Archimandrite Daniil (Maxim)

Archimandrite Daniil (Maxim)

Daniil may be spelt Daniel.

Early years of Daniil Maxim

Father Daniil Maxim was born on 12 October, 1891, in Arbore, near Rădăuți in the County of Suceava in the Bucovina province of Moldavia in the Kingodm of Romania. His younger brother was Teofil.

While he was still a young boy, Daniil’s father was killed in a foresting accident.

His widowed mother placed her 2 sons Daniil and Teofil in the Secu Monastery, and her daughter Evpraxia in a women's monastery. It is clear that these 3 children had been carefully raised in the Orthodox Christian Faith and in the bosom of the Romanian Orthodox Church. At the Secu Monastery, Daniil and his brother began their training and monastic formation.

Secu Monastery "Beheading of John the Baptist" Temple

Monastic tonsure, 1918

In 1910, Daniil was tonsured to be a monk, and he was given the name Daniil (Daniel).

Diaconal ordination, 1918

Later in 1918, the Monk Daniil (Maxim) was ordained to the Holy Diaconate.

Diaconal service

The Hierodeacon Daniil was transferred to the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iaşi, where he was assigned to perform certain duties.

Metropolitan Cathedral, Iași

Presbyteral ordination, 1919

On 16 September, 1919, the Hierodeacon Daniil (Maxim) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Bishop Gurie (Grossu), a Vicar-Bishop of the Iaşi Metropolitanate.

Pastoral service

In 1920, the Hieromonk Daniil (Maxim) was assigned to serve as a vicar-priest in the cathedral, and he was elevated to the dignity of protosinghel.

Emigration to Canada, 1922

Service in Saskatchewan

On 1 October, 1922, Metropolitan Pimen (Georgescu) of Iaşi sent the Hieromonk Daniil (Maxim) to Canada. He therefore emigrated to Canada in order to serve the Romanian-speaking parishes there. He arrived in Dysart, Saskatchewan, on 21 November, 1922, to take up his assignment as the pastor of the parish of Saint George.

Saint George's Church, Dysart Saint Nicholas Church, Regina

From Dysart, Father Daniil also served in the parishes in Flintoft, Kayville, Regina, Lennard-Inglis (Manitoba), and Calgary (Alberta).

In 1925, his brother, the Hieromonk Teofil (Maxim) was also sent to Canada, and he began to serve in the Kayville region.

Hieromonks Teofil and Daniil (Maxim)

In 1929, Father Daniil represented the Canadian Western Deanery at a Romanian Orthodox Church congress in Detroit, Michigan, where it was decided to form the first Romanian Episcopate in North America.

In 1934, the Protosinghel Daniil served as the administrator of Saint Nicholas' Romanian Orthodox Church in Regina.

14 June, 1936, visit of Bishop Policarp (Morusca)

On 14 June, 1936, Bishop Policarp (Moruşca) visited the parish of Saint George, and he served the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy together with Archimandrite Daniil (Maxim). Vladika Policarp also served at the parishes of Saint Nicholas in Regina, and Saint Mary in Kayville during his visit.

Group photo with Bishop Policarp, 1936

In 1936, Father Daniil was assigned to serve as the Dean of Western Canada by Bishop Policarp (Moruşca).

In 1946, the Protosinghel Daniil was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite.

In the early 1950s, he was attacked, beaten, and thrown out of the Temple in which he was at that moment serving. This was the result of a dispute between Romanians of 2 different jurisdictions. The attackers were punished by the civil courts in 1953.

In 1958 and 1963, Archimandrite Daniil was honoured by the Romanian Episcopate Council.

In 1962, Archimandrite Daniil's brother, Archimandrite Teofil, retired and he moved to Dysart (he had served in Timmins, Ontario since 1938).

Archimandrite Daniil (Maxim)

Retirement, 1969

Father Daniil (Maxim) continued to serve in Saint George’s Romanian Orthodox Church in Dysart until 1969, when he retired. By this time, he had become ill, and he suffered several amputations. He was admitted to the Shalom Nursing Home in Cupar, Saskatchewan.

Archimandrite Daniil

Repose, 1978

On 25 February, 1978, Father Daniil (Maxim) fell asleep in the Lord in the Shalom Nursing Home.

On Thursday morning, 2 March, 1978, the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Priest were led by Archbishop Valerian (Trifa) and Igumen Martinian (Ivanovici) in Saint George's Romanian Orthodox Church in Dysart.

Afterwards, Father Daniil's body was driven to Regina, where a memorial service was offered at Saint George's Romanian Orthodox Church.

Following this, on the next day, his body was interred in the old Regina Cemetery.

Archimandrite Daniil (Maxim) was survived by his brother, Archimandrite Teofil (Maxim).

Headstone Cross of Archimandrite Daniil (Maxim)

References

Bugea, Eleanor, “Romanians in Canada” (Michigan : Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, 2009), pp. 19-22, 69, 115, 116. ISBN : 978-1-929200-14-6.

Patterson, G James, “The Romanians of Saskatchewan : Four Generations of Adaptation (Ottawa : National Museums of Canada, 1977). ISBN : 9781772823318.

Sandulescu, Archpriest George, ‘Saskatchewan's Romanian Orthodox Communities Including Dysart, Wood Mountain, Kayville, Assiniboia, Pierceland, Regina’ in "SGS (Saskatchewan Genealogical Society) Bulletin”, vol. 19, no. 1 (1988), p. 81.

Tarasar, Constance J, ed., "Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America" (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE.

Additional information :

Archimandrite Teofil (Maxim)

'Archimandrite Daniel Maxim' in "University of Calgary Digital Collections", pp. 158-162

Saint George's Church, Dysart

Saint Nicholas's Church, Regina

Saints Peter and Paul Church, Flintoft

Findagrave reference with headstone 1

Findagrave reference 2

Regina Cemetery

Article about Father Daniil in "Solia"

Canadian Encyclopaedia article “Romanian Canadians

Wikipedia article about Romanian Canadians

General information about Romanians in Canada

Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America

Brief History of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate in America and Canada

Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America (OCA) web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America

Wikipedia article about the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America

Romanian Orthodox Vicariate of Canada

Romanian Orthodox West Deanery of Canada

Parishes of the Western Deanery of Canada

Bishop Polycarp (Moruşca)

Archbishop Valerian (Trifa)

Wikipedia article about Romanian Canadians

Romanian diaspora

Orthodoxwiki article about the Church of Romania

A brief History of Lennard and Shell Valley, Manitoba

Saint Elijah Pioneer Museum

"Prairie Pioneers — The Romanians", by Les Lutic ; Gail Wichert, ed.