St Joseph the Hesychast

St Joseph the Hesychast St Joseph the Hesychast, who was canonised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on 20 October 2019, is one of Orthodoxy's newest saints. He was a shining beacon of monasticism in the 20th century and played a major role in the revitalisation of Mt Athos and the teaching of the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” St Joseph was born in Paros in 1897. His family was extremely poor and so the Saint left home at the age of 17 to work in Pireaus. After receiving a vision of two angels serving [...]

2021-07-09T17:25:43+10:00March 9th, 2021|

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica Elder Thaddeus (Strabulovich) of Vitovnica was one of the greatest modern Serbian elders. He was born in 1914 in Vitovnica in Serbia to working class parents, and was named Tomislav. At the age of 15 he was told by doctors that he only had five years to live. He joined the monastery of Milkovo in Serbia where he became a novice under the guidance of Russian monks who had fled there due to persecution. Among the Russians at Milkovo was Elder Ambrose, a disciple of the Optina Fathers. It was from him that Fr Thaddeus learned [...]

2021-07-09T16:35:55+10:00January 9th, 2021|

Elder Evmenios: The Hidden Saint of our Times

Elder Evmenios The Hidden Saint of our Times St Porphyrios had asked for a confessor one time and requested Elder Evmenios from the Leprokomeio (Hospital of Infectious Diseases) in Athens. So greatly was he impressed that he would send people to him saying “you should go and receive the blessing of Elder Evmenios, he is the hidden saint of our time. Saints like this come along only once every two hundred years.” The young Konstantinos Saridakis was born in 1931. He was the eighth child of a poor family in Ethia of Crete. He was brought up with little schooling [...]

2021-06-30T22:19:07+10:00October 30th, 2020|

St Kallinikos of Edessa

St Kallinikos of Edessa   St Kallinikos of Edessa is a very recent Saint of our Church who was canonised on 23 June 2020. He was born in the village of Sitaralona, Agrinio in 1919 and was named Dimitrios Poulos. After graduating from high school, he entered the Theological School of the University of Athens where he excelled. In 1946, aged 27, he enlisted in the Special Forces of the Greek Army and served with distinction. Returning to the Holy Diocese of Aetolia, he again assumed the duties of Secretary and a layman preacher. He was tonsured as a monk [...]

2020-09-07T16:03:29+10:00September 7th, 2020|

St Ieronymos of Simonopetra

St Ieronymos of Simonopetra St Ieronymos of Simonopetra is one of the most recent saints of our Church, having been canonised on 28 November 2019. He was born with the name John in 1871 in Reis-Dere of Asia Minor. His parents, Nicholas and Maria, were very pious Christians, and many members of John’s family became monks and nuns. From a young age, John grew up in poverty and learnt to depend entirely on the Lord. This dependence, along with the joy which he found in it, brought him to the Holy Mountain in 1888. He became a novice at Simonopetra [...]

2020-06-28T14:29:47+10:00June 28th, 2020|
Go to Top