Fr Robert Matau is the only diocesan Romanian priest working in
England. Based at the parish of St Sebastian & St Pancras Church in Kingsbury, north London, he has been chaplain to the Romanian community in the UK since 2007, after his country joined the EU.
“Most Romanians live in northwest London, and my work is based here” he explained, “but I do try to get to see Romanians around the country.”
When Fr Robert arrived, he stayed at Allen Hall seminary, and says that from the beginning, the diocese has been very supportive.
Fr Robert celebrates a Romanian Mass at 11am every Sunday. He said: “When I arrived, there were about 30 Romanians. Now there are 350-400. They come from all over London. I’m trying to help people adapt and integrate without being assimilated, so I encourage them to come here for one Sunday Mass and then go to their local parish on other Sundays.”
“Romanian children do their First Communion with the parish but they also learn their prayers in Romanian” he said.
Fr Robert also assists with daily English Masses. He said: “Older Irish parishioners here say Romanians remind them of how they were in their youth. They are very dedicated and hardworking. Many are in construction and cleaning. Some are much more highly trained doing these jobs, or in different professions.”
“There are many restrictions on migrants. People have to apply for work permits and are not allowed to claim benefits. Most live three, four or five to a house, because accommodation is so expensive.”
Once a year, Fr Robert blesses all his parishioners’ homes – a Romanian tradition. “In Romania, house blessings take place around the Epiphany, and sometime we can bless up to 30 in one day. But here in London, distances are so big, I can travel to places like Croydon and Enfield, so it takes longer. It is a good opportunity to meet families.”
Just before Lent, the parish hosted a Romanian night with traditional food, music and folk dancing. “It was a wonderful evening” Fr Robert said. “250 people came in costume.”
The Romanians take part in the Ethnic Chaplaincies pilgrimage to Walsingham in September. They’ve also been to Lourdes, and raised funds to take a group of children from Romania to Lourdes with HCPT.
Two million people, or eight per cent of the population in Romania is Catholic. (one percent Roman Catholic, Uniate Eastern Rite the rest) Fr Robert comes from the Diocese of Iasi, the most Catholic part of Romania, led by Bishop Petru Gherghel. His hometown is Onesti. Set near the Carpathian Mountains, near three rivers, the city has a university and training centre for Olympic athletes. One of its most famous residents, who Fr Robert knows, is the five times Olympic gold medallist Nadia Comaneci, the first female gymnast ever to achieve a perfect ten.
Growing up as a Catholic during the Ceausescu regime was not easy. After WWII, all the bishops were put in prison. Many died there. All seminaries were closed. People had to work on Sundays. After the Prague Spring of 1968, conditions eased a little and one seminary was opened, although student numbers were strictly limited.
Fr Robert said: “Going to church was difficult. Teachers forbade us to go. If we were seen going to church we would be punished with low grades for ‘behaviour’.
“One teacher who lived near the church used to watch from her balcony to see who came in and out, especially at Christmas and Easter. We would jump over a wall at the back and walk through a cemetery so she couldn’t see us enter the church.
“But the Catholic Church grew stronger under this. We protected our priests. People were baptised, married and learnt about the Sacraments in secret. There was a very strong bond between the priests and people. 90% of priests come from my diocese.
Fr Robert’s parents are retired now. His mother worked in a factory and his father had a small engineering firm. He is the eldest of three brothers and said: “All of us deal with saving people. I’m a priest, my middle brother is a fireman and our youngest brother is a
doctor.”
The call to priesthood came gradually for him. After finishing at the Lyceum, then national service, and work in a factory, he said: “I decided to listen to the calling. I was not sure. But then I realised one can never be sure. I felt not worthy. But then nobody is worthy.
It’s a calling. I decided to say yes.”
The news was a bit of a shock to his parents initially, but he said in time they understood and have been very supportive. Fr Robert was ordained in 1991, and served as assistant priest in four parishes in different parts of the diocese. He also studied in Austria, before working as a parish priest for five years.
Fr Robert’s favourite sport is football, although he doesn’t have time to practice any more.
He also enjoys watching tennis, rugby, handball and athletics. Favourite teams? He says: “I like teams that are committed to the game. I’m not a dedicated supporter but I like Arsenal and Liverpool.”
As regards hobbies, again, Fr Robert has little free time, but he likes: reading, history, music, walking and watching a good movie (religious ones are a favourite).
Speaking of his hopes for the future, Fr Robert said: “Everything is in the hands of God. If I trust Him, He will do best. My work is to support people as they build their families, to encourage them to integrate but keep their roots, help people find strength in the Sacraments and the Gospel with Jesus at the centre of their lives and families.”