But the priest continued his service. Services were held secretly at night with great precautions. Twenty or thirty believers came to them. Fr. Elias served in Greek, with great reverence and tenderness. The sacrament of baptism was also performed at night in the house of a virtuous Turk. One night he baptized thirty-seven people, of whom his wife Sotiria became their adopter, and another ninety-nine, whose adopter was his daughter Lyubov (nun Maria).

Father often made processions with the cross, as he expected that some kind of disaster was coming. He said: "From dry firewood, fire spreads to wet firewood. Even the righteous can be burned from sinners," and: "Without good works, faith is dead."

One evening, in the deepening twilight, Father Elijah's grandson, George Kyriakidis, saw a strange light rising from the forest up the mountainside and approaching the priest's house. The light was getting brighter, it seemed that everything around was engulfed in fire. The boy was frightened and began to cry. "What's wrong with you?" asked Elias' father to his grandson. When the little boy told him about the light, the priest smiled and said: "Don't be afraid, son. This is St. George. At this time, he always comes to church."

In the last year of his life, Father Elias could no longer walk. He suffered greatly from stomach bleeding, prostate cancer, and hematuria. He was carried to church in their arms. All day long he was as if dead, but when the time came to serve, his feeble body seemed to be overshadowed by the Divine power. For three hours he read the Midnight Office and Matins, then served the Liturgy and communed people who came to the service from afar through the mountains and snow.

On Friday, December 6, 1939, on the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas, the priest could not get up at 3 o'clock (as was his custom). St. Nicholas loved Father Elias very much, often appeared to him and talked with him. So on this day, the Saint woke up the priest with a gentle touch, he was glowing with joy and was completely shrouded in unearthly light.

In the same year, Father Elijah's children moved to Greece. Father began to asceticize even more strictly, preparing for the exodus from this temporary world.

In the last days of his life, he did not get out of bed. He refused to eat, eating only prayer. He died peacefully in July 1946. At that moment, light descended from heaven, and the priest's room was filled with an unearthly fragrance. His right hand became wax-like, a testament to how much he secretly helped those in need.

At the request of Father Elijah, he was buried next to the Church of St. George. To his right were later buried his wife Sotiria (died in 1963 at the age of 83), and to his left was his daughter Lyubov (in monasticism Maria).

Every day at midnight sharp, light appeared over the burial place of the priest and myrrh flowed. Those who were anointed with it were healed of any diseases. Gradually, this became known everywhere. So many people came to the grave of the priest that the pilgrimage could no longer be kept a secret.

The police chief found himself in a difficult position. On the one hand, he wanted to protect the church, on the other hand, the large crowd of believers at the grave of Father Elias created certain problems. The situation was getting out of control, and he decided to excavate the burial site. When the tombstone was raised, a bright light shone from the tomb. The relics of the priest were incorrupt and exuded fragrance. They were again interred, and the people were forbidden to worship them. Later, when the persecution softened, the faithful again began to go to the grave of the priest. In Batumi, he was proclaimed a locally venerated Saint and his icon was placed in the church.

In 1962, Georgian bishops reopened the tomb of Father Elijah, but the relics were not there. They were kidnapped. At the burial place of the priest, a miraculous spring of holy water gushed out, from which many were healed.

Today, the great-grandson of Father Elijah, Abraham Paraskevbpoulos, serves in the Church of the Great Martyr George.

Through the prayers of St. Elijah the Myrrh-Streaming, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us! Amen.