Diocese Strumica Diocese Birth name Zvonimir Ilievski Predecessor ? Name Zvonimir Ilievski | Term ended at service Installed 27 August 1995 Role Metropolitan | |
Church Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archbishopric |
Bishop Naum of Strumica is the Metropolitan of the Diocese of Strumica, Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric.
Contents
- Life and ministry in the Church
- Education
- As translator from Russian into Greek
- As translator from Greek into Macedonian
- As author
- Works
- International Scientific Conferences
- References
Life and ministry in the Church
His Eminence Metropolitan Naum of Strumica was born on 13 December 1961 in Skopje. The Holy Monastery of Gregoriou on Mount Athos was the place where he started his monastic struggle in May of 1987. There he was invested with the Great Schema in 1991 by Archimandrite George Kapsanis, Abbot of the Monastery Gregoriou. Three years later, in 1993, Metropolitan Alexios of Trikke of the Greek Orthodox Church ordained him into deaconate. On August 15, 1995, Bishop Calinic of Arges and Muscel of the Romanian Orthodox Church ordained him a priest. His consecration as Bishop of the Macedonian Orthodox Church took place on August 27, 1995. The following day, August 28, the Holy Synod of Hierarchs of the Macedonian Orthodox Church enthroned him Bishop of the Strumica Diocese as Metropolitan of Strumica. From then on, in his Diocese His Eminence has renewed Orthodox spiritual life, the monastic in particular. Within these frames, he has revived the constructive, publishing and humanitarian church activities.
Metropolitan Naum of Strumica is a member of the Commission of the Macedonian Orthodox Church for dialogue with the Serbian Orthodox Church and the other Local Orthodox Churches.
He is fluent in Greek, English, and Russian.
Education
His Eminence graduated in Law at the “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University, in Skopje, and also graduated in Theology at the “St. Clement of Ohrid” University, in Skopje. In 2008 he defended his PhD thesis at the Faculty of Theology at the “Saint Clement of Ohrid” University, in Sofia, Bulgaria, on the topic “Hesychasm in Athonite Monasticism of the 20th Century.” In 2015 he obtained a master's degree in clinical psychology at the International Slavic University “Gavrilo Romanovich Derzhavin”, in Sveti Nikole. Since 2010, he is an associate professor at the Faculty of Pedagogy at the “St. Clement of Ohrid” State University, in Bitola.
As translator from Russian into Greek
ΑΓΙΟΣ ΜΑΞΙΜΟΣ Ο ΓΡΑΙΚΟΣ Ο ΦΩΤΙΣΤΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΡΩΣΩΝ (“Venerable Maximus the Greek – The Enlightener of Russia”), ΙΕΡΑ ΜΟΝΗ ΟΣΙΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΟΡΟΥΣ, 1991.
As translator from Greek into Macedonian
In the year 2000, he received the award "Archbishop Gabriel" for the most successful translation in spiritual literature for the book "Hesychastic Testimonies", given by the Macedonian Association of Literary Translators. He is an Honorary Member of the Macedonian Writers' Association.
As author
So far, thirteen of his authorial books have been published, containing pastoral epistles, letters, homilies, interviews and ascetical-hesychastic essays, the titles of which are as follows:
Two of his books, "Neither Will I Tell You..." and "Only One Thing is Needed" are translated in English and available on Amazon as kindle editions (e-books).
The book "Neither Will I Tell You..." has been published in Romanian and Bulgarian language.
Works
He founded the Orthodox periodical “Premin” (Passover), published for seventeen years now. The creation and functioning of the official website of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric (www.mpc.org.mk) is a fruit of his initiative and personal commitment.
He is a founder of the Center for Prevention and Cure of Addiction Illnesses "St. Elizabeth the New-martyr", in Strumica, and the Therapeutic Center “Pokrov” (Protection) in the village of Vodoča.