By Stylianos Kementzetzidis
He was born at the beginning of our century, specifically in 1902 in the village of Platanos, where later, for 42 consecutive years, the good shepherd of the reasonable sheep lived.
He reposed in 1975, on January 29th, in peace.
He is a saintly figure, although he lived as a married man in the world.
He was endowed with many gifts, with great diligence, purity of conscience, unwavering faith, deep humility and with fullness of love for God and neighbor.
Platanos is a small town, a large village, 15 kilometers to the right of the city of Trikala, in Thessaly.
Father Demetrios performed miraculous signs from the first years of his life.
And what he received from God he cultivated with diligence, he increased it and always humbly and for the glory of God alone.
When God finds such vessels, He utilizes them, enriches them and their lives become more gracious, both for them and for those who approach these spiritual furnaces, these harbors.
Papa-Demetrios did not have the opportunity to study. He finished elementary school in his village with difficulty. He was a shepherd of sheep. Wherever he was, he had the memory of God, the memory of death and after enclosing the sheep in the fold he would go with tears and attend church.
When he could not do this, he would kneel where he was in the mountains and weep, asking for God's mercy, because he was far from the house of God.
He read with great devotion the lives of saints and felt them to be guardians, benefactors and protectors.
He had a vivid sense of their presence. The purity of his life kept them close to him. And as he emphasized, work brings value.
He felt that the saints should protect him and he did nothing if he did not start it with God and if he did not end it with God.
That is, if he left in the morning to tend the sheep, he would first pass by Taxiarches, a temple from the 1600's, solemn, with frescoes, which was located near his house.
There, he learned about God and from his most pious grandmother and his pious parents the Holy Scriptures and the things of God. He would say: “Protect me, keep me, so that I may return to Your house again, to thank You.” First in the house of God and then at work, and again in the house of God and then at home. This was the program of his life.
His life was Eucharistic. Wherever he was, he had reference to God. In the field and everywhere, on the mountain, he chanted and gave thanks incessantly.
He found the indescribable, the joy of God, the blessing of the Lord. In other words, he came to the blessed compunction, to the joyful sorrow, about which the Fathers speak.
Of course, the Elder had his own way of experiencing the things of God. We are not involved in these situations and often do not even understand them, as if it were a foreign language. I will mention an incident that shows that God had in some way chosen him for his holy path and his blessed mission.
He consistently pleased God. And this with his impeccable and pure behavior according to Christ.
One night while he was resting in his poor house, an old man came and woke him up, saying to him: “Get up quickly, my child, the house will fall.”
Again, a second time, he woke him up. And in the end, he woke him up normally. They then left the house and immediately the house falls!
The old man was Saint Nicholas. They had a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas in the village. He came and protected him. As soon as Father Demetrios came out, the house immediately collapsed.
Not a hair falls from the man whom God protects. And when He allows something to show his faith, his patience, the greatness of his virtue, He will also give him the means to overcome it: patience, long-suffering, love, the spiritual weapons which the Elders have in abundance and thus overcome even the greatest trials and sorrows.
I neglected to mention that Father Demetrios married Elizabeth and had nine daughters.
And when the time came for him to go to the army, he went to the Taxiarches, bowed down and made a pact saying: “I ask you for a favor. I have served you since I was a little boy. I clean lamps, I do everything I can. I want you to bring me back without any harm touching me. You are obliged. I also ask for a rousfeti.”
He went to Asia Minor. In all the dangers he faced, they saved him. He said: “In Smyrna they are slaughtering, doing things, but they come to me, they give me a horse and tell me: 'Go to Cesme.' I am in such and such a place with three others, two out of 150 horsemen are killed. They tell me, 'Don’t be afraid, we are with you. At a quarter to nine go to such and such a place to catch the last ship to go to Chios.' And as they said, not a single slap from anywhere.”
Later he went through strong trials, during the civil war, because he spoke about Christ, homeland, family, so they targeted him, threatened him, renounced him and many times they tried to kill him and he was still saved.
I recount one of the many astounding instances. They are all recorded in the diary he kept since he was a young child, which he presented to us in charming, unadorned manuscripts, yet with a grandeur of spirit and heroic sentiment: "I arrived," he says, "on a Sunday morning. I had just managed to exit the church. There were 10 horsemen, and together with their leader, 11, pursuing me across the plain. The villagers on one side witnessed the spectacle, and those from the opposite village also emerged from the church, observing the scene as well.
They cursed me miserably and despicably. I cannot express it. 'Goat priest' and other despicable things, and they were shooting at me. The bullets pierced my vestments, but none penetrated me. When they reached me at 50 meters and surrounded me, I knelt down. I raised my hands to the heavens and cried out from the depths of my soul. 'Michael, Archistrategos, I am in danger, help me.' Instantly, all 11 became statues and were frozen.
The leader falls from the animal, his spine breaks, and after I saw that they were motionless, I thanked God, the Archangels, and said to them: 'Repent, become good people, speak the truth, and may you have God's help.' After blessing them - without them causing me any harm - I went across, where the village was waiting, and entered with all the people into the church, and we glorified God for performing a miracle today."
His entire life was consumed by such events, without any understanding of himself. He would sign his signature with, "the last," "the little priest," or "the scum of the earth." He believed it, he felt it. In every difficulty, he never lost his mind. When his presbytera said to him, "Do you not care? What will happen to the girls? Others are doing this."
"I will die a priest, not a masked man. I sacrifice myself for Christ, for the sake of the sheep. What difference does it make today or tomorrow? We have one soul. I will deliver it into the hands of my Creator."
He was consistent. They invited him to take him to the Middle East. "You did not save me. The Taxiarches saved me, and will I abandon my protectors and my people to go to the Middle East and to Athens? No, not there."
And indeed, God covered him and protected him: "I have Christ as the governor of my life. People have not embraced Him truly in their hearts to feel His greatness. He is sweet. I would not trade Him for anything. For a lifetime, I have been asking Him to grant me the honor to shed my blood for Him. I sleep so carefree, like the bird on the thorn, and He manages everything better than anyone else."
He had complete trust in God, like a small child. He confessed with such purity and sincerity that is rarely found, even amongst small children. Once, when we (along with Father Demetrios) went to meet Father Philotheos Zervakos (we went twice and Father Philotheos came to the village twice, and they served together), Father Philotheos said to him:
“You are sick. Why did you make such an effort and come all the way here (to Paros)? I am the last and the sinner. Trikala has good and worthy fathers,” said Father Philotheos.
“I did not come alone. God brought me. I came to wash and purify my soul.”
When he confessed, he was like an angel. The joy was painted and evident on his face.
“I have not encountered such a pure and perfect confession in the 70 years that I have been confessing,” said Father Zervakos. He was a living saint.
In the book of Father Demetrios Gagastathis, which is prefaced by Father Philotheos (the abbot of the Sacred Monastery of Simonos Petras, Father Aimilianos, also writes at the end), who lived it up close and knows many astounding experiences, he calls him “the holy Papa-Demetrios Gagastathis.”
When we asked him, “Why do you begin the preface like this, Elder?” He replied:
“Because, my child, he is a saint. When I was told about his repose, I began to pray and fast and ask God to inform me in what state he is. And then for days he showed me the glory in which he is. He is a saint.”
And something about Father Philotheos, since we are talking about him. At the repose of Father Philotheos, a family of judges said to Father Porphyrios: “Father Philotheos has reposed.” He said to them: “Go, and I will follow the funeral service from here. Our Church has gained another holy relic.”
Returning from the funeral at midnight, we went to Father Porphyrios. It was 2 a.m. As soon as we arrived, he said: "Father Demetrios is a holy man, even though not many years have passed. It is unrelated. Holiness is not a result of many years. For us, the weak, the Church takes its time. Ensure that the transfer of his relics is officially recognized for all of Orthodoxy."
The people of God who knew Father Demetrios considered him a modern living saint. Among these personalities who today shine in the field of Orthodoxy with their radiant God-like state was Father Amphilochios of Patmos, who also had a correspondence with Papa-Demetrios.
Father Gagastathis was considered a saint by: Father Ephraim of Katounakia, Father George Kapsanis the abbot of the Sacred Monastery of Venerable Gregoriou, as well as the abbot Aimilianos and other respected contemporary fathers of Orthodoxy.
Papa-Demetrios possessed the gift of living faith, the gift of patience, humility, and love, and he brought forth results. When one embraces the love of Christ within oneself, it is akin to receiving the mother of all virtues, a fact not shared by the greatest wise men of the world.
Let me tell you one incident, out of many. I will not mention my own incidents, because I will have to mention some other persons, respected and well-known, with whom I have a connection. One reposed, he was the director of a customs house, very pious, very wise, the spiritual child of Father Demetrios and Father Philotheos, named Athanasios Mourmouris. He was going through a hard trial, namely a slander, which if he could get out of it would be in prison. God fell upon both of these people.
“Do not be sad,” said Father Demetrios. "Be calm, God has His ways. We have our duty. Through prayer, an answer will be given.” The answer would be given after a month in court. Papa-Demetrios fell into prayer. He knew the outcome in advance. And it happened, as Papa-Demetrios said.
Another individual who is still alive was the eparch of Sidirokastro, named Georgios Saidinis. He served as the director of the Ministry of the Interior. He underwent a significant ordeal during the military government. He received an unfavorable transfer to Chania and Sparta. He moved around without obtaining his promotions. He lodged an appeal with the Council of State.
Papa-Demetrios was in the final stage of his life. He was afflicted with cancer. He sends a letter to the Elder and states: "This is the problem I have, what should I do?" The Elder falls into prayer. He had his own way.
Once he was in a state of deep emotion, he received the answer. This was certain. It would not change in any way. It was as if God had predestined it and was revealing it to him. He said to him: "You will receive everything at once. The previous slanders will fall into oblivion, and the President of the Supreme Court will inform you of these things."
Papa-Demetrios was feverish and seriously ill. The appeal took place, and Mr. Saidinis saw Father Demetrios behind the President of the Supreme Court saying the words he had written in the letter. Subsequently, they promoted him and appointed him as the Director of the Ministry of the Interior.
Our acquaintance was indeed the finger of God. At that time, we were publishing a magazine, "Saint Nektarios", and Father Demetrios had gone to the Metropolis. There, a cleric told him: "You love Saint Nektarios, why don’t you take it? It has good content."
"As soon as I received it," he says, "I understood that you are struggling and facing difficulties, and I said to myself: Father Demetrios, you do not know how to preach, you do not know how to write, because you are uneducated and you fall short. You do not know how to pray either." And he writes us a letter saying: "My children, forgive me. I also want a favor. Please send me your names, because I will commemorate them, and I feel the joy of God, the blessing of the Lord, something that cannot be described. It is a significant matter."
Once we traveled by bus from Thessaloniki to various holy sites, including Saint Nektarios. He performed the Liturgy with great devotion. At that time, we told him: "We will not leave unless you share a word of God with us." He reacted as follows: "I am uneducated, I find it difficult, I do not know." He blushed. "If you want, send us away." He opened his mouth, and hours passed while he spoke. No one said, "Enough." One hour? Two hours? Three hours? Did we tire? We were all mesmerized. And he, filled with devotion, with tears. "Our religion is alive, my children. Do you see this holy altar? When I serve, it fills with fragrance. Even the congregation does not perceive it.
I brought Father Philotheos here, I brought so-and-so and they told me: 'This is a special gift for the persecutions you went through for the name of Christ, to comfort you.' And as I come here, I get drunk, my children. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t even know if I celebrated the Liturgy. For that, please forgive me. It’s indescribable. Every object I put on the Holy Altar, not anywhere else, is filled with fragrance. You know, my children, I feel it in the 'ta sa ek ton son' or in the 'Axion estÃ.' Then grace descends. If the whole world were given to you, you would consider it as nothing.
Another time I was in the mountains, persecuted, tormented. They were chasing me to kill me. Zervas took me. They abandoned me. As a priest, they did not want me. But God did not abandon me and I found myself in a place, full of fog, and the river was flooded. I could not cross, I cried like a little child and said: 'My God, either take me out or take me. I am in danger, hunger, lice…'
Where I was praying, a young man came with a horse and when I came to myself I saw that I was on the other side of the river. I said, what happened to me, the sinner? I praised the Lord, and I was looking for the benefactor. One night a young man appeared and said to me: 'Father Demetrios, you have forgotten me.' 'No, my child, I am looking for my benefactor.' 'I am George. Do you remember the 19th… such and such, in such and such a place where you were crying, etc. Who saved you?' 'I don’t know. I am looking.'
'I saved you and you never came to officiate at the chapel.' I wake up, I ring the village bell, I gather the village, we fast and go to this place. This place once had a miracle. It had a tree, a dry branch and on its feast day water flowed. Only on its feast day. And we took it for holy water. Then, because the people were sinful, the miracle stopped. Because a miracle requires faith.
Being that I performed the Service, that is, in the morning at the Liturgy, I said to the villagers: 'What do you say, is Saint George here or not? Does God live and reign and protect the world? Come here, everyone.' They gathered. 'Saint George, I am not doing this out of unbelief, nor out of curiosity, I am doing this to strengthen faith. I want you to come and present yourself, that is, to move the dry wood to pour forth the holy water like in the past.'
So, there, where I was praying, the water began to flow little by little. I was not satisfied, I wanted more, and I became annoying. 'I want more' and it fell, as the bottles were filled, they got wet. This is our faith. Alive.”
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
