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On Monday, October 19, 2026, His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus celebrated the Blessing of the Waters for the opening of the Chapel of Saint Porphyrios at the “Saint Porphyrios” Meeting Hall–Youth Center of the Metropolitan Sacred Church of Saints Constantine and Helen of Piraeus. The center is located in the heart of Piraeus, at the intersection of Tsamadou and Zosimadon Streets, at No. 52 (6th floor), and houses numerous activities.
In the brief greeting he addressed to those present, His Eminence spoke, among other things, from his personal experiences about the person of Venerable Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva, as well as the significance of the Church’s spiritual offering in the modern age.
“We came into the world in order to acquire this ethos and become partakers of the divine nature, and, through the gifts of being created ‘in the image,’ to attain ‘the likeness’ by freely cooperating with God,” His Eminence emphasized at the outset, underscoring that the purpose of the Christian life is for the human being, as a created being, to acquire the ethos of God.
He then shared a personal experience from the years when he served as a Deacon at the Sacred Church of the Panagia Chrysospilaiotissa in Athens.
As he recounted, he had the blessing of meeting Venerable Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva personally through the church’s then parish priest, the late Fr. Evangelos Mantzouneas, who was connected with the late Fr. Epiphanios Theodoropoulos, with whom Venerable Porphyrios maintained spiritual communication.
His Eminence mentioned that he had served as a Deacon at some of the sacred vigils held in the chapel where Fr. Epiphanios served, and that Fr. Porphyrios, as he then was, had also been invited to four of them.
At this point, His Eminence recounted a personal incident which, as he confided, became a decisive turning point in his spiritual journey. At that time, he was living with his mother, as he was an only child. When he learned that she had decided to give some jewelry she had inherited from her husband to her niece, he reacted angrily, insulted her, and caused her distress, without subsequently giving his behavior any particular thought.
On that day, during the sacred vigil attended by Saint Porphyrios and other clergy, the Venerable Elder approached him and discreetly pointed out that he had deeply hurt his mother. He advised him to return home, ask her forgiveness, and then resume his liturgical ministry.
“Do you understand what a man of God is like?” His Eminence remarked, highlighting the sensitivity with which the Venerable Elder approached the matter without exposing him or reprimanding him publicly.
He continued: “And how did this man know about this incident? I had certainly not told anyone that I had upset my mother and that we were at odds.” “The grace of God that was within him!” he added, emphasizing “the sensitivity, kindness, and affection” with which the Venerable Elder admonished him.
This experience, he stressed, left an indelible impression on his soul. “It was exactly as though he knew everything. This incident shaped me,” he said, linking this memory with his deeper awareness of the presence and grace of God in the life of Venerable Porphyrios.
“There were clergy who failed in their ministry and turned to Father Porphyrios, and he saved them. He was a harbor; he was filled with the love of God. The grace he received at Kavsokalyva from the Russian ascetic became a spiritual hearth for him, and he shared it unstintingly,” His Eminence said at another point, referring to his twenty-five years of service in the field of ecclesiastical justice.
He also connected the example of Venerable Porphyrios with the challenges of the modern age, pointing out that people are called to distinguish between the true gifts of God and promises of self-sufficiency that lead them away from the Creator.
“In the modern age, we need the grace of God, because the devil continues to tell the same old tale. This is what he told our First Parents in the Garden of Eden: trust in creation, eat of the fruit, and you will become gods,” he said, drawing a parallel between this temptation and the modern belief that people can secure their own fulfillment and perfection by relying exclusively on their own powers.
“This is what he says today as well: trust in science, technology, the economy, your flesh, and yourself,” he remarked, making particular reference to the spread of transhumanism and ideas that promise to transcend human limitations through technology.
“Transhumanism and hyperhumanism have become movements,” he said, expressing concern about contemporary trends that seek to redefine human nature without reference to its spiritual dimension. In the face of these challenges, His Eminence emphasized the need for people to become aware of their responsibility before God and to make proper use of the gifts they have been given.
He made particular reference to eternity and to the importance of recognizing the temporary nature of earthly life, stressing that people must not overlook their eternal destiny for the sake of temporary goods.
As he pointed out, eternity is not subject to the temporal limits of earthly life, while death is a certainty that calls people to reflect on their relationship with God and the value of their souls.
“Let us attain the grace of God, as Venerable Porphyrios attained this height,” he emphasized, highlighting the particular responsibility of the human being as a creature made in the image of God and his calling to attain the likeness.
He then spoke about the symbolic significance of the place and its connection with the personal journey of Venerable Porphyrios. As he noted, the Venerable Father began his journey in Piraeus, where he spent the early years of his life and worked as a child.
“He began here. A poor little boy, he came here at thirteen years of age, as an apprentice in a shop in the area,” and “from here he set sail for Mount Athos, where he met his spiritual elders and came to know that entire wonderful story, which has now become our own possession,” he remarked, emphasizing the importance of the Venerable Elder’s spiritual legacy for the Church and the faithful.
Concluding his address, His Eminence expressed the wish that the Meeting Hall would become a place of spiritual reference, especially for young people, offering them enlightenment and guidance in the struggle of life.
“For whatever a person may do in life, if he does not gain God, he has failed miserably,” he emphasized, expressing the wish that the center would become “a spiritual launching point” and be blessed with the grace of God. “We wanted to make it a place of missionary work,” he added, expressing the hope that those who visit would enjoy it and draw spiritual benefit from it. At this point, he warmly thanked the Chief Archpriest of the local Church, Protopresbyter Ioannis Panagiotou, who serves as the rector of the Metropolitan Sacred Church of Saints Constantine and Helen of Piraeus; the “elder of the church, venerable in years,” Fr. Christos Christodoulou; his fellow parish priests, Fr. Phanourios Katsaros, Fr. Panteleimon Stavrakopoulos, and Fr. Georgios Chrysos; and all the collaborators who contributed to the completion of the project, giving thanks to God for their presence and ministry.
For his part, Fr. Ioannis Panagiotou, while thanking His Eminence for his fatherly love, also warmly thanked the donors who had helped with the renovation and furnishing of the space. His Eminence presented each of them with an icon of Saint Porphyrios.
In the brief greeting he addressed to those present, His Eminence spoke, among other things, from his personal experiences about the person of Venerable Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva, as well as the significance of the Church’s spiritual offering in the modern age.
“We came into the world in order to acquire this ethos and become partakers of the divine nature, and, through the gifts of being created ‘in the image,’ to attain ‘the likeness’ by freely cooperating with God,” His Eminence emphasized at the outset, underscoring that the purpose of the Christian life is for the human being, as a created being, to acquire the ethos of God.
He then shared a personal experience from the years when he served as a Deacon at the Sacred Church of the Panagia Chrysospilaiotissa in Athens.
As he recounted, he had the blessing of meeting Venerable Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva personally through the church’s then parish priest, the late Fr. Evangelos Mantzouneas, who was connected with the late Fr. Epiphanios Theodoropoulos, with whom Venerable Porphyrios maintained spiritual communication.
His Eminence mentioned that he had served as a Deacon at some of the sacred vigils held in the chapel where Fr. Epiphanios served, and that Fr. Porphyrios, as he then was, had also been invited to four of them.
At this point, His Eminence recounted a personal incident which, as he confided, became a decisive turning point in his spiritual journey. At that time, he was living with his mother, as he was an only child. When he learned that she had decided to give some jewelry she had inherited from her husband to her niece, he reacted angrily, insulted her, and caused her distress, without subsequently giving his behavior any particular thought.
On that day, during the sacred vigil attended by Saint Porphyrios and other clergy, the Venerable Elder approached him and discreetly pointed out that he had deeply hurt his mother. He advised him to return home, ask her forgiveness, and then resume his liturgical ministry.
“Do you understand what a man of God is like?” His Eminence remarked, highlighting the sensitivity with which the Venerable Elder approached the matter without exposing him or reprimanding him publicly.
He continued: “And how did this man know about this incident? I had certainly not told anyone that I had upset my mother and that we were at odds.” “The grace of God that was within him!” he added, emphasizing “the sensitivity, kindness, and affection” with which the Venerable Elder admonished him.
This experience, he stressed, left an indelible impression on his soul. “It was exactly as though he knew everything. This incident shaped me,” he said, linking this memory with his deeper awareness of the presence and grace of God in the life of Venerable Porphyrios.
“There were clergy who failed in their ministry and turned to Father Porphyrios, and he saved them. He was a harbor; he was filled with the love of God. The grace he received at Kavsokalyva from the Russian ascetic became a spiritual hearth for him, and he shared it unstintingly,” His Eminence said at another point, referring to his twenty-five years of service in the field of ecclesiastical justice.
He also connected the example of Venerable Porphyrios with the challenges of the modern age, pointing out that people are called to distinguish between the true gifts of God and promises of self-sufficiency that lead them away from the Creator.
“In the modern age, we need the grace of God, because the devil continues to tell the same old tale. This is what he told our First Parents in the Garden of Eden: trust in creation, eat of the fruit, and you will become gods,” he said, drawing a parallel between this temptation and the modern belief that people can secure their own fulfillment and perfection by relying exclusively on their own powers.
“This is what he says today as well: trust in science, technology, the economy, your flesh, and yourself,” he remarked, making particular reference to the spread of transhumanism and ideas that promise to transcend human limitations through technology.
“Transhumanism and hyperhumanism have become movements,” he said, expressing concern about contemporary trends that seek to redefine human nature without reference to its spiritual dimension. In the face of these challenges, His Eminence emphasized the need for people to become aware of their responsibility before God and to make proper use of the gifts they have been given.
He made particular reference to eternity and to the importance of recognizing the temporary nature of earthly life, stressing that people must not overlook their eternal destiny for the sake of temporary goods.
As he pointed out, eternity is not subject to the temporal limits of earthly life, while death is a certainty that calls people to reflect on their relationship with God and the value of their souls.
“Let us attain the grace of God, as Venerable Porphyrios attained this height,” he emphasized, highlighting the particular responsibility of the human being as a creature made in the image of God and his calling to attain the likeness.
He then spoke about the symbolic significance of the place and its connection with the personal journey of Venerable Porphyrios. As he noted, the Venerable Father began his journey in Piraeus, where he spent the early years of his life and worked as a child.
“He began here. A poor little boy, he came here at thirteen years of age, as an apprentice in a shop in the area,” and “from here he set sail for Mount Athos, where he met his spiritual elders and came to know that entire wonderful story, which has now become our own possession,” he remarked, emphasizing the importance of the Venerable Elder’s spiritual legacy for the Church and the faithful.
Concluding his address, His Eminence expressed the wish that the Meeting Hall would become a place of spiritual reference, especially for young people, offering them enlightenment and guidance in the struggle of life.
“For whatever a person may do in life, if he does not gain God, he has failed miserably,” he emphasized, expressing the wish that the center would become “a spiritual launching point” and be blessed with the grace of God. “We wanted to make it a place of missionary work,” he added, expressing the hope that those who visit would enjoy it and draw spiritual benefit from it. At this point, he warmly thanked the Chief Archpriest of the local Church, Protopresbyter Ioannis Panagiotou, who serves as the rector of the Metropolitan Sacred Church of Saints Constantine and Helen of Piraeus; the “elder of the church, venerable in years,” Fr. Christos Christodoulou; his fellow parish priests, Fr. Phanourios Katsaros, Fr. Panteleimon Stavrakopoulos, and Fr. Georgios Chrysos; and all the collaborators who contributed to the completion of the project, giving thanks to God for their presence and ministry.
For his part, Fr. Ioannis Panagiotou, while thanking His Eminence for his fatherly love, also warmly thanked the donors who had helped with the renovation and furnishing of the space. His Eminence presented each of them with an icon of Saint Porphyrios.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
