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| Church of Saint Spyridon in Aigaleo |
The incident I will describe, and my husband also agrees, was the beginning for us to open our hearts and really believe in God, because until then, we only criticized God's ministers negatively. And my husband even defended the opinion that God does not exist. It was an event that confirmed to us how unjustified we were, how wrong we were and opened our eyes so that we could see the true way, God's way.
Our son Sotiris was born on September 19, 1994. I had decided when my child was forty days old to take him to a church to receive the blessing, as is customary, after the advice of our immediate relatives.
I didn't take him on the day he turned forty days old, but the day after, which was Sunday, October 30, 1994. But, like the careless and naive people that we are, that day I got up at 7:00 in the morning to feed him, but then I lay down again and we fell asleep. So my husband and I got up later and got ready to go to church at our leisure. When we went to the first church, the Divine Liturgy was over and there was no Priest to give the blessing to the child. We left and went to another church. We visited the churches we knew in the municipalities of Peristeri, Haidari and Aigaleo. Some churches were closed and others that were open, the Priests had left. But I insisted and told my husband that "Today, Sunday, he should receive the blessing." We ended up around 2:00 in the afternoon outside the Sacred Church of Saint Spyridon in Aigaleo. My husband told me to give up the effort and go the next day to get a blessing, but I insisted. I saw the church door ajar and told him that "this would be our last attempt." So we entered the Sacred Temple, me with my child in my arms and my husband.
The chandelier in front of the Beautiful Gate of the Sanctuary was electrified. A Priest sat in the back stasidion of the women's section (today the stasidia have been replaced with chairs). He was old and because I didn't want to disturb and tire him, I went to the office of the Priests inside the church, in a renovated area, to find another Priest to give the blessing. There was no one in the office. I looked around the whole church and there was no other person, not even the sexton.
Then, the unique old Priest as he was sitting turned his head towards us and asked us: "What do you want?" "Father," I said to him, "I want to do the forty for my child, but we are late today." "I will do it," he said and stood up. Then we saw a man tall, old, with a white beard and hair, wearing a white cassock. He was coming slowly towards us, not because he was old, but because he was very peaceful, He took the child in his arms and he disappeared in his embrace. He said the prayers from memory, without reading anything and took him to pass him through the Sanctuary of the Temple.
He entered through the central Sacred Gate of the Sanctuary and exited through the left side door. He came to us, gave me the child and said three wishes, not "may yours live", but very specific wishes concerning the future of the child, which, however, because we had not shown the necessary attention, we do not remember to this day, neither me nor my husband. We took the child overjoyed to be able to forty him, and ignorant as we were we left.
Our son Sotiris was born on September 19, 1994. I had decided when my child was forty days old to take him to a church to receive the blessing, as is customary, after the advice of our immediate relatives.
I didn't take him on the day he turned forty days old, but the day after, which was Sunday, October 30, 1994. But, like the careless and naive people that we are, that day I got up at 7:00 in the morning to feed him, but then I lay down again and we fell asleep. So my husband and I got up later and got ready to go to church at our leisure. When we went to the first church, the Divine Liturgy was over and there was no Priest to give the blessing to the child. We left and went to another church. We visited the churches we knew in the municipalities of Peristeri, Haidari and Aigaleo. Some churches were closed and others that were open, the Priests had left. But I insisted and told my husband that "Today, Sunday, he should receive the blessing." We ended up around 2:00 in the afternoon outside the Sacred Church of Saint Spyridon in Aigaleo. My husband told me to give up the effort and go the next day to get a blessing, but I insisted. I saw the church door ajar and told him that "this would be our last attempt." So we entered the Sacred Temple, me with my child in my arms and my husband.
The chandelier in front of the Beautiful Gate of the Sanctuary was electrified. A Priest sat in the back stasidion of the women's section (today the stasidia have been replaced with chairs). He was old and because I didn't want to disturb and tire him, I went to the office of the Priests inside the church, in a renovated area, to find another Priest to give the blessing. There was no one in the office. I looked around the whole church and there was no other person, not even the sexton.
Then, the unique old Priest as he was sitting turned his head towards us and asked us: "What do you want?" "Father," I said to him, "I want to do the forty for my child, but we are late today." "I will do it," he said and stood up. Then we saw a man tall, old, with a white beard and hair, wearing a white cassock. He was coming slowly towards us, not because he was old, but because he was very peaceful, He took the child in his arms and he disappeared in his embrace. He said the prayers from memory, without reading anything and took him to pass him through the Sanctuary of the Temple.
He entered through the central Sacred Gate of the Sanctuary and exited through the left side door. He came to us, gave me the child and said three wishes, not "may yours live", but very specific wishes concerning the future of the child, which, however, because we had not shown the necessary attention, we do not remember to this day, neither me nor my husband. We took the child overjoyed to be able to forty him, and ignorant as we were we left.
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| Icon of St. Spyridon in the Aigaleo church |
After some time, a commissioner of that specific Sacred Temple came to the shop we have in Aigaleo we work in. We were conversing and told him "you have a very good Priest in your temple" and began to describe the Priest we thought we had seen. "We don't have any Priest who is like that," he answered us. Then he asked us "Do you mean Father...?" (we don't remember his name). "No," we replied. "We know Father... It wasn't him." When we told him that he was wearing a white cassock, he burst into tears telling us that a simple priest does not wear a white cassock except on special occasions. He also told us that the church is closed at that time of the day, because everyone is resting from the morning Divine Liturgy and going to church later in the afternoon. "Only Christ and the Saints have the right to wear white cassocks, so pray and thank God," were his words and he left.
Then we thought that immediately on one of the following days we should visit the Priests of the church and see who the Priest really was. Before we could go, a woman came into our shop, who had never come before, nor has she since. She kept talking, no one could stop her (it should be noted that there were other customers inside the store). She noticed a small icon of Saint Ephraim, which we had been given and which we had posted in a prominent place, and she said to us, “Ah!, do you also know Saint Ephraim? Take an icon," she told us. And before I could say anything, she took my hand and placed a small icon in my palm. I looked at it. It was the icon of Saint Spyridon. I waited for the unknown woman and the rest of the customers to leave and I asked my husband: "Do you remember the Father who fortied our Sotiri?" "Yes," he replied. "Do you remember exactly what he was like?" "Yes," he answered me again. "Look at this icon," I said, showing him the icon of the Saint. "Yes," he said excitedly, "it is him."
Then we thought that immediately on one of the following days we should visit the Priests of the church and see who the Priest really was. Before we could go, a woman came into our shop, who had never come before, nor has she since. She kept talking, no one could stop her (it should be noted that there were other customers inside the store). She noticed a small icon of Saint Ephraim, which we had been given and which we had posted in a prominent place, and she said to us, “Ah!, do you also know Saint Ephraim? Take an icon," she told us. And before I could say anything, she took my hand and placed a small icon in my palm. I looked at it. It was the icon of Saint Spyridon. I waited for the unknown woman and the rest of the customers to leave and I asked my husband: "Do you remember the Father who fortied our Sotiri?" "Yes," he replied. "Do you remember exactly what he was like?" "Yes," he answered me again. "Look at this icon," I said, showing him the icon of the Saint. "Yes," he said excitedly, "it is him."
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| (This is the icon of Saint Spyridon that the woman who came to our shop gave me and which I still keep.) |
So we went to the Church of Saint Spyridon, and we saw Saint Spyridon again in a big icon. He was the same Saint we had met. We reported this wonderful event to the Priests. The officials of the Sacred Metropolis of Nikaia, where the church belongs, also learned about it.
One Sunday, in that particular church, during the Divine Liturgy, a Priest [Father Angelos] in his sermon described the miraculous incident of the appearance of Saint Spyridon, without mentioning names, of course, telling the faithful that even in our days miracles happen, as long as we open our eyes and our soul. Indeed, he's absolutely right. If we open our hearts and really ask God to come into our lives, then He will help us in every step, in every moment of our life. As of today, as I write these lines, our son has reached fourteen years of age, he has grown up very nicely, calmly, always offering us happiness and joy to have him with us. May God always give him enlightenment!
Me and my husband wanted to give our own testimony regarding one of the miracles that are happening even in our days!
This particular church celebrates the memory of Saint Spyridon on December 12.
Aigaleo April 10, 2009
The mother: Archontoula F.
The father: Grigorios F.
One Sunday, in that particular church, during the Divine Liturgy, a Priest [Father Angelos] in his sermon described the miraculous incident of the appearance of Saint Spyridon, without mentioning names, of course, telling the faithful that even in our days miracles happen, as long as we open our eyes and our soul. Indeed, he's absolutely right. If we open our hearts and really ask God to come into our lives, then He will help us in every step, in every moment of our life. As of today, as I write these lines, our son has reached fourteen years of age, he has grown up very nicely, calmly, always offering us happiness and joy to have him with us. May God always give him enlightenment!
Me and my husband wanted to give our own testimony regarding one of the miracles that are happening even in our days!
This particular church celebrates the memory of Saint Spyridon on December 12.
Aigaleo April 10, 2009
The mother: Archontoula F.
The father: Grigorios F.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.