Elder Ephraim of Philotheou and Arizona saying Jesus Prayer and Prayer to the Most Pure Mother of God

Elder Ephraim has a reputation of being a grace-filled confessor and true Athonite elder and has thousands of spiritual children around the world: monastics, clergy, and lay-people. He is considered by many to be the first to establish an authentic Athonite monastery on American soil. As of 2005, 

Elder Ephraim has founded seventeen monasteries in the United States and Canada under the Greek Orthodox Archdioceses of America and Canada; this includes monasteries for women and for men.