Moscow, December 9, 2016
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/
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.
