Both St. Elijah the Sicilian – also known as St. Elijah of Enna, or St. Elijah the Younger to distinguish him from the Biblical prophet – and St. Filareto were Sicilian; the former was born in my hometown of Enna, the latter was from Palermo.
Having heard of the miraculous life of my fellow citizen, St. Elijah the Younger, I wanted to visit the monastery he had founded in Seminara, Calabria.
This saint is revered by both the Catholic and the Orthodox churches, for, when he lived, the Byzantine Schism had not begun.
While waiting for the church to open, I wondered why these two saints are so revered. What did they do that was special? I had the feeling that my fellow citizen, St. Elijah, was explaining to me the spiritual path he had followed. “To be a saint,” he seemed to say, “you need only one thing: to be a simple person!”
Meanwhile, the church opened and I took some photos, including those of the relics kept there. They are two small pieces of the bodies of St. Elijah and St. Filareto.
When I left the Monastery I thought that simplicity is more valuable than gold!
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)
– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)
– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)
– Travels of the Mind (English edition)
– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (Italian edition)
Ettore Grillo's Blog 