The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate announced the following canonizations of two renowned Athonite Elders of Romanian descent on August 31st 2025:
"The Holy and Sacred Synod continued its work on the 30th and 31st of August 2025, under the presidency of His All-Holiness, having thoroughly examined the considerations of the matters listed in the daily agenda, upon which the appropriate decisions were made...
It also unanimously decided, upon the recommendation of the Canonical Commission, to include in the Church’s Hagiologion those who as ascetics lived a venerable life on Mount Athos: Dionysios of Vatopaidi, who resided at the Sacred Cell of Saint George of Kolitsou, and Hieromonk Petronios, Dikaios of the Sacred Skete of the Honorable Forerunner, under the Sacred Monastery of Great Lavra. The commemoration of the former will be celebrated on May 11th and the latter on February 24th of each year.
On Saturday evening, the Patriarchal and Synodal Act of Canonization of the blessed presbyter Demetrios Gagastathis was signed by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Synodical Hierarchs and was recorded in the Sacred Codex of the Holy and Great Church of Christ, in a special Sacred Service for this occasion, in the All-Revered Patriarchal Temple of the Holy Great Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer...."
"The Holy and Sacred Synod continued its work on the 30th and 31st of August 2025, under the presidency of His All-Holiness, having thoroughly examined the considerations of the matters listed in the daily agenda, upon which the appropriate decisions were made...
It also unanimously decided, upon the recommendation of the Canonical Commission, to include in the Church’s Hagiologion those who as ascetics lived a venerable life on Mount Athos: Dionysios of Vatopaidi, who resided at the Sacred Cell of Saint George of Kolitsou, and Hieromonk Petronios, Dikaios of the Sacred Skete of the Honorable Forerunner, under the Sacred Monastery of Great Lavra. The commemoration of the former will be celebrated on May 11th and the latter on February 24th of each year.
On Saturday evening, the Patriarchal and Synodal Act of Canonization of the blessed presbyter Demetrios Gagastathis was signed by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Synodical Hierarchs and was recorded in the Sacred Codex of the Holy and Great Church of Christ, in a special Sacred Service for this occasion, in the All-Revered Patriarchal Temple of the Holy Great Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer...."
Venerable Dionysios of Kolitsou (Romanian: Dionisie Ignat of Colciu)
Elder Dionysios Ignat of Kolitsou, originally born in Romania in 1909 and the youngest of eight children, came to Mount Athos in 1926 at the age of 17, though he first entered a Romanian Hermitage at the age of 14 with his older brother. He distinguished himself in the 78 years of monastic life on Mount Athos as a great ascetic and spiritual father of many Athonite abbots, hieromonks, hermits, monks and pilgrims.
He was recognized as a skilled laborer of Noetic Prayer. Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi, the disciple of Saint Joseph the Hesychast, used to confess to him. Father Dionysios also had close spiritual ties with Saint Paisios the Athonite, Hieroschemamonk Ioan Guțu and Archimandrite Petronios Tănase, the abbot of the Skete of Prodromou and with whom he was canonized.
Among those who received spiritual advice from Father Dionysios is the current King of the United Kingdom, Charles III, who attended the Elder’s funeral on May 11, 2004. The Elder never ceased to be grateful to the Theotokos and Christ for their blessings and divine interventions in his life, despite living the last years of his life in blindness. He reposed at the age of 95.
Archimandrite Ephraim, abbot of Vatopaidi Monastery, in his speech at the funeral of Father Dionysios, said the following:
“Father Dionysios offered rest to both the pious and the impious. His word was always full of grace. I will not forget when, recently, a group of pilgrims came here, including a very harsh and selfish man. But only when he approached Father Dionysios and he said a few words to him, immediately his heart softened, and he began to cry for the first time in his life! And as we know from patristic theology, when a man is indeed full of grace, the word that springs from his mouth is clothed with the grace of God. This grace of the springing word creates in the one who listens a disposition to receive the word.”
On November 17, 2022, the transfer of the relics of the Elder Dionysios from the Skete of Kolitsou took place.
Venerable Petronios of Prodromou (Romanian: Petroniu Tănase of Prodromu)
Elder Petronios Tănase of Prodromou was a hieromonk of the Romanian-speaking Skete of Saint John the Forerunner, more commonly known as Prodromou, on Mount Athos. Born in Fărcasa, Neamts County, in 1914, Father Petronios spent his early years in Romania, studying theology, mathematics, and philosophy while also becoming a monk at the renowned Neamts Monastery. Longing for a deeper spiritual life Father Petronios left Romania for the Holy Mountain in 1978. He served as the Skete's librarian before being elected abbot of Prodromou in 1985. Following his retirement and replacement by Hieromonk Atanasie Floroiu in early 2011, Father Petronios fell asleep in the Lord on February 22, 2011. His funeral took place on February 24th, which is also the annual day of his commemoration.
Elder Petronios was twice offered the position of Patriarch of Romania and refused both times.
When Placide Desseille asked Father Makarios Simonopetritis to take him to an elder to hear some spiritual words of wisdom, he, together with Abbot Elissios and other monks in their entourage, took him to Father Petronios.
When they asked Elder Adrian Fageteanu to say something about Elder Petronios, he said: “Petronios of Prodromou? The most humble, the most humble, the most humble!"
Stepping on the Athonite soil of the Prodromou Skete, Nicolae Baciut wrote: "I feel again that I am Romanian, along with the soil I am stepping on. Even if it is, administratively speaking, Greek soil, above it is a Romanian spirit. And the church, and the courtyard, and the refectory, the cells, the garden – everything breathes Romanian, and this is due, as far as the man is concerned, to Father Petronios Tanase... Father Petronios is so beloved that both Greek and Romanian monks consult him.”
Father Ioannikios from the Simonopetra Monastery said: "Father Petronios of Prodromou perfectly combines love with asceticism and meekness. Until a few years ago, the elder stood at vigils all night. To sit down for a while on his knees was a blessing."
Upon learning of Father Petronios' repose, Metropolitan Theophan of Iaşi, Moldavia, and Bukovina of the Romanian Orthodox Church wrote that, "The Lord God has called to Himself one of the most beautiful flowers that appeared in the last century on Romanian soil. His whole life was a continuous sacrifice in the spirit of prayer... We hope that the fire of his prayer for us in the world will be even more intense after the departure of Father Petronios to eternity. He leaves behind the monks of Moldavia and the earth, the crying fathers of Athos... we all sorrow, but "not as those without hope. Father Petronios, crucified through humility throughout his life, now rests in the light of the Crucified and Risen One."
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| The new Venerable Petronios (left), with Patriarch (then Metropolitan of Chalcedon) Bartholomew (middle) and Archdeacon (now Metropolitan of Belgium) Athenagoras (right) in May 1990. |
