Sainthood of three Russian Athonite ascetics to be considered

Moscow, December 9, 2016

Athonite elders Jerome (Solomontsev) and his disciple Makary (Sushkin) Athonite elders Jerome (Solomontsev) and his disciple Makary (Sushkin)
    

A proposal to canonize three new saints of Russian Athos has been made to the Russian Orthodox Church, reports the site of the Diocese of Tver.

Answering the question, “How to preserve and multiply the succession of Athonite holiness?” at the recent “Holy Russia and Mt. Athos” conference, Metropolitan Zinovy of Saransk and Mordovia responded, “Athos is a living succession and tradition of Patristic heritage. It is especially important in our days, when the secular world openly reveals its evil roots.”

Following on this, the metropolitan requested that the Synodal Commission for Canonizations examine for Church-wide, or at least local, veneration, the cases of the Russian Athonite ascetics Innokenty (Sibiryakov), Tikhon (Golenkhov), and Hieroschemamonk Jerome (Solomentsov) of St. Panteleimon’s Monastery.

Metropolitan Zinovy’s proposal was supported by Valaam abbot Bishop Pankraty of Troitsk, chairman of the canonization commission.

Bishop Pankraty noted that the initiative for canonization usually comes from the local diocese, or, in this case, from Athonite monasteries. Information on the life and miracles of the person in question and his veneration, as well as a hagiographical life and liturgical texts are prepared and sent to the Holy Synod. The patriarch may then bless for local veneration, while the Synod considers the matter of Church-wide veneration.

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Photo: http://tvereparhia.ru/ Photo: http://tvereparhia.ru/
Hieroschemamonk Jerome (Solomentsov) (1805-1885) was an exceptional and incomparable spiritual father on Mt. Athos, having loved monasteries and the monastic life from a young age. He moved to Mt. Athos in 1836 and became a disciple of the eminent spiritual father Arseny (+ 1846) who implanted the Jesus Prayer deep within their hearts. In 1837 Ivan took up the monastic schema, receiving the name Ioannikii, becoming in 1840 a confessor for the Russian St. Panteleimon’s Monastery at the request of the abbot. He did not want to leave his peaceful cell for the large monastery, but bowed his head in obedience. At the end of 1840 he was ordained a priest, and in 1841 took on the angelic great schema, bearing the name of Jerome, in honor of the great western father St. Jerome.

Fr. Jerome took on the spiritual nourishment of the Russian brethren, transforming Athonite life by the grace of God pouring through him. Thousands of benefactors, pilgrims, and monastics streamed to the mountain, drawn by his charisma. The holy elder restored old and opened new monasteries and cells, including Old Russikon and the New Thebaid Skete. Podvoriyes in Constantinople and Odessa were opened, as well as the New Athos Monastery on the Black Sea coast. Under his care, Russian Orthodox publishing was greatly developed, his spiritual children became bishops, and weak monastic centers under his care blossomed into spiritual powerhouses. As his spiritual father Arseny had prophesied, God truly did marvelous works though Fr. Jerome!

Hieroschemamonk Jerome received a blessed end, worthy of his long life of God-pleasing labors, peacefully falling asleep after serving the Divine Liturgy and partaking of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ.

12/9/2016

Comments
Anthony1/29/2018 10:15 pm
Only the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople can canonize a monk who lived in Mount Athos. NOONE else.
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