Pilgrimage to Thathie Monastery on Rhodes, site of speaker's tonsure 34 years ago

The speaker travels to Rhodes, Greece, for an annual pilgrimage to what he calls the heartland of the Church, beloved Hellas, reflecting that the journey reminds him once again of the precious inheritance entrusted by God. The post includes a Greek translation of this reflection. On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, he visits the Monastery of the Archangel Michael at Thathie, his home monastery, where 34 years earlier his spiritual father, Metropolitan Amfilochios Tsoukos of Galinou and Hora, tonsured him and gave him the monastic name Christodoulos, after the founder of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian on Patmos.

The metropolitan's relics are entombed at Thathie. That morning he celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the nearby Evseni monastery, which Geronda Amfilochios founded after establishing the community at Thathie. The gerondissa and sisters of Evseni blessed him to serve, and Father George, who had been scheduled to celebrate, insisted that the speaker wear his vestments and preside at the Liturgy.

The speaker asks for the prayers of Geronda Amfilochios, Saint Christodoulos, and Saint John the Theologian for all who listen, that they may strive to give more of their lives to God because life is short.