A Prayer for the Blessing of a Vasilopita (Composed by Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos)

 

The cutting of the Vasilopita is an annual New Year tradition among Greek Orthodox Christians. The circular cake or pie, depending on which region of Greece you are from, represents the circular year which is shared in unity, and inside each Vasilopita is a coin, representing the good fortune of the coming year especially for the one whose piece also contains the coin.

The procedure of the cutting is as follows: the man of the house makes the sign of the Cross three times over the Vasilopita with a knife and then starts cutting the pieces. The first is for Christ, the second for Saint Basil, the third for the house and then a piece for each member of the family, according to age. The last piece is for the poor. One could also add one for the animals and one for the occupation or business. If the coin is found in the portion of Christ or Saint Basil, the money is given to the Church. If it is in the portion of the poor, it is given to a beggar or charity.

Elder Gervasios Paraskevopolous in the Final Process Before Official Canonization

Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos was born in 1877 and was from Gortynia, Greece. His childhood was difficult, particularly because he lost his mother at the age of three. While studying at Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in Athens, he became a spiritual child of Saint Nektarios, who was the director of the school. He was one of the most important religious figures in modern Greek history, especially in the city of Patras, where he served as Abbot of Gerokomeio Monastery and established a successful ministry that helped revive Orthodox life among young and old alike, especially through his catechetical schools. He reposed esteemed by all for his holiness on June 30, 1964. In the consciousness of the people of Patras, he was, is and always will be a Saint of the Church, which is why at his burial the people with one accord proclaimed, "He is a Saint!" The same was done 50 years later at the translation of his relics in 2014.

Dossier for the Canonization of Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos Submitted

On Thursday 30 June 2017, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras revealed that he was preparing the relevant dossier to submit to the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the official recognition of Elder Gervasios as a saint of the Church.

On Sunday 16 June 2019, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras revealed to the parish of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Patras that he had submitted the dossier for the canonization of Elder Gervasios to the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. Upon hearing this news, the people uniformly broke out in applause, revealing the great reverence they have for the Teacher of Patras.

Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos Soon To Be Proposed for Canonization

Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos was born in 1877 and was from Gortynia, Greece. His childhood was difficult, particularly because he lost his mother at the age of three. While studying at Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in Athens, he became a spiritual child of Saint Nektarios, who was the director of the school. He was one of the most important religious figures in modern Greek history, especially in the city of Patras, where he served as Abbot of Gerokomeio Monastery and established a successful ministry that helped revive Orthodox life among young and old alike, especially through his catechetical schools. He reposed esteemed by all for his holiness on June 30, 1964. In the consciousness of the people of Patras, he was, is and always will be a saint of the Church, which is why at his burial the people with one accord proclaimed, "He is a Saint!" The same was done 50 years later at the translation of his relics in 2014.

Following the 53rd anniversary since his repose, on Thursday 30 June 2017, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras revealed that he was preparing the relevant dossier to submit to the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the official recognition of Elder Gervasios as a saint of the Church. It is not known how long this process will take to be completed, but the process has begun.

The Translation of the Relics of the Holy Elder Fr. Gervasios Paraskevopoulos

Today marks the fiftieth anniversary since the repose of the Holy Elder Fr. Gervasios Paraskevopoulos, the teacher and spiritual father of the city of Patras. Yesterday, 29 June 2014, His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras presided over the translation of the relics of Elder Gervasios at the Anaplastiki School in Patras, which was founded by the Elder and where he was buried. Following Great Vespers for the Holy Twelve Apostles, his sacred relics were transferred to the Church of Saint Paraskevi at the Camp of the School in a special reliquary, with great celebration. The church and youth camp were also founded by the Elder. When the Clergy, Monks and faithful beheld with tears the uncovering of the sacred relics of the Elder, they cried out the same thing that was said at his Funeral on July 1, 1964: "He is a Saint!"

Fr. Gervasios Paraskevopoulos, the Man of God: 

50 Years After His Repose

By His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras

Fifty years have passed since the man of God, the ever-memorable Fr. Gervasios Paraskevopoulos, raised the sanctified white flag in the sacred fight for his pious leadership and allowed his soul to fly into the bosom of the heavenly Father.

Crowds of people sent him off to eternity with tears in their eyes, because their spiritual father was departing, who had taught them the word of God, supported them in their pain, rejoiced in their joy and illumined like a bright star the course of their lives.

He was born in 1877 in Granitsa, todays Nymphasia in Gortynia, at the holy soil of hero-bearing and saint-bearing Arcadia, and having eaten the bread of the pain of orphanhood, he arrived with toil and suffering to the city of Saint Andrew, which then was pastored by Hierotheos (Mitropoulos), another bright star whose origin was from Arcadia in the next town from where the late Fr. Gervasios saw the light of life.

In Patras he tasted the love and paternal affection, and experienced the flame and burning zeal of the wonderful and intense Hierarch Hierotheos, who struggled with passion against heresies and masonry, and left this life pained towards that which was incompatible with the sacred beliefs of the Greek Orthodox tradition, that he kept as the apple of his eye.

Thus Fr. Gervasios came with the zeal of Elijah to the sacred Vineyard of the Lord, as a monk then as a Deacon and Presbyter of the Church of the Slain Lamb.

The ever-memorable one truly shined brilliantly "as a torch on the lamp of the luminous throne of the Lord, radiating illumination, dogma and action", as St. Isidore of Pelusium says.

He had a prophetic form when conveying the message of the one true God, of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church as the only body of salvation by which man can be saved.

With passion of soul he rebuked sin and apostasy from God, like another prophet, and was an unerring guide of the people with a biblical, patristic and strict hand, exuding love to all people.

His words were clear, like the starry water he drank for the first time in the rugged mountains of Gortynia; his life was like the brilliant sun, radiating and shining the luminance of the virtues.

He was an immobile rock of the revealed truth of God and in teaching the faith, never considering falsifying the alabaster of precious spiritual myrrh, namely the sacred Orthodox tradition, always having in his ears, or what am I saying, always having in his heart the words of the Holy Apostle Paul: "And even if an angel preaches a different gospel from what I have preached to you, let him be anathema" (Gal. 1:8).

As a Liturgist of the Most High, he was seen to elevate between heaven and earth and lived the moving experiences of the Saints of God. The Divine Liturgy for him was a divine mystagogy. Wedded perfectly to the Sacred Mystery, full of awe and solemnity, modest, with simple garb, he gave the impression of a heavenly being and guided souls to spiritual heights, to true elevation, according to the testimonies of many Clergy and Laity who lived these wonderful experiences near him.

As a spiritual father he was untiring, his zeal unabated, his love exemplary, his patience admirable. Neither his age nor his many years of service burned out his sacred enthusiasm for the salvific mystery of confession, from which thousands of people were reborn spiritually and found the way of salvation through their hearts being crushed with sincere repentance.

He particularly loved children and was the founder of Catechetical Schools for the Church of Greece. "Take care of the lambs of God", he would say about the children, who ran to be near him feeling the purity of his heart and sanctity of his life.

He was distinguished for his fighting enthusiasm, like that of Joshua the Son of Nun, who even stopped the sun to win the battle (Josh. 10:12-14).

He was without comparison when performing his duties, in whatever position he served. This especially was seen when he served as Chancellor of the ever-memorable Archbishop Chrysanthos of Athens.

He also showed himself to be a flag-bearer when the Lord miraculously revealed to him the mark of the Honorable Cross within the pine tree, which the Elder planted in the location of the campground.

I remember a typical conversation I had with my Elder, the ever-memorable Metropolitan Theoklitos of Mantinea and Kynouria, who by the witness of Elder Gervasios became a Sacred Cleric. On the desk of the late Theoklitos was located by itself a photograph of the Elder, as well as a photograph depicting the inside of the tree with the mark of the Life-Giving Cross. "He was a sanctified man", said the ordained Hierarch about Fr. Gervasios. "He was in a state equal to that of the angels, and I exhort you paternally and beg you to be like him, walking in his footsteps."

The years passed, the Metropolitan departed for heaven, and the Lord sent me to Patra as a Hierarch. One of my first concerns was to perform a memorial at the grave of the late Elder Gervasios and embrace the tombstone, beneath which was kept the venerable and sanctified Relics of the fervent worker of the Sacred Gospel and luminous Liturgist of the Most High.

My visit with many of the pious faithful of Patras to his birthplace in Nymphasia of Gortynia, the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Sacred Church of the Holy Trinity, the memorial service at the place he was born, were experiences that were spiritually moving.

Fifty years have passed since the time Fr. Gervasios departed for heaven, on 30 June in 1964, the day of the Synaxis of the Holy Apostles. But his spiritual presence in Patras continues. He never forsook us. We feel his breath, his love, his blessing, his intercessions.

We have a sacred debt and holy duty to the spiritual father and teacher of Patras, to whom all our sacred Clergy and pious People bow reverentially, who guided us to receive the decision for the translation of his sacred Relics, glorifying God because He gave us Fr. Gervasios and gratefully honoring the memory of the late and brilliant Priest.

But the promise, after a long discussion, with the other diamond of Patras, the student and spiritual child of the ever-memorable Fr. Gervasios, the late Metropolitan Hierotheos (Tsantiles) of Hydra, Spetses and Aegina, guided our hearts to the above decision, so that his holy soul may have rest, by our promise and our spiritual commitment.

On the evening of Sunday the 29th of June, after Vespers that will take place at 5:30 in the Sacred Church of Saint Paraskevi at the Camp of Sychaina, which Fr. Gervasios himself founded, the translation of his relics will take place, that we may kiss his sanctified skull and by this bless the city of Patra, which the Elder loved so much, as well as its people, for whom he struggled till his last breath, in order to appear as an excellent shepherd before the throne of God.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos and the Miracle of the Cross

Elder Gervasios of Patras, who reposed on June 30, 1964

Inside the katholikon of the Convent of the Prophet Elias in Patras is a relic of a miracle associated with Elder Gervasios. Here is an account of what took place:

During the days of Meatfare, Father [Gervasios] used to take the catechetical school children and they would go up to the Hermitage, which is now the Convent of the Prophet Elias. On February 17, 1929, Father and his spiritual children devoted themselves to planting a few trees in the area near the aforementioned Hermitage. Father himself with a few of the children also planted a pine tree after reading a special prayer. From that time 31 years went by. In August of 1960, this pine tree was cut down together with other trees to serve as firewood at the children's camp of Sychainon. The woodcutter was amazed when he noticed that at the root of the tree a beautiful Cross had miraculously been formed with different colors. He immediately reported this to the Metropolitan of the time, Constantine (Platis), who hastened to the scene of the occurrence bringing a few chemists to confirm this phenomenon. The chemists used a few liquids to eradicate the Cross from the tree, but not only did they not achieve this, but the Cross became more and more distinctive. By means of the microscope they confirmed, as it is said, that at its four ends icons of the Nativity, the Baptism, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection were miraculously inscribed. After all these certifications they confessed that it was a supernatural phenomenon. The Metropolitan of Patras, convinced now that it was a miracle, gathered the people at the Church of Saint Paraskevi, Sychainon, where the children's camps were, and after he finished Vespers and a supplication of thanksgiving he addressed the people and made known to them the facts of the miracle. Father Gervasios, who was there, took the microphone and said, crying and thanking God: 'My brethren, this miracle did not happen for my sake, because I am a sinner. It happened for the sake of the good and sinless children, who also planted this tree.' What a height of humility! When the people heard the Elder himself confirming the miracle, they shed tears as they glorified God, who knows how 'to glorify those who glorify Him'. Such Crosses exist today in the Monastery of Gerokomeiou, at the Metropolis of Patras, at the Convent of Prophet Elias and at Saint Paraskevi, Sychainon.

The Cross that appeared in the tree Elder Gervasios planted, placed with other relics of Saints.

 

The spot on which the tree with the miraculous Cross was planted.

From the book by Hierodeacon Kyrillos Kostopoulos, Elder Gervasios (Paraskevopoulos) of Patras: His Life and Pastoral Work, Orthodoxos Kypseli, 1995.

Icons of the Spiritual Children of Saint Nektarios

The following depiction is in the Church of Saint Nektarios in Aegina:

Saint Nektarios in the center extending his blessing over the island of Aegina.

Saint Savvas the New of Kalymnos (1862-1948)

Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos of Patras (1877-1964)

Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos (1889-1970)

Elder Philotheos Zervakos of Paros (1884-1980)

 

The Influence of Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos on the City of Patras: A Personal Testimony

Elder Gervasios of Patras, who reposed on June 30, 1964

By John Sanidopoulos

I came to hear of Elder Gervasios when I was a teenager visiting my grandmother who lived in Patras, Greece. It was the early 1990's and the influence of this saintly clergyman was still very strong in Patras even though he reposed in 1964. There was a missionary spirit in the city inspired by Elder Gervasios and everywhere you went it seemed as if he had left his mark in one way or another. Patras was one of the few cities at the time that had a 24-hour ecclesiastical radio station and also had ecclesiastical TV broadcasts as well that have now expanded onto the internet. Many clergyman were inspired by the Elder, and Patras was noted as having some of the youngest and most devoted and zealous clergymen in all of Greece. With its many catechetical schools founded by the Elder as well as a seminary, there were estimates that Patras had somewhere in the vicinity of 3,000 theologians.

My father heard Elder Gervasios teach as a young boy when my grandmother would take him every Sunday to one of his catechetical schools. My father is not a very religious man and enjoys a good joke about the church here and there (as many Greeks tend to do), but he is a believer and he does have a deep respect and hidden piety within him. This especially comes out when you ask him about Elder Gervasios. He was young when he first saw him and cannot remember a word he said, but he has told me how the image of Elder Gervasios is still very vivid in his mind. According to my father, the image of Elder Gervasios is the standard image every priest should have because he radiated tremendous respect and holiness. My father has even pointed out that one reason he does not go to church is because the priests of America, who for the most part do not wear a rason and even shave their beards, do not inspire him like that image embedded in his mind decades ago by Elder Gervasios.

My grandmother also held high regards for Elder Gervasios. She never spoke many details about him as I did not know too much about him to ask before she passed away, but when I did ask her eyes would open and she would do a circular motion with her hand many Greeks do to express a certain wonderment. For her, he was untouchable when it came to holiness and no one in Patras since his repose had ever done as much good for the city. In her eyes, Elder Gervasios was the ideal clergyman.

During my visits to Patras my grandmother would take me to places associated with Elder Gervasios. I gave one example here. Another time, since I had never been to confession, my grandmother took me to a priest who was fairly young and probably the most noteworthy confessor in the city at the time who served at the beautiful Church of Saint Nektarios, not too far from where my grandmother lived at Agios Yiannis Bratsikas. This priest was also influenced by the Elder and many at the time viewed him as "another Gervasios". There were always expectations of the people of Patras to have another Gervasios serve in their midst.

A few times we attended services at one of the more well known convents of Patras known as the Convent of the Prophet Elias. It is a beautiful monastery half way up a mountain leading to another men's monastery known locally as the Gerokomeo, dedicated to the Theotokos and known for its all-night vigil on August 15th. I remember one day in particular when we attended Great Vespers at Prophet Elias while the eminent Metropolitan Nikodemos of Patras was serving. This was the same Metropolitan who as a young boy attended the now legendary services officiated by St. Nicholas Planas, and besides writing a book on his life story was also the main proponent for getting him canonized officially by the Church of Greece. Sort of like the impression my father had with Elder Gervasios, I remember when Metropolitan Nikodemos ended the service he looked straight at me and signaled for me to be the first to come and venerate his Cross upon the dismissal of the crowd. His beautiful voice, devout demeanor and prophetic look made a great impression on me.

Saint Nektarios surrounded by some of his students at Rizarios School in Athens, among whom Elder Gervasios was one of his favorite pupils (first image bottom left is Elder Gervasios).

Inside the church of the Convent was a relic of a miracle associated with Elder Gervasios. Here is an account of what took place:

"During the days of Meatfare, Father [Gervasios] used to take the catechetical school children and they would go up to the Hermitage, which is now the Convent of the Prophet Elias. On February 17, 1929, Father and his spiritual children devoted themselves to planting a few trees in the area near the aforementioned Hermitage. Father himself with a few of the children also planted a pine tree after reading a special prayer. From that time 31 years went by. In August of 1960, this pine tree was cut down together with other trees to serve as firewood at the children's camp of Sychainon. The woodcutter was amazed when he noticed that at the root of the tree a beautiful Cross had miraculously been formed with different colors. He immediately reported this to the Metropolitan of the time, Constantine (Platis), who hastened to the scene of the occurrence bringing a few chemists to confirm this phenomenon. The chemists used a few liquids to eradicate the Cross from the tree, but not only did they not achieve this, but the Cross became more and more distinctive. By means of the microscope they confirmed, as it is said, that at its four ends icons of the Nativity, the Baptism, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection were miraculously inscribed. After all these certifications they confessed that it was a supernatural phenomenon. The Metropolitan of Patras, convinced now that it was a miracle, gathered the people at the Church of Saint Paraskevi, Sychainon, where the children's camps were, and after he finished Vespers and a supplication of thanksgiving he addressed the people and made known to them the facts of the miracle. Father Gervasios, who was there, took the microphone and said, crying and thanking God: 'My brethren, this miracle did not happen for my sake, because I am a sinner. It happened for the sake of the good and sinless children, who also planted this tree.' What a height of humility! When the people heard the Elder himself confirming the miracle, they shed tears as they glorified God, who knows how 'to glorify those who glorify Him'. Such Crosses exist today in the Monastery of Gerokomeiou, at the Metropolis of Patras, at the Convent of Prophet Elias and at Saint Paraskevi, Sychainon."

I venerated the miraculous Cross, which bore jewels and metals to indicate its many miracles as well as other relics of Saints. I also went out back where there is a shrine in the wooded area where the Elder planted the trees together with the children. When people visit they recall Elder Gervasios and tell stories of their own experiences with the Elder.

The Cross that appeared in the tree Elder Gervasios planted, placed with other relics of Saints. (Convent of Prophet Elias; Patras, Greece)

The spot where the tree with the miraculous Cross was planted.

For further information on Elder Gervasios, I highly recommend the following book by Hierodeacon Cyril Kostopoulos, Elder Gervasios (Paraskevopoulos) of Patras: His Life and Pastoral Work, Orthodoxos Kypseli, 1995.

A video tribute to Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos: