Saint Hierarch Pachomius of Gledin is celebrated today, 14 April, in Romanian Orthodox Church.
Saint Pachomius was born in 1674, in Gledin village, Bistriţa-Năsăud region. Having been brought up by parents obedient to God, he became a true follower of Christ and because the Orthodox faith was persecuted in Transylvania he left his parents’ house and went to Moldavia, to Neamţ Monastery, where he joined monastic life and later on was consecrated as priest. After abbot John has fallen asleep into the Lord, the monastic community elected Venerable Pachomius as abbot, although he did not want that. Longing to live an ascetic life, the Saint left the igumen’s position after only two years and went to meet the great spiritual father Saint Demetrius of Rostov († 1709).
After living for two years in Russia, Saint Pachomius came back to Neamţ, but he did no longer accept to be abbot, and retired together with four of his disciples to a secluded place in the forests around, where he set up a skete. But neither there could he enjoy the peacefulness and quietness he loved so much because after two years he was elected bishop of Roman (1707-1714).
Given this new task, although Saint Pachomius yearned for a secluded life, prayer and study, he turned out to be a good administrator and custodian, taking good care also of the material needs of his eparchy.
After seven years he retired from the episcopal see and went back to his hermitage, where he built a church, dedicating it to the Holy Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, naming the monastic settlement Pocrov Skete. The rule Saint Pachomius set up was the following: the monks kept always silent, never ate meat, spent all night in vigil, and always fully obeyed the igumen.
Saint Pachomius was one of the most remarkable educated clergymen of his time, a monk with humble thinking and ardent love for Christ, shining in the Church through the holiness of his life. He loved ascetic life, but he joined, through discernment, prayer with the work of the body and of the mind, in the healthy tradition of the ancient Romanian hesychastic monasticism.
Saint Pachomius has fallen asleep into the Lord on 14 April 1724, while he was at Pechersk Lavra in Kiev. Soon, igumen Lazar from Pocrov brought his body to the skete he had founded and buried it in the nave.
Saint Hierarch Pachomius was placed among saints through the Tomos of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church of 14 November 2006. By God’s will, on 9 September 2013 the Saint’s holy relics were found in the nave, where from they were abundantly spreading a nice fragrance.
Through his holy prayers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Troparion, Tone 4:
Oh, most brilliant star arisen in the land of Gledin, you have shone as a divine sign in the land of Moldavia, enlightening the hearts of the faithful. Unshakable tower of pure prayer, precious adornment of the Romanian hierarchs and founder of Pokrov Skete in the land of Neamț, aint Hierarch Pachomius, pray to Christ our God to save our souls.
