29-01-2025, Brussels

Feast of the Guardian Angel of Archbishop Simon of Brussels and Belgium.

On January 29, 2025, the day commemorating the "Worship of the Honorable Chains of the Apostle Simon Peter," the Archbishop of Brussels and Belgium celebrated his patronal feast. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated, after which a festive table was offered to those gathered.

In his speech, the Archbishop thanked everyone present, emphasizing that even before the service began, he had thought he would lead the service alone. The priests who came made him very happy. And there is a reason for this. The fact is that this year, the Archbishop is celebrating his jubilee, the fiftieth day of the Angel in monastic tonsure, since he took the tonsure a little over fifty years ago. The Archbishop spoke in detail about the events of those distant days and, beginning on January 15, 1975, described to those present in detail each day that passed before his tonsure until his ordination as a deacon on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord.

Vladimir Ishunin received his tonsure from Metropolitan Nikodim on January 17 and was named Simon Peter. Ordination to the diaconate took place on January 19 in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, also performed by Metropolitan Nikodim. This was followed by ordination to the rank of hieromonk.

Archbishop Simon then recounted his subsequent life: he served as the Metropolitan's secretary, then as a monk at the New Valaam Monastery in Finland, and then as a Karelian dean in Petrozavodsk. After being appointed and consecrated bishop, he was sent to the Belgian see, where he waited a year and a month for a visa. Since then, the Archbishop Simon has been always in Belgium. Almost all of the old clergy had already been replaced, and all of the new clergy had been ordained by him. The number of parishes has also increased considerably. There are children's schools in the churches where Orthodoxy is taught. Construction of the new church continues.

The Archbishop Simon said he was very pleased with the warm atmosphere that developed on his memorial day today, when clergy and parishioners came to share with him his monastic jubilee on the fiftieth anniversary of the Angel.