113 years since the birth of St. Cuv. Ioan Iacob from Neamț, the New Hozevittranslated

Thursday marks the 113th anniversary of the birth of St. Cuv. Ioan Iacob from Neamț, the New Hozevit who would continue the tradition of asceticism in the Holy Land, at the places where St. Prophet Elijah, the parents of the Mother of God and St. George the Hozevit had hermited.

Born on July 23, 1913 in Crăiniceni, Botoșani county, the saint received the name Ilie at Baptism. He was orphaned by both parents at an early age and was raised by his grandmother, Maria, who nurtured his love for prayer and the life of the Church.

In 1933 he entered the community of Neamț Monastery, where he learned the order of monastic life.

He performed military service in the period 1934-1935, in Dorohoi, where he was assigned as a nurse. This mission was in accordance with the obedience he had already had at the Neamț Monastery, where he had served in the infirmary and learned to care for the sick under the guidance of Shimonach Iov.

He was ordained a monk at the Neamț Monastery, on the night of April 7 to 8, 1936, receiving the name of John, in honor of Saint John the Baptist. The appointment was officiated by Bishop Nicodim Munteanu of Hușilor, future Patriarch of Romania.

Departure to the Holy Places Hozeva Monastery in the Judean Desert, Israel.…