Blessed Elder Archimandrite Philotheos Zervakos is a well-known 20th-century Greek Orthodox elder, from Paros island, and spiritual son of St. Nektarios of Aegina. He was imprisoned twice by the Turks during the final years of the Ottoman occupation of Thessaloniki and many have witnessed the saint to "float/walk on air". Although he has not been glorified he is considered a saint in Greece.
Blessed Elder Archimandrite Philotheos (Zervakos) was born in the small and remote village of Pakia in Sparti, Peloponesse, Greece, in the year 1884 and was given the name of Constantine at his baptism. From childhood he demonstrated an exceptional love for God.
He was 18 years old, when he was inspired by the 54th Psalm to follow the monastic life. He departed from his paternal home with neither shoes or any possessions; he only had his tunic and a small gospel. In 1912, April 22, Father Philotheos was ordained to the priesthood by Metropolitan Gabriel of Trifilia and Olympia. In 1924, he made an extensive pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Egypt. This is all described in his book published in 1925, Great and Wondrous Pilgrimages to Palestine and Sinai.
In 1930, Elder Ierotheos reposed, and Fr. Philotheos succeeded him as abbot of Longovarda. By this stage, Fr. Philotheos had the reputation of a saint. In 1934, he made another pilgrimage, this time to Constantinople. He returned to Greece and founded the convent of Panagia Myrtidiotissa Thapsanon (The Virgin of the Myrtle Tree), 4 km from Lefkes on the island of Paros, Greece.
Throughout his life, the Elder preaches the word of God and heard confessions for 68 years (1912 to 1978). During this time, he visited the islands of Paros, Antiparos, Naxos, Amorgos, Thera, Syros, Tinos, Andros, Sifnos, Patmos, Rhodes, Chios, Mytilene, Aegina, Hydra, Cyprus, Kefallinia, Zakynthos, Evoia, Skiathos, Prigippos. He also visited over 54 cities and towns throughout Greece, including Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Thessaloniki etc. and internationally including Alexandria, Cairo, Constantinople, Suez etc
During his life, he built 12 churches, two monasteries, three cemeteries and two schools. The money he would receive from the faithful he would distribute to the poor, the widows and the orphans.
On the morning of May 8, 1980, the blessed Elder Philotheos died in his cell at Thapsana, Paros. His funeral was conducted by Archimandrite Dionysios of Simonopetra Monastery of Mt Athos. His relics were laid to rest at the convent in Paros, in a place that he chose beside the chapel dedicated to his spiritual mentor, St. Nektarios of Aegina (November 9).
He wrote :
Everything that the all-wise Holy Apostles and the Godly-wise Fathers of our Holy Orthodox Church handed down to us, many of their successors today want to abolish and so dislodge the Church. However, they will be unable to do this, because the Lord will crush them like vessels of clay. And the few elect will be shaken, and few out of the few will remain unshaken. Let us force ourselves to remain faithful and unshaken in whatever we have received from the divine Apostles, the Holy Fathers, and the teachers of our Church ... do and write as much as you can, but todays generation has eyes and sees not, ears and hears not... [Jer. 5:21; cf. Ezek. 12:2, Ps. 134:16-17, Mark 8:18]....
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Our Lord said that His followers would perform miracles just as He did. Certainly, the life of Blessed Elder Philotheos gives ample evidence of his belonging to the company of Christ's true disciples. This is further confirmed by the abundant grace he possessed as a wonderworker, both during his lifetime and since his repose. His popularity as a confessor was heightened by his gift of clairvoyance: there are numerous examples of how he would remind people of specific sins they had forgotten or neglected to confess. There are recorded cases of barren couples who conceived soon after asking the Elder's intercession. Others have reported healings from goiter, from gangrene, from severe headaches and toothaches. A Striking miracle was recorded by Efstathia and Andrew Brouma of Athens.
A son, George, was born to them in March 1963. He appeared to be a normal, healthy baby, but as the weeks went by, he stopped eating. A pediatrician diagnosed the problem as "hepatitic enlargement of the tubes" and blood tests revealed Cooley's Anemia, a condition requiring repeated blood transfusions. The prognosis for; the infant was grim. A few days after the baby had been admitted to the hospital, the mother's sister recommended that they go see Elder Philotheos, who had just arrived in Athens from Partos. They did so, and, at the mother's tearful entreaty, the Elder accompanied them to the hospital.
The infant's weak breathing gave the only visible sign of life. The Elder prayed and made the sign of the Cross over the child. He then placed an icon of the Mother of God on the pillow. "What should I do?" asked the distraught mother. "Should 1 let him die here or should I take him home?" "No,:!' replied the Elder, "the doctors will give him to you in two or three days. However, in a year's time bring him to me on Paros." Those gathered around the crib were dumbfounded. "Father, what are you saying?" explained a nurse. "The child is at his end. It is unlikely that the doctors will even be able to perform the transfusion." "You are thinking one thing," responded the Elder, "and the Panagia is thinking another."
That night, the baby's fever rose and he had difficulty breathing. By morning, however, the fever had subsided and when the nurse weighed him she was puzzled to discover that he had gained two and a half ounces: the baby hadn't eaten anything for two days.
It was a miracle. On the third day, the baby was released from the hospital. His discharge papers read simply, "Anemia." The mother took her baby to Elder Philotheos to thank him for his wonderworking intercession. The Elder called the boy, "Moses-Theosostos" (God-saved).
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