On Athos they told how they gave last respects to the oldest hegumen on Holy Mount Jeremy
On Athos they told how on August 5 there was held a burial ceremony of the newly departed monastery’s superior, schema-archimandrite Jeremy (Alehin) who had deceased at the age of 101. It is reported by UNIAN.
The decease of the Athonite elder happened on August 4 at 2 p.m. It was quiet, conscious and sensible. 15 before the death the hegumen received the sacraments. The monastery’s brethren and the doctors who were by the monk’s side testified that father Jeremy did not suffer the so called death agony.
A burial ceremony took place on August 5 in the presence of protoepistate of the Holy Mount father Varnava, hegumens and representatives of the Athonite monasteries and cells, with a huge flow of monks and laymen. Monks from many desert cells came down on this day to give their last respects to the blessed elder. Gospel was being read all night long at the deceased body; archbishop Feognost pronounced a prayer of absolution over the monk.
Before the end of the burial ceremony, schema monk Varnava addressed all the attendees. “Now that the soul of the blessed elder has been released from the vows of mortal flesh and continually appeals to the Creator of the whole world God of Glory, he will be mysteriously closer to his spirit children. Father hegumen Jeremy embodied prayer and celestial contemplation already in this earthly life. Now we ask him to pray with other monks of the Holy Mount about his parish and this Holy Mount, about their excellence in living with God, unity of the Holy Orthodox Church , the people of God, and the entire world,” said the protoepistate of the Holy Mount.
Before burying, they went around the main monastery’s cathedral of Saint Panteleimon carrying the relics of deceased father Jeremy/ He was buried near the southern altar wall where all monastery’s hegumens get traditionally buried. Under the Athonite statute the relics of schema-archimandriteJeremy were delivered to the land without a coffin.
