By Maria Andreou
On the very day of his feast, July 12, and while this year marks 32 years since his venerable repose at the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Souroti, Thessaloniki, where, once again this year, thousands of pilgrims reverently venerated his sacred tomb, several kilometers away, in Nea Karvali, Kavala, at the Kavala Industrial Phosphates Fertilizers Plant, owned by Lavrentis Lavrentiadis, deeply moving moments unfolded.
A CONFESSION OF FAITH
For the businessman Lavrentis Lavrentiadis, every day is an expression and confession of faith. Standing beside him were members of his family: his wife, Iro, two of their three children, Zennia and Vasilis, and his mother, Zafeiria. He was destined to experience yet another special day of Orthodoxy and love, fulfilling a lifelong dream offered to the family’s beloved Saint, Saint Paisios: the opening of the doors of the Church of Saint Paisios (designed by Mr. Lavrentiadis’ wife, Iro, together with architect Dana Xenos) within the premises of the Kavala Industrial Phosphates Fertilizers Plant, owned by Lavrentis Lavrentiadis.
With the distinguished presence of Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece; Archbishop Elpidophoros of America; Metropolitan Stefanos of Philippi, Neapolis and Thasos; Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia, Philadelphia, Heraklion and Chalcedon; Metropolitan Maximos of Ioannina; Metropolitan Eirinaios of Florina, Prespes and Eordaia; Metropolitan Ieronymos of Kalavryta; Metropolitan Ioustinos of Nea Krini and Kalamaria, and Hieromonk Chrysostomos, Elder of the Holy Cell of Saint Chrysostomos of the Koutloumousiou Skete, Metropolitan Stefanos of Philippi, Neapolis and Thasos solemnly celebrated the doxology and the Divine Liturgy for the opening of the Church of Saint Paisios.
The ceremony was attended by the plant’s employees and their families, as well as executives of the Lavrentiadis Group (among them: Tasos Christopoulos, Chief Financial Officer of the Group; Theodora Kouloura, Chief Operating Officer; Christos Kampouris, financial advisor; Apostolos Kotouzas, Sales Director; Konstantinos Soukoulis, Evina Tsakiri, and Maria Goufa, attorneys).
Representatives of the political world were also present, including former minister Giorgos Kalatzis; Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Giorgos Georgantas; Deputy Minister of Development Stavros Kalafatis; New Democracy MPs from Kavala, Nikos Panagiotopoulos and Makarios Lazaridis; New Democracy MP for Piraeus and the Islands, Nikos Vlahakos; New Democracy MP for Arta, Giorgos Stylianos; the Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Christodoulos Topsidis; and Deputy Regional Governors Alexandros Iosifidis and Theodoros Markopoulos, as well as representatives of the military leadership.
With great emotion, therefore, the opening of the church (the angelic service, the Divine Communion, with the Lavrentiadis family receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord during the Divine Eucharist, as well as the Artoklasia [Blessing of the Loaves] and the blessing of the waters) took place on the afternoon of Sunday, July 12. The occasion brought together hundreds of souls in honor of the grace of the Cappadocian Saint from Farasa, who was destined to spend the youthful years of his life in Konitsa, at the Monastery of Stomio, in the desert of Sinai, and also at Panagouda on Mount Athos, where he performed thousands of miracles and spoke to the hearts of faithful people from around the world.
Following the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy and the doxology, the warm words of Metropolitan Stefanos of Philippi, Neapolis and Thasos further warmed the hearts of everyone present. He stated characteristically: “Mr. Lavrentiadis, this gathering has a spiritual dimension, but it is also an opportunity for us, as Orthodox Christians, to demonstrate that we love God, that we love our Saints, that we love our Church; that we respect our Hierarchs, monks and nuns, and that together we serve our fellow human beings.
It is with great joy that we welcome you to Kavala, because your presence brings blessings into our lives. Congratulations, Mr. Lavrentiadis, for this great effort that you are making in our region, in our homeland, but also in other parts of the world, truly demonstrating that you always work toward acts of love for the improvement of people’s lives and that you serve as a great example of effort, sacrifice, and dedication to life.
May everyone have blessed years, and may Saint Paisios strengthen and empower us, enlighten us, and guide us. And today’s joy will be great, because in the land of Saint Gregory the Theologian, whom he loved so deeply, he too will now have a church.”
And this living truth is indeed great. Now the patron saint, one of the newer saints of our Orthodoxy and a fervent presence among us, who intercedes with the Panagia (the Most Holy Theotokos) for our salvation, has yet another sacred home in Kavala, within the grounds of the factory facilities, close to the sea and overlooking the mountains, in a spacious location, so that he may protect both the factory’s employees and its administration, as well as the people of Kavala and all of Greece.
After the conclusion of the service, the Lavrentiadis family offered those present blessed bread, as well as an icon of Saint Paisios, a saint who has been deeply loved by the younger generation, both for his teachings and for his humble way of life.
The vow of Lavrentis Lavrentiadis that was fulfilled, and his moving words
Following the conclusion of the church-opening ceremony, the Lavrentiadis family hosted a reception in the courtyard area, wishing to honor the presence of all those who shared with them this special day.
There, among the hundreds of round tables, Lavrentis Lavrentiadis took the floor and stated characteristically:
“Honorable Metropolitans, Hierarchs, ministers and members of Parliament, regional governor, deputy regional governors, dear associates, friends, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor to be here with you at the ceremony of the opening of the Holy Church of Saint Paisios.
The first time I visited Mount Athos was in August 1995, one year after the repose of Saint Paisios. His books in Ouranoupoli, which had only recently been published, became a compass of strength, faith, love, and survival after the many miracles I experienced from that first visit to Mount Athos onward.
They became a compass of survival during the most difficult period of my health, because of the autoimmune illness I have suffered from since 1990.
Since then, the Saint has appeared in my life in various ways, many times in a decisive and transformative manner.”
MAY HE BLESS US!
Thus, when the canonization of Saint Paisios was announced in 2015, my joy was immense. At that time, I told the Saint that I would build a church in his memory in Kavala, so that he might bless and protect all of us, our families, the people whom we love and care for, as well as this factory, which is of enormous national and strategic importance.
And so, we had the joy, in the Metropolis of my beloved Metropolitan Stefanos, to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in this magnificent church, which my wife Iro designed with great love together with her friend and colleague Dana Xenos.
It is deeply moving that, after 16 years, we are here together at the Kavala Fertilizer Plant, with its one thousand employees, which supplies 600,000 agricultural families in Greece with fertilizers of exceptional quality. This is a strategic industry of our country, exporting its products to 37 countries.
We are fighting to keep this factory alive in a difficult global environment. We are investing in safety, environmental protection, and high-quality value-added products in order to survive against state-subsidized competitors from China, Africa, Russia, and the Middle East.
But we are fighters for life, and we believe that we will succeed in achieving our goals for decades to come.
I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart all of you who honor us with your presence, but above all, who honor Saint Paisios and my family. I love you very much.
With the blessing of the Saint and of our Archbishop, I commit myself to ensuring that we repeat every year the Divine Liturgy in memory of Saint Paisios.
May we have his help, and may you all be well.”
THE MOMENT YOU GAZE UPON THE PURE WHITE CHURCH, YOU FEEL AS THOUGH IT IS SOARING INTO THE HEAVENS!
There, with the blessing of Greece’s religious leadership, within the courtyard area of the factory, everyone found themselves united with great love and humility, on the same spiritual wavelength upon which our Lord works, just as the spiritual Elder from the Garden of the Panagia (Mount Athos) used to say, the Elder in whose memory this holy church was built.
As the photographs testify, and as the church’s architect Dana Xenos told Orthodox Truth:
“The moment you look upon the pure white church, you feel, because of the interplay of light and shadow it creates, that it is soaring into the heavens, especially at night when the lighting is used, toward the East, where the sanctuary is located.”
The architect preserved the traditional morphological elements of the church while emphasizing, at the same time, the concept of the compass. And Saint Paisios, for the Lavrentiadis family, is a compass of simplicity and humility!
Those of us who had the joy of experiencing this moral and spiritual elevation touched, with our souls and our hearts, the frescoes of Saint Zafeirios, Saint Basil, and the deacon Saint Lawrence; the icons of Saint Nektarios and Saint Porphyrios; as well as the carved wooden iconostasis, with its icons of the Panagia (the Most Holy Theotokos), Christ, the Archangels, and John the Baptist, which adorn the interior of the church.
We prayed that God would deem us worthy to return here again soon, to the new “home” of Saint Paisios!
Ieronymos: “Today We Contribute to the Building of a Living Parish Family”
Following the moving speech by Lavrentis Lavrentiadis, which was warmly applauded by those present, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos, took the floor. Once again, his address was deeply Christ-centered and carried many important messages.
“With particular joy and deep emotion, we are all gathered here today to experience a blessed moment in the life of our local Church. The opening of the doors of a holy church is not merely the completion of a building project; it signifies the opening of a new spiritual home, a place where people will encounter God, find consolation, strength, and hope.
Today, the doors of this holy church are opened, but at the same time, we are called to open the doors of our hearts, so that the love of God and our love for our fellow human beings may find greater space within them.
Today we celebrate the completion of a beautiful church and, at the same time, we contribute to the building of a living parish family, whose center will be Christ and whose example will be Saint Paisios the Athonite.
The Saint did not leave us only words and teachings; he left us the example of a life filled with humility, prayer, sacrifice, and selfless love. This example we are called to have as a ‘compass’ on our own journey, because true honor toward a Saint is fulfilled when his virtues become a way of life and an act of love toward our fellow human beings.”
The Archbishop initially noted these words and continued by emphasizing:
“With deep emotion, we recognize that this spirit is also expressed through the person of the benefactor of this holy church, our beloved Lavrentis Lavrentiadis. A person and a friend who possesses genuine ecclesiastical consciousness and a sense of responsibility, and who has consistently supported the charitable and missionary work of the Church, not only in our homeland, throughout every corner of Greece, but also in the dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate throughout the world, from America to Africa, quietly offering hope, relief, and support to thousands of our fellow human beings.
This contribution of our beloved Lavrentis Lavrentiadis is a living testimony that faith, when accompanied by love, becomes service and a blessing for the whole of society.
Today’s event, therefore, also has a deeply personal character for it allows us to express the love, friendship, and sincere appreciation that we all hold toward the respected Lavrentis Lavrentiadis, a beloved friend who, for more than thirty years, has walked a path marked by consistency, hard work, and vision.
Today, we see with our own eyes that he has created a business which is not only a leader in its field, but is also distinguished for its significant contribution to the primary sector and to Greek society.
Behind this blessed journey stands his blessed family, which, with love, unity, and devotion, walks alongside him. His esteemed wife, their children, and his respected mother are precious companions in every step of his life and his creative service.
Those of us who know him personally understand that, beyond the successful businessman, he is above all a person of character, kindness, generosity, and deep sensitivity, someone who never forgets to give back to society and to the Church what God has generously bestowed upon him.
For all these things, we feel the need to thank him from our hearts and to pray that the Lord will always grant him health, strength, and abundant blessings, so that together with his family, he may continue this beautiful journey of creation, offering, and love toward his fellow human beings.
Tonight’s opening of the church doors represents, above all, a precious opportunity to remember the radiant example of Saint Paisios: his humility, his simplicity, his selfless love, his discernment, his patience, and his unwavering faith.
Above all, however, we must not be content merely with admiring the holiness of his life, but must strive to make these virtues a way of life, so that we may become more truly people of God and people of love, generosity, and hope.
In closing, I warmly thank the Most Reverend Holy Hierarchs, the fathers of the Church, the authorities of this region, and all of you who, through your presence, have come to honor Saint Paisios and to share in the joy of this day. We especially thank the Lavrentiadis family for their love and their offering to the Church.
And tonight, after many years, Lavrentis does not return here only as a successful businessman; he returns as the father of this great family, a man who continues to care for, support, and look after his people in Kavala and throughout the entire country, even in places where his businesses are not located.
May Saint Paisios bless us all, grant health, peace, and strength to our families, and may he always inspire our hearts with faith, humility, and love toward our fellow human beings.
Amen.”
Elpidophoros: “We are proud that you are counted among the great benefactors of our Nation. Axios!”
Following the conclusion of His Beatitude Ieronymos’ address, the microphone was then given to Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, who praised the immense charitable work of Mr. Lavrentis Lavrentiadis—work that he carries out without complaint or resentment.
At the same time, he spoke of a man of profound sincerity and faith, something he himself realized when Mr. Lavrentiadis embraced, in tears, the sacred relics of Saint Euphemia, at a moment when no one else was present to witness it, only he, who was then merely a deacon, and God…
“First of all, I would like to say that my dear friend Lavrentis Lavrentiadis may come to regret giving me the microphone, because of what I am about to share with you. But he should have thought of that beforehand.
Therefore, Your Beatitude, your blessing; Your Eminences, my holy brother Hierarchs; distinguished leaders of this place; beloved Christians, brothers and sisters, my emotion at this moment is truly profound.
I first met Mr. Lavrentiadis at the Phanar. And I met him without knowing who Mr. Lavrentiadis was.
At that time, I was either a deacon or an archimandrite serving at the Holy Synod. Mr. Lavrentiadis had come to venerate at the Patriarchate and to kiss the hand of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. I was assigned to guide Mr. Lavrentiadis through the Patriarchate, and I showed him around.
Mr. Lavrentiadis wished to venerate in the Patriarchal Church. We went down into the Patriarchal Church, and there were no cameras and no lights. It was just Lavrentis and me.
After we venerated the sacred relics of Saint Euphemia, Mr. Lavrentiadis said to me: ‘Please, Father, could you open the reliquary?’
The reliquary is large because it contains the full-body relic of Saint Euphemia. I asked for the keys and opened it.
That was when I experienced my first shock. Mr. Lavrentiadis fell upon Saint Euphemia, embraced her as though she were alive, and began to weep.
My brothers and sisters, no one does this unless they have deep faith within them. No one does.
There, I said to myself: ‘Elpidophoros, this man is extraordinary. He has deep faith, and he is a sincere person. He is not doing this in front of the cameras. The ones witnessing this are me, a simple deacon, Saint Euphemia, and God, who watches us from above.’
So Mr. Lavrentiadis embraced our Saint and wept with tears. The sincerity of his faith is also reflected in his character as a person.
Mr. Lavrentiadis is a humble man in his everyday life. He wants to help people who are in need, and he does not become annoyed or disturbed when someone knocks on his door and asks for his assistance.
And usually, this kind of disturbance affects many of us. Even we, the Hierarchs, sometimes say to our deacons: ‘Keep this person who is asking and asking again a little farther away, so that I can have some peace.’
Mr. Lavrentiadis does not do this. He does not want to be left alone. He considers it a blessing and a privilege that God gives him the opportunity to do good.
And the genuineness of his character is reflected in his family as well. Look at his wife and his children. They do not have even the slightest trace of arrogance or any sense of superiority, something one might be tempted to feel when one belongs to such a successful and prominent family.
This means that Mr. Lavrentiadis and his wife, for a man cannot accomplish all these things alone, his wife, who is truly exceptional and worthy of him, are both characterized by humility.
Mr. Lavrentiadis’ children are being raised with the same humility, faith, and love that their father possesses. All of this needed to be said.
And now I see your mother, Mr. Lavrentiadis, smiling with a smile from ear to ear and rightly taking pride in her son.
His mother is right to be proud of him, and we are all right to be proud of him as well.
He is not only a source of pride for the Primate of the Church of Greece, His Beatitude, for our own Patriarch Bartholomew, but he is also a source of pride throughout the entire world.
I wish to express to you, Mr. Lavrentiadis, on behalf of all those whom you have helped and continue to help, our gratitude.
Because you do not only assist those in need, you also support the development of our country.
Our homeland needs great people who see far ahead, who possess vision, but who also think about the small needs of ordinary people.
You see what is happening in Iran, Syria, and throughout the world. This ability of yours for both broad and detailed analysis, this capacity for penetrating insight, is not possessed by many Greeks.
We are proud that you are counted among these Greeks, and, indeed, among the great benefactors of our nation.
Axios!
May the great effort you are making here in Kavala proceed well, with the blessing of Saint Paisios, and may you continue to benefit this entire region.
I wish you health, and may Saint Paisios grant many years to you, your children, and all your relatives.”
*Republished from the newspaper Orthodoxi Alithia / Photo: Vangelis Masias
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
