Icon of St. Patapios the Righteous (Icon courtesy of www.eikonografos.com used with permission)
A miraculous healing by St. Patapios
After my education from the Meses Ekklisiastikis Ekpaideuseos, in 1958, the Lord called me to the task of being the head of a family, with my wife Maroulias, in 1959. In November 1960 I entered the Theological School of the University of Athens. On November 19th 1961, by the hands of the ever-to-be-remembered Metropolitan of Corinth Prokopios, I entered the divine service as a Deacon, and in 1963 as a Priest. I was entrusted by the Grace of the Lord, to give three boys a Christian upbringing: Andrew in 1962, Photios in 1965, and Nektarios in 1970.
In the evening of December 21st 1974, my son Photios, who was at the English Frontisterion and returning home, on the road by the shore of Piraeus, was hit tragically by an oncoming car. The doctors of the Neurosurgical department of the State Hospital of Piraeus said: “Fracture of the left temporal bone, left otorragia, stiff left hemiplegia, diastasis of the lateral sinus, break and flooding of the cranial cavity with blood.”
None of the doctors was able to leave us any hope that he would be resuscitated, much less be healed. He remained in a comatose state for 27 days. Then the healers began to remove the supportive machines, relating that they couldn’t offer any more medical help, and that it would be better to let him die than to keep him on life support as a “vegetable”, or ultimately, in the best case, paralyzed.
Then the boy’s mother, my Presbytera, was heartbroken, and without saying anything, went home to get his funeral shroud, for as the doctors informed us, his death was imminent in a matter of hours.
As she arrived home however, from her expression, our son Andrew became aware that something serious was happening to his brother.
Immediately after his mother left the Hospital, I ran outside, stopped a taxi, and taking the boy’s grandmother—the mother of my wife—I hastened to the Monastery and the Holy Relic of St. Patapios, for I loved the Righteous Saint, and my children love him, and since they were babies I brought them to the Monastery as to our children’s Holy places. As we venerated the Holy Relic with great fervor, I took a piece of cotton with oil from the vigil lamp of the Holy Relic and two candles from the Cave, and I went immediately to the Hospital and Andrew told me: “Cross the child, Dad, and he’ll get better, with the help of St. Patapios”.
Utterly speechless, for he reminded my child to remember my Righteous Saint at that difficult time, trembling and with tears streaming down my face, I crossed the…my roughly dead child! And..O Your immense love O Lord, in twenty minutes, for the first time in 27 days, my child moved and opened his eyes! He looked at me. He recognized me! He grasped my hand with his hand! And he told me:
“Dad, I’m in pain!”
I bent over him, and I kissed his wounded head and whispered: “You’ll get better my child!” The doctors ran. They put back on their machines. They confirmed:
"The fractures fused, the head cleared of blood, and the organs started working again! Full resuscitation!"
After about ten days he came home from the Hospital. With a conservative medical regimen, he returned to school, the 5th Dimotikou. He continued normally. The next school year he was fully healthy!
And the miracle continues. As soon as he finished the Dimotikon Scholeion (1976), he said: “First I thank God, Dad, and I want to enroll in the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School.” Thus occurred. After six years (1982) he graduated from Rizarios and after tests enrolled in the Pastoral Department of the Theological School of the University of Athens (1983), and in December 1st 1987 he received his degree, with VERY GOOD.
During his studies, he was focused on the ascetical fathers, studing mostly the teaching of the Mystical Fathers, especially St. Maximos the Confessor. In September of 1990 he enrolled in post-graduate studies in the University of Durham England. On April 14th 1991 he entered the Holy service, was ordained a deacon, and on July 5th 1991, the feast of St. Athanasios the Athonite, a priest, and received the office of Archimandrite, as an unmarried Cleric, even more devoted to the Church and Holy Science!!
(amateur translation of the Greek text from: http://www.agiooros.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=11976&sid=d9dd64995ae2d03d978c92b4064d2c1b; from the book: «ΠΡΟΣΚΛΗΣΙΣ ΓΝΩΡΙΜΙΑΣ ΜΕ ΤΟΝ ΟΣΙΟΝ ΠΑΤΑΠΙΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ΜΟΝΑΣΤΗΡΙ ΤΟΥ» 3rd Edition, Athens 1995)
For more information on St. Patapios and his Monastery in Loutraki, see: http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2008/12/miracle-of-st-patapios-of-thebes.html. May St. Patapios intercede for us and help us!
St. Patapios of Thebes (source)
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!
Close-up icon of Christ Resurrected, telling St. Mary Magdalene "Do not hold me" (Icon courtesy of 
Fresco of St. George the Trophy-bearer (Icon courtesy of 
The Miraculous Icon of Panagia Vimatarissa - Vatopedi Monastery, Mount Athos 
