November 10, 2014

The Baptismal Font of Elder Paisios the Athonite


Today, November 10th, our holy Church honors the memory of Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia. Saint Arsenios baptized Elder Paisios as an infant in Farasa, and he ordered his parents to give the child his name and not the name Christos that belonged to his grandfather. He then prophesied the meaning behind this: "It is good that you want to leave someone at the foot of the grandfather, yet do I not want to leave a monk at my feet?"

The Ecclesiastical News Agency Romfea.gr has published the stone baptismal font in which Elder Paisios was baptized by Saint Arsenios.

It is to be noted that the baptismal font belonged to certain Turks who kept ground wheat in it, yet recently through the actions of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Association Farasioton it was returned to the museum of the village.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.