Saint Paisie of Sihăstria (Olaru)

Kontakion 1

Defender of the fallen, raising them through meekness and humility, a "Rejoice" we bring to you, Father Paisie. You, who have pillars of unceasing prayers, deliver us from troubles and sufferings, that we may call to you: Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Oikos 1

Being a child, you were the top of your class. And the children sang to you: "You listened, you learned, a crown you received!" And you, from the prize books with the lives of the saints, grew fond of the Church, for which we sing to you:

• Rejoice, that you were the top of your class;
• Rejoice, that the lives of the saints enlightened your soul;
• Rejoice, that you fell in love with the monastery, even from school, reading the life of Saint Sava;
• Rejoice, that at Easter your father touched you with the blessed paschal bread on your forehead;
• Rejoice, that your father recited the Paraklesis to the Mother of God by heart;
• Rejoice, that your mother told you: "Do not exchange honor for shame";
• Rejoice, star which rises in the Gentle Light;
• Rejoice, that prayer with feeling and tears united you with the Lord Christ, the sweet Savior;
• Rejoice, that you did not place your hope in men, but only in God;
• Rejoice, that you taught us to have faith that God is with us and in us always;
• Rejoice, that you taught us not to fear death, famine, sickness;
• Rejoice, that you were saddened that we trust in money and pleasures;
• Rejoice, that you remembered the hour of the future judgment and sinned no more;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 2

Being in war, you prayed to God that if He saves you alive, you would become a monk. From the front, the command remained in your mind, in the spiritual life: "eye on the enemy, ear on the commander, and with God forward." And returning from the front, you divided the received land among your brothers and withdrew to the monastery, singing: Alleluia!

Oikos 2

At the Cozancea Skete, you spent time in a clearing praying. And hearing there angelic song, you built three cells and a chapel, planted trees and vines, and struggled in withdrawal, in abstinence, in prayer, for which we sing to you:

• Rejoice, that in a clearing you heard angelic songs;
• Rejoice, that there you built a chapel to Saint Mina;
• Rejoice, that in the evening, there you became quiet;
• Rejoice, that you loved nature, flowers, springs, and the starry sky;
• Rejoice, that you loved the services, poetry, solitude;
• Rejoice, that in the hermitage God cares for every soul, bird, blade of grass;
• Rejoice, that above all, you loved people;
• Rejoice, that you sacrificed yourself;
• Rejoice, that you put your soul in the balance for the salvation of the faithful;
• Rejoice, that going to the spiritual father, you were immediately calmed from the temptations of beginners;
• Rejoice, that you were tempted by the seven deadly sins;
• Rejoice, that through prayer, humility, and patience you overcame them with the grace of God;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 3

At the Cozancea Skete you received spiritual fatherhood. And we, your spiritual children, who were your soul-children, sing to you: Alleluia!

Oikos 3

Seeing a peasant whose oxen had fallen under the weight of the cart, you fell to your knees and prayed, pushing the porch, praying: "Come, my little oxen, get up. Come, with the Lord's help!" And the oxen rose and went. And we, seeing your love, say:

• Rejoice, that you received all with love, listened to them, confessed them, and blessed them;
• Rejoice, that you addressed the heart more than the mind;
• Rejoice, that you humbled yourself first, that you wept to humble your spiritual children;
• Rejoice, that you promised them forgiveness and Paradise;
• Rejoice, that out of mercy and love for all, you never confronted them, did not rebuke harshly, did not raise your voice;
• Rejoice, that you placed medicine on the open wound;
• Rejoice, that speaking with you was a sounding of emotion, of the heart, of joy, of tears;
• Rejoice, that the dialogue with you was of trust and of the hope of salvation;
• Rejoice, that being a father of love and hope, you spoke to us about Paradise;
• Rejoice, that you did not fear hell, because you loved people and God;
• Rejoice, that you taught the disciples by deed, through prayer, fasting, silence, and meekness;
• Rejoice, that in your humility you believed you did not correspond with the life and teaching;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 4

At the seat of the spiritual garden, you confessed thirty or a hundred people, then worked in the monastery garden, to forget the sins heard, in silence, secretly saying the prayer of the heart, no one seeing you sitting without work, neither in the cell nor in the garden, ceaselessly singing: Alleluia!

Oikos 4

Those who fell into grave sins, you did not rebuke harshly, but received them with love, encouraged them that God grants them forgiveness, if they abandon the sins, and you strengthened them: "As many times as you fall, get up, confess your sins, repent, and carry your cross further, with eyes on Christ, until you reach the top, to Golgotha," for which we sing to you:

• Rejoice, that you said that if monks and laypeople have among them the peace of the Lord, of conscience, and love, they can be saved;
• Rejoice, that through "Lord Jesus..." we speak with God;
• Rejoice, that you helped everyone through prayer, word, and personal example;
• Rejoice, that you told us to make peace and to bear within us the peace of the Holy Spirit;
• Rejoice, that you did not desire for us here glory and transient things, which all lead to perdition;
• Rejoice, that you told us that by doing the Lord's will we will have abundant benefit, and beyond the grave, eternal happiness;
• Rejoice, that you saw that those who pursued human glory and were deceived by the cares of this world, bitterly regretted it in the end;
• Rejoice, that each day you made a good beginning, mastering yourself not to fall;
• Rejoice, that you taught us that anger does not work the righteousness of God;
• Rejoice, that humility was the thought of your heart;
• Rejoice, that you received reproaches from people as from the hand of God;
• Rejoice, that you wept for your sins here, so that you might rejoice beyond;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 5

Being most bound to Father Cleopa in this life and being loved by him, you moved to Sihăstria Monastery. You loved this place for its stillness, solitude, and peace. And here you were appointed spiritual father of the community and of the pilgrims, who sang to you: Alleluia!

Oikos 5

You taught us that it is best for a man to be like a clay pot, good for everything and used every day; whereas the golden vessel is used only on great days. So also the humble man, who does not seek honor and office, remains unnoticed among the lowly, but he is useful to all, urges them, helps them, gives them rest, and all seek him and rejoice in him, for which we sing to you:

• Rejoice, that your words full of grace had something of the world of eternity, of the saints, of the angels;
• Rejoice, that your counsels healed, quieted the heart, nourished the soul, cleared the paths of the soul;
• Rejoice, that your words were mysterious, full of the Spirit;
• Rejoice, that you told the disciples to live in perfect love;
• Rejoice, that you told them to pray always, to love the church and the reading of the holy books;
• Rejoice, that you taught them to obey spiritual fathers, to give much alms;
• Rejoice, that you taught them to be humble and meek in all things and not to forget death;
• Rejoice, that you showed that the spiritual father is light for others;
• Rejoice, that he bears in himself the gift of the Holy Spirit;
• Rejoice, that thus he can heal the souls of men;
• Rejoice, that in the passionate man the Holy Spirit does not work and he is scandalized by the sins of men;
• Rejoice, that when you confessed you prayed, you were gentle, with right judgment, and gained many;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 6

Seeing the beauty of the mountains, you said that you greatly fear lest we remain with the paradise here and lose the other one because of laziness. For which we sing: Alleluia!

Oikos 6

From Sihăstria you left for Slatina and Rarău with Father Cleopa and with part of the community. Here you learned the prayer of the heart and were spiritual father for four years, then returning to the stillness of Sihăstria. Therefore, with joy we cry out to you such things as these:

• Rejoice, that you told us to do more by deed than to speak with word;
• Rejoice, that you saw many spiritually sick because of pride;
• Rejoice, that you did not know whether to be silent or to speak to them;
• Rejoice, that you taught us to listen much, but to speak little;
• Rejoice, that you taught as God gave you in that hour and as your heart urged you;
• Rejoice, that you gave the disciples the counsel to pray always;
• Rejoice, that you meditated on prayer, the mercy of God, the hour of death and of Judgment;
• Rejoice, that you cared for the sick and elderly monks;
• Rejoice, that the sick monks said you were their father and mother;
• Rejoice, that you watched at their head when they fell asleep;
• Rejoice, that after death you censed their grave for forty days;
• Rejoice, that you were full of peace and love for the Lord Christ;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 7

Father Paisie, you had time for humility and for self-control and for rebuke and for consolation and for sparing and for boldness and for kindness and for severity, singing: Alleluia!

Oikos 7

You told us: "Whatever you do, seek the purpose with which you do that thing. Do you desire to please men, or God? Take heed that Paradise is very precious and it is very hard to reach Paradise. Take care of the soul, for each one has a great responsibility for it. For it is not the years that help us, but the deeds, my dear ones." For which we sing to you:

• Rejoice, that after confession you said: "Forgive me, for perhaps I have scandalized you or perhaps I have not behaved with you with greater love";
• Rejoice, that you told us: "Let us never fear, for at the helm of our life stands the Good God. He covers us with the grace of the Holy Spirit, only let us not abandon holy prayer";
• Rejoice, that leaving yourself in the will of God, you were sure that God did not forsake you, receiving sickness, reproach, and temptation with love and joy;
• Rejoice, that receiving your words and love, we also left ourselves in the will of God;
• Rejoice, that you told us to return there where we know we have lost the peace of the heart;
• Rejoice, that you told us to go forward with hope, for life is not here, but beyond;
• Rejoice, you who sought springs and built wells, placing at them a wooden cross;
• Rejoice, you who sought springs of grace beneath the multitude of men's sins;
• Rejoice, that you had love to help the sick;
• Rejoice, that you saw their beautiful end;
• Rejoice, that at Sihăstria you confessed and worked in the garden;
• Rejoice, that here you met quiet, silent, humble monks;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 8

To the unbelieving husband who had come to you with his infirm little daughter, you read prayers and gave him blessed oil with which to anoint the little girl twice a day. And she becoming healthy, the husband believed in God, singing: Alleluia!

Oikos 8

There being a drought, you said to pray to God with tears and to fast, for the Lord has from where to give, if He has to whom to give. And then when it rained, you wept and asked for a glass of rainwater, saying: "Who knows whose tears these are." Therefore, knowing your virtues, with a voice of joy we sing to you such things as these:

• Rejoice, that you told us to leave ourselves in the will of God and we will have peace in the soul;
• Rejoice, that you taught us that when we do not know what to do, to pray to God persistently with fasting and prostrations for at least three days and to listen to the voice of conscience;
• Rejoice, that you taught us that what urges us more, that is the will of God;
• Rejoice, that you taught us that a sign of spiritual error is the hatred of prayer;
• Rejoice, that you told us that if we abandon the rule of the Church, God also abandons us;
• Rejoice, that you yoked prayer together with going to hospitals, to the poor, and with the thought of death;
• Rejoice, that thus you obtained warm tears in prayer;
• Rejoice, that the benefit of prayer is the forgiveness of sins and the salvation of the soul;
• Rejoice, that more beneficial is prayer with tears and compunction;
• Rejoice, that through it we grow in love, humility, and faith;
• Rejoice, that in your free time you prayed, read, and visited a sick father;
• Rejoice, that your testament was the testament of love;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 9

An abbot coming, who had some brothers causing him disturbance, to ask your advice, you said to him: "With peace, with peace! For thus we cry out with our hands to heaven when we pray in any ektenia or petition. With peace, Father, for you are a shepherd, all have a soul and need salvation. Be at peace and in love with all, for it is very hard at the end when your conscience rebukes you, that you have embittered the brothers, and you can no longer do anything." For which we sing to you: Alleluia!

Oikos 9

Father, you showed that if monasteries put Mary first, then Martha, then they would flourish and the devil would be driven away from among men. And we sing to you:

• Rejoice, that you said the monastery is Jerusalem and spiritual Zion;
• Rejoice, that you showed that the acquisition of the heavenly Jerusalem depends on our effort;
• Rejoice, that you blessed those who have attained the angelic rank;
• Rejoice, that the best advice for monks was to have patience in reproofs;
• Rejoice, that you taught that in temptation you should pray and endure, until deliverance comes;
• Rejoice, that you taught us that we must stay in shelter, as on the coming of the storm;
• Rejoice, that the shelter is prayer in church, the Paraklesis to the Mother of God, veneration of the Holy Cross, and kathismata from the Psalter;
• Rejoice, that after the temptation passes, stillness comes in the soul and you go out to obedience;
• Rejoice, that you will thank God that He covered you in the time of trouble;
• Rejoice, that you said to a disciple to be a true monk, not just a chanter in the choir;
• Rejoice, that you said our theology is the prayer of the heart with tears;
• Rejoice, that you showed us that if Martha listens to Mary, "no one will destroy our city";
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 10

Father Paisie, you were a leaven of compunction, of prayers and of the tears of the simple, turning towards them, showing mercy to them and teaching them to sing: Alleluia!

Oikos 10

To the sick and unknown Christian woman, who had come to you and was standing in the crowd weeping on her knees, you placed your warm hand on her head during prayer and released her healthy. And we sing to you:

• Rejoice, that the reading of the Psalms was the body of your prayer;
• Rejoice, that the deep meaning of the Psalms was the soul of your prayer;
• Rejoice, that the reading of the Psalms burns the devils like a fiery sword;
• Rejoice, that with the Psalms the fathers worked miracles and drove out evil spirits from men;
• Rejoice, that you taught us that the Psalter, united with fasting and humility, are the most powerful weapons against the devils;
• Rejoice, that with them the saints drove out devils and brought angels down to earth;
• Rejoice, that whoever reads the Psalms imitates the angels and sings together with them;
• Rejoice, that the first benefit of prayer was the peace of the soul and spiritual satisfaction;
• Rejoice, that the sign of spiritual progress were tears in prayer, the thought that you are a sinner, the great joy in the heart, and mercy towards all;
• Rejoice, that you arrived from the thinking of God to the feeling of God;
• Rejoice, that you arrived at spiritual feeling by doing the will of God;
• Rejoice, that you told us we must always have a pure conscience and mind so that our prayer may reach heaven;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 11

Weeping, you said: "Very hard times of trial and suffering are coming, and many will fall, being overcome by the temptations of the last age," for which we sing to you: Alleluia!

Oikos 11

After the Revolution of '89, you said: "This is a great sign that peace has been taken from the earth. For the head of the serpent has been crushed, but its venom has remained and spread throughout the world through its tail." And we sing to you:

• Rejoice, that you told us it is the time when the devil gives more war, for he sees that he has little time;
• Rejoice, that the Lord promised us that He will remain with us until the end of the ages;
• Rejoice, that you showed us that the cooling of love and the diminution of zeal for holy things are a sign of desolation;
• Rejoice, that you told us that today there are many sins, little faith, little prayer, latter times;
• Rejoice, that you taught us to confess often;
• Rejoice, that otherwise the temptations overtake us and we suffer;
• Rejoice, that you told us that beyond there is a gentle light, that there the moon is always full;
• Rejoice, that there the sun does not set and the climate does not grow cold;
• Rejoice, that there the birds sing beautifully and praise the Lord Christ;
• Rejoice, that the angels unceasingly give glory to God;
• Rejoice, that there we desire to be forever and ever;
• Rejoice, that until then we must have as much patience as we can bear on our backs;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 12

Once, a sick old woman coming to you to read prayers for her, you said to her: "I too am sick! How can I read for you?" And the old woman said: "Read for me and make yourself healthy too, Your Reverence!" And so it was, singing: Alleluia!

Oikos 12

At over ninety years of age, having a broken leg, being without sight and with weakened hearing, you spent thus five years. And when you had some disturbance you said: "Again I have angered God. Forgive me, Lord, for I have greatly angered You! Little Mother of the Lord, do not forsake me, for I have no strength left. Which way should I turn, where should I go? I await You here, weeping on the road." Then your face would brighten, you would make three crosses and secretly say the prayer of the heart:

• Rejoice, that in old age you said: "I have angered God and no longer have peace of soul";
• Rejoice, that you lost your patience in suffering and wept;
• Rejoice, that you asked yourself: "Where shall I go? I do not go, good Jesus, but I await You weeping on the road";
• Rejoice, that you did not see, but had comfort in the prayer of the mind through which you spoke with the Lord;
• Rejoice, that you told everyone to have patience, but when you were sick you realized how hard it is to have patience;
• Rejoice, that you rejoiced when you heard of good, of peace, and of love in the monastery;
• Rejoice, that praying with the prayer of the heart on the bed of suffering, you said you pray to God and the Little Mother of the Lord, for now only this remained for you;
• Rejoice, that you said the prayer of the Lord Jesus until the Lord came;
• Rejoice, that you said: "Forgive me, Lord, as I also forgive";
• Rejoice, that even being sick, with simple words, full of spirit and power, you opened the hearts and souls of all;
• Rejoice, that with mercy, love, humility, and meekness you received all, being the most sought-after spiritual father;
• Rejoice, that at your departure you said: "Let us meet at the gate of Paradise!";
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 13

After your departure, a disciple saw you in a dream weeping and saying: "If you do not weep, I weep for you, for it is very hard to reach Paradise. Oh, how much need and how much fear the soul has then! And if you do not weep for yourself here, who will weep for you after death? For only he whose heart aches and has a pure conscience, only he weeps. See how time passes?! Woe, woe, do not let your time pass without benefit, for you will not meet it again. What you can do today, do, and do not put off for tomorrow, for we do not know if we will still reach then. For if you can and do not, you have great sin, and from the eyes of the Lord you can hide nothing. Whatever you do, the purpose with which that thing is done is sought. Do you desire to please men or God? Take heed that Paradise is very precious and it is very hard to reach Paradise. Take care of the soul, for each one has a great responsibility for it. For it is not the years that help us, but the deeds, my dear ones." (This Kontakion is said 3 times).

Oikos 1

Being a child, you were the top of your class. And the children sang to you: "You listened, you learned, a crown you received!" And you, from the prize books with the lives of the saints, grew fond of the Church, for which we sing to you:

• Rejoice, that you were the top of your class;
• Rejoice, that the lives of the saints enlightened your soul;
• Rejoice, that you fell in love with the monastery, even from school, reading the life of Saint Sava;
• Rejoice, that at Easter your father touched you with the blessed paschal bread on your forehead;
• Rejoice, that your father recited the Paraklesis to the Mother of God by heart;
• Rejoice, that your mother told you: "Do not exchange honor for shame";
• Rejoice, star which rises in the Gentle Light;
• Rejoice, that prayer with feeling and tears united you with the Lord Christ, the sweet Savior;
• Rejoice, that you did not place your hope in men, but only in God;
• Rejoice, that you taught us to have faith that God is with us and in us always;
• Rejoice, that you taught us not to fear death, famine, sickness;
• Rejoice, that you were saddened that we trust in money and pleasures;
• Rejoice, that you remembered the hour of the future judgment and sinned no more;
• Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Kontakion 1

Defender of the fallen, raising them through meekness and humility, a "Rejoice" we bring to you, Father Paisie. You, who have pillars of unceasing prayers, deliver us from troubles and sufferings, that we may call to you: Rejoice, Father Paisie, guide towards the gate of Paradise!

Prayer that Father Paisie said to those who left his cell:

The Lord God, the All-merciful, bless you! The Lord help you! The Lord have mercy on you! The Lord keep you from all evil! The Lord fill you with spiritual joy! The Lord, as good and loving of mankind, forgive you your sins and in the heavens receive you with the righteous! Bless, O Lord, these your servants and their prayer, and their love, and their faith, and their joy, and their humility, and their patience! Bless, O Lord, their labor, and their bread, and their children, and their life, and grant them a good end, and beyond grant them a little corner of paradise, for you are blessed forever. Amen!

It is truly meet to bless you, O Mother of God, ever-blessed and most pure and Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, you, truly the Mother of God, we magnify.

Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen.