“”Father, do not officiate tomorrow. It is very dangerous!” “Silence, silence!” “Elder, please! The situation has worsened. Every day bombs fall around us. We are afraid to leave the house. We are worried about you too.”

Unperturbed, Fr. Ieronymos listened to the people who in the last few days arrived anxiously at the Simonopetra Metochi of the Ascension in Byron, Attica. They wanted to protect him, but also to find refuge in his peaceful form. Shut up, shut up,” he told them and prayed secretly with the salutation of the Holy Cross and the Virgin Mary. He deeply believed in the power of Christ and therefore never lost his peace. 1943. Byron is at the center of the warring factions. English ships from Piraeus bomb the area. Fr. Ieronymus performs the Divine Liturgy. He was told to close the church for security reasons. He did not accept. He wanted to stay true to his duty.

Outside the Temple the shells and missiles are raining. At some point a terrible click is heard. Then another and another. The stones and plasters of the church begin to fall. The people are terrified and are looking for a way to escape and be saved. “Do not move!,” the voice of the revered Levite captivates them all. In the Beautiful Gate, his serene form is displayed. “I guarantee you that you will not even get dusty! In a little while it is time to commune. You will all come up and then you will return home quietly.” Indeed, on that day, everyone communed and, as an eyewitness confesses, “went to their homes without the slightest dust, despite the fact that there were piles of rubble around them that had been cluttered. And the damage done to the temple was repaired in just fifteen days. Like the beehives, many people cooperated, helped with money but also with personal work and the Temple became more beautiful than before!””

Source: Orthodox Ethos