Romanian American Heritage Center

03/31/2026

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-preserve-romanian-american-history

Join our many supporters and benefactors who help to support our founders' vision to preserve, interpret, and share the Romanian American story for generations to come.Purposes of the Romanian American Heritage Center+ To promote, foster and encourage the understanding of the Romanian immigrant in t...

03/30/2026

COMING TO AMERICA
Excerpt from an article on experiences of Romanian immigrants in the early 20th century

"It was not an easy matter for the Romanian peasant to leave his native village in Transylvania and to embark on a long voyage to an unknown land. His roots were planted in his village centuries ago. He knew every meadow, every hill and every creek surrounding his place of birth. It was a heartbreaking experience to separate himself from his family and friends.

It took from three to five weeks to reach the promised land. A great number of Romanians came through the famous Missler agency in Bremen, Germany where they waited for their turn to embark for America. Nobody was sure when they could sail. While waiting, they lived in a Missler operated barrack like structure on the Bremen water front. All Romanian emigrants crossed the ocean in steerage. They slept in large rooms way down below the deck, each room holding about 60 beds in three tiered bunks. At mealtime, passengers stayed in line military fashion. Privacy was unknown to steerage passengers. Those who possessed foresight brought with them smoked bacon and salami which they consumed sitting on their beds.

The most important asset each immigrant brought was the address of someone who emigrated earlier to America. Clutching this address in hand or attaching it to the coat lapel, the new arrival went through Ellis Island's examination procedure, then boarded a so-called immigrant train in New York. Once settled in some industrial town, the Romanian was confronted with unaccustomed hard industrial labor and what was often worse, home sickness."

(Reprinted from the periodical American Romanian Review, Vol. X, No. 7-8, Aug.-Sept. 1986. Edited by Theodore Andrica. Cleveland OH.)

03/24/2026

YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED!
Donations can be mailed in or made securely online via our website....

03/22/2026

THE ROMANIAN FLAG
One of the first decrees issued by the revolutionary government of Wallachia in June 1848 was the decree establishing the Tricolor (red, yellow and blue) as Romania's national flag.

Concern about the colors of a national flag preceded the 1848 revolution. Some historians claim that this concern originated in the days of Michael the Brave in the 16th and 17th century.

In Transylvania in 1848, the leaders of the great mass meeting on Liberty Field at Blaj also debated the establishment of a Romanian national flag. Costache Petrescu, an artist, executed a painting titled "Group of Demonstrators for the 1848 Constitution." The words "JUSTICE—BROTHERHOOD" were painted in the center of the Tricolor.

The Tricolor was also used in 1859 when the union of Moldova and Wallachia effected under Alexandru Ion Cuza.

The Romanian troops who fought the Turks in 1877 also carried the Tricolor. At the time, the Romanian flag assumed the form still known today, the vertical disposition of red, yellow and blue stripes.

When the people of Transylvania, 100,000 strong, met at Alba Iulia on December 1, 1918, and voted for the union of Transylvania with the Romanian kingdom, the huge assembly displayed the Tricolor as the banner of all Romanians.

(Reprinted from the periodical American Romanian Review, Vol. VII, No. 4, July-Sept. 1983. Edited by Theodore Andrica. Cleveland OH.)

03/20/2026

PRESERVING OUR HISTORY FOR THE FUTURE
During the summer, young people from across the country come to Vatra Românească for Camp Vatra, where they are introduced to the Heritage Center as classes are hosted in the main meeting hall. Here, Fr. Dimitrie Vincent (Vice President of the Heritage Center Board) shares some of the archives with campers who expressed a strong interest in learning more about our history.

03/18/2026

REFLECTIONS ON AMERICAN VALUES
Archbishop Valerian D. Trifa

Blessed is this country of spiritual freedom. In the United States, freedom is the most noble treasure this country possesses. Here, one does not speak of it as an asset for which one must struggle; it is a natural element of the American social establishment, as natural as the freedom to breathe or to think.

The American nation is made up of an amalgam of varied religions, customs and social beliefs, but one cannot consider it to be something disparate, disordered. This multi-colored mosaic makes up the most harmonious social unit that can be conceived of by anyone who loves this country. Their keen and tolerant patriotism and their devotion to freedom are two inseparably welded elements of Americans, old or new, and all agree that they are not to be found as such in any other country in the world. These two elements support each other and combine to reveal an inextricably authentic American unity.

When I embarked on the ship which was to bring me to my future homeland, I was given a small handbook describing the rights and obligations of an American. Among the things stated was the fact that the American republic did not deny us the right to keep our native language, our customs and religion, manner of dress, or other things of cultural value dear to us. On the contrary, we were asked and urged to continue to cultivate further these cultural values of the nation from which we had come. The absorption of what we had brought with us into that which we found here would be an impetus of creativity and enrichment for the national American culture.

For me, this was a surprising and amazing fact. This healthy and liberal outlook gives each ethnic group the right to retain from its national heritage whatever it considers essential for its existence.

(Reprinted from Dearly Beloved... An Anthology of Archbishop Valerian D. Trifa's Writings. Edited by Traian Lascu. Valerian D. Trifa Romanian American Heritage Center. 1995.)

03/14/2026

CENTER FACILITY RENOVATIONS CONTINUE
This past year. two major projects were completed at the Center. First, all five HVAC units were replaced as they were well past their expected life and no longer worth repairing. Also, due to water damage and pest infestations, all of the exterior wood siding and soffits were removed and replaced with metal, together with new gutters and down-spouts. Both of these projects are essential to maintaining the structural integrity of the building and its temperature-controlled environment for the collection housed there. Your donations help to make this work possible! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

03/12/2026

ORGANIZING OUR ARCHIVES
THANK YOU to V. Rev. Dr. Ioan Cozma of New York City who has assisted us in identifying various improvements that can benefit our vast collection of documents, books and other items of significance. He has spent many hours on site organizing parts of the archives and implementing those new processes and procedures. Fr. Ioan, also assisted at times by his wife and son, has significant experience in this field. We look forward to continuing to build on his progress!

03/10/2026

MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
David Oancea
"Honoring Our Past, Strengthening Our Future"

As we enter a new year at the Valerian D. Trifa Romanian American Heritage Center, we do so with gratitude, pride, and renewed commitment to the mission entrusted to us fifty years ago. In 2025, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our Heritage Center—a milestone that reminded us not only of our founders' vision but also of the responsibility we carry to preserve, interpret, and share the Romanian American story for generations to come.

Over the past year, we have taken important steps to ensure that our building remains a strong and welcoming home for that story. Major renovations were completed, including the replacement of five furnaces and air-conditioning units, ensuring a safe and efficient environment for our visitors, volunteers, and programs. In addition, all the original wooden siding on the exterior of the building was replaced with durable metal siding, protecting the structure and extending its lifespan for decades ahead. These improvements are not merely technical upgrades; they are investments in continuity—practical expressions of our commitment to stewardship.

Yet bricks and mortar, no matter how well-maintained, are only a framework. What truly gives life to the Heritage Center is the history it preserves and the people it represents. As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, we are invited to reflect more deeply on the meaning of freedom, opportunity, and belonging. For Romanian immigrants and their descendants, these ideals have never been abstract. They were lived realities, pursued with courage across oceans and generations.

From the late nineteenth century onward, Romanians arrived in America seeking dignity, work, and the freedom to build new lives. They labored in factories and on farms, founded churches and cultural societies, served in the armed forces, built businesses, and educated their children with an unshakeable belief in the promise of this country. Across North America, Romanian Americans have contributed not only to economic growth but also to the cultural richness and civic life of their communities. Their story is inseparable from the larger American narrative.

The Romanian American Heritage Center exists to ensure that this story is not forgotten. It connects the journeys of our ancestors with the questions and aspirations of younger generations. It reminds us that heritage is not something static, preserved behind glass, but something living—carried forward through memory, service, and shared responsibility.

As we stand at the intersection of two anniversaries—the golden jubilee of our Heritage Center and the semiquincentennial of the United States—we are called to look both backward and forward. We honor those who came before us, we care for the institutions they built, and we recommit ourselves to telling their story with clarity, integrity, and hope.

May the renewed strength of our building reflect the enduring strength of our community. And may the Romanian American Heritage Center continue to be a place where history is preserved, identity is affirmed, and the American promise is understood through the experience of those who came to this land seeking freedom and found a home.