Today, February 24, 2026, the Orthodox world mourns the passing of a spiritual giant, Protopresbyter — and in his final days, Hieromonk — Stephanos Anagnostopoulos. His repose on this Clean Tuesday marks the end of an era for thousands of faithful who looked to him as a beacon of liturgical depth and hesychastic practice in the midst of the modern world.
Brief Biography
Fr. Stephanos was born in Drama, Macedonia, in 1930, to a Greek father and a Romanian mother. He completed elementary school and high school in Drama, spending his childhood in poverty and with many hardships. He served in the Greek Army for 30 months as a reserve second lieutenant. After his military service he worked as an accountant. In 1957 he married Eleni Liaskopoulou (later the nun Ephraimia) from Thessaloniki, with whom he had seven children — six daughters and one son. Rejecting a significant scholarship to study classical vocal music in France, and having a calling to the priesthood, he entered in 1958 the Higher Ecclesiastical Tutorial School of Thessaloniki.
On August 22, 1959, he was ordained Deacon, and on March 26, 1961, Priest, by the late Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Panteleimon Papageorgiou. He was appointed parish priest at the Holy Church of Saint Athanasios in Evosmos.nIn 1973 he studied at the Theological School of the University of Athens. From 1962 he became spiritually connected with the late Elder Ephraim of Philotheou–Arizona, a relationship that proved to be a milestone in his life.
He served as a parish priest in the Metropolis of Piraeus, at the Churches of Saint Basil of Piraeus and at the Foundation Church of Saint Barbara in Amfiali, Keratsini, during the tenure of the late Metropolitans of Piraeus, Chrysostomos Tavladorakis and Kallinikos Karousos, from whom he received the Offikion (ecclesiastical distinction) of Protopresbyter. During these years he lived with his family, first in Perama and later in Amfiali, Keratsini. Throughout his priestly ministry he heard the confessions of thousands of Christians, preached the word of God, served as spiritual father to women’s sisterhoods, and authored dozens of theological books.
Fr. Stephanos was tonsured a monk by Elder Philotheos, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Karakallou on Mount Athos, who was also a spiritual child of Elder Ephraim of Philotheou–Arizona. In recent years he lived in Patras, hosted by his spiritual children. He reposed in Patras on Clean Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at the age of 96.
A Bridge Between the Desert and the City
Fr. Stephanos occupied a unique space in contemporary Orthodoxy. While he lived his life as a married priest in the bustling urban environment of Piraeus, serving the Parish of Saint Barbara in Amfiali, his heart resided in the desert. As a devoted spiritual child of Elder Ephraim of Arizona, he became the primary vessel through which the ascetic and hesychastic tradition of Mount Athos was "translated" for the laity. He proved that the "noetic" life — the life of the heart and the mind — was not a luxury for monks, but a necessity for every Christian.
The Liturgical Experience
His legacy is perhaps most tangibly felt in his seminal work, Experiences During the Divine Liturgy. Fr. Stephanos did not view the Liturgy as a Sunday obligation, but as an awesome and glorious encounter with the Living God. He spoke of the invisible presence of angels and the tangible Grace of the Holy Spirit with the conviction of an eyewitness. For him, the altar was the center of the universe, and his mission was to wake the faithful from their spiritual slumber so they might perceive the "Heaven on Earth" unfolding before them.
Fr. Stephanos occupied a unique space in contemporary Orthodoxy. While he lived his life as a married priest in the bustling urban environment of Piraeus, serving the Parish of Saint Barbara in Amfiali, his heart resided in the desert. As a devoted spiritual child of Elder Ephraim of Arizona, he became the primary vessel through which the ascetic and hesychastic tradition of Mount Athos was "translated" for the laity. He proved that the "noetic" life — the life of the heart and the mind — was not a luxury for monks, but a necessity for every Christian.
The Liturgical Experience
His legacy is perhaps most tangibly felt in his seminal work, Experiences During the Divine Liturgy. Fr. Stephanos did not view the Liturgy as a Sunday obligation, but as an awesome and glorious encounter with the Living God. He spoke of the invisible presence of angels and the tangible Grace of the Holy Spirit with the conviction of an eyewitness. For him, the altar was the center of the universe, and his mission was to wake the faithful from their spiritual slumber so they might perceive the "Heaven on Earth" unfolding before them.
Mastering "Slow Prayer"
In a world characterized by speed and distraction, Fr. Stephanos was a radical advocate for slowness. His teaching on the "Jesus Prayer" was distinct: he urged believers to recite the prayer with extreme deliberation, allowing the soul to catch up with the words. "Lord... Jesus... Christ... have mercy... on me." This method was not a mere technique, but a surgical tool used to heal the fractured human attention and invite Christ into the depths of the heart, where the "heart becomes heaven" and the believer begins to feel the presence of the Kingdom of God within them.
A Life of Sacrifice and Transition
The latter years of his life were marked by the profound quietude of sacrifice. Following the passing of his beloved wife, Presbytera Anna, in January 2023, Fr. Stephanos entered a final chapter of preparation. In a beautiful fulfillment of the Orthodox tradition for widowed clergy, he was recently tonsured a monk by Abbot Philotheos of the Karakallou Monastery. This final transition from a parish priest to a hieromonk mirrored his lifelong spiritual trajectory: a steady, unwavering climb toward the Light.
An Enduring Legacy
Fr. Stephanos Anagnostopoulos leaves behind more than just books and recorded homilies; he leaves a "spiritual map" for the modern person. He taught us that holiness is found in the confession of our darkest thoughts, in the slow whisper of the Jesus Prayer, and in the reverent approach to the Chalice.
As he begins his journey to the Heavenly Altar he so dearly loved, his words remain as a comfort: that through repentance and prayer, every heart can become a throne for the King of Glory.
May his memory be eternal.
In a world characterized by speed and distraction, Fr. Stephanos was a radical advocate for slowness. His teaching on the "Jesus Prayer" was distinct: he urged believers to recite the prayer with extreme deliberation, allowing the soul to catch up with the words. "Lord... Jesus... Christ... have mercy... on me." This method was not a mere technique, but a surgical tool used to heal the fractured human attention and invite Christ into the depths of the heart, where the "heart becomes heaven" and the believer begins to feel the presence of the Kingdom of God within them.
A Life of Sacrifice and Transition
The latter years of his life were marked by the profound quietude of sacrifice. Following the passing of his beloved wife, Presbytera Anna, in January 2023, Fr. Stephanos entered a final chapter of preparation. In a beautiful fulfillment of the Orthodox tradition for widowed clergy, he was recently tonsured a monk by Abbot Philotheos of the Karakallou Monastery. This final transition from a parish priest to a hieromonk mirrored his lifelong spiritual trajectory: a steady, unwavering climb toward the Light.
An Enduring Legacy
Fr. Stephanos Anagnostopoulos leaves behind more than just books and recorded homilies; he leaves a "spiritual map" for the modern person. He taught us that holiness is found in the confession of our darkest thoughts, in the slow whisper of the Jesus Prayer, and in the reverent approach to the Chalice.
As he begins his journey to the Heavenly Altar he so dearly loved, his words remain as a comfort: that through repentance and prayer, every heart can become a throne for the King of Glory.
May his memory be eternal.
