For all Akathists published on our site, click here. This Akathist was translated by Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance. Original source at the bottom. Explore more prayer: Akathists to Ascetics and Monastics, Righteous Men and Women
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Troparion, Tone 1:
Hearing the words of Your Apostle Paul, who says, ‘We are fools for Christ’, O Christ, O God, Your servant John became a fool on earth. For this reason, as we commemorate him, we pray to You, O Lord, to save our souls.
Kontakion, 8th tone:
You desired the beauties above and deliberately forsake the earthly pleasures below. Seeking not the vanities of the world but living an angelic life, you departed this life, blessed John, who ceaselessly prays to Christ our God to save our souls.
The 1st Kontakion:
He who had the Holy Forerunner of the Lord as his protector in his life of asceticism and prayer, and who, denouncing the wisdom of this age, bore the cross of folly for Christ—come, believers, let us praise him, saying: Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 1st Ikos:
Rejoice, brethren! Rejoice, holy and pious Romanians! Rejoice, flock of Christ, for within your bosom has blossomed the chosen flower of true wisdom, humility and prolonged fasting, whom God has received into the dwellings prepared for the saints and to whom the hosts of angels offer songs of praise, whilst we say to him with hearts full of joy:
Rejoice, gift bestowed upon the Church and the Romanian land;
Rejoice, friend of souls who cherish poverty;
Rejoice, for God has called you to the path of holiness;
Rejoice, for you have stood against the wisdom of this age;
Rejoice, for you loved the asceticism of folly for Christ’s sake;
Rejoice, for you were nourished by the examples of the saints in the Synaxarion;
Rejoice, you who bore the name of the Baptist;
Rejoice, for you practised virtue from childhood;
Rejoice, for you became holy without choosing the monastic path;
Rejoice, for through meditation on death you gained wisdom;
Rejoice, for the time of your passing to the Lord was revealed to you;
Rejoice, for at your death the angels and saints watched over you;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 2nd Kontakion:
Though you did not don the monastic habit, you bore the heavy cross of obedience; and by the grace that enveloped you, you fed both the wolf and the bear from your own hand, whilst Father Varsanufie, your spiritual guide, rejoicing at your progress, praised God, saying: Alleluia.
The 2nd Ikos:
You beheld Father Varsanufie in a wondrous vision in the heavenly garden, yet you were instructed by an angel that one can reach that place only through suffering and tribulations. You sought throughout your life to walk the path of the Cross, and we, wishing to have you as our protector, offer you these praises:
Rejoice, for you walked the path of martyrdom in obedience;
Rejoice, for thus you were deemed worthy of the inner resurrection;
Rejoice, for you bore witness to the holiness of Father Varsanufie;
Rejoice, for you were counted as his disciple and successor;
Rejoice, for he appeared to you in your cell after his death;
Rejoice, for at that time Father Simion also visited you;
Rejoice, for through their wise counsel you received strength;
Rejoice, for through your zeal you met other great fathers;
Rejoice, for you rejoiced in the admonitions of Father Dometius;
Rejoice, for you were secretly informed of his passing;
Rejoice, for you received the blessing of Father Arsenius;
Rejoice, spiritual kinsman of Father Paisius;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 3rd Kontakion:
We have received into our souls your blessed words: ‘Be convinced that what you cannot achieve through love, you will never achieve through harshness and severity.’ Be now for us a living icon of love, that we may learn to be apostles of sacrificial love and sing to God through our lives: Alleluia!
The 3rd Ikos:
After you had worked on a Sunday, the Mother of God, whom you honoured so greatly, said to you: ‘Christian, keep the day of my Son,’ and delivered you from the snares of the devils who sought to destroy you. Pray also for us to the Most Holy Lady, that she may deliver us from the chains of darkness, for we praise you, saying:
Rejoice, for the Mother of God has shown mercy upon you;
Rejoice, for she has covered you with her holy protection;
Rejoice, for she has dispelled the clouds of the devil’s deceptions;
Rejoice, for through her gift she has delivered you from various snares;
Rejoice, for you have often read her Paraklesis with hope;
Rejoice, for you have received a marvellous answer in accordance with your faith;
Rejoice, for you teach us to honour the Most Holy Virgin;
Rejoice, for, urged on by you, we place our hope in her protection;
Rejoice, you who were not daunted by a death sentence;
Rejoice, for she helped you through the faithful judge;
Rejoice, for you have received the gift of comforting the afflicted;
Rejoice, intercessor for those weighed down by tribulations;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 4th Kontakion:
We have been strengthened in our faith by learning of God’s work in your life and by reflecting on your words: ‘As long as you tend the sheep and fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, and do not go about stealing, and pray, you will have no trouble with the wolf or the bear.’ And though our faith is weak, we ask you to pray for us, that we may choose the narrow path in our lives, saying to the Lord: Alleluia.
The 4th Ikos:
Unjustly persecuted by people who did not understand your way of life, you asked with sorrow in your soul: ‘Does only the evil one have the power to perform miracles? Can God not?’ And we, bearing witness to the miracles wrought by God in your life, offer you these praises:
Rejoice, for you have been likened to the saints of old;
Rejoice, for you have shown yourself to be a witness to God’s miracles;
Rejoice, you who were not afraid of wild beasts;
Rejoice, for wolves and bears did not harm your flocks;
Rejoice, for through your fervent prayers you drove them away;
Rejoice, for you were covered by heavenly blessing;
Rejoice, you who endured countless persecutions;
Rejoice, for you prayed with love for your enemies;
Rejoice, you who have thwarted the schemes of sorcerers;
Rejoice, you who laboured through prolonged fasts;
Rejoice, for those who call upon you for help feel your power;
Rejoice, for they strive to follow you on the path to salvation;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 5th Kontakion:
‘Alas, I have not yet managed to recite the “Our Father” properly with my mind,’ you would humbly reproach yourself, instructing us to be mindful during prayer, so that we might sing to the Lord the song of fire: Alleluia.
5th Ikos:
Nourished by the words of the Psalms, you grew in the fear of God and said: ‘I alone curse myself, saying: “Have no mercy on those who do iniquity.”’ What then can we say, we who are weighed down by our failings and weaknesses? Yet, knowing our spiritual infirmities, we dare to praise you, saying:
Rejoice, for you have attained the gift of unceasing prayer;
Rejoice, you who have received the teaching of inner resurrection;
Rejoice, for through the reading of the Psalms you have gained wisdom;
Rejoice, for you have persisted in your supplications to the Mother of God;
Rejoice, for through the labour of kneeling you have been enlightened;
Rejoice, you who have armed yourself with the weapon of prayer;
Rejoice, fruit of the Philokalia and of spiritual writings;
Rejoice, for you guide us towards the attainment of the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice, ascetic, who praised the fruits of vigil;
Rejoice, for you urge us to know the grace of prayer;
Rejoice, for you followed Saint George the Pilgrim;
Rejoice, for you found great benefit in going on pilgrimages;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 6th Kontakion:
Seeing how Christians who strove to multiply their wealth without toil fell into the snares of those who sought to impoverish them, you said with sorrow: ‘Now people are being sifted; now it is seen who is for God and who serves the evil one, that is, money.’ And you sang to the Lord: Alleluia.
The 6th Ikos:
You endured severe trials at the hands of the devil, when your cell was filled with ants, so that you might abandon your place of asceticism. But you entrusted yourself to God through prayer, and He removed this temptation from you, rewarding your patience with His gifts; for this we praise you, saying:
Rejoice, for through your steadfastness your faith has been made manifest;
Rejoice, for the Lord Christ has blessed your asceticism;
Rejoice, for the burden of temptations has not brought you to your knees;
Rejoice, for you have endured various sufferings without complaint;
Rejoice, for those who sought to take your life have been put to shame;
Rejoice, for those who plotted against you were thwarted;
Rejoice, for in trials the divine gift has strengthened you;
Rejoice, for the sun of hope has swiftly risen in your heart;
Rejoice, for you have had a great host of saints to your aid;
Rejoice, for you feared neither sickness nor want;
Rejoice, for you lived in solitude for God’s sake;
Rejoice, for you guided the Christians who came to you;
Rejoice, John the ascetic, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 7th Kontakion:
Your holy words have fallen upon the soil of our hearts: ‘The greatest theology is to know God and to converse with Him, not to speak about God from what you have learnt!’ But we acknowledge that we fall far short of this standard, and we ask you to remember us in your prayers, so that we may say with a pure heart: Alleluia.
The 7th Ikos:
Having had a marvellous revelation whilst praying in church, that believer testified about you: ‘Look how the angels stand around that man’, and this was confirmed by other Christians as well. You hastened to your cell, fleeing from human praise, but we, believing his testimony as though we had been present with him at that time, praise you, saying:
Rejoice, for because of your purity the angels have surrounded you;
Rejoice, for the people in the church marvelled;
Rejoice, for all your life you shunned human praise;
Rejoice, for you shone with genuine humility;
Rejoice, for at Communion you saw the chalice as a pillar of fire;
Rejoice, for during the Divine Liturgy you received heavenly revelations;
Rejoice, as proof that the age of holiness has not come to an end;
Rejoice, for you lived and bore witness to true theology;
Rejoice, for your growth brought joy to Father Varsanufie;
Rejoice, for through your silence as well as through your words you preached;
Rejoice, for the Most Sweet Jesus dwelt in your heart;
Rejoice, for you lived in love for angelic obedience;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 8th Kontakion:
Foreseeing in your spirit the founding of Strungari Monastery, you said to one of your disciples: ‘There, in the valley, a great and mighty monastery is being built.’ And your words came true, for the entire monastic community sings to God: Alleluia.
The 8th Ikos:
‘The Mother of God and Saint Gelasius are your great protectors here,’ you told the nuns at Râmeț Monastery, when through your prayers you stood against the devil who had tried to prevent the tonsure of some zealous souls into monastic life. And we, seeing your care for all those in the monastic order, praise you, saying:
Rejoice, for you sought the help of Saint Gelasius the Hierarch;
Rejoice, for you honoured the saints and entered into their assembly;
Rejoice, for you fought valiantly against the devil;
Rejoice, for you did not fear the spirits of darkness;
Rejoice, for you have preserved the tradition of the Fathers of old;
Rejoice, for God has crowned you for your humility;
Rejoice, for you are the tireless protector of monasteries;
Rejoice, you who intercede for monastic communities;
Rejoice, you who help monks in times of temptation;
Rejoice, model of asceticism for monks and nuns;
Rejoice, for you protect those who call upon you for help;
Rejoice, you who without delay dispel the attacks of the devils;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 9th Kontakion:
When your disciple forbade his wife from seeing the doctor who was urging her to have an abortion, so that she might not give birth to a sick child, you said: ‘Abortion is a great sin, and many misfortunes befall people and families without them realising where they come from.’ And through your prayers, his wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl, whose birth you too rejoiced in, giving thanks to the Lord and singing: Alleluia!
The 9th Ikos:
To the mother who came to you with her child on the verge of death, you dispelled her sorrow, saying to her: ‘Do not be distressed. Know that your child will recover’, and your words came true. So help us too, and help all those facing severe trials, that, giving thanks to you, we may sing hymns of praise to you with hearts full of gratitude:
Rejoice, for by enduring the burden of great illnesses you have received great gifts;
Rejoice, for you have loved suffering and been deemed worthy of delight;
Rejoice, you who protect children from the errors of youth;
Rejoice, when young people who have strayed repent of their sins;
Rejoice, for you protect children who lead a pure life;
Rejoice, for you guide prayerful parents;
Rejoice, for you accept the prayers of parents for their children;
Rejoice, guardian of those who walk the path of virtue;
Rejoice, for you have preserved the purity of your soul since childhood;
Rejoice, thou who through prayer bestowest bodily health;
Rejoice, for thou art an intercessor for couples who wish to have children;
Rejoice, for thou rebukest incompetent doctors;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who hast cast aside worldly cares!
The 10th Kontakion:
The man who, through the devil’s work, had tried to take his own life on several occasions, was delivered from this temptation, for when he helped you to escape from danger, he drew God’s blessing upon himself. And we, marvelling at His providence and mercy, sing to Him: Alleluia.
The 10th Ikos:
‘Brother John, help me!’ cried the woman to you, whose husband was threatening to divorce her; and immediately he calmed down, through your marvellous intercession. And we, knowing that even during your lifetime you proved yourself a miracle-worker, praise you, saying:
Rejoice, for you have the gift of being our heavenly friend;
Rejoice, for you bring peace to those overwhelmed by cares;
Rejoice, you who hear the prayers of faithful spouses;
Rejoice, when wives pray to you to protect their unfaithful husbands;
Rejoice, for you dispel turmoil and bring peace;
Rejoice, for you bring hope by dispelling despair;
Rejoice, you who bring relief from the burden of loneliness;
Rejoice, for you swiftly dispel thoughts of suicide;
Rejoice, for you drive away fears that kill the soul;
Rejoice, for you dispel the temptation of divorce like smoke;
Rejoice, for love has returned between praying spouses;
Rejoice, for you have interceded for the peace of Christian families;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 11th Kontakion:
We too have heeded your exhortation, O Blessed One: ‘Do anything, but do not die’, realising that nothing is more painful than spiritual death. And we dare to ask you to pray for us, servant of God, that we may rise from the pit into which we have fallen through our passions and desires, so that we may sing the hymn: Alleluia!
The 11th Ikos:
Possessing the gift of spiritual insight, you said to your disciple: ‘I beg you to banish from your mind these thoughts with which you have come now, for they are not good’. At this hour we ask you to pray that we too may find deliverance from the bondage of passionate thoughts, so that we may praise you as is fitting:
Rejoice, for in the sanctuary of your heart you have celebrated Christ;
Rejoice, for with wisdom you have resisted evil thoughts;
Rejoice, guide to a life pleasing to the Lord;
Rejoice, you who, through your humility, preached to the people;
Rejoice, you who prayed for those who persecuted you;
Rejoice, you who, through patience, softened hard hearts;
Rejoice, for in your heart you harboured true love;
Rejoice, you who turned away from the proud;
Rejoice, for you exposed the thieves and helped the wronged;
Rejoice, trumpet that calls us to a change of life;
Rejoice, for you have attained grace through tears of repentance;
Rejoice, teacher of right judgement and humility;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 12th Kontakion:
We have received in our hearts the testimony of the mother who said: ‘I believe that Brother John is a saint. And now, if you pray to Brother John, your prayer will not go unanswered. If you pray for something, it will be granted to you. If you ask Brother John: ‘Help me, for I am in this predicament! Help me to get out of this predicament!’, he will help you. It has happened to others too.’ And they praised God, Who is marvellous in His saints, saying: Alleluia.
The 12th Ikos:
After your repose, you appeared at your tomb in Strungari to the woman suffering from cancer, who had come because word had spread of the gifts you had received from God. And we, firmly believing that you come to the aid of all who call upon you in their prayers, offer you these humble praises:
Rejoice, you who bore the yoke of folly for Christ’s sake;
Rejoice, for you were buried beside Father Simion;
Rejoice, for you laboured together with Father Varsanufie;
Rejoice, for the icon of your pious life has shone forth;
Rejoice, you who guard the fields and homes of the faithful;
Rejoice, for during floods the Christians have you as their protector;
Rejoice, for through your prayers you deliver us from tribulations;
Rejoice, you who accept even our feeble praises;
Rejoice, rebuker of those whose faith is lukewarm;
Rejoice, you who stand against hypocrites and Pharisees;
Rejoice, for your image has been painted in churches;
Rejoice, for your tomb has become a place of pilgrimage;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 13th Kontakion:
O servant of God, blessed John, who lived in the world as a monk and surpassed many monks through your ascetic labours, accept from us these few prayers, just as Christ accepted the widow’s two coins, and pray for us that we may receive the Holy Spirit, casting aside the cares and wisdom of this world, so that we may sing to the Triune God, praised for ever and ever: Alleluia.
This Kontakion is sung three times.
The 1st Ikos:
Rejoice, brethren! Rejoice, holy and pious Romanians! Rejoice, flock of Christ, for within your bosom has blossomed the chosen flower of true wisdom, humility and prolonged fasting, whom God has received into the dwellings prepared for the saints and to whom the hosts of angels offer songs of praise, whilst we say to him with hearts full of joy:
Rejoice, gift bestowed upon the Church and the Romanian land;
Rejoice, friend of souls who cherish poverty;
Rejoice, for God has called you to the path of holiness;
Rejoice, for you have stood against the wisdom of this age;
Rejoice, for you loved the asceticism of folly for Christ’s sake;
Rejoice, for you were nourished by the examples of the saints in the Synaxarion;
Rejoice, you who bore the name of the Baptist;
Rejoice, for you practised virtue from childhood;
Rejoice, for you became holy without choosing the monastic path;
Rejoice, for through meditation on death you gained wisdom;
Rejoice, for the time of your passing to the Lord was revealed to you;
Rejoice, for at your death the angels and saints watched over you;
Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
The 1st Kontakion:
He who had the Holy Forerunner of the Lord as his protector in his life of asceticism and prayer, and who, denouncing the wisdom of this age, bore the cross of folly for Christ—come, believers, let us praise him, saying: Rejoice, ascetic John, who cast aside worldly cares!
PRAYER:
John, servant of God, we now call upon you in prayer and trust that you will not leave us unanswered. Just as during your lifetime you prayed for the people who came to you with all manner of temptations and troubles, so pray for us now, as you dwell in the kingdom prepared for the righteous and the saints. The image of your pure life is hard to imprint upon our hearts, which are so fond of pleasures and sins. We are unworthy to pray to you, for whilst our lips utter certain words, our deeds show that there are other things we truly desire. Our faith has grown weak, and the waves of temptation easily shake it. Yet, even though it is hard for us to acknowledge our unworthiness and weaknesses, we nevertheless confess that we wish to make a good start on our salvation. Write our words in your heart, blessed John, and engrave your counsels upon our hearts. Help us to love prayer, humility, obedience, asceticism and sound judgement. Rebuke us gently, even though we are worthy of reproach. Guide us with care, for we are lost and straying sheep who can no longer find our way back to the flock. The eyes of our hearts have been clouded by pride, and we no longer receive counsel for salvation. Protect us from deception and guide us along the path of righteous living in the true faith, that we may live in virtue and holiness within the true Church. Be the protector of our spiritual fathers and of all those in the church clergy and the monastic order. Do not turn away from us, servant of God, for though we are sinners, we have not yet despaired of our salvation. And with a broken heart we ask for the help of God, the Mother of God, and all the saints. And we also seek your help, blessed John, for we have learnt of the multitude of gifts you have received from on high. We call upon you at this hour, trusting that you will not reject our prayers, even though they come from hardened hearts. Pray for us, that we may have you as our intercessor before the divine throne and, receiving your help, may we glorify the Triune God, who has welcomed you into His kingdom—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—for ever and ever. Amen.
SOURCE: This booklet –
Short Biography of Brother IOAN
The holy life of the hermit John David near the village of Strungari: “He fasted a great deal, and I can say that he was a man of God, a true believer”
In a hermit’s cell near the village of Strungari, in Alba County, at the foot of the Şureanu Mountains, lived a shepherd who, through the purity of his life, became a saint. Ioan David was born on 15 February 1920 and was a ‘simple man, without parents, an orphan. He sustained himself solely through prayer. He had a few sheep which he looked after. But he cared for even these sheep through prayer. If he called his sheep, they would come; if he told them to stay, they would stay. Wild animals would also come, and he would feed them from his hand, just as Father Varsanufie used to do.
‘Father Varsanufie did the same thing; he would feed the wolves from his hand. Brother Ioan was a very humble man (…)’, recalls Sister Ioresta from Râmeţ Monastery. Father Serafim from Căşiel, who knew the hermit, recounts: “Brother Ioan led a life of great asceticism. He loved fasting. His sheep were plump and beautiful; he looked after them well, and the wolves never touched them. People, seeing this, thought he was practising witchcraft. But he was a gentle and peaceful man, and he possessed great gifts from God and boldness in his prayers.” Brother John was careful to maintain his tranquillity, noting in his notebooks: “If you remain silent, you will find rest wherever you dwell. Make a fresh start every day.”
Sister Ierusalima, who for many decades was the abbess of Râmeț Monastery, testifies that “after the death of Father Domentie Manolache, our spiritual guide at Râmeț, I regarded him as a pillar of fire for the monastery. But he was far away, in his cell at Strungari, and when we had major problems with the monastery, to the point where I could no longer cope, I would fall to my knees in prayer and cry out: ‘Lord, bring my shepherd here, bring Brother Ioan to me!’. I didn’t send for him, as I had no one to do so, but he would come!” And Mother Anastasia, Mother Jerusalem’s sister, recalls: “He was a man who was very hard on himself. He fasted a great deal; I think he wouldn’t eat for days on end. But he had a tomcat, who was always plump and handsome. If he received a small piece of salami from people, he would give it to the cat and say that he would eat it himself.”
He told those close to him that he would depart to the Lord on his very birthday. And so it was; he passed away in peace, after prolonged physical suffering from stomach cancer, on 7 January 1995, the feast day of Saint John the Baptist.
Nicolae Martin, his disciple, recounts in the book The Holy Life of the Hermit John David, published in 2022 by ‘Familia Ortodoxă’ Publishers, the account of Brother John’s passing into heaven: ‘An extraordinary thing happened then, in full view of everyone: when the funeral service began, all the little birds he had fed with such love gathered around the coffin, on the apple and elder trees surrounding it, and sang and chirped in their own language. (…) There was such a sense of blessing in the air as had never been felt before.” It was their way of bidding farewell to the saint who had cared for them all their lives, to John, the humble shepherd whom the monks of Afteia Monastery honour so greatly that they have painted him in the church porch, alongside the saints. (C.R.)
This Christian, who is virtually unknown, was born in 1920 in the village of Plai, in the commune of Strungari, Alba County, to poor and deeply devout parents. Orphaned at the age of three, he was brought up by an aunt in the fear of God and sent to school.
He spent his whole life as a shepherd. He tended his own sheep and those of the villagers, and prayed ceaselessly, repeating either ‘Our Father’, or ‘Lord Jesus…’, or ‘Lord, have mercy’.
He lived like a hermit, isolated from the world; he took shelter in a hut in the forest, ate only rusks, made countless prostrations and glorified God day and night. He loved peace, silence and solitude so much that he very rarely met with people. He loved his sheep dearly and called them all by name; and neither wolves nor thieves ever took them from him.
In his youth, this Christian had as his spiritual guide a chosen hermit, namely Simeon, who lived in a hermit’s cell not far from the village of Plai, and was a man of great foresight.
In 1943, the monk Simeon passed away, and another hermit, the monk Varsanufie Scriban, a native of northern Moldavia, took up residence in his cell. He lived as a hermit in that cell for 26 years, with the humble hermit Ioan David as his disciple. He spent a large part of his life at the Monastery of Saints Constantine and Helena in Afteia and at the monastic settlement in Strungari. In the final years of his life, his spiritual father was one of the monks at Afteia Monastery.
This brother grew so much spiritually that, in addition to his ceaseless prayer, he also acquired the gift of foresight, knowing things to come, and was full of humility and spiritual wisdom.
On 7 January 1995, the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, the blessed John David, after several months of suffering, passed away into the arms of Christ, having been honoured by the local people as a great man of prayer and a hermit from the Carpathians.
The final days on earth of the hermit John David
15 February 2024 marks the 104th anniversary of the birth of Ioan David, a layman who lived as an ascetic in the woods near the village of Strungari in Alba County.
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Ps 115:6)
The way in which Brother Ioan David lived his life and prepared for death is something I have only encountered among the Holy Fathers of the desert. For seven years, he lived with the cross and the coffin in which he was buried already prepared in his home, and he meditated on death constantly. He used to tell me that the moment when the soul parts from the body would be a difficult one, and that if people knew what awaited them, they would spend their whole lives on their elbows and knees, just to escape the fires of hell.
Brother Ioan lived with the coffin and the cross in his house. I had the cross brought down from the hills by someone – an oak beam, which a woodturner from Strungari had carved – and that is now at his grave, a wooden cross. The cross and the coffin were there, in the hall, and I would bump into them whenever I went to see him.
Illness and Suffering
As early as the summer of 1994, Brother Ioan’s health had deteriorated and his condition was getting worse with each passing day. I was paying very close attention to this, as I’d been warned about what was going to happen before long. By December of that same year, his face had already begun to change, for he had taught me this too – something I shall never forget as long as I live – probably so that I might take heed. ‘Do you know what the signs of death are?’ ‘No,’ I said. ‘Remember this well. When you see dark circles appearing under the eyes, a purplish colour, know that there is not much time left. But when you also see the fingernails turning blue, know that death is near.” I, a sinner, have observed these things myself, and I have shared them with those closest to him, warning them of what is to come.
Brother Ioan suffered like a true martyr, with no one able to help or bring him even the slightest relief from the long and agonising suffering caused by that stomach cancer, which advanced relentlessly, even though we brought doctors to his cell on several occasions to help him as best we could. But he endured it all with love right up until the moment of his death.
For two weeks he had had no bowel movements, nor had he eaten anything, because his stomach could not tolerate it. Only from time to time would he take various tablets for relief – but to no avail. On the evening of 5 January 1995, I received a telephone call from a sister who was close to Brother Ioan, asking me to go with a doctor, as he could no longer bear the pain. The next morning, we made our way through knee-deep snow to the cell, accompanied by the doctor from Pianu de Sus and a nurse. When the doctor saw Brother Ioan and had examined him, he confirmed to me that his condition was serious. He prescribed treatment and left, arranging for us to return the following day, on St John’s Day, for a final attempt to stimulate his bowel movements, because, as I said, he had not had a bowel movement for two weeks and was very bloated.
This was indeed achieved the following day, on St John’s Day, and, as the pain had not subsided, the doctor decided to give him an injection of a strong painkiller. After this injection, Brother Ioan fell into a state of total drowsiness. Seeing that it was no longer possible to have a conversation with him, I left the cell together with the doctor and the nurse, leaving him with a brother from Afteia, who had arrived some time earlier to look after him. I can never forgive myself for leaving, for he had said to me before the injection was given: ‘Don’t leave me! Stay by my side!’, but I, a sinner, did not listen, seeing that it was no longer possible to speak with him. I went down to the chapel for the Divine Liturgy, and then I set off for Sebeș. I arrived home at 2.30 pm. At 3 pm I received a phone call telling me that Brother Ioan had died!
I returned immediately and stayed in the cell with two other brothers until after the funeral. The sister who was to prepare everything necessary for the funeral was also there. How did Brother Ioan die? I spoke to the brother who held his candle, and he told me this: “Not long after you left the cell, he came back to himself and said only this: ‘I am going now! You will stay here, but not for long, and then you will leave’”, which came to pass after about eight weeks, the cell remaining empty.
That morning, before all this happened, the monk from the lower chapel had come to Brother John, confessed him and administered Holy Communion to him, and so he died. He departed to the Lord after receiving Holy Communion, just like the Holy Fathers.
Passing into Eternity
He fell asleep in the Lord after a long and arduous illness, on 7 January 1995, the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, his patron saint, at the age of 75. Just as his life was lived in complete accordance with God’s will, so too was his passing into eternity.
He was a man of God, a holy man. A year before he died, he told me the date of his death. He was ill; he had cancer, and he said to me: ‘Brother, remember this: on 7 January, the feast day of Saint John the Baptist – for his name was John and he had great devotion to Saint John the Baptist – I shall depart, but you must be by my side and not leave me, do not leave my side.’ That was in 1994.
His condition began to deteriorate more and more, until I realised that his passing was drawing near, and I went with a doctor. In Pianu de Sus was the doctor responsible for the village of Strungari as well. I spoke to the doctor there – he was a young doctor – and, on the very day he died, I was there. I wasn’t present when he died, but I was there that day. I went with the doctor, who decided he needed to give him an injection. Brother Ioan looked at me and said: ‘Don’t leave me; stay by my side!’
He had also told me the date he would die, but that I would not be by his side at the very moment he breathed his last. So I told him that was out of the question, that I would stay there and be by his side when he went to be with the Lord. I was there with the doctor and the nurse when he fell into a drowsy state. Downstairs, the Divine Liturgy was being celebrated in the chapel, and, given his condition, I decided not to stay there any longer.
Brother Mircea – Father Mamant – who is now on Mount Athos, was also in the cell. I told Brother Mircea to stay and that I would return if anything happened. I stayed at the chapel for the remainder of the Divine Liturgy. The bus left at 1.15 pm, and afterwards I came home. When I got home, I received the news that Brother Ioan had died. It was a harsh winter with heavy snow; it was a disaster and the roads were impassable. I stayed in the cell with Brother Mircea and Brother Dumitru from Deal – who had also dressed him – whilst we kept vigil over him, until after the funeral. Even whilst he was still alive, Brother Ioan had instructed us on what to do when he died. Brother Dumitru was to dress him, whilst he had asked someone else to dig his grave… he had left everything arranged. I have never heard of anything like it! It was only in the Paterikon that I read of a life such as that lived by Brother Ioan.
The Funeral
At Brother Ioan’s funeral, the very people who had known him and were dear to him had come. The others, for various reasons and by God’s will, were prevented from attending, as Brother Ioan explained, so that they might not take offence at one another.
There was something special, something extraordinary, about the funeral, the likes of which I had never experienced at any other funeral I had attended; both I and the others said as much.
One extraordinary thing that happened then, in full view of everyone, was when the funeral service began and all the little birds he had fed with such love gathered around the coffin, on the apple and elder trees surrounding it, singing and chirping in their own language. Then, at one point, the little dog began to howl, for she too sensed what had happened, whilst a little further away the cat Dologaie meowed. There was such a sense of blessing in the air as there had never been before. The same feeling was present at the six-week memorial service, at the six-month memorial service, and it is always felt when you visit the grave.
Brother Ioan’s death, just like his life, was full of the unexpected and temptations, just as he had warned us not long before he died.
The most extraordinary and unbelievable thing is that he warned us what was to happen after his death: from whom it would come, and what we must do to ensure that things turned out exactly as he had told each of us individually. He told us who should dress him, how to dress him, in what clothes, in the coffin with those fittings, and in the shroud he had bought himself—not in a monk’s habit, as certain people would have wanted to dress him—who should dig his grave, to whom to give candles, towels, handkerchiefs or a basket, and even what sort of meal was to be prepared, using the food he had bought in advance and left with a sister who took care of everything.
Word for word, all of us to whom he entrusted these matters – four people – bear witness that everything came to pass. Even now, when we meet, we talk about these incredible things and never cease to marvel at how he knew, in such minute detail, what was going to happen at his funeral.
Another unforgettable thing, which I must impress upon everyone’s minds, was the fact that he told us to warn a certain brother not to touch him or his coffin, for he would come to harm—which is exactly what happened, as that person had not heeded this warning, just as he had failed to heed other things Brother Ioan had told him whilst he was alive, causing him difficulties, even though Brother Ioan had helped him countless times. As he tried to leave the cell after touching him, he felt unwell, stumbled and, on the threshold, fell as if struck down, hitting his ribs. At that moment, we all remembered what Brother John had foretold.
There are so many other things that ought to be mentioned, which took place over the last three days whilst Brother Ioan, our true ‘spiritual father’, was still with us.
He had prepared the coffin and the Holy Cross with which he was to be buried seven years ago. They were very simply made, from fir wood and painted: the coffin was brown – with a black-painted cross on the lid – whilst the Holy Cross was black, made of oak, simply hewn with an axe. Both objects were placed in the porch of the cell, leaning against the wall and in plain view. Everyone who entered and saw them felt a sense of dread, fear, even revulsion.
I cannot forget the day he asked me to go into the forest with a saw and an axe, together with a neighbour who lived further down the hill, to fetch him a dry oak tree from which to make the Holy Cross with which he was to be buried. And, because the spot where we were to cut it down was right next to the path that those who looked after every tree in the forest were due to take, I said to him: “Brother Ioan, it’s the time when the bus is due to arrive and those people are bound to pass by there. What shall we do if they catch us—woe betide us then?” Brother Ioan, very calm, with the humility that characterised him, told us: “Go in peace, for no one is coming today.” And so it was; for we went, searched for it, found it and cut it down, and then transported it with the brother in question, encountering no hindrance from anyone.
Paranormal Powers
The hermit Ioan David was born into a modest family in the hamlet of Plai, in Alba County. Over the course of his life, the hermit is said to have acquired ‘paranormal powers’ which turned him into a ‘wizard’ in the eyes of others.
Many people testified that Ioan knew people’s souls and thoughts, even those he had never seen or met.
The spiritual father at Afteia Monastery confirmed his grace.
Another valuable account of the hermit’s holy life is provided by Sister Ierusalima Ghibu, of Râmeț Monastery. She recounted her valuable conversations with the hermit Ioan on a wide range of issues
Although he was not a monk, the hermit Ioan was regarded as a man of prayer and mystery. On the other hand, some viewed him as a sorcerer. On Sundays, he would go to the Divine Liturgy, whilst his sheep remained alone in the pasture, never once being attacked by any wild animal.
His disciples say that the Mother of God appeared to him three times. Out of reverence for his holy life, both at Afteia Monastery and at the church of the monastic settlement at Strungari, it was decided that he should be depicted in a fresco alongside the saints. The hermit Ioan David foretold his own death. As early as the summer of 1994, his health had deteriorated and his condition was worsening day by day due to stomach cancer.
The hermit Ioan David foretold his own death
SOURCES: https://www.crestinortodox.ro/religie/ultimele-zile-pamantesti-pustnicului-ioan-david-161564.html
