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Feast Day/Commemorated: July 12

Prophetic Birth and Childhood Piety

Venerable Father Paisios of the Holy Mountain was born Anastasius Enzepíde in Pharasa, Cappadocia, on July 25, 1924, to devout parents. His baptism by Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia, shortly before his family's forced relocation to Greece, was marked by a significant prophecy: Saint Arsenios insisted the child be named Arsenios, foretelling he would be a "reminder" of him and that he himself would not live more than forty days after arriving in Greece, a prophecy that came true. In Greece, the family settled in Konitsa, Epeiros, where young Arsenios's childhood was deeply influenced by stories of Saint Arsenios's miraculous life. At the tender age of five, he declared his intention to become a monk. A voracious reader of the Lives of the Saints, he passionately imitated their ascetic struggles, cultivating profound humility and love, and even experienced a divine vision at fifteen that intensified his longing for monastic life.

Military Service and Ascetic Aspirations

After completing his basic studies, Arsenios chose not to pursue further secular education, opting instead to imitate Christ through manual labor, mastering carpentry with diligence and skill. His youth, however, was soon overshadowed by the turmoil of foreign occupation and civil war in Greece (1945-1949). During his military service, he displayed extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice, frequently volunteering for dangerous assignments to protect married men with families. He often found himself in the line of fire, protecting many soldiers through his fervent prayers and miraculously guarding himself. Serving primarily as a radio operator, he drew a spiritual parallel between constant communication with his division and the security found in continuous prayer. Following these turbulent years, his desire for the "angelic life of monasticism" intensified, prompting him to seek a monastic guide on the Holy Mountain.

Monastic Formation and Ascetic Labors on Mount Athos and Beyond

Initially, his desire for monasticism was deferred as he returned to Konitsa to work as a carpenter to assist those facing economic hardship. However, in 1953, at the age of 29, he finally embraced monastic life, forsaking the world for the Holy Mountain. After visiting various sketes and kalyves, he joined the strict brotherhood of the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou, where he was tonsured with the name Averkios in 1954, excelling in asceticism. Seeking an even stricter life, he moved to the Holy Monastery of Philotheou and later served an old, sick hermit under the guidance of Elder Simeon, preparing for the eremitic life. In 1956, he was tonsured into the Small Schema, receiving the name Paisios, a name given by Metropolitan Paisios II of Caesarea, his compatriot.

Wilderness Solitude, Miracles, and Return to the Holy Mountain

In 1958, following divine counsel, Father Paisios moved to the ruined Monastery of the Mother of God of Stomio near Konitsa, where he lived for four years. He engaged in intense spiritual struggles, helped the local populace, saved many from Protestant sects, and laboriously restored the monastery. In 1962, seeking further solitude, he journeyed to the God-trodden Mount Sinai, living an ascetic life in the kelli of Saints Galaktion and Episteme near Saint Katherine's Monastery. Here, he experienced a mystical light that guided him to matches, yet he cautiously made the Sign of the Cross, causing it to vanish, highlighting his discernment. He was beloved by the Bedouins, to whom he gave food and money earned by selling his handmade wooden crosses. His love for Arab children led him to shorten his Prayer Rule to create more handiwork for cookies, an act of love through which he discerned receiving even greater grace. Returning to Mount Athos in 1964, despite bodily ailments, he maintained his spiritual fervor, reaching great heights of spiritual experience, conversing with saints, seeing his Guardian Angel, hearing angelic hymns, and shining with heavenly light.

Final Illness, Repose, and Glorification

In 1966, Saint Paisios underwent a major lung operation for a serious illness, with young women aspiring to monasticism donating blood for his recovery. Upon recuperating, he helped them establish their convent at Sourote before returning to the Holy Mountain. He continued his profound asceticism, experiencing visions of Uncreated Light, the Mother of God, Christ, and various Saints, including a notable discussion with Saint Euphemia. In 1968, he was tonsured into the Great Schema by the Elder Tikhon, from whose grave he would later seek and receive answers. After further health issues led him to leave Mount Athos for a time, he settled in the Panagouda kelli of Koutloumousiou Monastery near Karyes in 1979. Here, despite intense daily fatigue from receiving countless visitors seeking his counsel and help, he maintained a rigorous ascetic life. In his final years, he endured agonizing pain from colitis, an inguinal hernia, and ultimately cancer, yet he remained peaceful and uncomplaining, praying for all. His last journey from the Holy Mountain to Sourote in November 1993 for a feast day revealed the extent of his illness. He reposed peacefully on July 12, 1994, at the age of seventy-four, and was buried at the Holy Hesychasterion of Saint John the Theologian in Sourotei, next to Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia, whose life he himself had written. On January 13, 2015, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate formally included Saint Paisios of the Holy Mountain in the Hagiologion of the Orthodox Church, acknowledging his profound sanctity and widespread veneration.

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