Saint Paisios of Mount Athos: Rare Personal Testimony & Miracles

In this video, Mr. Emmanouil Kapetanakis, former principal in elementary education, talks about Saint Paisios and other holy people who “enlightened” his life.

Video source: Νέκταρ Ψυχής (https://youtu.be/JevDIewn7as) Saint Nektarios Youth Group of Attica, 2024

Mr. Emmanouil:

As we were leaving [St. Paisios’ cell on Mt. Athos], we said goodbye and we thanked him. I was the last one of the group to leave. He [St. Paisios] approached me and said,

“Teacheeer …”

“Yes, Geronda.”

“Do you have a ‘handgun’ with you?”

“No.”

“Is it possible for a Cretan to not carry ‘handgun’ with him?”

“I am sorry, … I don’t have one.”

“I’ll give you one. You’ll need it.”

He put his hand in his pocket and handed me a prayer rope of the ones he made himself.

“These are the ‘handguns’ I have. You’ll use it to say the Jesus prayer,” he said.

“May it be blessed,” I replied.

This was my first meeting with Geronda [now Saint Paisios]. From then on, our relationship was close and his help was exceptional. I remember once … and I told the kids who visited me yesterday at home. I asked him to remember us in his prayer. I said,

“Geronda [Paisios], if it’s blessed, don’t forget us in your prayers.”

He was sensitive and teared up. He said,

“Blessed one, the only way I’ll forget you is if I pray for it.”

[Thanasis, a friend of the speaker] was staying at Koutloumousiou Monastery [while on Mount Athos], during one of his visits to Saint Paisios. He noticed that, on the one side of the fence, there was a big pile of wood. The next morning, the pile of wood had been moved to the other side. Thanasis asked St. Paisios,

“Geronda, what made you move the wood from one side [of the fence] to the other overnight?”

“A tempting thought of fornication (‘logismos’ in Greek) made me move the wood …”

He “punished” himself in this way. When he went to the Monastery of Panagia Stomiou to serve — he stayed there for about four years — he saw two signs. One sign pointed to the monastery with the inscription: “To Holy Monastery Stomiou,” and the other sign pointed to the river with the inscription: “To Aoos river.” As soon as he arrived at the Monastery, he grabbed a marker and wrote under the inscriptions:

“To Holy Monastery Stomiou, the ones dressed modestly.”

“To Aoos river, the ones dressed immodestly.”

When [St. Paisios’] sister visited [the Holy Monastery of Panagia] Stomiou realized that the kitchen was full of mice. She visited every week, so on her next visit, she brought rat poison and placed it in the kitchen to kill the mice. On the third week, when she returned, she saw the rat poison untouched in the kitchen while the cats and mice were eating from the same plate … Elder Paisios had reconciled the two “opposite” (incompatible) animals.

When he was at the Monastery of] Sinai, he made icons by hand, which he would sell and [with the profit], he would buy sweets and other things the Bedouins needed. The [Bedouin] children were overjoyed when receiving candies from his hands. I’ll share a personal story. Since we have Mr. Pothitos here, who is a doctor, let’s mention a medical miracle of Saint Paisios. As soon as my Geronda Philotheos [Zervakos] fell asleep, my belly became like stone. When you press the belly, it has a certain elasticity. My belly stopped having this elasticity. I was seeing a doctor in Nea Smyrni, but he couldn’t help me in any way. When the school year ended, I said to my wife,

“Maria, prepare the suitcase, I am leaving.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I need ‘a university professor,’ since the doctor here can’t help me. I’ll visit Geronda [Paisios] to see if he can help me.”

Father Philotheos [Zervakos, his spiritual father] had fallen asleep [by then]. So, I went to Father Paisios. I was fortunate to find him alone. I made a repentance bow (metanoia) and kissed his hand. He kissed me here as the [ecclesiastical] order has it. As soon as I stood up, he threw a punch on my back. I said … [Saint Paisios] asked me,

“How come you’ve visited?”

I replied, “I am sick.”

He said, “You are fine.”

“Don’t you believe I’m sick?”

“Don’t you believe me that you are fine?”

“Will you [bless me with the sign of the] Cross?”

“I already have.”

“How?”

“When the priests cross someone, they do this [gesture]. Since I am not a priest, I am not allowed to bless in the same way. So, I join my three fingers like this, make this [gesture] and that’s how I cross someone.”

“May I come inside [the chapel] to venerate?”

“Sure, although you are fine.”

He let me in; I venerated.

“Don’t you have a relic to bless me with?”

“You are fine, but if you insist… I can do it.”

He blessed me with the relic of Saint Arsenios [the Cappadocian]. I asked,

“May I take some oil from the [vigil] oil-lamp?”

“You are fine,” he replied.

I put my hand on my belly. Still felt like stone. I said,

“I am not sure we understand each other …”

I took some oil.

“Let’s go to the archontariki (guest house),” he said.

At one moment, as we were sitting, he crossed his hands like this and asked,

“Do you eat canned food?”

At that time, I had a student at school whose father was an importer [of goods]. Every week, she would bring me a bag full of cans – luxury cans [i.e. expensive ones]. So I had my wife use the cans [in our meals], one can after another… they probably got to me. He said,

“Stop eating canned food and your belly will be absolutely fine.”

“May it be blessed,” I said.

Within two or three days later on Mount Athos, my belly was fine. A great spiritual stature who visits my home, I shouldn’t mention his name, he is familiar to Mr. Vasilis, the wife, the family, dear Photini and (inaudible). When this man visited one day, he asked,

“Any news?”

So, I told him about my visit to Saint Paisios. That’s how I felt like doing. Two or three days later, he visited again and said,

“Things are not as you described …”

I replied, “Geronda, I added nothing to the story. It’s exactly as I told you.”

“And yet it’s not as you say,” he answered.

I prayed the prayer rope a lot and “caught the truth.”

“And what’s the truth?”

“Staying away from canned food didn’t make you well, — Saint Paisios did. He made it look as if the whole issue was because of the cans. Otherwise, you would have told all your friends about Saint Paisios’ miracle who then would have flooded Mount Athos [seeking cures] for their medical issues. So, you owe the miracle to Geronda Paisios!”

Fr. Christodoulos was the abbot of the Monastery of Koutloumousiou on Mt. Athos. Once, very early in the morning, he went to see Father Paisios for his personal problems. He was struggling with high blood sugar. They talked, Fr. Christodoulos took a rest and at one point, while they were discussing at the archontariki (guest house), a deer appeared at the fence. Father Paisios saw the deer and began to scold it,

“Shame on you! Didn’t I tell you to only wander at night? Coming here in broad daylight, the hunters will kill you.”

As he was scolding the deer, the deer lifted its foot which was broken.

“We’ll need to have surgery,” Geronda Paisios said.

He went inside, grabbed a piece of wood and some gauze and tied the deer’s foot. He fixed it as if he was “an orthopedic veterinarian.” As soon as he finished, [Saint Paisios] told the deer,

“Farewell and come back in exactly 25 days to have the cast removed”

Geronda Paisios chuckled. Fr. Christodoulos marked the date in his mind. When the 25th day arrived, he went to see what would happen. He visited Geronda Paisios, they sat at the archontariki, they discussed and, at one point, he asked,

“Geronda, I don’t see the deer anywhere…”

“Don’t worry — he is on his way.”

After a while, the deer appeared at the fence. Geronda Paisios said,

“Wait while I get the tools to remove the cast.”

He grabbed the scissors, he took off the cast, the foot had been perfectly fixed. He then said:

“Farewell and from now on, only move about at night.”

And the deer left … His answers were always grace-filled. Once, during a service at the Stavronikita Monastery [he was attending], a monk asked him,

“Geronda [Paisios], I watch you at services and every single time, you choose the back seats [of the church] … Why don’t you ever come up front? Don’t you understand why?”

“Why?”

“The ticket is cheaper at the back seats …”