Athanasios Rakovalis on Saint Paisios and personal transformation

On Thursday, October 1, 2026, Athanasios Rakovalis gave a talk at the Events Hall of the Holy Metropolis of Limassol about Saint Paisios the Athonite, whom he knew personally for many years. Rakovalis began by describing his own path and his earlier distance from the Church. Despite his unbelief at the time, he visited Mount Athos, where he met Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, who guided him to meet Saint Paisios.

From their first meeting, Rakovalis felt the saint's intense love for him. The acquaintance sparked a deep inner change and led him to re‑examine his worldview and his stance toward faith and the Church. Through frequent visits and fellowship with Saint Paisios, he began to seek answers to fundamental questions: "What is a saint?", "Why did he become a saint and we do not?", "Why did so many people approach Saint Paisios?"

As Rakovalis characteristically states, the saint "is a human like us," yet simultaneously "is a small Christ," a person who reveals Christ to others through his whole life. Rakovalis describes how, through the person and life of Saint Paisios, he saw the Gospel in practice and came to know Christ more deeply. Deeply moved, he recounts personal experiences and miraculous incidents, speaking of the saint's self‑sacrifice and love for every person, his prophetic gift, and the particular humor that marked his communication with people.

He also recalls what Saint Paisios told him about "great events" and Constantinople, passing on those narratives as he heard them from the saint. Finally, he shares with the audience spiritual counsels and words he had received personally from Saint Paisios. The talk is available on the channel's YouTube page.