There is one sacred day in the cycle of the year when the venerable sanctuary of the Honorable Forerunner beside the River Radika seems to tremble with a joy not of this world; when the bells of the monastery belfry resound with a tone not merely festal, but filial; when the vigil candles burn with a brighter flame, as though inscribing upon the air a luminous and unspoken thanksgiving.
It is the day of the commemoration of our Father among the Saints, Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsakos the Wonderworker — and, at the same time, the nameday of our beloved Elder, His Grace, Bishop Parthenius of Antania.
On this blessed day, our monastic brotherhood, together with a great multitude of spiritual children and friends from near and far, is granted a sacred opportunity: to give voice to that which is lived daily yet seldom uttered — a gratitude deep, reverent, and ineffable toward him whom Divine Providence has entrusted to us as shepherd and spiritual father.
For what is an Elder in the Church of Christ, if not a living altar — upon which, silently and without display, a daily offering is laid down for the life of the flock? What is his love, if not a steady and gentle flame, in which a man gives himself wholly — his strength, his health, his time, his unceasing prayers — that others may live, breathe, and grow unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ?
Such indeed is our Elder: a father whose sacrifice is not proclaimed by trumpet, but revealed in the stillness of his prayer; not measured by words, but known in the weight of his pastoral care; not confined by boundaries, but extended by a heart spacious enough to gather all — those who are near, those newly drawing near, and even those who remain afar.
This year again, on this holy day, the monastery by the Radika became a radiant center of prayer and thanksgiving. From every direction, along the roads that lead to this ancient and grace-filled dwelling, the faithful hastened — monastics and laypeople, clergy, spiritual children and friends — united by one longing: with one mouth and one heart to glorify Christ, the Giver of every good gift, Who has granted us our Elder as a living sign of His providential care.
Our joy was made complete by the presence of clergy from the sister Orthodox Churches of Greece and Serbia — a visible witness to the invisible bonds of brotherly love in Christ, which unite the holy Churches of God in indivisible communion.
Among them were Archimandrite Dositheus, Elder of the venerable Monastery of Grgeteg on Fruška Gora, together with Fathers Julian and Alexander of the Diocese of Srem; Archimandrite Ambrose of the Holy Monastery of Saint Paraskeva in Makrinitsa, accompanied by Protopresbyter Stavros of the Holy Metropolis of Demetrias; and other reverend clergy of our own Church.
Though the fathers from the Holy Mountain were unable to attend due to adverse weather, their spiritual presence and blessing were nonetheless profoundly felt among us.
It was deeply moving to behold such communion in Christ — to hear the solemn stichera and hymns of the festal Great Vespers, presided over by our Elder. In those sacred hours, we were not gathered as representatives of various lands or dioceses; rather, the Church revealed herself in her true form — as one family, one Body, one communion of persons who recognize one another in the Face of Christ.
At the conclusion of the service, visibly touched by the love of the faithful, the Elder addressed the assembly with words of thanksgiving — words bearing the gravity of lived ascetical experience and the depth of prayer; words in which a heart accustomed to giving more than receiving allowed, for a brief moment, its tender gratitude to be seen.
Thereafter, the spiritual children approached one by one, offering tokens of love accompanied by brief dedications — each a quiet testimony to that ineffable mystery carried in every grateful heart: the word that illumined, the prayer that sustained, the blessing that restored.
The monastic brotherhood first offered its filial homage, represented by Archimandrite Dositheus, who addressed his spiritual father with a noble and heartfelt word.
As the Elder departed the church, a further surprise awaited him: the young members of the Eastern Orthodox Church Choir “Metropolitan Kozma Prechistanski” presented a sacred theatrical rendering of the Gospel Parable of the Prodigal Son. Directed by the esteemed actor and director Mr. Vlado Dojchinovski, with Mr. Kristian Tanchevski in the leading role, and accompanied by sacred hymnody, the performance brought to life that eternal mystery of departure and return, of fall and embrace, of the boundless mercy of the Father who awaits His child.
Before an Elder who has dedicated his life to embodying precisely that fatherly image — to waiting, forgiving, and embracing — the parable resounded with singular power. All presents were profoundly moved.
A festal reception followed in the monastery’s synodikon, where the Bishop received the faithful with that gentle warmth of gaze in which each person discerns acceptance, remembrance, and love.
Thus concluded this grace-filled day, with fervent prayers that the Lord preserve our beloved Elder for many years yet to come — in health, strength, and spiritual illumination — that the light of his monastic witness may continue to shine upon our path, and that his intercessions may ever gather us unto Christ in this holy monastery of repentance, where God ceaselessly works through His faithful servants.
May the memory of Saint Parthenius of Lampsakos be eternal and blessed.
And may the Lord grant unto our Elder many and grace-filled years, unto the glory of God and the salvation of our souls.
On many years, our beloved and holy Bishop!
