The life of St Gerasimus the New of Cephalonia
Back in Jerusalem, he served for a time tending the lamps at the Holy Sepulchre, and there the patriarch ordained him first deacon and later priest.
Only around the age of fifty did he finally settle, on the island of Cephalonia, restoring an old church in the Omala valley and building around it a monastery remembered by the name New Jerusalem. There he became known for a particular gift, healing those afflicted in mind and freeing others from unclean spirits, a ministry that drew the island's trust and affection to him.
Tradition holds that he knew the day of his death in advance, and he reposed on August 15, 1579, at the monastery he had built. When his grave was opened two years later, his relics were found whole and fragrant, credited since with many healings, and he has been honored ever since as the patron and protector of Cephalonia; this day in October keeps the memory of their later translation, separate from his August repose.
