{"id":2468,"date":"2019-12-09T21:57:07","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T04:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/svetisimeon.org\/en\/?p=2468"},"modified":"2019-12-09T22:02:09","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T05:02:09","slug":"we-must-hurry-to-accomplish-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svetisimeon.org\/en\/?p=2468","title":{"rendered":"We must hurry to accomplish everything"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Elder\nEphraim of Arizona reposed\nin the Lord on December 8th<\/sup>,\nearly morning, at\nthe age of 91 after a long illness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nestablished 19 monasteries in North America, 17 in the US and 2 in Canada, both\nfor men and women, under\nthe Greek Orthodox Archdioceses of America and Canada and lived in St. Anthony\u2019s Monastery\nin Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder\u2019s 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? <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The elder said in conversatoin that the work of building monasteries is for the last times when the \u201cenemy\u201d (antichrist) will come, and in America because it\u2019s from there that it all will begin, and people here are in need of spiritual nourishment and help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In difficult times the elder used to say: \u201cThe more struggles I have, the more I love this work,\u201d and, \u201cGreat work comes in great steps. We must hurry to accomplish everything,\u201d and, \u201cWho can withstand the will of God?!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nspiritual children of the elder say that he always spoke to them about his\n\u201cgreat work\u201d with great enthusiasm and love. His work came through much\nsuffering, accompanied by many difficulties and, and his face was washed with\nstreams of prayerful tears. In Greece there is no other such example, no other\nsuch person, who could have done such a work with his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was born on June 24, 1928, in\nVolos, Greece. He spent his childhood in poverty helping his father with his\nwork, but he always followed the example of his mother (later nun Theophano).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\nthe 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.\nUpon his arrival there in\n1947, he went straight to Elder Joseph the Hesychast in the Monastery of Saint\nJohn the Forerunner and was accepted into the\nbrotherhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\n1973, the brotherhood moved to the Holy Monastery of Philotheou where Elder\nEphraim became abbot. The\nmonastic brotherhood grew rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrief will succeed joy, and joy,\ngrief, just as night follows day. This is how the Father of lights has\nestablished the path of those who are being saved. Just have patience and hope:\nengrave these in the depths of your heart-with these, all adversities will be\nfaced.\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t