A Testimonial About and Verification of Her Monastic Vocation and Monastic Name
Bishop Κlémes of
Gardíkion | June 12/25, 2012
Recently, there has been an
observable and active movement towards the official Proclamation of the
Sainthood of the holy ascetic Eldress Myrtidiótissa, known in the world as
Sophía Chotokourídou [interdum “Chortokopídes” or “Chortokopídou], who
was a native of Póntos and who struggled in asceticism at the Monastery of the
Mother of God in Kleissoúra, in Western Macedonia (Greece), reposing on the
Feast Day of St. George, April 23, 1974, according to the Church Calendar
[i.e., Old Style].
These days, there is a feverish
effort by the New Calendarist Metropolis of Kastoriá to hold her “Hagiokatátaxis”
[the service for entering her name among the Church’s Saints—sometimes called,
in English, the “Glorification” of a Saint, and wrongly called a
“Canonization”], with the participation of ecumenist Patriarch Bartholomew.
In the relevant materials that
are being circulated (articles, Icons, etc.), the Saint is constantly presented
as a simple lay woman, Sophia, without acknowledging the monastic vocation of
the holy ascetic Eldress, and with absolutely not a single reference to her
monastic name, viz., Myrtidiotissa.
This assuredly does nothing to
commend these contemporary devotees of the holy Eldress and demonstrates the
magnitude of their persistent impiety, since they dare posthumously to remove
her Monastic Schema and to deny her monastic vocation. May God forgive them and
may the holy Eldress call them to account for their impudence.
The holy Eldress Myrtidiotissa
was licitly and canonically tonsured a nun, and we are obliged to underscore
this emphatically, bearing in mind that the Monastic Schema is an indelible
Gift of God’s Grace and cannot be taken away by anyone in any way!
The holy Eldress received the
Great and Angelic Schema in October of 1971—her name being changed from Sophia
to the Nun Myrtidiotissa—from the hand of Archimandrite Father Cyprian
(later the Old Calendarist Metropolitan of Óropos and Phylé), Abbot of the Holy
Monastery of Sts. Cyprian and Justina in Phyle, Áttica (Athens), Greece.
Serving as her sponsor was the now reposed nun, Eldress Maria Myrtidiotissa,
Foundress and Abbess of the Holy Convent of the Annunciation of the Theotókos,
in Oinoússes, on the island of Chíos.
A description of the miracles
that took place during this richly blessed event is set forth in a book by His
Eminence, Metropolitan Cyprian, Ἡ Γερόντισσα Μυρτιδιώτισσα, Ἡ Ἀσκήτρια τῆς
Κλεισούρας, 1886-1974 (Φυλὴ Ἀττικῆς: 1998), pp. 153-159 [an English
translation of His Eminence’s book, Eldress Μyrtidiotissa: The Ascetic
Struggler of Κlissoura (1886-1974), is available from the Center for
Traditionalist Orthodox Studies, Etna, CA]. Indeed, the spiritual relationship
of the holy Eldress with her biographer, His Eminence, Metropolitan Cyprian,
was so warm and infrangible that St. Myrtidiotissa proclaimed that she held in
her heart, just after Christ, Father Cyprian.
The following miracle, published
here for the first time, in every way demonstrates and verifies that the holy
Eldress was so fully conscious of and responsive to her monastic
vocation and her monastic name, that she appointed that it be given to a child
who was born after her departure to the Lord.
This indubitable incident, which
is not the only of its kind, speaks for itself; it both honors the holy Eldress
Myrtidiotissa and makes culpable those who fall to the unforgivable sin of
denying God’s Gift of Grace.
+++
The pious Evthymía Nikolaΐdou, a
resident of Thessaloníke and a spiritual child of the then Archimandrite Father
Cyprian, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Sts. Cyprian and Justina, in Phyle,
regularly visited the holy Eldress Myrtidiotissa at the Monastery of the Theotokos,
in Kleissoura, to speak with her.
During one visit, a few months
before the repose of the ascetic Saint, the Eldress revealed to her the
following:
“Now that you are returning to
Thessalonike, you will find an engaged couple that is looking for a sponsor to
stand witness at their wedding. Stand witness at their wedding and sponsor [as
Godparent] the first child that they have, who will be a girl, and give the
child my name: call her MYRTIDIOTISSA!”
In fact, when she returned, the
woman met the couple, Nicholas Grámbas, fourth son of the veteran struggler for
the Old Calendar, Antónios Grambas (†1996), and Theodora Klessiáres, daughter
of Constantine Klessiares, a resident of Kýmina (a suburb of Thessalonike). She
proposed to them all that she was told by the holy Eldress, though she did not
tell them anything about the gender and name of their first child, but only
that she had made a promise to name their first child. They accepted this.
The wedding took place at the Old
Calendarist Church of the Holy Apostles [in Kymina] in November of 1974, while
the Eldress Myrtidiotissa had already reposed in the Lord about seven months
before. And the Baptism of the couple’s first child, which was indeed a girl,
also took place at the Church of the Holy Apostles, in 1976. To the insistent
inquiries from the father, as to what name the child would be given, the
Godmother answered: “Do not worry. The name that I will give to the child is
one that you will like; it is a very lovely name.”
When the relatives heard the name
MYRTIDIOTISSA [an unusual name in Greece], they were taken aback. In fact, one
of the two grandmothers said (half in Greek and half in Bulgarian [in Greek
Macedonia, Slavic dialects are often spoken as a second language]: “Σιὸ [τὶ] ὄνουμα
[ὄνομα] εἶνει [εἶναι] αὐτό, Mατσανιώτισσα?!” (What kind of name is
that—Matsaniótissa?!) But shortly this passed—with the help of the Godmother,
to be sure, who explained to them in detail about the prophetic words of the
holy Eldress Myrtidiotissa of Kleissoura and told them: “If you like, you can
call her MYRTÓ [an ancient Greek name—Socrates’ second wife and one of the
Amazons had this name—and a nickname for Myrtidiotissa], but when she communes
and when she gets married, the Priest must use her correct name, MYRTIDIOTISSA.
Myrtidiotissa (Myrto) Grambas is
married today and lives in Néa Málgara (a suburb of Thessalonike), and her
parents, Nicholas and Theodora, are residents of Kymina and parishioners of the
Church of the Holy Twelve Apostles. Her pious Godmother, Evthymia Nikolaïdou,
reposed in the Lord around 1979-1980, when her Godchild was still very young.
May the Holy Eldress St.
Myrtidiotissa intercede to God for all Orthodox, that we might always be true
in the Faith and in Life and be worthy of Divine Blessedness!
Source: https://www.imoph.org/pdfs/2012/06/26/E20120626aThaymaMyrtos6-12.pdf
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