Preparations Underway for the Canonization of Two Romanian Athonite Elders

The Synod of the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobrudja met on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, in a working session, in the Synodal Hall of the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest. Hierarchs from the suffragan dioceses of this metropolis participated in the meeting chaired by Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The agenda included the presentation of some liturgical texts that will accompany canonization proposals, as well as administrative topics that fall under the attributions of this ecclesiastical forum.

Patriarch Daniel presented the agenda, which included the presentation of the liturgical texts that will accompany the proposal for the canonization of Venerables Dionisie Ignat and Petroniu Tănase.

The Cave of Saint Kosmas of Zographou in Mount Athos

 

 

The cave of Saint Kosmas of Zographou is located in the location of Gerakofilia, about half an hour away from the Holy Monastery of Zographou in Mount Athos.

The Saint is considered the greatest ascetic to emerge from Zographou. His cavernous cell became the place of struggle with demons. There he was buried and from there he departed for the joy of his Lord. The admirable thing is that forty days after his burial the monks looked for his relic, but did not find it.

Gerasimos Smyrnakis (1903) mentions that the cave was also used as an observation post for forest rangers.

Saint Sophrony of Essex Resource Page

St. Sophrony of Essex (Feast Day - July 11)

Verses

Sophronios greatly shined in his life,
Now he more than shines in the chorus of the Saints.
On the eleventh Sophronios was placed with the Spirit of God.

 

Synaxarion of our Venerable and God-Bearing Father Sophrony of Essex 

 

Elder Sophrony (Sakharov) of Essex (+ 1993) 

 

The Last Days of Elder Sophrony (+ 11 July 1993)

 

A Short Film of the Life of Saint Sophrony of Essex By and For Children

 

Saint Sophrony and the Children That Visited Him

 

The Legacy of Saint Sophrony the Hagiorite (An Interview With Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

The First Meeting of Saint Sophrony of Essex and Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos
 

Athonite Neo-Hesychast Fathers (3 of 3)

 

Contemporary Testimonies of the Vision of God on the Holy Mountain  

Archimandrite Zacharias on the Theology of St. Silouan and Elder Sophrony

 

Two Introductory Books on Modern Orthodox Spirituality Recommended by Fr. John Romanides

 

Metr. Kallistos of Diokleia on Elder Sophrony   

 

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (1 of 4) 

 

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (2 of 4)  

 

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (3 of 4)

 

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (4 of 4)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (1 of 5)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (2 of 5)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (3 of 5)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (4 of 5)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (5 of 5)

 

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (1 of 5)

  

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (2 of 5)

 

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (3 of 5)

 

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (4 of 5) 

 

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (5 of 5 

A Morning Prayer by Elder Sophrony of Essex

 

A Christmas Card from Elder Sophrony Saharov

 

The Incarnation as the Foundation of our Spiritual Life (Elder Sophrony) 

 

Elder Sophrony: "Every Divine Liturgy is a Theophany"

 
Elder Sophrony: The Basics of the Divine Liturgy

 

Before the New Testament, Was the Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the Greatest Mission of the Church

 

The Light of the Transfiguration Confirms the Knowledge of God

 

Elder Sophrony on the Lowest and Loftiest Spiritual States 

 

Elder Sophrony on the Calendar Issue

 

Elder Sophrony on the Toll Houses, Hell and Paradise 

 

Elder Sophrony: "The World Does Not Need a Political Church"

 

Academic Theology is Not Enough for Salvation

 

Elder Sophrony: The Salvation of the Heterodox

 

Elder Sophrony: On Eastern Religions  

Elder Sophrony and the Union of Churches

 

Why So Few Writings By Holy Women?  

Married Life and Praying Like Ascetics

 

Elder Sophrony: 'All Humanity in a State of Accidie'

 

Saint Sophrony of Essex on Saint Seraphim of Sarov

A Prayerful Encounter Between Saint Porphyrios and Elder Sophrony

 

The Gift of Tongues is Repeated in the Lives of the Saints Till This Day (Metr. Athanasios of Limassol)

 

When Saint Nicholas Appeared to Elder Andrew of Saint Paul's on Mount Athos in 1975

 

The Appearance of Saint Nicholas to Elder Andrew in 1975 

 

Ecumenical Patriarch Announces the Canonization of Elder Sophrony of Essex

 

Elder Sophrony of Essex and Elder Hieronymos of Simonopetra Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate 

 

Two Chapels Dedicated to the Newly-Canonized Saints Kallinikos of Edessa and Sophrony of Essex in Nafpaktos  

 

Holy New Martyr Athanasios of Lemnos (+ 1846)

He was from the village of Repanidi on the island Lemnos and after receiving an education he went to become a monk on Mount Athos, at the Great Lavra Monastery.

During the Greek Revolution of 1821 he was captured and sent to Egypt. There they sold him as a slave to a Hagarene lord, who converted him to Islam, circumcised him, and married him to a Christian captive woman. He became a wealthy aga and lived a secluded life with his wife on a large property.

Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Skete of Saint Anna on Mount Athos

The Synaxis of the Saints who lived gloriously in asceticism at the lavra skete of the holy grandmother of the Lord, Saint Anna, is based on the Divine Office that accompanies the Encomium to them, and is celebrated on the Third Sunday of Matthew, i.e. the Sunday after the Synaxis of All Saints of Mount Athos. The reason why this particular day was chosen for this celebration should be - apart from the fact that this day has also been chosen by other holy institutions for the common celebration of their local Saints - considered an extension of the commemoration of the Synaxis of All Saints of Mount Athos held the previous Sunday.

Holy New Martyrs Ambrosios, Neophytos and Makarios of Vatopaidi (+ 1821)

Sts. Ambrosios, Neophytos and Makarios of Vatopaidi (Feast Day - June 22)

In 1820 the Hieromonks Neophytos and Ambrosios, the Hierodeacon Parthenios and the monks Dionysios and Dorotheos and later Makarios were sent to Crete, by invitation, with sacred relics, in order to expel the terrible disease of the plague, which infected the locals there. These relics were a portion of the Holy Zoni of the Panagia which was a gift to the monastery of the emperor John Kantakouzinos, a piece of Holy Wood from the True Cross, and the skull of Saint Andrew of Crete.

Saint Nikanor of Hilandar (+ 1990)

St. Nikanor of Hilandar (Feast Day - March 4)

By Monk Moses the Athonite

The late Elder Nikanor was born in Divci, near Valjevo of Serbia, on August 13, 1903 to pious and simple parents. From a young age he had the zeal of the early Christians. In the world he was known as Nikola Savic.

He came to the Sacred Monastery of Hilandar, which was founded by his compatriots and in which many live until today, on August 17, 1927. There he was tonsured a monk on September 15, 1929. He was elected abbot of the monastery of his repentance, which he fervently loved and tirelessly served, on December 31, 1941. In 1963 he was the First Administrator of the Holy Mountain, and for several years a commissioner and representative of his monastery in the Sacred Community. He also worked in the vineyards and the chestnut groves of the monastery.

Holy New Martyr Damian the Monk (+ 1568)

St. Damian the New (Feast Day - February 14)

 

 By St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

Verses
 

Having received the fruit of the Gospel, blessed one,
You received your end through hanging O Damian.

This new athlete of Christ, Damian, came from a village called Myriochovos located north of Agrafa (northern Greece). He was born of pious parents and when still young he longed for the monastic life. Leaving behind the world and worldly things, he made his way to Mount Athos, to the Sacred Monastery of Philotheou. There he became a monk. Having stayed a little while in the monastery, he then set off to become an hesychast, so that he could strive even more for the virtues. He went to a wonderworking ascetic named Dometios, who had retreated off to a quiet place. He stayed with him for almost three years and practiced all the virtues with such great willingness and accuracy that he was found worthy to hear a divine voice tell him: “Damian, you must not seek your own interest only, but that of others as well.” Afterward, he immediately left Mount Athos and went to Mount Olympus, where he preached God's word to the villages there in a brilliant voice, teaching and inciting Christians to repent and abstain from all injustices and all other evils and to keep God's commandments, doing works that are good and pleasing to God.

Saint Simon the Myrrhgusher Resource Page

St. Simon the Athonite (Feast Day - December 28)

Verses

With Peter you carried a common calling and rock,
Your myrrh surpassing the rock O Simon.

 

Saint Simon the Myrrhgusher, Founder of Simonopetra Monastery 

 

Saint Simon the Myrrhgusher and his Spiritual Father

 

Saint Simon the Myrrhgusher and the Dragon

 

Saint Simon the Myrrhgusher and the Star of New Bethlehem

 

The Cave of Saint Simon the Myrrhgusher (photos) 

 

An Old Seal of Simonopetra Monastery

 

Saint Simon the Myrrhgusher and his Spiritual Father

St. Simon comes to the Holy Mountain in search of an elder.

We know nothing of the life of Saint Simon the Myrrhgusher before he came to Mount Athos in search of a virtuous elder to whom he could devote his complete obedience, without which no monk can hope to attain salvation. His desire was to find a virtuous man that had the ability to guide him to live a life pleasing to God, but who was also strict in order to subject his flesh to the spirit. After finding what he was looking for, he placed himself under obedience as though his elder was God Himself.

Saints Symeon and Theodore, Founders of the Monastery of Mega Spelaion

 

By Monk Moses the Athonite

 

They were born in Thessaloniki, and were brothers. When they came to Mount Athos, they were discipled under Venerable Euthymios the New. After being ordained priests they were seen as wise teachers of Mount Athos, distinguished for their asceticism.

Withdrawing from Mount Athos they went to venerate in the Holy Land and at God-trodden Mount Sinai. They returned to Mount Athos but left again for Thessaloniki and Thessaly, preaching against the heresy of the iconoclasts. They settled on the mountain near Thermopylae, continuing their inner struggles and after a vision they went to the Great Cave (Mega Spelaion) near Kalavryta in the Peloponnese. There they met with the shepherdess Saint Euphrosyne and after finding the miraculous icon of the Theotokos, they built a monastery.

Saint Daniel of Katounakia Resource Page

St. Daniel of Katounakia (Feast Day - September 7)

 

Verses

Christ, Whom you hymned in asceticism on Athos,
You now hymn with your lips, O Daniel, in Heaven.

 

Synaxarion of our Venerable Father Daniel of Katounakia

 

Elder Daniel of Katounakia (1846-1929)

 

Saint Daniel of Katounakia as a Model for our Lives

 

Athonite Neo-Hesychast Fathers (3 of 3) 

 

The Skull of the Newly-Canonized Saint Daniel of Katounakia

 

When Elder Daniel of Katounakia Was Healed By the Holy Zoni of the Theotokos

 

The Friendship of Saint Nektarios and Elder Daniel of Katounakia 

 

Saint Daniel of Katounakia in the Life of Saint Joseph the Hescyhast

 

A Letter of Saint Daniel of Katounakia to a Student of Theology on How to be a True Theologian

 

Elder Daniel Katounakiotis: Stories of Apocalyptic and Demonic Delusions

 

Elder Daniel Katounakiotis and the Deluded Monk 

 

The Deluded "Super-Ascetic" Who Made 3,000 Prostrations A Day

 

On the Benefits of Forty Liturgies For the Departed

 

How A Discerning Elder Responds To Perplexing Questions

 

A Cunning Demon in the Church

 

Elder Daniel of Katounakia on 666 and the Antichrist

 

Counsels in the Spiritual Life for Orthodox Youth (Elder Daniel Katounakiotis)

 

On the Passion of Suspicion

 

Why Jesus Fasted After His Baptism

 

When A Christian Attains Purity of Heart...  

 

The Poet and the Saint. The Trek of Nicolas Calas to Mount Athos and his Meeting with Saint Daniel of Katounakia

 

Ecumenical Patriarch Announces the Canonization of Four 20th Century Athonite Elders  

Three Athonite Fathers - Joseph the Hesychast, Ephraim of Katounakia and Daniel of Katounakia - Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

 

The Last Photo and the First Icon of Saint Daniel of Katounakia

 

Saint Joseph the Hesychast Resource Page

St. Joseph the Hesychast (Feast Day - August 16)

Verses

You translocated in haste from earth to the vault of the heavens,
Having previously been there through theoria.

 

Synaxarion of our Venerable Father Joseph the Hesychast  

 

Saint Joseph the Hesychast as a Model for our Lives

Saint Daniel of Katounakia in the Life of Saint Joseph the Hescyhast

 

Contemporary Testimonies of the Vision of God on the Holy Mountain

 

Athonite Neo-Hesychast Fathers (3 of 3)

 

The Tomb of Elder Joseph the Hesychast 

 

Father George Aspropoulos (+ 1929), the Priest Who Baptized Saint Joseph the Hesychast

Elder Ephraim of Arizona and the Holy Skull of Saint Joseph the Hesychast

 

Saint Joseph the Hesychast and the Confession of Demons 

 

Saint Joseph the Hesychast and the "Devil's Box"

Fishing for the Grace of God (Instructions on Vigilance from Saint Joseph the Hesychast to Elder Ephraim of Arizona)

 

Even Great Saints Have Human Needs 

 

Saint Joseph the Hesychast Explains Why an Icon "Spoke" to Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

 

Two Holy Fathers on the Calendar Issue: Elder Ephraim of Katounakia and Elder Joseph the Hesychast 

 

Some Teachings of Elder Joseph the Hesychast about the Mother of God 

 

The Temptations and Troubles That Come Against Us During Great Lent (Saint Joseph the Hesychast)

 

Why Did Peter Deny Christ? (Saint Joseph the Hesychast) 

 

A Letter of Elder Joseph the Hesychast to a Seminarian of Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline 

 

What Activates True Love? (Elder Joseph the Hesychast) 

 

Documentary Film: "Joseph the Hesychast" (2020) 

 

Jonathan Jackson Discusses His Most Challenging Role as Elder Joseph the Hesychast 

 

Jonathan Jackson Dedicates an Album of Songs to Saint Joseph the Hesychast 

 

Ecumenical Patriarch Announces the Canonization of Four 20th Century Athonite Elders 

 

Official Announcement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Regarding the Canonization of the Three New Athonite Saints 

 

Three Athonite Fathers - Joseph the Hesychast, Ephraim of Katounakia and Daniel of Katounakia - Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

 

A New Television Series on the Life of Saint Joseph the Hesychast Coming Soon

 

Saint Nephon of Constantinople Saves a Ship from Certain Danger in 1916

The following was narrated by Monk Bessarion of Dionysiou to Father Lazarus of Dionysiou:

In the year 1916, Brother Lazarus, when I was appointed treasurer in the Mill of Marianos (a Metochion of Dionysiou Monastery in Halkidiki), I arrived in Daphne with a transport steamer, which I think was named "Helen".

From there with another boat we arrived at the Cape of Sykia, in Kartalia, where all the winds cross. Oh, my brother! We were in danger of drowning in a great storm.

You could see the poor little steamer dancing in the sea like a walnut shell. One end of it was underwater while the other end was above the water in the air. The air was crunching it from all over and you could tell it was going to break apart and be torn to pieces.

All the passengers saw the danger, or should I say death, that surrounded us. 

Holy Venerable Martyrs Theophanes the Elder and Paisios of Messolonghi (+ 1773) - Two Kollyvades Fathers from the Skete of Saint Anna on Mount Athos

Sts. Theophanes and Paisos the Kollyvades (Feast Day - June 8)

Saint Paisios was born in Messolonghi in the early 18th century. We do not have much information about his early years, but at some point he left the world and went to Mount Athos to become a monk, settling at the Skete of Saint Anna. There he lived in asceticism in the Hut of the Prophet Elias under the guidance of Saint Theophanes the Elder. Elder Theophanes was illiterate, but he had a calm and sweet character with a virtuous soul, whereas Paisios was educated and worked as a calligrapher in his hut, copying the works of the Holy Fathers, and having the entire Psalter memorized.

In the year 1754 the main church of the Skete of Saint Anna was demolished and a new one was going to be built that was much larger. The monks of the Skete went throughout the Ottoman Empire in search of donations to accomplish their task, to which they promised their donors in return to memorialize their names and their deceased loved ones at their vigils. The number of names reached over 12,000, and memorials at vigils at that time was traditionally done on Saturdays. However, on Saturdays some monks were occupied with building the church, while others were at Karyes selling their handiwork which was usually done on Saturday by all the monks of Mount Athos. For these reasons, it was the request of the monks to hold these memorial vigils on Sunday instead of Saturday, breaking ecclesiastical tradition. Many monks protested such a move, since Sunday as a day of Resurrection and joy is unfit for memorials, while Saturday is designated as a day of mourning and praying for the dead. Thus in 1755 the Kollyvades controversy began.

Saint Ephraim of Katounakia Resource Page

 

St. Ephraim of Katounakia (Feast Day - February 27)

Verses

 
Obedience, prayer and harsh training,
In these you excelled, O Ephraim, in Katounakia.

 

Synaxarion of Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

 

Blessed Elder Ephraim Katounakiotis (+ February 27, 1998)

 

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia  (+ February 27, 1998)

 

Venerable Father Ephraim of Katounakia in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church
 

Venerable Ephraim the God-seer: The Mysteries of the Spiritual Life According to Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

 

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia (Documentary)

The Skull and Grave of Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

 

Monk Moses the Athonite on Contemporary Elders

 

Athonite Neo-Hesychast Fathers (3 of 3)  

"When I Went to the Cave of Bethlehem, My Heart Broke There" (St. Ephraim of Katounakia)

 

A Stunning Revelation About Saint John the Baptist to Saint Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis

 

Even Great Saints Have Human Needs

 

Select Sayings of Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

 

"Impartial Judge" (Saint Ephraim of Katounakia)

"The Bridal Chamber of Your Soul"

 

A Theologian Is One Who Converses With God 

 

Lay People and the Prayer of the Heart (St. Ephraim of Katounakia) 

 

Elder Ephraim Katounakiotis: On the Priesthood (1)

Elder Ephraim Katounakiotis: On the Priesthood (2)

 

Saint Joseph the Hesychast Explains Why an Icon "Spoke" to Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

Two Holy Fathers on the Calendar Issue: Elder Ephraim of Katounakia and Elder Joseph the Hesychast

 

The Ecumenism That Stinks 

 

Rotting Like A Tomato  

A Prayer to the Panagia by Saint Ephraim of Katounakia for a Group of Children That Visited Him in 1993

 

Orthodox Christian Youth and Suicide (St. Ephraim of Katounakia)

 

The Theotokos as a Harbor 

 

Seek Patience, Not Deliverance (St. Ephraim of Katounakia)

The Dream of Elder Ephraim of Katounakia

 

A Letter of Elder Ephraim of Katounakia To A Monk Suffering With Cancer

 

Elder Ephraim Katounakiotis Relates A Miracle of Saint Paraskevi  

 

Saint Nektarios and the Nun Who Was Noetically in Church (St. Ephraim of Katounakia)

 

Elder Ephraim of Katounakia on Saint George of Karslides

 

When Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Met Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

 

Upcoming Canonizations of Orthodox Elders 

 

Ecumenical Patriarch Announces the Canonization of Four 20th Century Athonite Elders  

Three Athonite Fathers - Joseph the Hesychast, Ephraim of Katounakia and Daniel of Katounakia - Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

 

Official Announcement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Regarding the Canonization of the Three New Athonite Saints 

 

Synaxarion of Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

 

By Dr. Haralambos Boussias

 

Synaxarion

 
On this day [February 27th], the commemoration of our Venerable and God-bearing Father Ephraim, who just now lived in asceticism in Katounakia.
 
Verses

 
Obedience, prayer and harsh training,
In these you excelled, O Ephraim, in Katounakia.

Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Ephraim, who lived in asceticism in Katounakia of Athos in a God-pleasing manner, was born on December 6th, 1912 in Ampelochorio of Thebes. A child of parents with four children, John and Victoria Papanikitas, he received in holy baptism the name Evangelos.

The Skull and Grave of Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

In 1996 our Venerable Father Ephraim of Katounakia suffered a stroke and was left immobile until he reposed in the Lord on February 27, 1998. Having lived 65 years on the Holy Mountain, he was buried in the gardens of his cell at the Hut of Saint Ephraim the Syrian in Katounakia, in a grave he had dug with his own hands. His grace-filled skull is kept in the church of the same Hut.

 

Katounakia

 

Hut of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holy New Venerable Martyr Anthony of Karyes (+ 1516)

 

St. Anthony of Karyes (Feast Day - February 4)

 

Verses

Burning with the fire of love for Christ, Anthony,
You were not afraid of being burned by a sensible fire.
On the fourth Anthony you received heavenly respite.

Saint Anthony was a Galician Ruthenian from the region of western Ukraine. His parents were Orthodox Christians, who baptized him with the name Onouphrios. He lived in a country where the Roman Catholic Church prevailed and the Orthodox took every effort to maintain the Orthodox confession, and this is how he was educated and raised.

Saint Makarios, Bishop of Ierissos

St. Makarios of Ierissos (Feast Day - January 19)

The Venerable and God-bearing Makarios lived during the reigns of the emperors Constantine the Great (324-337), Theodosius (379-395) and Arcadius (395-408). He was probably the first Bishop of Ierissos in Halkidiki and is considered the builder of the Church of Saint Stephen in the Monastery of Konstamonitou of Mount Athos.