Elmhurst NY [ROEA Chancery] – The Very Reverend Dr Casian Fetea, parish priest of The Nativity of the Ever Virgin Mary Church in Elmhurst NY and Dean of the ROEA Atlantic Deanery, suddenly fell asleep in the Lord on Friday, 28 December 2007, as the result of a massive stroke while he was working at his church.
Father Fetea was born on 6 September 1963 in Brusturi, Bihor, Romania. He was educated in Romania where he attended the Theological Seminary in Caransebes (1968-1973) and then the Theological Institute in Bucharest (1974-1978). He was ordained into the Holy Priesthood on 27 December 1976 by Bishop VASILE (Coman) of Oradea. Fr Casian served parishes in Bihor (1977-1986) and then emigrated to the United States, where he became a citizen in 1991. After arriving in the United States, he was accepted into the ROEA and was assigned to St John Church in Salem OH (1986-1987) and then to The Nativity of the Ever Virgin Mary Church in Elmhurst NY where he faithfully served the rest of his life. In addition, Fr Casian was appointed to be the Dean of the Episcopate's Atlantic Deanery and was raised to the dignity of Archpriest. In 2003, he earned his PhD in "History of Religions" from the University of Bucharest Faculty of Orthodox Theology under the direction of Prof Dr Remus Rus.
Fr Casian's remains were brought to The Nativity of the Ever Virgin Mary Church in Elmhurst, New York, on Wednesday, 2 January, at 10:00am, where the Service of the Wake (Saracusta) was served later that evening. The following morning, Thursday, 3 January, the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the church beginning at 9:00am followed immediately by the Service for the Burial of a Priest. Interment followed at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, where Fr Casian was laid to rest next to his wife and mother.
Fr Casian was preceded in death by his wife, Preoteasa Maria, in 1989 as a result of cancer. He leaves behind his brother, V Rev Fr Adrian Fetea, and other family members in Romania.
