METR. HIEROTHEOS: How a choice of existence abide you proverbial Eldress Magdalene, Chrysafenia?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: Equally I was a developing child. I would go the Monastery at five and a partly existence old! At the same time as I was in the better blotch. I would come and go what I would go to school. At one time I got green about the gills. My eyes sadden. They took me to all the doctors but put on was no healing for me. To a certain extent of triumph make better, I became lessen.
METR. HIEROTHEOS: In the same way as was bogus with your eye? Which one was it?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: It was the valid one, and it was white. I couldn't see out of it. An aunt of outlook took me and said: "We took her to the doctors, but nearby in Aegina we abide untouchable 'doctors'! Let us grasp her to His Immovable that he may bless her with the Holy Spike." At the same time as we taking part in in Aegina, I thought to her: "Devoted Aunt, we are leaving to the Bishop who thought to bless me with the Holy Spike." I thoughtfulness, developing child that I was, that the Holy Spike was medicine! I didn't know. Automobiles didn't exist put on at that time. My aunt grabbed a donkey and we sat. She to be found me on the rump. At the same time as we taking part in at All Saints, she showed me the Monastery.
"We are leaving put on", she tells me. "We confer on any see the Grandfather to bless you."
"Aunt, I am triumph down", I told her. I got off the donkey and completed three prostrations. And looking concerning Paradise, I said: "My Panagia, my Christ, I any call for to breathing here! To become a nun nearby at this Monastery!"
My aunt gets off and she slapped me! "You confer on never get off the animal again until we come to the Monastery", she told me.
"No, my aunt. I confer on not get off again."
We taking part in at the Monastery of the Holy Trinity. His Immovable sat in the wee small hours a mulberry. He had a chair and a stool on which he to be found his feet.
"Acquaint with is the Grandfather who confer on make your eye make better."
I went and caressed the feet of the Grandfather and thought to him: "My Grandpa I love you, O how considerably I love you! From the earth to the sky! And if you make my eye well, I confer on love you even more!"
I sat on the stool where his feet were, and begged him: "Increase, Grandpa, and make my eye well."
His Immovable got up, Saint Nektarios that is, and we went to the church. He took the Holy Spike and blessed me. I was any waiting for him to create me medicine! His Immovable then thought to Eldress Christodouli: "Employee to her aunt some roses from the epitaphion, in order to abscess them and flop her eyes with it."
My aunt took them. On the contrary, while we went individual the way in of the church, my eye was utterly fine! I saw the light! My eye was cleansed! How can I work to rule the Grandfather.
"My Grandpa, no ram what you charge me, I am not leaving!"
"My child, go to school so you can learn characters, in order to be convenient in the Monastery."
"No, my Grandpa, I am not leaving! I confer on be positioned in the Monastery, nearby about to you!"
So I went and hid in person at assured sofas they had at the Old Age Give shelter to. They can thoroughly see my feet. The nuns thought concerning themselves: "The developing child became worried and she in all probability took to the channel and disappeared." Saint Nektarios told them: "She didn't work to rule. I confer on find her."
He came to the Old Age Sphere to find me. He thought to me: "Increase, my child, come out." I came out.
My aunt was crying: "Your twitch in America confer on learn about this and you confer on even lose your bucks. You won't abide any bucks to eat."
"We confer on abide considerably more, if I come to the Monastery", I told her. "I am not coming down."
"Go, my child", thought the Saint. "Go and I confer on send Eldress Athanasia and Eldress Damiani, who go down and shop, and they confer on bring you nearby with the animal."
I even observe the name of the animal. They had a petty animal named "Lisa". I observe what I climbed on the rump and followed Eldress Damiani, Eldress Athanasia and Eldress Christophora as they were shopping. They would be positioned at our motherland.
METR. HIEROTHEOS: Was that the better time you met His Eminence?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: Yes, at five and a partly existence old. At the time he completed my eye well. I continued leaving to school. Eldress Damiani and Eldress Athanasia would come and grasp me put on. Encircling a week had once gone by and His Immovable did not see me. He saw me in his dream. At the same time as he had a chat with the nuns - Eldress Xeni, Eldress Christophora, Eldress Haritini, the nuns of old - he asked them about me.
"She is green about the gills, Your Immovable, and we did not charge you?"
"Tonight I saw her in my dream. She was wearing a golden show and I accepted her a golden cross! You have got to abide told me."
As swiftly as the nuns went out, Eldress Akakia came to the flaw. I lived in her flaw. They had a petty floor put on and I stayed put on. It was about the "school". I went to His Immovable.
"Tasty to the majestic Chrysafenia! Tasty to my good child!" I kissed his hands and his feet.
"My Grandpa, my Grandpa, I was green about the gills but my be cautious about and my posture were here!"
"Sit, my child."
He took his omophorion and wrap and "read" arrogant me.
"From today, don't let me hear being cup you Demetroula! At the same time as you hear the name 'Chrysafenia', then you confer on respond! Let the nuns learn of this."
METR. HIEROTHEOS: Meanwhile, did you go to school?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: Yes. I conclude the fourth blotch. They told me to go even far-flung, but I didn't call for to, what I was shy I would lose the Monastery! I was twelve existence old while Saint Nektarios reposed in 1920. Sometimes the Saint would ask me:
"How old are you, my child?"
"How am I assumed to know, Grandpa? I was inherent on the anniversary of Saint John Chrysostom."
"May you abide a golden maw, my child!" he would say with a beam.
He would grasp me up to the Archdiocese. On the channel he would ask me:
"At the moment, my child, is the anniversary of Saint John the Omen. Why do they cup him Forerunner?"
"It was his forename, Grandpa!" I thought to him.
"No, my child. He led the way for Christ. This is why he, Saint John, is six months depressing than Christ."
Poles apart day, on the anniversary of the Holy Unmercenaries, he thought to me: "Why do they cup them, Kosmas and Damianos, Unmercenaries?"
"It was their forename, Grandpa!" I responded.
"No, my child. They were physicians and did not acceptable silver alter (). This is why they cup them Holy Unmercenaries ( )."
"And what are silver alter, Grandpa?"
"Income, Chrysafenia my child. They would not grasp it. They healed for free."
One day Zenobia Lalaouni came, who is proverbial today as Nektaria and is a nun in the Monastery of Phaneromeni in Hiliomodi, in order for me to go gulp down with her to Mesagro. We went to Abbess Xeni to acceptable sureness.
"Go to your Grandfather to charge him", thought the Abbess.
We went to His Immovable. I thought to him: "My Grandpa, can I any go to Mesagro, the same as Zenobia is shy to go alone?"
"No, my child. Your mother knows you are at the Monastery. In the same way as if whatever thing happens to you? Go to the back of the Monastery where is all the pisolite to see her off until Zenobia gets lost on the marks."
I was disturbance, and I thought to in person lacking even whispering: "You abide bounce me, Grandpa!"
The Saint turned to me and said: "You abide bounce me, Grandpa?"
"My Grandpa, I did not yell it out! I thought it to in person."
METR. HIEROTHEOS: In the same way as exceedingly do you observe, Chrysafenia?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: I confer on charge you about while Bishop Meletios came (this is Meletios Metaxakis, who was the Public of Athens at the time and forward-thinking became Ecumenical Patriarch). The nuns had lit candles. They gave me the basket with the roses. As I was holding it they would take them from put on and deluge them on him! At the same time as Meletios disappeared, Saint Nektarios was disturbance. I approached him.
"Why my Grandpa are you upset? What's wrong?"
"My child, confer on you grasp us to your home?"
"In the same way as confer on you do in our house? Without difficulty, Grandpa! Help, Grandpa, so I can stretch the beds."
"I counted them, I counted them. They seemed too few."
"They don't fit us, Grandpa. But why have got to we work to rule the Monastery? I call for to liven up in the Monastery nearby. I call for to be nearby with the nuns."
"Go consequently, my child, to the Panagia in the narthex and say a prayer."
He didn't charge me what form of prayer to say. I went and kneeled beforehand the Panagia crying:
"My Panagia, stop him! My Panagia, stop him!"
I was tardily praying. Eldress Haritini went to the Bishop and said: "The whilst one must abide gotten demoralized, Your Immovable, and she disappeared."
"No, Eldress Haritini. She did not work to rule. She is in the church. Go and bring her."
Eldress Haritini came and took me to His Immovable.
"My child, what were you saying all this time?"
"My Grandpa, I asked God to stop him, so that he can die and we can with the exception of the Monastery!"
"My child! You thought things uniform that? Your maw must be darling and sugar!"
He then had me defer to beforehand the Panagia and read arrogant me the prayer of mercy.
"Do not say such a word again, my child."
Poles apart time they were roasting. They would make me a fat bun every time they parched. They told me not to charge the other nuns. One day His Immovable thought to me:
"Increase nearby, my child. Did they possibly make you a fat bun, put on where you help them make bread?"
"They did, Grandpa, but they told me not to say anything!"
He laughed and he blessed me.
"Produce it nearby. Don't eat it all at once. You confer on get green about the gills."
As swiftly as one entered the Old Age Give shelter to put on was a bathroom cabinet. Acquaint with they detached the sweets so I wouldn't eat them severe and whatever thing turf out to me. Acquaint with was a petty fat number beforehand the flaw of His Immovable, and I ate. On good days I would eat with the nuns at the number. But at the petty one I ate with His Immovable.
METR. HIEROTHEOS: Did you ever chant while the Saint was alive?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: They brought me about. That's while Eldress Theodosia, Eldress Akakia and Eldress Christophora would chant.
METR. HIEROTHEOS: Who chanted the best out of the three?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: Eldress Christophora. Eldress Theodosia had a stronger spell out.
METR. HIEROTHEOS: At the same time as Theodosia came, was she very sick?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: They called her Evmorfia. I observe any their material names. Bubble would come from her. Her eyes would difficulty. The Saint completed her well. And Mitrodora. She came whilst the Saint. Her twitch brought her to his tomb. They any brought their cattle which they carried around with them! She was completed well put on. Parthenia Krakari was any very green about the gills. Eldress Akakia I observe to abide been a good chanter and good nun. They were all good! Eldress Haritini had the inn out put on.
METR. HIEROTHEOS: Did Magdalene abide unsleeping prayer?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: All night, every night. The Saint told her and she prayed. He completed her a deaconess. At night she would sit on a chair individual the apartment and do the prayer knot. I would go individual and see her. I would say to her: "You confer on get detached. Why don't you go inside?" She would walk around and around the Monastery praying until 3:00 AM while the carillon rang! Amid Agathoniki and singular one she any did eight-hour prayers. The Saint qualified her to say "Noble Jesus Christ, abide favor on me" and "Virgin Theotokos". His Immovable once asked me:
"My good child, while you say member of the aristocracy Jesus Christ, abide favor on me', what do you feel?"
"Christ is dancing within me, Grandpa!" Anything came to me I thought to him.
"At the same time as you write, my child, what does your strength of mind feel?"
"Acquaint with is dancing from my maw to my belly", I would charge him.
I was a developing child. Anything came to me, I thought.
I confer on any charge you about Eldress Evniki. She was paralyzed in bed. The Saint told me to go and "teach" her the "Noble Jesus Christ, abide favor on me". This was to detect her association. She liked my association. She would charge me that she hadn't well-versed it, so that I can constantly sit about her!
"His Immovable told me it three mature and I well-versed it", I would charge her.
I haven't well-versed it", she would nod me optimistic. "I'm an old being, and I haven't well-versed it."
METR. HIEROTHEOS: In the same way as exceedingly do you observe, Chrysafenia?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: One time put on was a want. They brought down nearby to our Monastery the icon of the Panagia Chrisoleondissa. They had it individual the church and the associates revered it. I would say to Eldress Evniki who was paralyzed:
"Honest Eldress, you any get up and venerate!" I had such a be cautious about.
"But, my child, you know that I can't walk."
"I confer on grasp you by the hand. I confer on any credit. I confer on grasp you."
On the double she got up and went and revered by herself! The Panagia completed her well!
METR. HIEROTHEOS: At the same time as the Saint reposed, were you here?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: Of course. I went and sat below the tomb and I wouldn't leave! "I any call for to go with my Grandpa", I would say to them. They would haul on me, Eldress Akakia and others, but I wouldn't change. "She confer on any die", they would say. I was still grieve over.
I got green about the gills with my grief.
METR. HIEROTHEOS: In the same way as nuns do you remember?
NUN CHRYSAFENIA: Eldress Xeni, Eldress Haritini, Eldress Theodosia, Eldress Magdalene, Eldress Christophora, Eldress Kassiani, Eldress Evniki, Eldress Akakia and others.
I went to Chrisoleondissa whilst 1935. Abbess Magdalene took me. Archbishop Chrysostomos completed her Abbess of Chrisoleondissa. In fact, he pleasing to grasp me to learn characters. I didn't go, what I still pleasing to liven up in the Monastery.
Eldress Magdalene worshiped me. Anything I did, she forgave me! That is why I went up put on. I was disturbance notwithstanding, what I was far from the Monastery of the Saint. One night I saw His Immovable in my sleep, and he thought to me:
"Present-day with the Panagia, I am about you, my child."
So I thankful down.
Source: From the book ("I Laugh at Amid Saint Nektarios"), Paperback One, by Manoli Melinou. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
