Blessed Vladimir Ghika - (1873-1954) Turkey-Romania

Born on Christmas Day 1873 in Constantinople (now Istanbul - Turkey), he was the grandson of the last ruler of Moldavia, Prince Grigore V. Ghika Voda (1849-1856), son of John Ghika (divisional general, plenipotentiary minister) and of Alexandrine Moret of Blaremberg (descendant of Henry IV, King of France).

He had four brothers and a sister: Grigore - who died at an early age, Alexandru, Gheorghe and Ella - who also died young, and Dimitrie (1875-1967).

He was baptized and anointed Orthodox, his mother being a believer very attached to the Orthodox Church, his father being at that time Minister Plenipotentiary of Romania in Turkey.

In 1878 he started school in France, in Toulouse. He completed it in 1895, after which he attended the Faculty of Political Science in Paris. In parallel, he will attend courses in medicine, botany, art, letters, philosophy, history and law.

He returns to Romania due to angina pectoris, where he will continue his studies until 1898 when he goes to Rome where he will attend the Faculty of Philosophy-Theology of the Dominicans in Rome, San Tomaso College which will become  Angelicum . It is during this period that, after a mysterious discernment, in order to be "even more orthodox", he makes the profession of Catholic faith (1902) to the astonishment of his mother, who remains until his death contrary to his son's decision.

He wanted to become a priest or a monk, but Pope Pius X advised him to dedicate himself to the apostolate as a layman. He thus became one of the pioneers of the secular apostolate. Back in the country, together with the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, he dedicates himself to charitable works. With the Sisters and Ladies of Charity he opened the first free dispensary Bethleem Mariae in Bucharest and founded the great hospital and sanatorium St. Vincent de Paul , thus setting up the first free hospital in Romania and the first ambulance, becoming the founder of the first Catholic charity in Romania. He participated in the health services in the Balkan war of 1913 and dedicated himself without fear to the care of cholera patients in Zimnicea.

During the First World War, he dealt with diplomatic missions, the victims of the Avezzano earthquake, the tuberculosis patients in the hospice in Rome, the war wounded, moving from diplomatic to popular circles with surprising naturalness.

On October 7, 1923, he was ordained a priest in Paris by Cardinal Dubois, the local Archbishop; he will carry out his priestly ministry in France until 1939. Because his heart was in Romania, he asks the Pope for the privilege of being able to celebrate in the two rites: Latin and Byzantine, a privilege granted shortly after his ordination, thus becoming the first biritual Romanian priest.

He is entrusted with a parish in a poor and dangerous slum in Paris, Villejuif, where he devotes himself to changing the spirit of the neighborhood. In 1930, when he fell ill, he retired and was appointed Rector of the Church of Foreigners in Paris.

In 1924 he founded an auxiliary mission society, the Opera of the Brothers and Sisters of St. John, and bought a disused building of a former women's prison (it had been a monastery centuries ago) for this purpose; for financial reasons it will be sold and the members will disperse.

On May 13, 1931, he was appointed Apostolic Protonotary Pope . He hesitated to receive this appointment because when he joined the clergy he had vowed never to accept ecclesiastical dignities. He receives it, however, noting that "nothing will change in my way of life, it will be just a narrow ribbon added to the reverend."

He has carried out his extraordinary activity all over the world, in Bucharest, Rome, Paris, Congo, Tokyo, Sydney, Buenos Aires… either for charitable reasons, or by participating in the International Eucharistic Congresses. Jokingly, Pope Pius XI will call him "the great apostolic vagabond."

On August 3, 1939, he returned to Romania where he was surprised by the Second World War. He refuses to leave Romania to be with the poor and sick, to be able to help and encourage them, remaining in Bucharest for the same reason when the Allied bombing will begin.

After the communist red plague came to power, he also refused to leave by royal train for the same reasons. He was arrested on November 18, 1952, threatened, beaten to death, tortured. A year later, the trial took place and he was imprisoned in Jilava on charges of "high treason", and on May 16, 1954, he passed away due to the inhuman treatment he was subjected to.

He was "a priest, a confessor, a spiritual director, a lecturer, a scientist, a diplomat, his activity taking place in all spheres, from crowned heads, heads of state, politicians, philosophers, artists, writers, theologians, to anarchists, occultists, homosexuals and prostitutes. "

He was a promoter in many fields, his activity transcending confessional boundaries and the spirit of the time, being a true precursor of ecumenism.

The intention to start a process of beatification and canonization was present immediately after the Monsignor's death. After 1990, Archbishop Ioan Robu started collecting the documents and testimonies necessary for the trial. In 2002, the process was formally started in the diocesan phase. The Roman phase of the beatification process will end with the recognition of the martyrdom by Pope Francis on March 27, 2013. According to the Pope's decree, the celebration of beatification took place in Bucharest on August 31, 2013 and the liturgical feast was set for May 16. In Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois with the clergy and the faithful celebrated a Holy Mass of thanksgiving on October 6, 2013.

PRAYER FOR THE CANONIZATION OF BLESSED VLADIMIR GHIKA

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, the High and Eternal Priest of our souls, look kindly on the Romanian people, from whose bosom you chose Vladimir Ghika.
May his example of faith and love shine more and more among us and for the merits and holiness of his martyrdom, grant us grace… (here is called the required grace), that he may be raised to the honor of the altars, to Your glory , who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

Our Father…, Hail Mary… Glory to the Father

or:

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, the High and Eternal Priest of our souls, You have sent Your apostles and disciples throughout the world to bring the good news of Your love to all people. On the eve of Your supreme sacrifice for the salvation of the world, at the Last Supper, You prayed to Heavenly Father that Your Church be one.
Take a good look at the Romanian people, from whose bosom you chose Vladimir Ghika - a noble soul both by birth and by vocation. He testified of You with apostolic zeal on all the meridians of the earth and sealed his unwavering faith in You at the cost of his martyrdom.
May his example of faith and love shine more and more among us. Just as at the time of His earthly feast He performed, by Your power, great deeds of charity, and at Your call harmoniously combines the East with the West, so now, for the merits and holiness of His martyrdom, grant us the grace we ask of you. the depths of the heart… (here is called the required grace), so that it may be canonized as soon as possible and mediate in the near future the union of all Christians, to Your glory, which you live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.

Our Father…, Hail Mary… Glory to the Father

Invocations (litany) to Blessed Vladimir Ghika

Blessed Vladimir Ghika, R. Pray for us
Blessed Vladimir, obedient to the divine will R.
Blessed Vladimir, faithful servant in the Church of Christ R.
Blessed Vladimir, devoted entirely to charity R.
Blessed Vladimir, tireless voice of call to conversion R.
Blessed Vladimir, brilliant spiritual guide R.
Blessed Vladimir, prophet of our times R.
Blessed Vladimir, sower of the evangelical spirit R.
Blessed Vladimir, endowed with prudence and wisdom R.
Blessed Vladimir, comforter of the desperate R.
Happy Vladimir guide to God those hardhearted R.
Blessed Vladimir, defender of the wronged R.
Happy Vladimir angel of meekness R.
Blessed Vladimir, flower goodness R.
Blessed Vladimir, secular model established R .
Happy Vladimir priest and sacrifice pleasing to God R.
Blessed Vladimir, worldwide missionary R.
Happy Vladimir witness of Christ R.
Happy Vladimir worthy disciple in the school of suffering R.
Blessed Vladimir, clear on the Church of the East and West R.
Blessed Vladimir, example of veneration of the Holy Eucharist and of the Mother of God B
Blessed Vladimir, man of constant prayer in our times R.
Blessed Vladimir, oriented towards the realization of the common good R.
Blessed Vladimir, poor among the poorest R.
Blessed Vladimir, condemned for faith in Christ and the Church R.
Blessed Vladimir, courageous defender of the truth R.
Blessed Vladimir, icon of the discreet and fruitful apostolate R.
Blessed Vladimir, disciple devoted in love to God and neighbor R.
Blessed Vladimir, protector of families R .
Happy Vladimir joy children R.
Happy Vladimir mentor youth and students R .
Happy Vladimir aid all sufferers R .
Happy Vladimir light of lost R .
Happy Vladimir who support the union of all Christians R .
Blessed Vladimir, the mediator of our requests and prayers. R .

Pray for us Blessed Vladimir
To make ourselves worthy of the promises of Jesus Christ

Let's pray.
Almighty and eternal God, who gave Blessed Vladimir, priest and martyr, the power to confess the living presence of your love even during persecution, through his intercession and example give us the grace to persevere in your service, in the communion of the apostolic faith . Through Christ our Lord. Amen.