St. Arsenios of Cappadocia
St. Arsenios the Cappadocian (1840–1924) was the spiritual father of St. Paisios’ family. Throughout his life, St. Paisios had great love and reverence for the memory of St. Arsenios, and it was out of this love that he compiled the book "Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian" which provides us with the details of his life.
St. Arsenios pastored his Greek Orthodox flock amidst extremely difficult conditions. He lived with his people in the village of Farasa in Cappadocia, which after 1453 had fallen into the hands of the Muslim Turks. Under the harsh yoke of the Turks, the Greek people of Farasa formed an oasis of Orthodox Christianity. They sought refuge in holy St. Arsenios, who was their teacher, their spiritual father, and the healer of their souls and bodies. His reputation as a healer was so great that not only Greek Christians but also Turkish Muslims came to him for healing. Many times his village was threatened with violence from marauding Turks, but each time it was preserved in a miraculous way by St. Arsenios. The accounts in this book, which were taken down by St. Paisios from eyewitnesses, testify to how powerfully God works through His holy ones, and to how lovingly He cares for and protects His children amidst adversity.
Since 1970, many apparitions and miracles have occurred near his holy relics, which reside in the Monastery of Souroti near Thessalonica. St. Arsenios was officially glorified by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1986.