By Styliani Almp
With great sorrow we received news today of the departure of the holy levite of the Acropolis Museum, Fr. Ioannis Keramidzis!
What a great loss to our Church this blessed man of God is!
He performed the Divine Liturgy daily, commemorating a myriad of names.
He brought rest to thousands of souls from all the lengths and widths of the earth.
Most-fatherly, most-Orthodox, low-key, a worthy laborer in the Vineyard of our Lord.
He was a man of living, continuous, unhesitating and unscattered prayer, that went directly into the ears of Holy God and was always heard, in as much as this humble priest achieved richly the Grace and Love of our Triune God.
He served at the shrine of Panagia Skiadeni in Rhodes, and with the miraculous appearance to him of Saint George he was invited to Athens to serve his humble temple there, in the area of Makriyianni, within the courtyard of the area of the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
He took care to translate the life and teachings of Saint Gabriel (the Fool for Christ) of Georgia, who he made known in Greece. Pilgrims to the temple were able to partake in the Grace and blessing of the personal sacred garment of the Saint, which this holy priest brought back as a treasure.
He was an honorable and direct, untiring and unbending spiritual worker, a brave fighter in the struggles of the faith.
He possessed the good testimony of everyone.
He was a figure that was similar to many Athonite ascetics.
He was without property and always merciful.
He lived and breathed with and for the Saints.
May we have his blessing!
A Good Paradise, Papa-Yianni!
May the Lord richly repay you for all your labors and sacrifices!
May we be found worthy to gaze upon once again your calm figure in the Heavenly Kingdom!
Your departure is a great loss for us!
May we have your blessing! Forgive us!
"Christ is Risen, my joy!" as you used to say.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos. What a great loss to our Church this blessed man of God is!
He performed the Divine Liturgy daily, commemorating a myriad of names.
He brought rest to thousands of souls from all the lengths and widths of the earth.
Most-fatherly, most-Orthodox, low-key, a worthy laborer in the Vineyard of our Lord.
He was a man of living, continuous, unhesitating and unscattered prayer, that went directly into the ears of Holy God and was always heard, in as much as this humble priest achieved richly the Grace and Love of our Triune God.
He served at the shrine of Panagia Skiadeni in Rhodes, and with the miraculous appearance to him of Saint George he was invited to Athens to serve his humble temple there, in the area of Makriyianni, within the courtyard of the area of the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
He took care to translate the life and teachings of Saint Gabriel (the Fool for Christ) of Georgia, who he made known in Greece. Pilgrims to the temple were able to partake in the Grace and blessing of the personal sacred garment of the Saint, which this holy priest brought back as a treasure.
He was an honorable and direct, untiring and unbending spiritual worker, a brave fighter in the struggles of the faith.
He possessed the good testimony of everyone.
He was a figure that was similar to many Athonite ascetics.
He was without property and always merciful.
He lived and breathed with and for the Saints.
May we have his blessing!
A Good Paradise, Papa-Yianni!
May the Lord richly repay you for all your labors and sacrifices!
May we be found worthy to gaze upon once again your calm figure in the Heavenly Kingdom!
Your departure is a great loss for us!
May we have your blessing! Forgive us!
"Christ is Risen, my joy!" as you used to say.