Orthodox Parables and Stories:

Father Gavrilescu lived for over forty years in the small Monastery of Kozankea. He was the most famous among the confessors of the area. The elders of the area still talk about him today, and wonderful stories about him are eagerly told.

In the Monastery, from a very young age, Fr. Konon surpassed many monks with the zeal he showed, his fasting, the reading of the Psalms, his repentance, obedience and almsgiving.

Through his zeal to live a holy life, God gave him the gift to cast out evil spirits. Also, only thanks to the power of his prayer and the reading of the Psalms, many people were healed. He was then ordained a priest and a confessor. A large number of patients came to him every day, seeking treatment. Other pilgrims sought his advice and various beggars begged for alms. And God granted to everyone what they asked for, through the prayers of Father Conon. He, the great spiritualist, understood better than all the needs of the believers, their pains, their joys and the power of their faith. For this reason, Fr. Konon, managed to fully identify with the crowd of believers, monks, but also the laity. He helped people mainly with the power of his prayer, talking less to them and more to God about them. Thus, in this way, many sick people, coming out of the cell of Father Konon, returned home treated.

He surrendered his soul to the Lord in the summer of 1933, at an advanced age.

Father Konon used to pray alone in the Church. So once, as he was reading the Akathist of the Most Holy Theotokos, in front of Her image, he suddenly saw tears running from the eyes of Our Lady and Her Holy Form being sad.

"Fathers, come and see a miracle! The Most Holy Theotokos is weeping for us, in the Church ".

Everyone then went and admired this great divine gift.

A woman, crying while holding a baby in her arms, appeared one day in his cell:

"Father Konon, I have six children at home and they are all in good health. But this little one, six months old, is always sick from birth. He does not eat, does not sleep and cries day and night. What to do;".

"Well, my lady, if you want your child to live, dedicate it to the Virgin Mary. "This child will die."

"I know my father, but what exactly should I do?"

"Take a towel and a candle and bring the child to the Church, put it in front of the image of the Virgin Mary and say after me:" My Lady, I trust You and I offer my child. "Give him his health and protect his soul and his life" ". After that the woman returned home happy and since then the child found his health and never got sick again ! Later, this particular child of hers, went to the Monastery and with the grace of the Most Holy Theotokos, evolved into the famous Archimandrite Cleopas Elie !!!

When Fr. Konon was already old, one of his students said to him:

"My Father, you have cast out many demons from the body and soul of men." And the father, sighing and wanting to teach him a lesson of humiliation, replied:

"Indeed, brother, I drove out demons that lived inside my fellow human beings, but to this day I have not managed to drive out any of those who live inside me…" !!!