A Chain of Grace from Saint Chrysostom to Elder Amphilochios
Recently, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa decided to canonize the heroic and unparalleled Elder Chrysostom Papasarantopoulos. This event is not a simple act but conveys messages and virtues that adorn every human existence with the graces and sanctifying streams of the heavenly presence. A state that ultimately transforms and renews man decisively. This canonization allows us today to write and emphasize the sacrificial spirit that guided the Saint, even though he was only 59 years old, he had illnesses that tormented and afflicted him, perhaps leading to the abandonment of this pioneering work of that era. However, the Saint was determined and convinced that he wanted to do nothing else in his life. His sole concern was how Orthodoxy could be spread to the ends of the earth.
In my previous studies, I extensively dealt with his deep and sincere desire to sacrifice everything, the comfort and ease he had in the Petrakis Monastery when he was there. In these studies, therefore, I provided original information and authentic data that easily justified the recent decision of the Patriarchate of Alexandria for his canonization in the Hagiologion of the Great Church of Christ. Already almost all the people who collaborated with him are no longer alive. And the Holy Elder had so much love and philanthropy that he was inspired by a number of saints who supported him throughout his 12-year work in the field of missions. He deeply believed that without the virtues of love, humility, and sacrifice, he would not be able to fulfill the promise he made that he was not at all interested in his personal advancement but in the Lord’s command, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” This was the mystery and the mission of his entire being: to serve his neighbor, regardless of origin or background.
It was not possible for me to know him personally due to my young age, but reading the news of that time, I was so enthusiastic that we eventually became friends from a distance, and he predicted that I would succeed him with the following words: “Well, my dear Andreas, go forth with the grace and help of our Christ. If the Lord allows me to work here for 8-10 years, I will be happy to hand over the continuation of the sacred work to you, Andreas Tillyrides from Limassol, Cyprus.” Coincidence or divine providence? Still enlightened from heaven, he was able from then on to communicate and be inspired by the spirit of holiness. How blessed was this inspiration for me when I had just turned fifteen. I am still in the deep ocean of God’s own unexplored counsels. I thought that ultimately, to understand how God visits us in a mysterious way, let us allow Him to work miraculously within us.
At this moment, I am traveling to one of the unexplored regions of Kenya, located on the borders of Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, and Somalia. Could this event also have been part of God’s plan for me to learn about the departure of the now ever-memorable Elder Amphilochios Tsoukos, who is in heaven, with whom a very significant moment in the field of missions connects us, namely where we first met. It seems that during those days, I felt a strong desire to communicate with him. I called but received no answer, and I continued my journey with the thought that this too was part of God’s plan.
I met the late and wonderful Elder Amphilochios around the 1980s when I was already journeying in the field of missions, where he too had already served and followed Saint Chrysostom, now a pioneer of Foreign Missions in the African Continent. And the story continued exactly as Saint Chrysostom prophesied and predicted. We both settled in the small house that the Saint himself built, where he stayed all the years of his ministry there, within the enclosure of Saints Anargyroi in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. So, in this small house, where the pioneering Saint Chrysostom established his center, he then proceeded from Kenya to Zaire (Congo). It was in this very house that Elder Amphilochios and I, then young and inexperienced, learned what love and sacrifice mean for my neighbor and the despised.
Elder Amphilochios, I could say, was my teacher, my spiritual father, humble and gentle, whom I truly needed at the beginning of my missionary journey. And most importantly, he was discipled twice by Saint Chrysostom, as during the period 1968-69, he was here with another future Saint, Gavriilia. I should note here that Fr. Pavlos Nikitaras, the former abbot of Patmos Monastery, was also present, and all of us had this great blessing to begin our missionary journey with the blessing of Elder and now Saint Amphilochios of Patmos. What can I write when I think that I too lived some moments with everyone, especially with Elder Amphilochios.
He was already experienced, and I was a newcomer in the army of peace for the new period that Saint Chrysostom left us. I vividly remember my first experiences when, as a catechist, I made my first attempts in Laikipia with the Maasai and the Turkana. I made this effort alone, sitting under a tree with the blind Paul as my interpreter, who spoke fluent English and the local dialects of the various tribes in the area. Elder Amphilochios was the one who performed the first mass baptisms. If my memory serves me correctly, about 150 people, and then mass church weddings followed. It was very natural for me to become the godfather of all and the best man in this case. I still vividly remember that Elder Amphilochios was deeply moved by this event, as it was happening for the first time in the history of the various tribes in the area. His words, thoughts, and feelings from that distant and historic journey still come to my mind.
He would tell me characteristically: “My Andreas, today I deeply tasted in my heart the infinite love of God for man. They waited twenty centuries for Christ and Orthodoxy to reach them. This shows how much God loves His creations, these beings who today became His children, angels here on earth, with the very eyes of their soul they touched for the first time this divine teaching of love, forgiveness, humility, and obedience.”
Our days passed quietly, and since we lived together in Saint Chrysostom’s small house, not a moment passed without mentioning him. We thought he was there with us, wandering around, since it was from there that he himself began the enlightenment of our brethren not only in Kenya but also in other African countries, Uganda, Tanzania, Zaire, etc.
Thus, with Elder Amphilochios, we spent unforgettable moments, as he particularly loved the services, and we had the Cathedral of Saints Anargyroi next to us, so he was the celebrant and I was the chanter. We lived, I would say, one of the best moments of our presence here and of the divine energies transmitted to us by the heavenly presence of armies of saints and angels who spiritually connected us.
We had to get to know other parts of Kenya. So we began journeys and visits to the interior. At that time, there were no roads as there are today. I still see before me the rocks and hills that we absolutely had to cross to reach our destination. And the Elder would close his eyes and silently say his prayer with his prayer rope. How many hours, how many days, how many nights… And yet he would tell me: “We came here to work, to give ourselves for the people around us who are waiting to hear for the first time the word of the Gospel of life and Resurrection. Today, my child Andreas, we are called to sacrifice our lives and ourselves to bring these unevangelized peoples, who for so many centuries have been waiting to know Him and ultimately become children of His Heavenly Kingdom, closer to Christ.”
These words, uttered from the soul of the much-revered Elder Amphilochios, I remember to this day, and they guide me in fulfilling my sacred mission. For the sake of truth, I quote below an authentic letter from Elder Amphilochios to Saint Chrysostom.
