Synaxarion of Saint Ephraim of Katounakia

 

By Dr. Haralambos Boussias

 

Synaxarion

 
On this day [February 27th], the commemoration of our Venerable and God-bearing Father Ephraim, who just now lived in asceticism in Katounakia.
 
Verses

 
Obedience, prayer and harsh training,
In these you excelled, O Ephraim, in Katounakia.

Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Ephraim, who lived in asceticism in Katounakia of Athos in a God-pleasing manner, was born on December 6th, 1912 in Ampelochorio of Thebes. A child of parents with four children, John and Victoria Papanikitas, he received in holy baptism the name Evangelos.

Two Most Recent Miracles of Venerable David of Evia and Saint Iakovos Tsalikes

In a recent interview with Maria Yiachnaki for the radio program "Epikairotita", Elder Gabriel, the current Abbot of the Monastery of Venerable David in Evia, reported two of the most recent miracles of Venerable David and Saint Iakovos Tsalikes, which took place within the past few weeks of 2021.

The first miracle concerns a 23 year old young man named John. On January 6, 2021 John participated in the Cross retrieval competition which followed the Sanctification of the Waters ceremony at the coastal town of Amarynthos. His goal was to capture the Cross then go to the Monastery of the Venerable David in Evia to venerate the relics of Venerable David and Saint Iakovos. As John rushed to dive into the water to retrieve the Cross first, he somehow injured his head and neck really bad, landing him in the hospital with critical injuries and in a coma. John's young friends and fellow competitors decided to put their faith in God to deliver and heal their friend, so on Saturday the 9th of January they drove two hours to the Monastery of the Venerable David, as John had hoped to have done, to venerate the relics of Saint Iakovos Tsalikes and Venerable David and seek their intercessions and aid. When they arrived, they found the Monastery to be closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, so they knocked on the door. They explained to the Abbot their situation and asked to venerate the relics of the Saints. The Abbot allowed them in, then he brought out the skull of Venerable David, and blessed a shirt that belonged to John which the boys had brought with them, then they all venerated the relic. The Abbot then gave them holy oil, which they brought to the mother of John, who rubbed the head and neck of her son with it, then they placed the blessed shirt of John on him. Immediately John began to recover from that moment. As of January 15th, John is still recovering from his injury, but he is no longer in critical condition, and many people all over Greece are praying for him.

Elder Gabriel the Agiovarnavitis (+ December 5, 2013) - Part 2 of 2

 

 

...continued from part one. 

 

The Elder Flew Like a Helicopter

On the eve of the sad event with the two sister nuns of the Hermitage of Saint Basil, which was granted to Elder Gabriel by Metropolitan Nikephoros of Kykkos, in order to house his female sisterhood, and which cost the life of the late sister Vasileia, a spiritual daughter of the Elder saw the following vision:

She saw the Elder flying, as if he was on a helicopter, and awestruck she said to him:

"Elder, come and get me, so we can fly together."

However, he replied to her:

"I can't right now. I have to go to my two daughters that need me and, in fact, one of them I will take permanently with me."

Elder Gabriel the Agiovarnavitis (+ December 5, 2013) - Part 1 of 2

 

Elder Gabriel Siokouros, the man of God, came from Lysi of Cyprus. As a layman, as a Hieromonk and as Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Barnabas after the invasion of the Turks, he was a man of prayer, sacrifice and love. His desire and longing was to offer everything to the Church, to help all people, especially young people and to lead them to the Church, to Christ. He served in Missions and Philanthropy with all his soul. He was a fighter who gave it his everything

Returning from Mount Athos in 1974 where he had remained for two years in order to perfect the art of Iconography, and before leaving for his Monastery in Cyprus, he learned of the Turkish invasion. Unable to return to his homeland and to his favorite Monastery of the Apostle Barnabas, because they had been occupied and destroyed by the Turks, he remained in Greece for several years. He settled in Nafplio, in the Monastery of Saint Demetrios of Karakalas and served there as a Priest.

Silence Without Awkwardness: The Spiritual Communication Between Elder Anthimos Agiannanites and Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios

 

 

By Haralambos Boussias

In the days of the birthday of our Church, that is, of holy Pentecost, in 1990, the Elder decided to make a pilgrimage to the Great Church of Christ and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

He had been invited at that time by the director of the private office of the Patriarch, Metropolitan Bartholomew of Philadelphia, the current Ecumenical Patriarch, and the Dean of the Theological School of Halki, Metropolitan Maximos (Repanellis) of Stavroupolis.

Supplicatory Canon to the Most Philanthropic Son of the Living God the Conqueror of the Coronavirus

Supplicatory Canon to the Most Philanthropic Son of the Living God the Conqueror of the Coronavirus

By Dr. Haralambos M. Boussias,

the Great Hymnographer of the Church of Alexandria

Athens 2020

Original Greek

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Priest: Blessed is our God always, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

People: Amen.