The Greatest Contribution of Elder Ephraim of Arizona to North America

On Dormition in 1959 after being with Elder Joseph for 12 years when the elder passed away and was buried, John who became Fr. Ephraim went on to become the abbot of the Holy Monastery of Philotheou on Mt. Athos, one of the 20 ruling monasteries of Mt. Athos. He became a very notable abbot. In fact he revived not just the monastery of Philotheou but a number of other monasteries on Mt. Athos and several monasteries outside of Mt. Athos, including a monastery in Serras, Volos, a woman's monastery in Thasos. He was incredibly influential in his love and his being able to pass on what he had learned from Elder Joseph.

In 1979, after he had been an abbot for some time on the Holy Mountain, he developed a disease in his foot and his spiritual children who lived in Canada insisted that he have his foot treated. While he was in Canada getting his foot treated, he met with the Greek priests (it was either in Toronto or Montreal). This was a historic visit. Fr. Ephraim was shocked when talking with the priests that they did not have father confessions. He volunteered to hear all of the priest's confessions and they were all excited. So all the priests made confession one by one to Fr. Ephraim. While they were with him they discovered as they were confessing or trying to confess because they were not use to the practice of confession that they were neither making confession themselves nor were there people making confessions to their own priests. They were having trouble. So Fr. Ephraim using his spiritual gift of clairvoyance began to help the priests by simply telling them what their sins were. Many sins that they themselves have never revealed to anyone. They were so moved by this, so moved by his presence and his love and giftedness that they called friends and family and told them "before this elder goes back to Mt. Athos you should come to confession."

The next day Fr. Ephraim was greeted by 300 parishioners, all of whom made confession. He spent that day confessing 300 people. The day after, which was his last day in Canada, 1000 people came for confession. How is it possible for a priest to confess 1000 people? You must go without sleep. It began one of the greatest contributions that Elder Ephraim has made since 1979 until this day in all of North America, in the United States and Canada. He has brought confession, the very heart of making spiritual progress. The key to spiritual healing which wasn't even being practiced in any serious way, he brought confession, front and center. First to the priests and then through them to the people. And he spent most of his remaining days teaching and practicing confession everywhere he went for hours, many days spending 15 hours hearing confessions. This was 1979.

He went back to Mt. Athos and he began to go to Canada. He was blessed by the late Archbishop Iakovos of America, who use to be over Canada as well, to become a traveling father confessor. he traveled all over the United States and Canada from 1979 until 1994. In 1994, the Holy Community of Mt. Athos asked Fr. Ephraim to make a decision to where he wanted to live: "Are you continuing to live on Mt. Athos and if so you need to stay here, or if God is calling you to North America then you need to go there." And he answered: "I believe God is calling me to North America." And so he came to North America.

In 1994 he established his lavra, his monastery of St. Anthony in the desert of Arizona. This monastery he used to do gargantuan unheard of feat in the history of the Church. He has established 18 monasteries in the United States and Canada. Building up monks and nuns from St. Anthony's monastery and from a number of his original monasteries and sending them all over the United States and Canada. And everywhere they went they took the same encouraging center: a commitment to the Jesus Prayer, a commitment to what we see in the Gospel today, worship and prayer at the absolute heart of life and a great commitment to the practice of confession, spiritual technology, seeking the Kingdom of Heaven in the way that the great saints taught us. He became a marvelous monastery builder, he planted the Jesus Prayer in the hearts of the faithful, so that today, not only monks and priests but laypeople all over the continent of North America are struggling everyday to use the Jesus Prayer and to say "Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me" and to have that going so that they keep their connection with God and overcome the split that they feel inside of themselves between being with God and being outside of God, being holy and being secular. The unnatural split which is partial of being a fallen person, a sinner, is overcome by practicing the prayer and keeping our connection with God alive.

No one more than Elder Ephraim in this continent do we have to thank for bringing this healing to us!

Homily by Fr. Josiah Trenham 

St. Andrew Antiochian Church