This post was originally publised on my blog after a pilgrimage I took to St. Anthony’s Monastery in October, 2017.
May we have his eternal blessing!
I feel only one thing rivals seeing and receiving the blessing of a living saint: being able to watch a crowd of people receive the same.
By the grace of God I was able to make a pilgrimage to St. Anthony’s Monastery in Arizona. While there I had the great blessing of seeing Elder Ephraim three times. He does not currently see people one-on-one like he used to, but he comes out almost every morning to greet the pilgrims. The fathers bring him in a car so that the elder (who is close to 90 years of age) can sit while greeting the people. Although the elder has become physically weakened in his old age the strength of his spirit, which is full of life and love for the people, in no way has diminished.
On the last day of our pilgrimage a significant crowd had gathered to wait for…
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matushka constantina
lessons from a monastery 