Monk Simeon (Ilija) Veselinović, son of Gavro and Mitra, was born on August 2, 1938, in Pale near Sarajevo. He moved to Sydney in September 1969.
He was a proud father of two sons, Srđan and Đorđe, who, by the grace of God, are both priests in the Serbian Orthodox Church. Shortly after arriving in Australia, he became a regular and devoted member of the St. George Church Parish in Cabramatta. He was also a member of the Serbian National Defense, where his sons were active for many years in cultural activities. He held the honorable position of President of the Ravna Gora Serbian Chetnik Organization, as well as long-time treasurer of the Diocese.
After striving to faithfully serve his Church and community as a lay person, he withdrew from that field of struggle to prepare for his final spiritual battle. He resided and struggled on the path of virtue at the Monastery of St. Sava – New Kalenic, where he was eventually tonsured by His Eminence Metropolitan Siluan, first as a rasophore monk and later into the lesser schema with the name Simeon. He continued his spiritual struggle in repentance and prayer, both for himself and for his beloved Serbian Orthodox people.
Following the Gospel virtue of love for one’s neighbour, he sought throughout his life to help those in need, both near and far. He was blessed with the honor of being a hadzi, having made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Through monastic life and ascetic struggle, he completed his earthly journey in devotion to God and the Church.
May his memory be Eternal!
