Saint Elder Ephraim
Who was this saint?.
Elder Ephraim was a Greek monk and priest who loved Jesus and loved to pray. As a young man he sailed to a special place called Mount Athos, where he lived as a monk for many, many years. Later he traveled across the ocean to America and Canada, where he helped start about seventeen new Orthodox monasteries. He fell asleep in the Lord in 2019 at Saint Anthony's Monastery in Arizona. Many Orthodox Christians today ask for his prayers and hope he will one day be named a saint by the Church.
A saint's story.
Let's hear the story of a quiet boy from Greece who grew up to bring the prayer of Mount Athos all the way to the deserts of America.
A little prayer.
Here is a short prayer you can say with your family.
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for Elder Ephraim, who loved You with all his heart and taught many people how to pray. Help me to love prayer too. Help me to be kind, to forgive others, and to trust You even when things feel hard, just like Elder Ephraim trusted You in the empty desert.
Through his prayers, O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Amen.
"Did you know?.
Here are some neat things to know about Elder Ephraim!
A boy with a big wish
Ephraim wanted to be a monk from the time he was fourteen years old. He had to wait five whole years before his spiritual father said yes.
Life on the Holy Mountain
He lived for many years on Mount Athos, a special peninsula in Greece that is covered with Orthodox monasteries.
A garden in the desert
When he started Saint Anthony's Monastery in the Arizona desert, there was no water at all. The monks planted olive groves and orange trees, and the dry land became green.
Lover of the Jesus Prayer
Elder Ephraim loved the short prayer, 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.' He taught it to everyone he met.
Many monasteries
He helped start about seventeen monasteries in the United States and Canada, for both monks and nuns.
A note for grown-ups
Elder Ephraim of Arizona (1928–2019) has not yet been formally glorified by the Orthodox Church, although Archbishop Elpidophoros of America publicly called for his canonization at the 2024 Clergy-Laity Congress, and the question is being weighed by Church authorities. We have therefore avoided calling him a saint outright and instead refer to him as 'Elder.'
This page focuses on the simple, well-attested parts of his life: his childhood in Volos, his discipleship under Saint Joseph the Hesychast, his abbacy at Philotheou Monastery on Mount Athos, and his founding of around seventeen monasteries in North America, including Saint Anthony's in Florence, Arizona. We have left out adult-level controversies about his ministry, as well as miracle accounts that are still informally reported. Older children can be reminded that he is venerated by many faithful even though the Church has not yet given a final word.
"Meet more saints.
If you liked learning about Elder Ephraim, here are some other holy people you might enjoy meeting next.