November 29, 2021

How the Official Canonization of Saint Philoumenos of Jacob's Well Came About


The decision for the canonization of Fr. Philoumenos was made by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem at the insistence of Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou. Metropolitan Neophytos said the following about this in 2009, after he did a trisagion at the grave of the parents of St. Philoumenos, in their native village of Orunda in Cyprus:

"Orunda considered him a Saint and honored him as such. They made icons and did liturgies for him, we also made a Service for him at the Metropolis of Morphou. In essence, he was recognized as a Saint by the people, as is the case throughout Orthodoxy. It was recognized that this man had something special, that after death he hears, that he lives after death and hears prayers, supplications and entreaties. We gathered the data, published a book about the Saint, sent it to Jerusalem and informed the Patriarchate about it. The Patriarchate responded positively, even after our meetings with Patriarch Theophilos for the last three years. The Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem unanimously decided to officially classify him among the Saints, since the people came forward and we agreed with them."

On Sunday, the 29th of November in 2009, the canonization of Saint Philoumenos took place by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.