The late Elder Father Eumenios Saridakis (1931–5/23/1999) was a modern clairvoyant and wonderworking saint, who worked with great love and self-denial at the Anti-Leprosy Station of Agia Varvara in Athens, where he stood constantly beside human suffering. He himself was a disciple and for years a supporter of another Saint of our Church, Saint Nikephoros the Leper (1887–1/4/1964). Saint Nikephoros was sent into the responsible hands of the love and ministry of Elder Eumenios by another modern saint, Saint Anthimos (Bagianos) of Chios (1869–1960), with a personal letter of recommendation from him.
The Elder, as a liturgist who served in the Church of the Holy Unmercenaries, did not let anyone into the sanctuary. The Divine Liturgies of this Holy Elder were accompanied by the extremely rare and extraordinary “sign” of the blessing and favor of our Holy God: the fragrant and abundant myrrhgushing of the wall of the conch of the sanctuary, where he officiated. The sanctuary apse has its own vault, known as a conch (κόγχη) due to its resemblance with the shell of a snail.
A spiritual child of his recounts:
“Once, after the Divine Liturgy of Christmas, he suddenly called for me. Although I was inwardly sad, I went. He took me and put me inside. Then he took me next to the Holy Altar and shows me the conch. I looked. The wall was wet and liquid ran all the way down.
He said to me: 'What are we going to do here?'
And I said to him: 'Elder, we are going to insulate it from the outside, after the holidays are over, so that it does not draw moisture.'
He said to me: 'No, blessed one!You didn’t understand!'
'What didn’t I understand, Elder?' I asked him.
'Look carefully!' he said to me. I looked. 'This is a miracle!' he says to me. 'Look, many times, when I begin the Divine Liturgy, as soon as I say: Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the wall starts dripping with myrrh. In fact, sometimes it drips so much that I hasten to finish the Divine Liturgy, because – where will it go? – we will be flooded here!'
I touched my hand to the wall and it was indeed myrrh. It smelled so good!”
The Elder, as a liturgist who served in the Church of the Holy Unmercenaries, did not let anyone into the sanctuary. The Divine Liturgies of this Holy Elder were accompanied by the extremely rare and extraordinary “sign” of the blessing and favor of our Holy God: the fragrant and abundant myrrhgushing of the wall of the conch of the sanctuary, where he officiated. The sanctuary apse has its own vault, known as a conch (κόγχη) due to its resemblance with the shell of a snail.
A spiritual child of his recounts:
“Once, after the Divine Liturgy of Christmas, he suddenly called for me. Although I was inwardly sad, I went. He took me and put me inside. Then he took me next to the Holy Altar and shows me the conch. I looked. The wall was wet and liquid ran all the way down.
He said to me: 'What are we going to do here?'
And I said to him: 'Elder, we are going to insulate it from the outside, after the holidays are over, so that it does not draw moisture.'
He said to me: 'No, blessed one!You didn’t understand!'
'What didn’t I understand, Elder?' I asked him.
'Look carefully!' he said to me. I looked. 'This is a miracle!' he says to me. 'Look, many times, when I begin the Divine Liturgy, as soon as I say: Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the wall starts dripping with myrrh. In fact, sometimes it drips so much that I hasten to finish the Divine Liturgy, because – where will it go? – we will be flooded here!'
I touched my hand to the wall and it was indeed myrrh. It smelled so good!”
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
