"DIMITRIA 2026": Speech and Holy Vigil with Elder Ephraim Vatopedinos (PHOTO)translated

On Monday, October 12, in the afternoon, according to the "DIMITRIA 2026" program, a speech by the Panosiology Archimandrite Elder Ephraim, Abbot of the Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, was held on the topic: "The Memoirs of Saint John of Krostandi" in our Holy Church. Elder Ephraim, through the personal records of Saint John of Crostandis, highlighted the deep spirituality, humility and constant repentance that characterized the life of this great Saint of our Church. Referring to his memoirs, which have not been officially translated into the Greek language, he emphasized: "For the first time, a Saint of the church, opens his heart to us so widely, and tells us about his inner life and about the mistakes and passions he made." Through these personal records, the deep humiliation and constant repentance of Saint John, who characteristically wrote: "What is my diary? Not praise to myself, but the story of my falls."

Using translated excerpts from the Saint's personal diary, from the year 1877, Elder Ephraim highlighted his deep relationship with Divine Worship and the…