Hieronymus Simonopetritis

Description

Saint Hieronymos Simonopetritis the Lesser Asiatic (1871 – January 6, 1957) was an Orthodox monk and Saint of the Orthodox Church. His memory is commemorated on May 9.
He was born in the village of Reizdere in the province of Krini in Asia Minor with the common name Ioannis Diakogiorgis to poor and pious parents, Nikolaos and Maria Diakogiorgis. He was “poor from poor parents”, as he liked to say about himself. The village church was the center of his life.
When he came of age, he went to Mount Athos, specifically to the Simonos Petra Monastery (October 28, 1888) where most of the monks were Asia Minor. He became a monk on March 21, 1893, Palm Sunday.
On April 11, 1920, he was ordained a deacon, on April 12 of the same year, an elder, and on April 20, 1920, Sunday of Myrophores, he was enthroned as abbot of the monastery.
He was the professor of the Simonos Petra Monastery from 1920 to 1931. In 1924, the calendar reform took place and on the feast of the Annunciation, he worked for the first time with the new calendar in Metochi of the Ascension. “This causes a strong reaction in the Monastery, so that when he returns, he is banned by a group of monks from entering the temple for six months.He calmly endures without yielding to his positions, since he believes that the matter is caused by some “who are led astray by doctrine and indiscriminately persist in obstinately in the unholy and think that they have the right to judge and criticize.
He was slandered by his congregants for poor financial management and by decision of the Mount Athos Community he was exiled to Koutloumousiou Monastery for six months. Although he himself knew the real abuser, he never turned him in and suffered the hardships himself. He also prayed fervently for his accusers and slanderers.
Subsequently, the Community, indirectly recognizing his innocence, interrupted his exile and sent him to the Metochio of the Simonopetra Monastery located in the refugee district of Byron in Athens. There, he helped many residents who were also fellow Asia Minor refugees who had many material and spiritual needs.His charitable activity was so intense that the Monastery reprimanded him, considering that he was exaggerating. He slept on the stool or the chair. He was extremely frugal, even in the water. He is said to have been credited with the gifts of discernment, clairvoyance and foresight.He also visited the Simonopetritiko Stock Exchange of Agios Charalambos in Thessaloniki, for the ministry of confession and spiritual support of persons. In fact, in the year 1937, he was offered the return to the abbot’s throne of the Monastery, but he discreetly refused it.He fell asleep at the age of 86 on January 6, 1957 and was buried in the stock of the Ascension in Byron.
His remains were collected in 1965 by his fellow countryman of Asia Minor, Archbishop of Athens Chrysostomos II, and those present at the ceremony reported that the saint’s bones were fragrant. Today his remains are kept in the Monastery of Simonos Petras and during the first service after his canonization the wooden urns with his body and his remains were placed on the abbot’s throne as an expression of apology for his unjust persecution. Small pieces of his relics were transferred as a blessing to the two Simonopetri shares of the Ascension in Byron and Agios Charalambos in Thessaloniki.
The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during his visit to Mount Athos, in October 2019, before the Synod of the Holy Community, announced that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will proceed with the canonization study of Elder Ieronymos Simonopetritos.Accepting the recommendation of the Canonical Committee, the Holy and Sacred Synod, which convened under the chairmanship of the Ecumenical Patriarch on November 27, 2019, inscribed him in the Holy Book of the Orthodox Church and his memory was set to be celebrated on May 9 of each year.