Dionysios of Colciu

Venerable Dionysios Ignat of Colciu (1909 to 2004), a hieroschemamonk on Mount Athos, was a great Romanian spiritual father of the twentieth century. The Ecumenical Patriarchate canonized him on 31 August 2025 under the title Holy Venerable Dionysios of Vatopedi of Colciu, and his feast is on 11 May.

Childhood and calling

He was born on 22 September 1909 in the commune of Vorniceni, Botoșani county, into a peasant family of eight children. His parents, Ioan and Casandra Ignat, gave him the name Dumitru at baptism; he was the youngest of the children. The eldest, Gheorghe, also became a monk, with the name Ghimnazie.

Burning with desire for monastic life, Dumitru followed his brother to Măgura Skete in 1923, at only 14 years old. The abbot decided to accept him despite his age, but also to send him to school. For two years he studied at the Professional School of Târgu Ocna and visited the skete as often as he could.

On the Holy Mountain

In 1926, when Moldova was troubled by the change of calendar, he left for Athos together with his brother, the hierodeacon Ghimnazie. On 6 September 1926 they entered the Holy Mountain, made a short pilgrimage and tried to settle at Prodromou Skete, but were not received. They then decided, together with the schemamonk Sebastian, to buy the Annunciation kellion, which belonged to Pantokrator Monastery, and had to work for three years as hired labourers at Iviron Monastery.

Of those beginnings Father Dionysios said that he ate a long soup thinned with water, with two or three grains of rice and a handful of olives, but that he then had a spiritual joy and a gift from God which he no longer has now, when there is money and every comfort. He was tonsured a monk in 1927 and ordained hierodeacon in 1931.

After the death of the elder Sebastian, in 1933, the two brothers moved to the kellion of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, in Kapsala, where Ghedeon Chelaru was the elder. In 1937 Dionysios was ordained hieromonk and in the same year they took over the kellion at Colciu, dedicated to Saint George. In 1945 he became a confessor. After the death of the elder Ghedeon, in 1979, he succeeded him as head, and the community grew with new members. He was regarded as one of the great spiritual fathers of the Holy Mountain.

Teaching and veneration

One of the chief themes of his counsel was love. He said that God is love, that whoever has love is with God, and whoever lacks it toward his neighbour does not have God with him; fasting, prostrations and the other good works are good, but without love they bring no benefit, for love covers the summit of all good works. Saint Paisios the Athonite said of him that Father Dionysios the Romanian has something special about him.

He departed to the Lord on 11 May 2004 on the Holy Mountain, at the kellion of Saint George at Colciu, which depends on Vatopedi Monastery. His canonization was decided on 31 August 2025 by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and his feast is fixed on 11 May.