In Memoriam: Archimandrite Jerome L. Newville

As many Orthodox clergy and faithful in North America, Archimandrite Jerome was born into another faith. He was born into a Protestant family. Being led by God, he became an Orthodox Christian with the help of a pious medical doctor during the years he was studying church history.

Among the people who influence him were his parents, James and Alice Newville, Professor Spyros Macris of the University of Thessalonika, Greece, Medical School and His Eminence Archbishop Victorin. His parents were faithful Christians and thus provided a Christian home and upbringing for their children. Dr. Macris gave him a spiritual guidance for 25 years, especially during his three years in Greece. Archbishop Victorin told him about Romania and sent him there to study and to take monastic vows, and ordained him as a priest.

As a young person he was very much interested in the Bible and the Christian faith. After high school, he had gone to Northwestern Schools in Minneapolis to get a liberal arts degree in a Christian atmosphere. At the time Billy Graham was the president of the school.

In 1953, in Washington D.C. he met Dr. Spyros Macris. They became close friends. Up until then his horizon had been limited to Protestantism and Catholicism. Now they started to talk about Orthodoxy. He left the Smithsonian Institution in Washington where he had a position to do research in Greece and other countries for three and a half years and finally to become Orthodox in Athens, in 1961.

He had met Archimandrite Victorin in 1962 while visiting St. Tikhon’s Monastery in Pennsylvania. From 1963-67 he served as professor with him at St. Tikhon’s Seminary. Between 1968 and 1971, Fr. Jerome studied in Romania. There, he was welcomed by Patriarch Justinian upon recommendation coming from Archimandrite Victorin. Later on, with Archbishop Victorin’s blessing, Fr. Jerome founded and hermitage on his family property where he served for many years. He also served parishes like Southbridge, MA, Omaha, NE, Winnipeg, MB, and Kayville, SK. The Orthodox people and parishes from Minneapolis-St. Paul area often asked him for help over the years. He was always ready to respond like a fireman, according to the words of Archbishop Victorin.

Archimandrite Jerome Newville stayed all his life under the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese jurisdiction. He explained this: “The very essence of the monastic life is obedience and faithfulness to an elder, that is, to a spiritual father. Archbishop Victorin has been my elder for several decades, and I have never gone looking for another one. What kind of monk would be if I became “independent” or broke away from my elder? God forbid.”

Archimandrite Jerome Newville passed into eternity on Saturday August 21, 2010. He joined in heaven his spiritual father, Archbishop Victorin, along with all the well pleasing saints of our Lord.

May his memory be eternal!

The funeral arrangements are as it follows:

Thursday, August 26

Visitation 4:00 – 8:00pm at Scheuermann Funeral Home, Clear Lake, WI

Memorial Parastas 7:00pm

Friday, August 27

Funeral 11:00am at Holy Trinity OCA, 523 1st St, Clayton, WI 54004
tel: 715-948-2203
Interment & Luncheon following

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