Agioreitis Gerontas Paisios

Elder Paisios was one of the most enlightened holy figures of our Church in recent decades. He was born in Pharasa, Cappadocia, located in Asia Minor, on July 25, 1924, and before becoming a monk, he was named Arsenios. His parents, Prodromos and Evlampia Enzepidis, were very devout, and Arsenios had nine siblings. From a very young age, Arsenios received the blessing of being baptized by a Saint living in his area, Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian. Foreseeing the future sanctified life of the child, Saint Arsenios asked the godmother to name him Arsenios, stating that he wanted to leave behind a monk with his name. Almost a month after Arsenios' baptism, his family followed the path of refugees to Greece, eventually settling in Konitsa. Young Arsenios lived with great love for Christ and Our Lady and had a profound desire to become a monk. He loved going to the forest, where he would pray holding a wooden cross he made himself. At the age of 21, he joined the army, where he was distinguished for his ethos and bravery. He always requested to be on the front lines and in the most dangerous positions, preferring to put himself in danger rather than someone else. Many times, he risked his life to save a fellow soldier. After completing his military service, he went to Mount Athos, having decided to become a monk there. In 1954, he became a monk with the name Averkios and later Paisios, residing at the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou and then at the Holy Monastery of Philotheou. As a monk, he demonstrated exemplary obedience and always tried to help his fellow monks whenever and however he could. From 1958 to 1964, Paisios was outside Mount Athos, initially in the Konitsa area, to support thousands of souls and help them escape the delusion of heretics. Later, he went to the remote and rugged Sinai at the cell of Saints Galaktion and Episteme. In 1964, he returned to Mount Athos, where he lived alongside charismatic elders like Father Tychon, who often witnessed, during the Divine Liturgy, the Cherubim and Seraphim glorifying God. By 1979, Elder Paisios lived alone in a small cell in the "Panagouda" area. Gradually, his holy presence became known to more and more pilgrims. All day, from sunrise to sunset, he advised, comforted, dispelled every sorrow, and filled souls with faith, hope, and love for God. At night, he read letters sent to him daily by the dozens and prayed for hours to God for those seeking his help. Along with Elder Paisios' daily fatigue came health problems that had plagued him since 1966. In the last years of his life, the pains from various illnesses, especially the cancer diagnosed a few years earlier, increased. Despite this, he remained calm and endured without complaint, continuing to pray for everyone. His final days were painful, filled with unbearable pain, which he overcame thanks to his deep faith and love for God. On July 12, 1994, Elder Paisios peacefully and humbly surrendered his blessed soul to the Lord, whom he loved and served from a young age.