When he expressed his desire to become a monk, Victoria, his good mother, saw in a dream a certain venerable elder (this was St. Ephraim the Syrian), who said to her: "The decision now made by your child is the will of God, and in this he will succeed."

From this begins the preparation for the future, which was no longer unknown or difficult for the properly educated Gospel. He already knew what the Jesus Prayer, prostrations, fasting, and obedience were.

The life of the elder on Mount Athos, in the wilderness of the Holy Mountain, began on September 14, 1933. He entered the brotherhood of his already mentioned countrymen Ephraim and Nicephorus, in which he spent all his life. The young novice Evangel did not stay with Elder Ephraim, however, for long. After a certain period of obedience, he was tonsured by him into monasticism with the name Longinus. After a short time, the elder reposed, full of days and mature in age, and his place was taken by Hieromonk Nicephorus. In 1935, the young elder18 Nicephorus, when tonsured into the great schema, named Longinus Ephraim in honor of the Monk Ephraim, to whom the church of their hesychastirion was dedicated. The piety and attentiveness of the young monk in the spiritual life were soon appreciated by his elder. The following year he was ordained to the priesthood and since then has been known as Father Ephraim of Katounak.

Father Ephraim was older than us, and he had met our venerable Elder Joseph the Hesychast earlier. He clung to him with all his soul, not only following his advice, but also, as far as possible, imitating him. Father Ephraim was not with us19 all the time. This is how the Divine Providence that governs everything. He lived on Katunaki according to the rule of the elder Nicephorus, following the tradition of the local hermit.

Worthy of our attention is Fr Ephraim's heroic striving to combine two ways of monastic life: hermitage and coenobial, which he fulfilled with unsurpassed zeal, perseverance, and patience. And he was helped by Divine grace, which he restrained by obedience and the rejection of his own will, as the Tradition of the Fathers teaches.

When we, by the grace of Christ, in the summer of 1947 entered into obedience to our Elder, Father Ephraim was our priest,20 and we accepted him as our genuine, unanimous and like-minded brother.

Our venerable Elder explained to us the purpose of the monastic life and led us to it, instructing us with an all-consuming love for God, and not with attention to the rules and places of residence, depending on the circumstances.

What even more obligatory commandment is given to man than that which speaks of love for God with all one's heart, soul, mind, and strength (cf. Mk. 12:30)? This is the first and main lesson that our Elder taught us, tirelessly instructing us on the path to success. In this study, our co-worker and companion of our own free will was our most prudent brother, Father Ephraim.

More mature in years and experience, he was always distinguished by accuracy in the fulfillment of obedience, but not with fear and slavishness, but with love for the Elder Father who gave the order. Explaining the word of the Lord to the disciples, that he who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me (Luke 10:16), he constantly emphasized the importance of complete obedience to the elder, as to Christ Himself.

He explained to us the essence of obedience with clarity and in detail, using many examples, and taught it. In my poor opinion, he should have been called "Father Ephraim the Novice" and not Katunaksky, because he justified the name Novice in practice.

We and other fathers keep in mind many of his sayings about obedience. All of them correspond to Divine Revelation and the teaching of the Holy Fathers, for, according to both logic and natural laws, the practical act of recreating and saving the "fallen and corruptible" is a return to the original position of dependence and obedience, in accordance with the image of our Renewer and Saviour, Who, although in no way less than the greatness of the Father,21 was obedient even unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:11). 8), in order to convince us by our very deeds that without obedience to God there is no hope of salvation.

Father Procopius and St. Theodore

In their brotherhood was Father Prokopiy, in the world Panayot Bakas, who had been a novice all his life. He came to Athos a little later than Elder Nicephorus and never sinned in obedience, working hard at all the hard work. Father Procopius loved and listened to Father Ephraim very much, because he always supported him when their elder showed excessive strictness. Until old age, Father Procopius was ready for any kind of work. He revered obedience and showed zeal in the performance of his duties; for younger monks, Father Procopius was a role model.