Schema-Archimandrite Panteleimon (Voepel) Reposes in the Lord
With great sadness but also with joyful faith in the Resurrection of our Lord, we announce the repose of our beloved father in Christ, Schema-Archimandrite Panteleimon (Voepel). He fell asleep in the Lord early this morning, April 24th, just before 3 a.m. He died peacefully at home, in the kellia where he has welcomed monks, clergy, and pilgrims for many years, surrounded by his devoted spiritual children. As he was nearing the end, his cell attendant read the Canon for the Departure of the Soul, and at the conclusion of the final prayer, Fr. Panteleimon quietly gave his soul back into God's hands.
The monastery clergy immediately prepared his body for burial. Once it was placed in a coffin, the monastic brotherhood processed from his kellia to our current chapel, where the first Pannykhida was served according to the special Bright Week rubrics. At the conclusion of the Pannykhida, the body was transferred to the nave of the new church, where it will remain until the funeral. The funeral will take place on Bright Saturday, April 26th. A more detailed schedule of events will be forthcoming shortly.
Please pray for the repose of the ever-memorable servant of God, Schema-Archimandrite Panteleimon. May his memory be eternal!
Christ Is Risen!
Father Seraphim was always welcoming, cordial, and fatherly. Even during our visit from Atlanta, GA to the Holy Cross Monastery at West Virginia over a weekend at the beginning of Great Fast in 2023, he was very welcoming at the Holy Cross, where we stayed for the entire weekend and shared meals with him and the other monastics at the refectory.
May his Memory be Eternal, Father Seraphim. ☦️
To show how many souls he touched, from laity to clergy, and why he will be commemorated at so many parishes:
“A tremendous blessing he is for many!”
“…a rare soul he be‼️🔥☦️”
“He’s a wonderful man and bastion of godly love.”
“Despite needing to attend to the oversight of the monastery, he always was very welcoming and never cut short our time speaking together.”
“…he inspired me as well, a blessed man of God indeed!”
“Abbot ___ joked with me while I was there (another ROCOR monastery) that I had better not even think about visiting other monasteries, but I told him I wanted to go to Holy Cross and he said I believe to say hi to Abbot Seraphim for him”
“…we have people at our parish with longstanding relationships to the elder and his flock (I’ve only heard great things)”
“I’m thankful that holy and pious elder can still be found in our spiritually difficult times. I suspect that nothing less than the Elder’s love of God and his fellow men further affirms this, and has helped shape Holy Cross into the massive beacon of light it is today. May his memory be eternal, and I suspect it may be appropriate to say: may we also have his prayers.”
“…he was a great man of the Lord. Absolutely without a question”
Christ is Risen!
May our Lord Jesus Christ receive your soul Schema Archimandrite Panteleimon and count you among His saints. I am little sad because I wanted to meet you.
Father Penteleimon was a dear friend and brother to me, and I will miss him greatly. That the Lord took him home during Bright Week is truly providential, and I now have another heavenly intercessor before the Throne of God. May his memory be eternal.
XB !!!
May God grant him His Heavenly Kingdom and may his memory be eternal!
At the same time we pray that our Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ sends His comfort to the monastic brotherhood. Our sincere prayers and condolences to all of you from Mexico City, Mexico.
Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Monastery
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