Elder Paisios is now officially SAINT Paisios!

[T-Shirt Ninja]

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Paisios_of_Mount_Athos

Elder Paisios was recently glorified as a saint in the Orthodox Church! I figured it would happen in my lifetime but I had no idea it would be so soon. Most saints that I know of are glorified at least a century after their death.

[One Bad Pig]

Ven. Paisios, pray to God for us!

I know of several saints who reposed in the 20^th century, but 20 years after his repose is pretty quick.

[Christianbookworm]

Who's he? Figure he was a good person, right?

[One Bad Pig]

Who's he? Figure he was a good person, right?

He was a monk on Mt. Athos, which is pretty much the center of Orthodox monasticism. He was quite highly regarded during his lifetime for his wise advice.

[Christianbookworm]

Oh. Ok. Thanks for explaining!

[The Unknown Comic]

Amateurs. Catholics mint new saints all the time.

Protestants claim sainthood before they're even dead.

[One Bad Pig]

Amateurs. Catholics mint new saints all the time.

Protestants claim sainthood before they're even dead.

[The Unknown Comic]

It's a joke.

[One Bad Pig]

It's a joke.

There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made.

[The Unknown Comic]

There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made.

Well, I hope I'm not that far gone. I'm sorry to have offended.

[One Bad Pig]

Well, I hope I'm not that far gone. I'm sorry to have offended.

I was describing me, not you, with that. (It's an Edgar Allen Poe quote, btw.)

I'm not really offended, just pointing out that IMO some things should not be the subject of jokes.

[Zymologist]

Forgive my ignorance, but what does it mean to be "glorified as a saint" in the Orthodox Church?

[One Bad Pig]

Forgive my ignorance, but what does it mean to be "glorified as a saint" in the Orthodox Church?

The person is officially recognized as a saint by a synod of bishops, much like the canonization of a saint in the Roman Catholic Church (except the process is somewhat less formalized). More detail here.

In practice, it means that the person is no longer prayed for, but prayed to, since they are remembered as being particularly holy (and therefore their prayers on our behalf would be considered particularly efficacious (James 5:16b)).