Elder Ephraim of Arizona reposed in the Lord on December 8th, early morning, at the age of 91 after a long illness.
He established 19 monasteries in North America, 17 in the US and 2 in Canada, both for men and women, under the Greek Orthodox Archdioceses of America and Canada and lived in St. Anthony’s Monastery in Arizona.
The elder’s task was to build in America as many monasteries as there are on Holy Mount Athos. Why did he have to build monasteries precisely in America?
The elder said in conversatoin that the work of building monasteries is for the last times when the “enemy” (antichrist) will come, and in America because it’s from there that it all will begin, and people here are in need of spiritual nourishment and help.
In difficult times the elder used to say: “The more struggles I have, the more I love this work,” and, “Great work comes in great steps. We must hurry to accomplish everything,” and, “Who can withstand the will of God?!”
The spiritual children of the elder say that he always spoke to them about his “great work” with great enthusiasm and love. His work came through much suffering, accompanied by many difficulties and, and his face was washed with streams of prayerful tears. In Greece there is no other such example, no other such person, who could have done such a work with his life.
He was born on June 24, 1928, in Volos, Greece. He spent his childhood in poverty helping his father with his work, but he always followed the example of his mother (later nun Theophano).
At the age of 14, he decided to follow a monastic path and in a few years his spiritual father gave him blessing to go to Mount Athos. Upon his arrival there in 1947, he went straight to Elder Joseph the Hesychast in the Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner and was accepted into the brotherhood.
In 1973, the brotherhood moved to the Holy Monastery of Philotheou where Elder Ephraim became abbot. The monastic brotherhood grew rapidly.
In 1979, he went to Canada due to health issues and was preaching the Greek population and hearing their confessions. With ceaseless prayer he established 19 monasteries in North America.
“Grief will succeed joy, and joy, grief, just as night follows day. This is how the Father of lights has established the path of those who are being saved. Just have patience and hope: engrave these in the depths of your heart-with these, all adversities will be faced.”