Katounakia

History and present days

"The person in charge of the cell was the monk John, who was the first subordinate of Saint Daniel the Theologian. He, together with Father Athanasius, left the brotherhood of the Danilaeans.  Father Athanasius went out to the world, while Father John came to this place and built the retreat of Saint John the Theologian from the foundation.

The first church was built in 1916. Later it was destroyed and the area remained uninhabited for many years. In 1970 another brotherhood, under the spiritual guidance of Father Clement, took over the cell. The old church, which was quite large, was demolished and in its place there was built a new, smaller one from the same stone, which exists until today.

I came to the cell of Saint John the Theologian in 2012. Previously I stayed with my elder in the cell of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Then, I continued my monastic life here.

In a way, I divided each year into two periods. During the first period, from Easter to October, when is the feast of Saint John the Theologian, I am engaged in outdoor work. From October until Easter I stay in my cell and work on my handiwork, the prayer beads.

That's how life goes on here. I participate, of course, in all the services, in daily prayer, and practice my monastic duties. In my free time I concentrate on my handiwork or work in building and gardening.

As far as our crops and production are concerned, here in the region we have, among other things, olives. The first year I arrived at the cell, I found them healthy and full. I produced about 400 kilos of oil at that time. It was a great blessing and welcoming from the Saint. That oil was sold and we got the first money to cover the most necessary expenses. Now I take care of about 80 olive trees. They need pruning, sprinkling and manure in order to have a good yield.”

Hermitage Guide

“As for the services, there is a daily Divine Liturgy. In fact, very often the faithful ask us to celebrate Mass in their names, so as to have the blessing and help of the Saint in all their personal needs. They therefore provide all the necessary, they care about the cantor, about the priest, the oil, the candles, etc. In this service we commemorate the name of the person who requested it, as well as the names of his or her own family and friends. It has become customary to call this Mass "private", although this may not be the most appropriate term.

The names shall be mentioned three times. The first time is in the Prothesis. We then remove a piece of bread and say "Remember, Lord, thy servant(s)...". The names of the living and the deceased are read for the health and repose of those "for whom the Divine Liturgy is performed". The bread that is removed is placed in the Holy Disk.

The names are mentioned a second time right after the Gospel and a third time after the consecration, when the cantor sings the 'Axion Esti'. Then we commemorate the name of the person who requested the Mass and afterwards our own names and the names of other believers.

Masses are celebrated all throughout the year, with the exception of certain seasons, such as the Holy and Great Lent. Also, sometimes at certain feasts we move to other cells where we celebrate the Divine Liturgy together with the other monks. When there is a feast we cannot, of course, celebrate a “private” Divine Liturgy. However, we can read some names during the service.

Furthermore, a “private” Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated during the major feasts, such as Easter, Christmas or Epiphany. During these periods many priests gather together and celebrate a vigil and a Mass. In that way, each of us can personally commemorate the names of a few faithful and intimate persons.

As for the prayer for the deceased, this can be done at any Divine Liturgy. On Mount Athos, it is our custom to say the troparia and blessings of the Trisagion before the ‘Hail to the Name of the Lord’.

Of course, the celebration of the memorial service is very different. A normal memorial service, which is usually held at the 40th day of the dormition of each deceased, at one year or whenever the relatives wish, lasts for quite a long time, about 60 minutes. In this service we say the canon of the memorial service, the blessings, etc.

This service has so many benefits for the soul of the deceased and it is good to be done as much as possible for our relatives. The Trisagion is a reminder to God that the deceased exists. The memorial, however, has a much greater power. We know this from the fathers of our church, to whom the deceased had appeared many times and testified the benefit they had received.

A memorial service can be held as many times as one wishes during the year. We especially hold memorial services twice a year on certain Saturdays. The first time is on Saturday of Cheesefare and the second on the Saturday before the Pentecost. These two days our church commemorates people who have no relatives or people whose deaths are unknown and undefined. We add as well the names of our own relatives."