Geronda Ephraim of Arizona (; June 24, 1928 – December 7, 2019) was a revered Greek Orthodox

hieromonk A hieromonk,; Church Slavonic, Slavonic: ''Иеромонахъ''; ; ; ; ; Albanian language, Albanian: ''Hieromurg'' also called a priestmonk, is a person who is both monk and Priest#Roman Catholic and Orthodox, priest in the Eastern Christianity ...

, Athonite elder, and

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

in the

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOArch; ), headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its current Primate (bishop), primate is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. The Greek Orthodox ...

under the

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

. He became well known for his extensive spiritual guidance in Greece and especially in America by spreading Athonite monasticism and the Orthodox faith in America. He guided thousands of souls in confession, monastics and lay-people, and taught the importance of the

Jesus Prayer The Jesus Prayer, also known as The Prayer, is a short formulaic prayer and is especially esteemed and advocated in Eastern Christianity and Catholicism. There are multiple versions of this prayer, however the most widely used version is as follo ...

. His spiritual father is Saint Iosif (Joseph) the Hesychast, canonized by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Early life and background

On June 24, 1928, he was born Ioannis Moraitis () in

Volos Volos (; ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the capital of the Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Volos ...

, Greece. His parents were Demetrios and Victoria Moraitis. Geronda Ephraim entered

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

in 1947, where he was a disciple of the Athonite elder Saint

Joseph the Hesychast Joseph the Hesychast (; born Fragkiskos Kottis, ; 12 February 1897 – 15 August 1959) was a Greek Orthodox monk and elder who led a small group of monks at Monastic community of Mount Athos, Mount Athos. He was canonized as a saint by the Ecumen ...

. On July 13, 1948, he was tonsured and given the

monastic name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should not be "foreign to ...

Ephraim. When his spiritual father Joseph the Hesychast died on August 15, 1959, he became the ''geronda'' (elder) of the hut of Annunciation of the Theotokos in New Skete. Ephraim soon became the head of his own brotherhood (which grew to 80 monks in 1981) and moved with them to the skete of Provata in 1968. From October 1, 1973, to 1991, Geronda Ephraim served as the abbot of

Philotheou Monastery Philotheou or Filotheou Monastery () is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. It stands on the north-eastern side of the peninsula. History It was founded by the Blessed Philotheus, in the end of the 10th ...

. Through the efforts of Archimandrite Ephraim, monastic life was restored in several

skete A skete () is a monastic community in Eastern Christianity that allows relative isolation for monks, but also allows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection. It is one of four types of early monastic orders, alo ...

s on Mount Athos, as his disciples also repopulated the monasteries of Philotheou, Xeropotamou, Konstamonitou, and Karakallou.Ephraim of Arizona (2008). ''My Elder Joseph the Hesychast and Cave Dweller (1897-1959)''. Arizona, U.S. . In 1979, Geronda Ephraim visited North American cities and met with members of the Greek diaspora. First he visited parishes in Canada (

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

). Afterwards, people started inviting him to the USA. Similar visits became regular in the United States and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Finally, Archimandrite Ephraim decided to move to the United States for the spiritual nourishment of the flock and for the revival of spiritual life in the Greek Orthodox communities of North America.

Greek Orthodox Monasteries in the US and Canada founded by Geronda Ephraim

Archimandrite Ephraim devoted his entire life to

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

work, which was based on the opening of Greek Orthodox monasteries in the United States and Canada, which soon became spiritual centers. The first monastery was founded in 1989 (the convent of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

). In 1995, Archimandrite Ephraim founded th
Saint Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery
in the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert () is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the Southwestern United States (in Arizona and California). It ...

of Arizona in honor of

Anthony the Great Anthony the Great (; ; ; ; – 17 January 356) was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony, such as , by various epithets: , , , , , and . For his importance among t ...

, where he settled. Totally 19 monasteries were established in the United States and Canada as a result of his work. The Greek Orthodox monasteries in North America founded by Ephraim of Arizona are:

Death

Archimandrite Ephraim died at St. Anthony Monastery, Arizona, on December 7, 2019, at the age of 91.

Notes

References

External links

Η Εις Κύριον Εκδημία του Γέροντος Εφραίμ - 2019 - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

St. Anthony's Monastery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ephraim Of Arizona 1928 births 2019 deaths Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Greek Eastern Orthodox priests Eastern Orthodox missionaries People from Volos Archimandrites Greek emigrants to the United States People from Florence, Arizona People associated with Mount Athos People associated with Philotheou Monastery Disciples of Joseph the Hesychast