Onouphrios of St Anne's Skete

Onouphrios of St Anne's Skete (1845 - 18 September 1935) came from the diocese of Metra in Eastern Thrace, the son of a rich shepherd with many sheep. While pasturing the sheep, he did not fail to pray. As a young man he decided on his monastic dedication and set out for the Holy Mountain with only a cloak, without money or things. After many adventures he reached the Athonite port of salvation in 1888. He went to Iviron Monastery to venerate the Mother of God Portaitissa. Someone approached him and, learning that he had come to become a monk, told him to go to Father Menas the Mavrovouniote, in Saint Anne's Skete. He went, knocked at the door, Father Menas came out and welcomed him with joy, telling him that the Mother of God had brought him from the City. The young man marvelled how the elder knew about him without being told anything. Entering the church to venerate, he saw the icon of the Mother of God "sweating." He understood that the elder had prayed to the Mother of God and she had enlightened the man at Iviron Monastery to direct him here. As a novice he did extreme obedience. Father Menas (d. 1916) soon tonsured him a monk, in 1890, and gave him the name of his own elder, Onouphrios the Cypriot, whom once, for his obedience, angels had carried by boat from Daphne to the shore of Saint Anne.

His elder, Father Menas, in the hut of the Holy Transfiguration, was also of great virtue. Father Onouphrios had all his hope in the Economissa, Portaitissa, Vimatarissa, Trichirousa and Overseer of the Holy Mountain, the Lady Theotokos; he invoked her with great reverence and tears. To his disciple Father Chrysanthos (d. 1981) he said: "Pray and rejoice greatly that she has brought us to her Garden. And not only here is the Mother of God a mother, but wherever there is a monastery or church in her name, she is nurse, comforter and above all giver of the prayer of the heart and mind. Let us study this in order to be saved, for it is the lifebuoy of our temporal life." Another time he said: "Invoke with unspeakable voices full of joy the sweetest name of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is also called the eye of all creation. When it enters the monk's heart, you rise very high, there you will learn what your inner man is, and when you learn what your inner man is, you will then take care to cleanse him entirely by the sweetest name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So sweet will your mind and thought become that they will not leave your heart at all..."

His words revealed his inner state. He never wished to grieve anyone and bore many sorrows with much guilelessness. He was found worthy to see Saint Anne serving in the kyriakon of the skete. To his spiritual children he always held up his holy elder as an example. He reposed in the Lord on 18 September 1935, aged ninety. He is venerated by the faithful, without synodal canonization.