Father Emilianos Demosthenus (1932-2016)
"The Elder with Love, Patience and advanced Discernment"
(Characterization by a Psychiatrist, his spiritual child).
"Humble, Immovable, Tireless with a special Love for Children"
(Characterization by a Pediatrician, his spiritual child).
"Eis Mnemosynon Aeonion ἔstay Dikaios"
The Prophet David says: "People will always remember the Just man and his Teachings".
Psalm 111: "BLESSED is the man who fears the Lord, in his commandments he will vehemently. May his seed be strong in the earth, a generation of the righteous shall be blessed. Glory and riches in his house, and his righteousness endures forever and ever... for forever it will not be shaken, in eternal remembrance be righteous".
"Happy will be he who has in his heart respect for God and follows His commandments. His seed will be strong on earth, and his spiritual descendants, who will follow the path of righteousness that he marked out, will be blessed. His house will never go bankrupt. Time will not cloud his teaching. People will always remember the Righteous Man and what he taught them."
The Treasurer Emilianos Demosthenus ordained a Deacon on the feast day of Saint Eleftherios (December 15) and often begged him to free him from everything earthly that bound him. He wrote on his tomb, which he prepared several years before he fell asleep: "If you die before you die, you will not die when you die." That is if man manages to kill his passions and his evil desires with the help of the Mysteries of our Church before he dies, then only when he sleeps, he will not die, he will be resurrected near God, otherwise, he will go with the "dead ", where there is eternal sorrow and no prospect of divine presence, according to the New Testament: "He that believeth in me, though he dies, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die" (Gospel of John 11:26). "But Jesus said to him: follow me, and leave the dead and bury your own dead" (Mat. 8: 22).
He became a Spiritualist on the feast of the Holy Spirit and always begged the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. He typically said: "Without the Holy Spirit, we do nothing"! And when we asked him whether we have the Holy Spirit with us, he said anthropomorphically: "The Holy Spirit is like a little bird that fears sin. As soon as we sin, it goes away from us. Let's bring it back again. As long as we sin, we need twice as long afterward to get rid of temptation and bad habit."
As a Man, he was simple and humble. When educated people visited him, he would say to them: "Have you come to me the uneducated?" I only finished Primary School". "We owe each other nothing but love," he emphasized. "You owe nothing if you do not love one another" (Rom. 13:8).
As a believer, he was a model of trust in God. He used to tell us before we do something: "Let's pray and wait for God to show us His will." Also: "Before you do anything, my child, ask yourself: If God were here would you do what you want to do?" He emphasized that we don't need to be tempted by sadness. God will certainly not abandon us.
As a Spiritualist he sat all day until late at night and comforted the people who came to the Church of Agios Georgios in Kellaki to consult him. He was tireless. He used to say: "Better tired than rusty!" He often emphasized to us: "When someone is distressed, we don't need to add to their distress with our own bad criticism."
Be careful not to injure others but not to injure yourself either.
About the Family, he said: "Whoever has many children and lives according to God's will is like having, not a simple house, but an entire apartment building to clean and take care of. But we are not alone in the struggle. God help."
"Youth needs a pole, like a tree. And rest assured that it will be helped."
"Women, if you come to Church in indecent clothing or in red, you do not receive a blessing. Our Lady was modest."
As a married priest, he honored his wife and called her "administration". He helped her with the housework and she cleaned the Church, made bread, and helped him to order the confessions. They prayed together, even for ten minutes (morning and evening), even though they had many jobs. He typically said: "If I don't find time to pray with the elder, how will God find time to take pity on us?"
If we have a function as a profession, for example, if we are priests, teachers, doctors, parents, etc., let us be careful not to project ourselves. To teach the will of God. "Let us revolve around Jesus Christ, not around ourselves," he exhorted us.
Those who knew him can confirm that the late Father Emilianos never said: "I tell you to do this or that", but always began his conversation with the words: "Our late Director of the Priestly School, Father Konstantinos Lefkosiatis, our he said to clean our soul like our house". That is, he was so humble that he referred to others, he did not claim something as his own.
He emphasized that he is necessary for the congregation. "How will we be liked in Heaven if we are not liked in the Temple?" he was asking. In the Divine Liturgy and in the Mysteries of our Church, we receive God's protection. "There is no protection without a congregation."
For tribulations, he told us to ask for God's help and He will certainly listen to us: "To the Lord in my distress, I cried, and hear me" (Psalm 119: 1). He often emphasized to us that without tribulations we will not deserve Paradise. "The family is a home Church", he typically said. "What is inside the Church? The crucified Christ. In married life, we cross our selfishness and our passions."
He lived very frugally. "What we spend today, we will not have when we need it," he said. He prayed that God would enlighten those who can financially support those who are in a difficult financial situation. He reminded us that "God will not let the merciful man suffer." He often visited prisoners, comforted them, and spoke to them about God.
He was even experienced in matters of longevity. Visiting the elderly, he humorously remarked: "I'm getting old!" referring to the verse of the Old Testament: "The days of our years in these seventy years; but if you are in a dynasty, eighty years, and most of them toil and pain" (Psalm 89: 10). And he explained: "We will live up to 70 to 80 years. The most are labor and pain. We must prepare for our heavenly journey with forgiveness, confession, humility, and Eucharist." He got sick at exactly 80 years old!
Let us fast and not be angry, he urged us. He himself did not eat meat so as not to get angry. "To be strict with ourselves and lenient with others", he typically said. A few days before he went to sleep, he pointed to cooked meat and dairy products that we had on the table and said, "The day will come when people will not eat from them."
He always celebrated Holy Patience, the mother of Constantine Palaiologos, to give us patience. With patience, we will progress both in the spiritual and in the daily struggle.
In the YouTube entry
Honorary Event for the 50-year Offering of father Emilianos, there is the honor event by the Church and Community of Kellaki, in 2012, to which he addressed a greeting.
Exodius Procession of Elder Emiliano Demosthenes Kellaki, his funeral, and moments from his life are found.
MAY HIS MEMORY LIVE FOREVER!
Father Emilianou's Group of Spiritual Children.
