From the bottom of our hearts we wish that this book will help many Orthodox Christians in their spiritual life, in acquiring spiritual insight, and we ask readers not to forget us in their prayers.

Sacred Women's Hesychastrenrion of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Milesi, August 5, 2002

From the compiler

A few words about the book that you are now holding in your hands. I will try to speak simply and openly, and I will begin with my first meeting with Father Porphyrios.

I met the Elder after Pascha in 1980. When I first saw him, he was resting on his modest bed in a simple cement-block cell at Milesi in Attica. It was noticeable that he had just recovered from a serious illness, so he could hardly speak. I knelt down beside Father Porphyrius and asked him to bless me and give me some of his blessed, heartfelt instructions. Of course, I cannot tell you my confession. I will only say that the Elder revealed a lot to me. I was amazed by his gift of clairvoyance. He talked to me for a while, as far as his strength allowed and as far as I could perceive the measure of my spiritual imperfection. Later, I met with him two more times, but we were no longer able to talk, the Elder always had many visitors. However, his holy humility and great love taught me a wonderful lesson. Do you know what it means to see a man of God, enlightened, peaceful, burdened with many illnesses, and yet receiving people day and night without complaints or murmuring? His heart was always open to everyone.

I believe that it is worth briefly describing the main stages of Father Porphyrios' life. In this way we will be able to better understand this book and spiritually enjoy the company of the Elder.

Father Porphyrios was born in 4906 into a very poor but pious family in the village of Agios Ioannis in Karystia on the island of Euboea [2]. His entire education consisted of two classes of elementary school. According to him, he learned to read and write by reading the Gospel and church service books. In order to financially support the family, his father left for the construction of the Panama Canal. Little Evangelos, that was the name of the Elder, worked in the garden and grazed several sheep belonging to their family in the nearby fields. There he read the life of St. John Kolov [3]·. The holy image of this monk sank deeply into his soul, and he decided to imitate it.

Still very young, at the age of 43-44, he went to Holy Mount Athos. There he stayed at the skete of Kafsokalyvia [4] And he became a novice in a cell where two very kind, but strict elders lived. He lived with them for 5-6 years. There Father Porphyrius learned what the monastic life is, what "perfect," "joyful," as he said, obedience is, what pure love for God is. There, he, a sincere and pure youth, received the gift of clairvoyance. Unexpectedly, Father Porphyrius fell very seriously ill, and God showed that He wanted to send him into the world, so that he could, according to the grace given to him, inspire, enlighten, console and instruct people there. The young monk returned to his homeland, to the island of Euboea, and stayed at the monastery of St. Charalampus in Avlonari. There his serious illness passed. At the age of twenty, he met Archbishop Porphyrios of Sinai, who, amazed at the young monk's lofty gifts, ordained him a hieromonk, giving him his name – Porphyrios. Imagine, he described the monastery on Sinai to the archbishop in detail, although he himself had never been there!

When the Monastery of Agios Charalampios was handed over to the nuns, Father Porphyrios moved to the Monastery of Agios Nikolaos in Vathia, on Aegina. In the year 4940, the Elder arrived in Athens, where he was appointed rector of the Church of St. Gerasimos at the polyclinic located next to Omonia Square [5]. There he served God and people for 33 years, living in humble obscurity and performing great feats for the glory of God. He helped thousands of people to find the peace of God. Father Porphyrius even helped doctors, making, thanks to his gift of clairvoyance, accurate diagnoses. By the grace of God, he healed many sick people. All this was done by an illiterate, by worldly standards, but perfectly knowing the holy letter of God, the Elder. "Who are wise are the fishers of the manifestation" [6], is sung in the troparion to the Holy Trinity.

After finishing his service in the church of St. Gerasimos and retiring, Father Porphyrios lived for several years at the church of St. Nicholas in Calissia, in Penteli [7].

Finally, he moved to Melisi in Malakasa, located about 39 kilometers from Athens towards Lamia, and then another five kilometers on the road to Oropos. There he lived as humbly as before, enduring many of his illnesses, which God in His love granted him, according to the words of the Apostle, like a thorn in the flesh... so that he would not be exalted [8]. Melisi became a place of real mass pilgrimage. The elder strove for obscurity, but God glorified him. "The world," he wrote later, "considers me a good man, and everyone says that I am a saint. But I feel like the most sinful person in the world... and I ask everyone who knew me to pray for me."

The Elder humbly reposed in his cell in the skete of Kavsokalyvia on the Holy Mountain on December 2, 1991. He received a message from God that his end was near, and he wished to humbly end his life away from the world, in the peace and quiet of God.

No one, except for the inhabitants of Kafsokalyvia, knew about his death. His burial took place very simply, modestly, in a monastic way, on the land that the Most Holy Theotokos chose as Her domain.