Mt. Athos, January 18, 2018
Photo: afonit.info The oldest monk of the Russian St. Panteleimon’s Monastery on Mt. Athos Schema-Hierodeacon Arseny (Sarandi) reposed in the Lord yesterday, on the commemoration day of the Athonite saints Eustathius the Serbian, St. Onuphrius of Hilandar the New Martyr, and St. Euthymius and the 12 with him martyred at Vatopaidi Monastery. Fr. Arseny was 90 years old, reports Russian Athos.
Fr. Arseny (Peter Feofilaktovich Sarandi in the world), a Gagauz by nationality, was born on August 31, 1928 in the ancient Gagauz village of Avdarma in the south of Moldova.
During the years of Soviet atheism and persecutions against the Faith, he made the decision to leave for a monastery. At first he labored in the Dormition Monastery in Odessa together with Archimandrite Jeremiah (Alekhin), who later became the abbot of St. Panteleimon’s Monastery and reposed in his 100th year of life. Fr. Arseny was tonsured as a monk there on May 8, 1966.
He was ordained to the diaconate on June 7, 1966 in Odessa. He later traveled to Mt. Athos and joined St. Panteleimon’s Monastery on August 4, 1976. He bore the obedience of choir director on the right kliros there for 30 years. He was tonsured into the Great Schema in 2005.
The burial of Fr. Arseny was celebrated in the evening of the same day at the St. Panteleimon’s brothers’ cemetery.
May Fr. Arseny’s memory be eternal!
