St. Paisios of Mt. Athos

By: Jude Namee

Saints come from many backgrounds. Sanctity is not reserved for the children of kings or those with easy backgrounds. Holiness is the one life aspiration open to all. 

Good parenting does matter, however. The knowledge that parenting can be a pathway to sanctify should encourage, not discourage us. As we pray for Christ’s mercy daily, we can hope that joys and sorrows of parenting can lead to our salvation. A good and happy childhood is a wonderful gift to a child, but growing up in a sanctified childhood is a remarkable heritage. Saintly parents oft produce saints. 

Saint Constantine College is happy to publish this series of articles by Jude Namee on the parents of saints. These articles are written by a young person reflecting on one of the many paths the good God has given us to Paradise. I commend these to you as a thoughtful start to many hours of possible meditation. May we read these and be encouraged in our parenting if we are parents, or in our prayers for our parents if we are still young. We ask for the intercession of these saintly parents!

JMNR

The family of St. Paisios was extremely pious, generous, and humble. They were also particularly devoted to St. Arsenios, their bishop. Prodromos, his father, was just and merciful. One noticeable example of this was when his village was given a large amount of land by the government, and Prodromos claimed the most infertile plot for himself. He actually ended up permanently damaging his eyes due to the fires he had to light to clear the ground.

St. Paisios’ mother, Evlogia, was, as most of the mothers in this book, deeply pious, prudent, and hardworking. She also had the endowments of charm and cleverness – truly, a gifted woman. Evlogia taught her children many indispensable lessons: not to beat other children in games and brag about it; not to try to be first in line; not to eat before it was mealtime (the violation of which rule she considered similar to fornication, being a dearth of self-control); to be careful of how they treated other people; not to say the devil’s name; and how to be simple, diligent, and tidy. She was also extremely generous, giving away all of her bread, free of charge, to poor people during the German occupation. Like always, these lessons and examples went a long way to form the amazing saint we venerate today. 

His family also put a primary emphasis on prayer, fasting, and attendance at church services; they would pray together twice a day, and Evlogia would say the Jesus Prayer throughout the entire day. 

This story can be challenging, and in sharing it, we aren’t suggesting that readers should emulate the specific actions of St Iakovos’ parents. While they lived relatively recently, they still lived in a context very different from our own. Yet, their story can be an inspiration to those of us raising children today, to see an example of a family that was wholly dedicated to Christ, even if in a manner unique to them.