Elder Hatziflourentzos Patsias of Milia (+ 1969)

Pappou Hatziflourentzos (Flourentzos Michael Patsias, “Hatzimounas”): The Glory of Milia

By Antonis Antoniou

Elder Hatziflourentzos was born in the village of Milia, in the Famagusta district of Cyprus, in 1901. His faith in and love for God were great. His exceptionally ascetic way of life and prophetic words made him seem like a madman. He never attended school and, for a large part of his life, did not know how to read. At first, he made no effort in the spiritual life and lived an ordinary worldly existence. Then, however, a seemingly insignificant incident became the occasion for his soul to be enlightened and filled with divine longing for our Lord and for every spiritual virtue.

When he was about forty years old, moved by divine zeal, he began cautiously to examine and study the sacred books of the Church. Before long, he had learned to read. He worked as a farmer and livestock breeder, and later took up various other occupations, including that of a mason and a farrier. He married a quiet woman from Milia named Annezu, and together they had six children: five sons and one daughter.

In 1945, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, from which he received the name Hatzis. After he had married off three of his six children, his divine longing led him first to the Monastery of the Apostle Barnabas near Varosha and later to the Monastery of Stavrovouni, where he wished to become a monk. The abbots of both monasteries, however, refused to receive him because he was married and still had unmarried children.

His life was ascetic, marked by continual fasting and prayer. Each day, he ate nothing more than a few wild greens and some bread, giving thanks to God. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he abstained entirely from food and drink. He ate no cooked food, not even food prepared with oil, preferring fruit instead. He maintained an exceptionally strict fast, despite sleeping very little and having a great deal of work to do.

He paid no attention to the hardships of life, saying, “Christ endured so many sufferings for us, and are we going to complain?” He received the Body and Blood of Christ very frequently. He considered himself a sinner and always maintained a humble disposition. He greatly loved giving alms and regularly helped anyone in need with their work in the fields, never accepting payment. Indeed, after the work was finished, he would gather everyone together and they would read the Apodeipnon (Compline).

At home, he slept on the floor, and he would wash the hands of those who came to visit him. Prayer was his principal work. At night, the elder kept vigil in prayer, sleeping very little. As his children recount, there were countless occasions when they saw or heard him weeping as he prayed.

Very often, after leaving church, he would visit the homes of fellow villagers or people in neighboring villages and speak to them zealously about Christ. His own life was the greatest example of the things he taught. His outward appearance was always simple, and he never had any material possessions to display.

Every day, he went to the churches in his village and to other churches in the surrounding area. He helped the priests carry out their sacred duties and took care to maintain the proper appearance and order of the house of our Lord.

Because of his great love for God, the Lord granted him the gift of foresight. Many years before the Turkish occupation of Cyprus took place, he foretold it. He admonished his fellow villagers and others, revealing to them many evils that would come to pass. He had a personal experience of the Uncreated Light. Through his tearful prayer, calamities were averted. Finally, he foretold his own death and prepared for it by observing an absolute fast for fifteen whole days.

He was also deemed worthy to endure much mockery for the love of Christ and to bear the stigma of being considered a “fool” for His sake.

Pappou Hatziflourentzos reposed peacefully in the embrace of our Panagia at the Monastery of the Panagia of Avgassida on October 10, 1969, after receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord following the celebration of the Holy Unction.

May we have his blessing.

Who Was Pappou Hatziflourentzos?

By Giota Paraskeva-Hatzikosta

He was born in Milia, in the Famagusta district of Cyprus, in 1901, to Michael Patsias and Tzyrka (Kyriakou), née Hatzirousou, devout farmers. He was the third of their six children. He lived an ordinary worldly life. He never attended school and remained illiterate for much of his life. When he was about forty years old, he began cautiously examining and studying the sacred books of the Church. In this way, little by little, he learned to read. He worked in farming and animal husbandry, as well as in various other occupations.

He married Annezu, a kind-hearted adopted girl. Together they had five sons and one daughter. While he was still engaged to be married, an incident occurred that led him to search deeply within himself. One day, he was working alongside his future father-in-law. He worked with great speed, self-confidence, and spontaneity. Seeing the proud and outgoing manner in which he worked, his father-in-law rebuked him severely. He lowered his head and said nothing. Yet he understood that something in his life had to change. This was the beginning of his repentance, the true transformation of his mind. He turned inward and began cultivating his soul. Gradually, he learned to carry out every task with great care. Later, he came to regard his work as a monk’s handiwork, performing it in prayer so that it might be sanctified and brought to a fruitful conclusion.

In 1945, he received the name Hatzis after making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This pilgrimage marked the beginning of a new way of life. Hatziflourentzos underwent a blessed transformation of character, for it seems that there he was overshadowed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Like a sunflower, he began turning himself entirely toward God.

He lived in continual prayer. As he prayed, he wept copiously. The gift of tears gave Hatziflourentzos what the Fathers call “joy-producing mourning,” that sorrow mingled with joy. His weeping was blended with the sweetness of honey, for through his tears and humility, God deemed him worthy to pass through the shadowed land of the passions and reach the bright, open clearing of purity of soul. There he encountered a consolation unknown in this world, a consolation that transcended the limits of sorrow. He experienced this joy of tears, and within it he was able to behold the Lord. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

Through the power of his prayer, he rendered mines harmless and silenced the barrels of guns, so that human lives would not be lost. The fiery river of his supplication besieged the throne of God, and the laws of nature were set aside…

He practiced the strictest fasting, despite sleeping very little and having much work to do. He received the Body and Blood of Christ very frequently. He considered himself a sinner and always maintained a humble disposition. He helped anyone in need with work in the fields, never accepting payment. When the work was finished, he would gather the farmers together and they would read the Apodeipnon (Compline). Every day, he visited the churches in his village and other churches in the surrounding area, where he helped the priests celebrate the services and took care to maintain the proper order and beauty of the churches. The Lord also deemed him worthy of receiving the gift of foresight.

He prophesied the Turkish invasion and occupation. He admonished his fellow villagers and others, revealing to them many evils that would come to pass. He had a personal experience of the Uncreated Light. Through his tearful prayers, calamities were averted. Finally, he foretold his own death and prepared for it by observing an absolute fast for fifteen whole days. He endured much mockery for the love of Christ, and many of his fellow villagers considered him mad. Grandfather Hatziflourentzos reposed peacefully at the Monastery of the Panagia of Avgassida on October 10, 1969, after receiving the Holy Gifts.

Pappou Hatziflourentzos traveled many miles on his old Ralie 18 bicycle through rain and wind, beneath the blazing sun and in the damp. He passed through wooded areas and mountain passes, climbed steep hills, and crossed plains and great towns, weary yet indefatigable, to warn people and preach repentance. With his prophetic insight, he saw the dark cloud approaching ominously and hurried to reach people in time, hoping that the calamity might somehow be averted. He saw the northern shores darkening with enemy ships and the Turks advancing relentlessly, spreading destruction and terror… And farther still, he saw the stony years of exile, prosperity, and crisis, extending all the way to the liberation of Cyprus and even the recovery of Constantinople.

Pappou Hatziflourentzos was an unadulterated, sincere, and authentic Romios of Cyprus, formed by the island’s centuries-old tradition of holiness. He was a grain-bearing ear, rich in virtue, cultivated by God in the great plain of the Mesaoria, watered by the streams of his tears and refreshed by the dew of the Holy Spirit, so that he might nourish the people of the Lord in times of famine.

He was a lamp of prayer and supplication, burning continually before the holy icons; a stylite who ceaselessly beseeched the Panagia; a fiery pillar of spiritual strength and love for God; an ocean of tears that besieged Divine Mercy day and night.

  

Some of His Prophecies

“There will come a time when you will run like camels, afraid even to look behind you. All of Cyprus will be dressed in black, and you will be searching for the smallest cave, the smallest hole into which you can crawl. A great calamity will come. You will leave, but I will remain. There will come a time when the black that covers Cyprus will be absent. People of another faith will desecrate our churches. Flocks of animals will enter them. Repent, for the hour has drawn near!”

“You will be delayed a little before you return. When you do return, that will be when your tears begin. Then God will grant understanding to the world, so that people may recognize the right path. Through their good deeds, many Turks will become Christians. At that time, this Panagia will make even the stones Christians, not only human beings. The fear of God will come upon the world. People will walk with their heads bowed. Cyprus will be liberated on its own, without anyone helping it.”

“If the world does not understand and turn toward God, a great crisis will come. Hotels will close, and houses will remain unfinished, standing on their columns. A time will come when they give you money with one hand and take it away with the other.”

“They will go all the way there to sign an agreement, but in the end they will not sign it. Satan will ‘board the ship’ [that is, he will put obstacles in the way], and they will not sign the documents. Partition will not take place. The problem, however, will resolve itself. Turkey will go to Mecca to bow down.”

“There will come a time when only three people will be able to liberate Cyprus. And Cyprus will be liberated on its own, without anyone helping it. Cyprus was suddenly seized on an occasion [that is, it was conquered unexpectedly], and on an occasion, just as suddenly, it will be liberated. But how this will come about is known only to God.”

“Their time will come, too, when they will take back what they lost [Constantinople and other places]. God is not in a hurry.”