A year and a half has already passed since the 13th January 2015, the day when Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain was declared a Saint of the Orthodox Church by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Since then he has been venerated as a Saint, even though he was considered a Saint during his lifetime. A special service has been written for his name day, the 12th July, icons of him have been written. The appropriate honor and devotion is his. This has been a great, long awaited and joyous event; a pleasant, yet not unexpected surprise, given to us by God’s love in these evil days. The joy and jubilation of Resurrection warms our hearts, tears are streaming from our eyes, for the Holy Elder, whom we knew and loved and in whom we placed, after God, all our hopes, has been formally glorified as a Saint. So much has been written about the Elder since his blessed fall­ing asleep in 1994, by people who have known him intimately. Some of these witnesses happen to be Elder Isaac’s (of Blessed memory) Holy Synodeia from the Hermitage of the Resurrec­tion, Kapsala, on Mount Athos. We now present their book Elder Paisios of Mount Athos, a Life to the English speaking pub­lic in a second edition, since the first edition has gone out of print. This book has been very warmly received, especially in America and Australia. May the blessing of Saint Paisios be with the readers of this book. From the Preface of Second Edition by The Abbot of the Monastery “Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian” Archimandrite Theoklitos Bolkas

PAISIOS MOUNT ATHOS

PAISIOS MOUNT ATHOS

A book about true heroes. Introduce your children in your life to extraordinary moments from the lives and miracles of the Saints, the only true heroes!

Note on the English Translation ix
Biographical Note x

PART ONE: THE LIFE OF ELDER PORPHYRIOS
The Path to the Holy Mountain 1
The Holy Mountain – Kavsokalyvia 10
Evia 37
The Polyclinic Hospital in Athens 49
Saint Nicholas at Kallisia 70
The Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration at Milesi 75
Kavsokalyvia – 1991 82

PART TWO: THE WISDOM OF ELDER PORPHYRIOS
On the Church 87
On Divine Eros 96
On Prayer 113
On Spiritual Struggle 134
On the Monastic Life 158
On the Mystery of Repentance 173
On Love for One’s Neighbour 180
On Divine Providence 190
On the Upbringing of Children 195
On Dispositions of the Heart 212
On Creation 218
On Illness 224
On the Gift of Clear Sight 232

APPENDIX
Saint John the Hut-dweller 249
The Skete of Kavsokalyvia 250
Map of Evia and Attiki 252
Map of Mount Athos 253