Obituary for St. Ieronymos of Aegina

Source: Ἡ Φωνὴ τῆς Ὀρθοδοξίας [The Voice of Orthodoxy], No. 504, November 1, 1966, p. 7.

 

From the funeral of St. Ieronymos, presided over by Bishop Akakios of Diavleia of the Church of the G.O.C. of Greece

 

Obituary

Father Ieronymos, the venerable figure and beloved by all of us, as of yesterday, passed away. The fullness of time came, which had been appointed by the Master of both the dead and the living, Holy God, in order to receive from the temporal into His eternal and true dwellings the most beloved of His creatures of these times through which we are passing, the creature who, as much as is humanly possible, had pleased the Lord.

A lifelong struggler, it was also appointed for him to be perfected through one final trial—the trial of dreadful illness—so that he might be perfected as “gold in a furnace.” The judgments of the Lord are unsearchable. The much-revered Father Ieronymos was born in the regions of the East, of most pious parents. From a tender age, he had as a living example the faith and reverence of his ever-memorable parents, Anestis and Elisabeth [Apostolides], and at the urging especially of his mother, he was turned toward the divine. “Vasileios, it is good for you to dedicate your life to God.” This prompting was what the elect soul, chosen from his mother’s womb, was seeking, in order to give himself with all his soul and heart to the keeping of the evangelical commandments and to the transmission of them to others through the lively and convincing manner which he had the gift to possess.

At a young age, he was ordained a Deacon; he visited the Holy Places, where he remained for a considerable time, delighting in holiness, asceticism, and virtue. He served for eighteen years as a Deacon at the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and after the Asia Minor catastrophe, he fled to Mother Greece, where, by divine Providence, he came and settled on our island, Aegina. Here he was ordained a Priest and ministered for only a short period, because, according to his confession, he saw a dreadful vision and therefore ceased the ministry of the Priesthood. His way of life here is well known to all. As a chanter and preacher at the Chapel of the Hospital, he acted in many ways and beneficially, both for the Institution, which was maintained by the income of the Church, and for the congregation, which was literally captivated by his divine word.

He was the only one who, with the fervor and zeal of his preaching, satisfied the spiritual thirst of his flock. From then on, he became the eminent Spiritual Father of our land. What praise concerning him are we, the unworthy, able to weave? The humility of his character, his kindness, his ascetic life, and, in general, the unique example of his lack of self-interest won over the soul of all our compatriots.

Every person has, in the innermost depths of his soul, an altar upon which he has set whatever he has esteemed as most perfect and spiritually superior in the world in which he lives. If each one of us were to freely open our heart, it is certain that there we have established our much-lamented and much-revered Father Ieronymos. For this reason, our spiritual grief is indescribable; for this reason, the eyes and hearts of us all weep. We are losing the treasure that the All-Good One had especially granted to us, the people of Aegina. Now that he is departing from our midst, now we are troubled, now we awaken and realize the irreplaceable loss. We were astonished when he would tell us the thoughts of each one of us before we had the chance to open our heart to him; it was not necessary! He had already read its contents. What greater proof of the purity of his soul and of the divine Grace that dwelt within him?

Now he departs from our midst for eternity, which throughout his entire life he envisioned and which, like a powerful magnet, drew him, so that he regarded all earthly things as temporary and insignificant! Standing before the Throne of God’s Justice, he will be able to repeat the words of the Apostle Paul:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.”

Much-revered Spiritual Father, pray for us all.

May the Lord God grant rest to your soul, where the Light of His Countenance watches over, and where there is the dwelling of those who rejoice with Him. Eternal be your memory!

- P. Togias

 

Greek source online: https://ecclesiagoc.gr/index.php/%E1%BC%84%CF%81%CE%B8%CF%81%CE%B1/%E1%BC%B1%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AC/646-koimisis-osiou-gerondos-jeronymou