
Q: How do you, who’s been born and raised here in the U.S., interact with Romanian Byzantine Catholics that immigrated here to the U.S.? How do you handle that culturally different understanding of what it means to be Byzantine Catholic?
A: A lot of the lovely immigrants that come here do get upset. For example, when they realize that the music is not the same exact music that would be in their village back home. Or the fact that the priests here are not like the priests back home. That is the biggest difficulty for me and helping this generation realize that something they loved so much is not exactly the same here. But, we come back to the question — what’s more important? For me, it’s more important to be Byzantine, to be Catholic. But the way I handle it is simply finding similarities and learning from these people, because I do not want to lose my cultural identity. So, it is very helpful when we have sarmale (cabbage rolls) night, or we make mămăliga (polenta), or for Easter we sing old Romanian hymns, or celebrating other old traditions such as greeting each other with Hristos a Înviat! Christ is Risen! We need to find the similarities that we do have, and learn from these
immigrants who are coming in, so that I can understand and get the feel of what it would be like if I had lived in Romania.
Q: In our Church there is also another group that, although not born or baptized in our Church, they find something attracts them. Can you name what those elements may be?
A: Yes. Some of these may be the fact that we have not changed the Liturgy and our services. It is the fact that we go to Liturgy and it’s the same Divine Liturgy that was celebrated a thousand years ago. They love the beauty, the music and the tradition of our Byzantine Church. The also love the fact that they can speak to a priest one on one, and not have to go through all the hoops and the loops. They feel like their spiritual health matters, and there’s a consequence. They’re not drowning from a feeling of just being a number that might happen in larger Roman Catholic parishes. They also love the fact that they can go to the Divine Liturgy and people will know them by name. They love the fact that they can bring their children who will be interested in what’s going on, and will have the freedom to be children in that environment. I like to call them our “Roman refugees” (smiling), it’s the term I coined for these lovely people.
”Know that whenever you come to a Byzantine church you will be loved, and you will be greeted with open arms.”
Q. Is there a message you would like to share to people of all ages who may be completely disconnected from our Church either for unfortunate reasons or they did not benefit of your upbringing and nurturing of your faith? Any message of hope to those who may not even realize that they belong to this Church and went astray?
A: First off, know that whenever you come to a Byzantine church you will be loved, and you will be greeted with open arms. You will be cared for, that people will genuinely want to care for you and show that God is bursting for you, and that God loves you. Second of all, what you can experience at a Byzantine church is wonderful. If you just go inside when everything’s quiet and smell the incense, you can feel God’s presence. When you look and see the priest transforming the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and you see what’s going on and hear the music from the choir, you’ll realize why you are there. You will realize that being Byzantine is the only place where you can find that experience, where you can have all your senses feel why they were created. Third of all, don’t let the material things of the world get in the way – things that are passing, things that may seem really important right now but ultimately at the end, fade.
Because being Byzantine Catholic, we constantly look both at the Resurrection and the Crucifixion, during Lent we sing Alleluia, and during the Easter Season we still remember that Christ died. So, our whole entire life is one of joy and sadness t the same time because we are constantly reminded that we are mortal. Therefore, don’t let the material things of today get in the way of what’s really important. Just remember you are not alone on your journey – there are countless others that are there for you, want to help you, and who are working on the same goals themselves.
For the youth of today, I just want to say that we have the most energy, the most time and the most passion than we will ever have for the rest of our lives. So, we need to use that to actually do something meaningful on this Earth and to continue what the martyrs have started and to not let our own pride, our own distractions get in the way of that goal – why we were baptized, why we were put on this Earth – which is ultimately to love and glorify Jesus Christ.
Interview by Raul Botha