Our Holy Father Ephrosynus the Cook.

Commemorated September 11 in the Orthodox Christian Menaion

From the Prologue

A simple man and a man of God, he served as cook in a certain monastery in the ninth century.

The spiritual father of this monastery dreamed one night that he was in Paradise, and there saw Ephrosynus, who chose for him three apples of Paradise. When he awoke, he saw these three lovely and fragrant apples on his pillow. He quickly found Ephrosynus and asked him: 'Where were you last night, brother?' Where you were, Father', the blessed man of God replied.

The spiritual father then revealed the whole affair to the monks, and all knew of the holiness and godliness of Ephrosynus. But he, fearing the praise of men, immediately fled from the monastery and hid himself in the desert, where he spent the rest of his life.

From The Prologue From Ochrid by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich
©1985 Lazarica Press, Birmingham UK