​Elder Sophrony (Sakharov) of Essex was born in Russia in 1896, but departed as a young man in 1921 for the intellectual and artistic hubs of Europe. He finally settled in Paris where he found success as an artist. During this time, he engaged in the practices of oriental mysticism.

​In his conversation with Nicholas Motovilov, St Seraphim of Sarov instructs that the aim of the Christian life is to acquire the Holy Spirit. Practising the virtues should not be the goal of our spiritual life; rather the virtues should be the means by which the goal is achieved.

​Above the Kadeesha River sits a pearl of ascetic struggle unworthy of the world. Burrowed in the caves of Mount Hamatoura exists the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos, overlooking a land that once flourished with monastic fervour.

​Elder Amphilochios (Makris) of Patmos (1889-1970) has been added to the register of Saints by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (29 August 2018).

​Saint Amphilochios was a monk of the St. John the Theologian Monastery on the island of Patmos, where St. John the Evangelist received the Divine revelation that became the book of Revelation. The Saint also served as the abbot of the monastery. He also established women’s monasteries and an orphanage.