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This presentation was compiled and created by the "Friends of the Holy Cross", as an honorable dedication to the Very Right Reverend Archimandrite Dionysios, upon the anniversary of 30 years since his tonsure as a Monk, on 17 August 1969, by his esteemed and revered holy Elder, Archimandrite Aemilianos, in the historic Monastery known as the Great Meteoron. This day proved to be a monumental step for the successful formation of a vibrant brotherhood which would go on to revitalize the Monastery of Simonos Petras as never before, bearing fruit in all of Holy Mountain, Greece, Israel, Europe and far to the West.
As Confessor and Spiritual Father of many people from around the world and from many walks of life, the Elder, Gerontas Dionysios, certainly stands out as one of the most versatile and experienced spiritual leaders of our time.
V. R. F. Chrysostom (Mezilson)
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V.R.F. Chrysostom upon the entry of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Holy Cross Monastery, Jerusalem, 10 May 1995.
14.09.1950
Born at Trikkala, Thessaly, sixth of the seven children of Nicholas and Eleni Papageorgiou Kalabokas, of forefathers who were priests, in baptism receiving the name George.
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Nicholas George Kalampokas, the Elder's father, who once said: "If I were 17 years old I would follow him as a Novice Monk."
26.07.1967
Became a Novice Monk, at the Sacred Monastery of Great Meteoron.
26.09.1968
Registered in the Theological School of the University of Athens, with a scholarship for academic excellence from the National Scholarship Foundation.
17.08.1969
Tonsured Monk, at the Sacred Monastery of Great Meteoron, by his Elder Archimandrite Aemilianos, then Abbot of Great Meteoron, with the blessing of Metropolitan Dionyssios of Trikkis & Stagon, receiving the name Dionysios.
03.10.1970
By invitation of Metropolitan Serapheim of Trikkis & Stagon, undertook the Direction of the Ecclesiastical Boarding School "Holy Unmercenary Doctors", Trikkala, housing sixty boys aged 12 - 18 with a high academic performance, a number of whom became
monks with him.
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Metropolitan Dionysios of Trikkis & Stagon of Blessed Memory, 1907 - 1970
15.06.1972
Graduated from the Theological School of the University of
Athens.
17.12.1973
Settled, with his Elder, Archimandrite Aemilianos, Abbot,
at the Sacred Monastery of Simonos Petras, Mt. Athos, by
invitation of the Monastery.
05.08.1974
Ordained Deacon, by Metropolitan Dionysios of Drama, at the Sacred Monastery of Simonos Petras, Mt. Athos.
15.08.1974
Ordained Priest, by Bishop Germanos of Synadon, retired Bishop of Detroit, under the auspices of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, at the Sacred Monastery of Simonos Petras, Mt. Athos.
18.08.1974
Blessed to the Ministry of Spiritual Father - Confessor,
Archimandrite, by the same Bishop, Germanos of Synadon, in the chapel of All Saints at the Delegation of the Sacred Monastery of Simonos Petras in Karyes, Mt. Athos.
23.11.1975
With his Elder, made his first pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the Mountain trodden by God, Sinai.
03.10.1976
Visited, with his Elder, the Most Holy Church of Serbia,
at Her invitation.
09.04.1977
With his Elder, baptized the present V.R.F. Archimandrite Placide Desielle and his confreres, the founder of Monasteries in France, along with the present President of "The Friends of the Holy Cross", Staunton, VA, Mr. Christopher H. D. Warren III, at the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras.
10.09.1977
Appointed Steward and Vicar of the Sacred Metochion of Simonos Petras: the Convent "Annunciation of the Theotokos" in Ormylia, Chalkidiki.
03.10.1977
Tonsured Great-Schema Monk, by his Elder Archimandrite Aemilianos. in the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras.
28.12.1978
Called from his Elder Archimandrite Aemilianos, by letter of the blessed Abbot Philotheos Zervakos to become his successor in the Sacred Monasteries of Longovarda and of Thapsana, on the island of Paros, Greece.
22.01.1981
Called by letter of Archbishop lakovos of America to serve as Confessor-Spiritual Father at the Theological School of the Holy Cross, Boston, as well as in other communities, and for the foundation of a Monastery there modeled after the Studion Monastery of Constantinople, according to the desire of Archbishop lakovos. And from that time repeatedly, called to be Father Confessor and lecturer, by other Hierarchs, within and without Greece.
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Convent of the Annunciation, Ormylia, Chalkidiki, the biggest Orthodox Cenobitic Monastery in the world.
26.11.1981
Invited to Vienna and Bonn to give a series of lectures.
29.11.1981
Visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate, sent there by his Elder, Archimandrite Aemilianos, where he was
received by His All-Holiness Patriarch Demetrios I.
28.12.1982
Appointed Steward of the Sacred Metochion of
Simonos Petras, Mt. Athos, "Divine Ascension" in Byron, Athens.
11.07.1988
Called by the First Army Corps, he served as Military
Chaplain, Preacher and Confessor, building a double
military chapel in honor of St. George and the Holy
Apostles at the Mavrodendrion Base, Kozani.
03.10.1989
Preached the panegyric at the Feast of the Patron Saint of Athens Dionysios the Areopagite, in the Church of the same name in Kolonaki, Athens, in the presence of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Serapheim, and the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece.
28.07.1990
Called from his Elder, Archimandrite Aemilianos, by
Patriarch Diodoros I of Jerusalem, through his Letter
number 665, and sent by his Elder Archimandrite Aemilianos, through letter number 290/12.10.90.
08.01.1991
Called by His Excellency the Mayor of Nordal Mr. Arne
Sandnes, and other agents of Norway, for the foundation of a Sacred Convent upon the sacred Rock of the Saint and King Olav, 11th century, at Valldal, Norway.
13.01.1991
Invited by Mr. Johannes Foyn Johannesen for the foundation of a Holy Monastery in Folldal, Norway, on
his own great expanse of land on the high plateaus of
central Norway.
01.03.1991
Called again to serve as Confessor in the
Archdiocese of America, "sensibly and faultlessly", as
Archbishop Iakovos informed the blessed Ecumentical
Patriarch Demetrios in his Letter of 10-05.91.
08.08.1991
Invited by the Holy Monastery of Pantocratoros,
Mt. Athos, and unanimously elected First Director - Abbot, Council XXX/21.08.91, restoring it to a Cenobitic Monastery.
04.08.1992
Invited newly by Patriarch Diodoros I of Jerusalem and
the Holy Synod, and, by Council XCI, established Abbot - Confessor in the Holy Cross Monastery, together with the Brothers accompanying him in Christ.
25.01.1993
Appointed Headmaster of the Patriarchal Seminary of
Holy Sion.
02.02.1993
Honoured with the status of Regular Member of
the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity of
Jerusalem, delivering a series of lectures and homilies
at its meetings.
25.03.1993
Appointed Spiritual Father - Confessor of the Brotherhood of the All-Holy Sepulchre.
06.12.1994
His natural and spiritual sister Maria, his confederate in Christ in everything, reposed in the Lord and was buried, as the foundation stone, in the Sacred Monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Thebes, Boeotia, which he founded.
29.03.1995
Upon the recommendation of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, Presidential Decree No. 1 10, FEK 71 No. 1/13.4-1995, was issued establishing the Sacred Monastery Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Thebes, Boeotia, of which he is the Founder - Builder and lifelong Spiritual Father and Elder, and which is inhabited by forty nuns and novices from various countries, under Abbess Diodora.
25.05.1995
Visit and last, by the Lord's unsearchable providence,
public homily of his Elder, Archimandrite Aemilianos, at Holy Cross Monastery, Jerusalem.
31.05.1995
Petition on behalf of Archbishop lakovos of North & South America for the foundation of a Sacred Monastery at the Academy of St. Basit in Garrison, New York, by Letter of 31.5.1995.
12.02.1996
Hosted and presided at the conference of the Ecumenical Fraternity in Jerusalem with seventy professors of different ethnicities, religions and Christian confessions, presenting the keynote address with the topic: "The Divine Liturgy According to the Greek Orthodox Tradition".
08.04.1996
Came to Metropolitan leronymos of Thebes & Levadeias, with the Canonical Release of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem number 224/26.3.96, together with twenty hieromonks, monks and novices, his spiritual children, from various countries.
14.10.1996
Visited, with some of his Brother-monks, the Patriarchate and the country of Georgia, at the personal invitation of the Patriarch of all Georgia Elias, in his Letter of 6.5.95.
08.09.1997
Petition of Metropolitan Theokletos of Ioannina, that a
Sisterhood be sent for the revitalization of the historic
Sacred Monastery of the Annunciation in Ano Pedina,
CentraI Zagorion, Ioannina, Greece.
11.03.1998
Invited by Metropolitan lakovos of Krinis, presiding Hierarch of the Chicago Diocese, at the request
of Rev. Fr. Chris Kerhulas, President of the Clergy
Syndesmos there, to lead the Clergy Retreat with a series of lectures and sermons on the subject: "The Priest as Confessor and Confessee".
05.03.1999
Petition of Metropolitan Athenagoras of Panama & Central America for a Sisterhood to be sent there to establish a Sacred Monastery.
17.08.1999
Celebration of the Thirtieth Anniversary of his Tonsure,
in NY, by the Society established in Washington, D.C.
in 1993, "Friends of the Holy Cross".
Monk Gervasios *
Simonos Petras
Monastery
Holy Mountain
My Respected Father,
Elder Dionysios,
My beloved,
Give the blessing.
With the opportunity of Fr. Bartholomew's
visit to our Monastery, I bless the chance
which is given to me to speak to You albeit
by letter.
You are far away from me, but not absent from
me. All of my history is tied to You. You
are not separate from me. You are the
treasure, and I its box. The important
thing is that the treasure not be lost.
You became wealthy very quickly from the
treasures that were hidden in the heart and
the word of Geronta (Aemilianos). Bound to
you I was bound to Geronta. Always, a key is
necessary.
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In the Sacred Convent of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Thebes Boeotias, 3 October 1998.
In this way the years have gone by; always
envious of Your history, I was to be found
under Your feet, while You are, as always, a
supplicatory angel. So I am on Your shoulders
and You take me up, granting me light and
direction with the remembrance of Your word,
Your letters and mainly with Your example.
And so the recollection matures me continually,
be it ever so slowly. Especially these years
in which Geronta has been away from us.
My beloved, return to those original lively
days, and return again those days of
chastening to your children. I don't have
the possibility to learn your news. But for
sure I can imagine the climate and the air
which Your monasteries breathe, of reciprocal
life in joy and spiritual uplifting and labor,
between their father and them, and among
themselves.
I wish, if I may, that Your word may bear
fruit wherever it falls and be added to the
edification of the church beside the
Cornerstones, which are Geronta and Christ.
With respect and love,
Monk Gervasios
22-7/5-8-1999
*One of the first three fathers with whom the Elder and Abbot Aemilianos first began the Brotherhood of Great Meteoron and later Simonos Petras.
EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS MONASTERY
322 00 THEBES BOEOTIA, GREECE.
email: ypsosis@fhc.org
Telephone: 30.226.2062265
Fax: 30.226.2062004
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