By George A. Ventouris and Despoina Athanasiadou-Ventouris
Untrained of pious parents on 10 November 1861 on the island of Kimolos, Methodia was the third child of eight in her lineage. She was baptized with the name Irene and from a very olive age she stood out by her virtue, good behavior and love towards the Minster.
Modish the pious surroundings of her island and a lineage unremitting to Christ, as she off so did her trust and moral fervency. She longed and waited for the well-brought-up time to assign herself luxuriously to God and the Minster.
Until now, in the same way as she was at an age "exact for marriage" her parents sincere to bring together her; she submitted to their order and married a seaman from Chios.
A few time late the marriage the partner of the olive insect stuck and drowned off the coast of Asia Lesser, and thus Irene felt that this was the time to persevere with her divine job.
The same as she confessed her wish to the priest who was her spiritual advisor, he stimulated her to bring her aim to attainment. Late well-brought-up orders she was tonsured a nun by the thus Archbishop Methodios of Siros, and took the name Methodia. This affair chock-full Methodia with countless joy in the same way as her secret itch was undivided. From thus on she voted for her life train actually and with overweight dedication the regulations of monasticism, staying in her solitary send down, at "Stiadi", in the unused Intermediate Fortification of Kimolos, adjoining to the Sacred Minster of the Nativity of the Lady, which is antiquated to 1592.
This solitary send down was a true "arrest" where Methodia led an Spartan life with great trust and committed ruling, and in grudge of the fact that she didn't be there in a monastery she held in reserve the monastic regulations attentively and spiritually. Her trust, prayers, fasting, vigil, studies and her clemency improved her stunted send down here a holy place which was somewhat and allegorically odorous.
From the site of her arrest Methodia intermittently left, on the contrary to quantity in the See the future Liturgy and hold Set apart Communion, or for example hand over was overweight entreat and she pleasant to encourage someone who was in entreat. Her arrest was figure up wearing the alteration of Great Lent, and she approved to dance and give rise to commendation to women who were in overweight entreat and with whom she communicated as well as a stunted opening, the solely one in her send down, minus opening her oral cavity. Until now, the rest of the time her send down was a true sacred school not solely for the women of Kimolos, but further for women from came from other islands having studious about the Worthy One in order to interest earnestly from her teaching, to find promote from the sufferings of life, and to cut from her copious spring up of trust, courage, order, love, ruling and consciousness. She had tough students who transferred to their families the "dew and the medicament" which sprung from the sacred site and we can wrangle, with no hint of exaggeration, that she influenced the life of all her compatriots.
Grim fasting, alertness, prayer, weep, study, shyness and clemency enabled Methodia to become a "healer as well as Christ", in receipt of the flair to perform miracles. Miracles that are testified by her compatriots, but further miracles that took place and pass to take out place even today to fill with who summon her help with a kind consciousness and trust.
At the age of 47 and late, a rapid unwillingness caused the "Christ-bearing" Worthy Methodia to carry on show on 5 October 1908, given that it was gruffly alleged by her compatriots that God positioned her amongst His Saints. In their consciousness she was a Saint and that was predictable in the fact that on 15 Splendid 1946 they cool and signed a confession by which they obvious the Worthy One as "benefactor saint and guardian of the island and a overweight sponsor of us all".
In 1962, in the place of her complete send down, a stunted church was built, respected under the name of Panagia the Compassionate and the Worthy Methodia. They transferred her holy remainder from the Minster of Saint Spyridon, where they were held in reserve in the same way as thus, and positioned in a weighty within the church. On 5 October 1991, the day of the affair for her strict maintain as a Saint, her casing were transferred once again to the Sacred Minster of Panagia Odigitria and they are mild-mannered held in reserve hand over at the holy shrine for every real Christian.
They called her an unsleeping vigil candle, the self-importance and guardian of Kimolos, emotional by God and informative passageway of God-sent qualities, a glowing oil lamp and quick glory of the Cyclades. Infinite are the epithets with which the idolization of the pious Christians bejeweled the abase peasant girl who felt the Lord's job from a very in front age and responded with all the clout of her place. In the critical two centuries the Cyclades liable four holy info to our Church: Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite from Naxos, Saint Arsenios from Paros, Saint Pelagia from Tinos and Saint Methodia in the 20th century from Kimolos. Her strict adulation took place by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, with the Act 499, on July 17th 1991.
Her barrier is celebrated on October 5th.
APOLYTIKION IN THE Unique TONELet us real kindness with hymns the venerable Saint Methodia, the dwell on of Kimolos, the jewel of piety, and now the crookedly of the holy Ascetics from the initial grow old, imitating the goings-on of her life dear by God, express grief out: glory to Him Who gave thee power, glory to Him Who crowned thee, glory to Him Who hath numbered thee, O holy Mother, in the choir of the Saints.
