Porphyrios Bairaktaris

Porphyrios Bairaktaris was born on February 7, 1906, in the village of Agios Ioannis, Evia, Greece. He was the fourth of five children of a poor and devout family. He left school at the age of eight and worked as a shepherd, a coal miner, and a grocer. He felt a strong calling to monasticism since his childhood, and at the age of thirteen he secretly left for Mount Athos, where he became a monk at the skete of Kafsokalyvia, under the name of Nikitas. He served under two spiritual fathers, Fr. Panteleimon and Fr. Ioannikios, and learned to pray and chant the Psalms by heart. He also developed a gift of spiritual discernment, which enabled him to perceive the thoughts and feelings of others, as well as to see visions of angels and saints. Due to a severe illness, he had to leave Mount Athos and return to his birthplace, where he was ordained a deacon and then a priest by Porphyrios III, Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu, who recognized his spiritual gifts. He was given the name of Porphyrios, after the saint who was martyred in Gaza. He was appointed as a confessor by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Karystia, and later as an archimandrite. He served as a hospital chaplain in Athens for 33 years, from 1940 to 1973, ministering to the sick and the suffering with compassion and wisdom. He also served in the churches of St. Gerasimos, St. Nicholas, and the Transfiguration of the Savior, which he helped to build. He established a convent in Milesi, Attica, where he guided many nuns and laypeople on the path of holiness. In 1984, he returned to Mount Athos, where he occupied the same cell that he had left 50 years ago. He continued to offer spiritual guidance to his numerous disciples, both in person and by phone. He foretold his own death, which occurred on December 2, 1991, at the age of 85. He was buried at the skete of the Holy Trinity, according to his wish. He was widely revered as a saint during his lifetime and after his repose, and he was officially canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2013. His feast day is celebrated on December 2. His writings and teachings, especially his book Wounded by Love, have inspired many people to seek God with love and humility.