Newly-Canonised St Paisios of Mount Athos (Celebrated July 12)
On 13 January 2015, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate “unanimously accepted the proposal of the Canonical Committee to incorporate the monk Paisios of Mt. Athos into the registry of the Saints of the Orthodox Church.” St Paisios’ humble and Grace-filled life and practical and pastoral teachings, known through the famous biography written by Hieromonk Isaac[ii], the five volume set of St Paisios’ Spiritual Counsels[iii] and those who personally met him, continue to touch the lives of many thousands of Orthodox faithful around the world. Fr. Peter Alban Heers writes in the Preface to the biography written by Hieromonk Isaac: “The life of St Paisios resembles a garden adorned with countless flowers in bloom, radiant and colourful, beautiful to the eyes of man’s spiritual heart… His humility, his obedience, his trust in God and immense love of God and neighbour, and his discernment – these are the foundation upon which God then worked His wonders.”[iv] In 1977, upon the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, St Paisios visited Australia.[v] During his stay here he visited several Churches in Sydney and Canberra and also visited Pantanassa Monastery to whom he presented several relics of Saints including St Arsenios of Cappadocia, St Euphemia and St Theodore the Studite. Below is his Apolytikion in Greek and English:[vi] Ἦχος πλ. α’. Τὸν Συνάναρχον λόγον. Tῆς ἐνθέου ἀγάπης τὸ πῦρ δεξάμενος, ὑπερβαλλούσῃ ἀσκήσει ἐδόθης ὅλος Θεῷ καὶ παράκλησις πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων γέγονας, λόγοις θείοις νουθετῶν, προσευχαῖς θαυματουργῶν, Παΐσιε θεοφόρε, καὶ νῦν πρεσβεύεις ἀπαύστως ὑπὲρ παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου, Ὅσιε. Having accepted the fire of divine love, you offered yourself fully to God with extreme ascesis, and having become a comfort to many people, instructing with divine words, working miracles through prayer, God-bearing Paisios, you now also ceaselessly entreat on behalf of the whole world, O Holy One. God is wondrous among His Saints! [i] www.patriarchate.org/-/anakoinothen-13-01-2015 [ii] Elder Paisios of Mount Athos by Hieromonk Isaac, Holy Monastery “Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian” [iii] Elder Paisios of Mount Athos Spiritual Counsels Volumes I, II, III, IV and V, Holy Monastery “Evangelist John the Theologian” [iv] Preface, Elder Paisios of Mount Athos by Hieromonk Isaac, pg. xx-xxi, Holy Monastery “Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian” [v] http://www.pantanassamonastery.org/elder-paisios-canonised-by-the-ecumenical-patriarchate.html [vi] http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/icon-and-hymn-to-st-paisios-of-holy.html Source: April-May 2015 Lychnos Edition