Saint Elder Paisios of Mount Athos

Saint Paisios of Mount Athos ; 7 August [O.S. 25 July] 1924 – 12 July 1994) was a Greek Eastern Orthodox ascetic from Mount Athos, originally from Pharasa, Cappadocia. Today, he is widely venerated by Eastern Orthodox Christians, particularly in Greece, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro and Syria. Paisios was canonized on 13 January 2015 by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the church commemorates his feast day on June 29 [OS] / July 12 [NS]. Arsenios Eznepides was born on 7 August 1924 in Pharasa (Çamlıca), Cappadocia, during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Arsenios' name was given to him by Arsenios the Cappadocian, who baptised him, naming the child for himself and foretelling Arsenios' monastic future. After the exchange, the Eznepides family settled in Konitsa, Epirus. Arsenios grew up there, and after intermediate public school, he learned carpentry. During the civil war in Greece, Arsenios served as a radio operator. In 1945, he enlisted in the Hellenic Army. With bravery and self-sacrifice, he requested to fight on the front line instead of family men, so that their families would not suffer the pain of losing a loved one. Later, extolling the value of monasticism to those who doubted it, he said, "There are monks who have spiritual television and are God's radio operators." He is characterized in his biography as one of them. His fundamental teaching was: "If you want to 'catch' God so He can hear you when you pray, turn the dial to humility, for this is the frequency on which God operates." In 2017, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, he was proclaimed the patron saint of the military communications corps, in which he had served. In 1950, having completed his service, he went to Mount Athos: first to Fr. Kyril, the future abbot of Koutloumousiou Monastery, and then to Esphigmenou Monastery.