Regarding Silouan of Mt Athos

[Maria]

Are we talking about Elder Ephraim of Arizona ? I was just going to write something related to him on the thread devoted to analyzing his strange ways.

I always get mixed up with all those New Calendar fake elders, like Paisios, who is so much praised by World Orthodox. I barely can focus on them. So it was his writing about the purification of the heart that you read, Orthodox in Michigan ?

Yes i stumbled upon it , and it seemed ok and practical for a beginner like myself i thought the verses at the end of the article to be helpful , i know there are better sources for the spritual life , i just wondered if any one else found some good advice from this or is it something to avoid altogether.

I once read some of elder Michael last mystic of valaam by sergi bolshkov and thought some of his sayings helpful , he seemed sprit filled i know he was under the mp but i thought he was in contact with anthonite elders i dident know who they were or did he secretly celebrate the mysteries in his cell under them.

The Sayings of the Desert Fathers is a very good read.

[Barbara]

Back to that monastery for a moment, and then I will reply about Elder Michael of Valaam later [ good find, Orthodox in Michigan ], I realized I have no clue what the premises look like. So I searched and found this 'icon' of Fr Silouan of Mt Athos which was done by his student, Sophrony, founder of the monastery.

I could not get over the vast size of it. I found this picture which shows humans [Frederica-Matthews-Green and some other visitors from some years ago] so the contrast will convey how much there is - I suspect - a cult of personality going on at that Essex monastery -- and beyond. The image does not post, so here is the link :

http://frederica.com/picture/Bp%20Basil ... Image=true

PS I can not believe that an Orthodox author would have a website named only "Frederica.com". Sounds narcissistic to me, as if there is only one Orthodox star on the firmament named that, whom people should immediately recognize.

[Barbara]

I see he reposed Sept 24, 1938 at 2 am. I got this info from a Serbian documentary showing the places where the Russian Fr. Silouan lived on Mt Athos. The footage of St Panteleimon's Monastery and other Athonite venues was of value. However, the film was more than enough : I am not curious to learn any more about the life of this Name-Worshipping figure.

Tomorrow, Sept 24, 2018, is the 80th anniversary of Fr Silouan's repose.

I guess it was a good moment to find this film, which somehow popped up in the youtube margin.

The best part for me of the 40 minute clip is the singing of snippets of "Agni Parthene" toward the beginning. It's the best version of the Hymn "O Pure Virgin" : that done by Hierodeacon Herman [German] of Valaam and his choir in the 1990s. [ See : http://euphrosynoscafe.com/forum/viewto ... 12&t=11903 ].

Interesting choice, as Valaam was called The Northern Athos.