Gymnasios of Kolitsou

Gymnasios of Kolitsou, with the secular name George Ignat, was born at Vorniceni in Romania, the eldest of eight siblings. In 1922 he left for the Magura skete and the next year was tonsured a monk. In 1924 he was ordained deacon for his great zeal for the Church. Together with his younger brother Demetrius, the future hieromonk Dionysios (1909-2004), a man of great virtue, he came in 1926 to the cell of Saint George at Kapsala, where he was tonsured into the great schema. They then moved to the cell of the Annunciation. In 1930 he was ordained priest. He lived in great poverty and piety. They then went to the cell of Saint Tychon, in the same hesychast area of Kapsala. In 1937 they came to the cell of Saint George at Kolitsou, which they renovated with zeal. With reverence, love, compunction and attention he served without fail all the services and frequent liturgies.

Many temptations did not bend him, and divine consolations were not lacking in his life. He was a skilled and kind confessor. Demons tried to discourage him but did not succeed. His elder was Father Gideon (d. 1979). He kept vigil daily. He came to Athos only for the Kingdom of heaven, of which, by the grace and mercy of God, he became an heir. His brother Dionysios used to say: "That is why God, who is so good and loves us so much, gave us this 'false' life, to prepare for the Kingdom of heaven. There is our homeland, our true homeland, not here where we live. Here we are guests." He reposed in the Lord on 1 March 1965. He is venerated by the faithful, without synodal canonization.