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One of the great Athonite Elders of the last century, Joseph the Hesychaste, was well known as a spiritual father to priests and seminarians. To one, who passed it on to a cousin’s husband at his ordination, he wrote this:

“My son, my blessed priest: May mercy, enlightenment, strength, peace, love and the abundant grace of the Lord be upon your noble soul. May the Lord our God send you a good angel to direct your steps in the way of peace, according to His holy will. My truly beloved son who won my love with your noble feelings, may your fiery soul be graced with brilliant splendor.

May the Holy Protection of our sweetest Queen, the pure Virgin and Theotokos, cover you like Moses, along with all of your spiritual children, as the divine Andrew the Fool-for-Christ saw in Constantinople. May our sweet Jesus make your nous and heart shine with His holy seal, as well as every God-pleasing work of yours, so that the enemy will not find anything at all to plunder.

At His Second Coming may He reward and bless and crown every single one of your good deeds done with love. May He enrich all your spiritual children through His rich endowment and heavenly grace, and may they become fragrant flowers of paradise, so that you will see them in that day and rejoice. I, too, rejoice, seeing all of you as flowers with the sweet smell of good works ? I who am empty of every good. You are my happiness and joy and wealth in my poverty, my great boast. Through your spiritual works the Father is glorified, the Son rejoices, and the Holy Spirit exults!”