The Monk Who Waves the Greek Flag at Fighter Jets

Monk Joseph waiving astatine a Hellenic Airforce craft connected Mount Athos. Public Domain

A Greek monk astatine Mount Athos, the beatified upland of Orthodoxy, has been waving the Greek emblem for years. He does truthful each clip a subject level passes implicit his monastery.

Whenever Monk Joseph hears the dependable of an aircraft, helium stands adjacent astatine the borderline of a cliff supra the Aegean and waves a immense Greek—or sometimes Byzantine—flag astatine the Greek Air Force pilots flying implicit the peninsula of Athos successful bluish Greece.

The pilots alert debased successful effect to the monk’s peculiar greeting, paying respect to the antheral known among the Greek Air unit circles arsenic the patron of pilots.

But however did this unusual yet fascinating greeting begin? Some years ago, erstwhile Monk Joseph traveled to the land of Skyros for a section fair, helium besides visited the airbase of the island.

A aviator recognized him arsenic the monk surviving connected a Mount Athos top that happens to beryllium a turning constituent for aircraft. After their acquaintance, the aviator utilized to alert debased each clip implicit that constituent truthful that helium could greet the monk successful this peculiar way.

Monk Joseph waved to the aviator with a immense Greek flag

Then the monk would question backmost successful effect until 1 time Joseph took a immense Greek emblem and started waving it backmost astatine the pilot.

From that infinitesimal on, the communicative of the monk dispersed rapidly wrong the circles of the Hellenic Air Force, and, soon, 1 aviator aft the different flying implicit the country flew person to the crushed to greet the monk.

The communicative of the humble monk and the pilots circulated connected the net and has go fashionable astir the world. In each photo, the monk stands astatine the borderline of a steep cliff with a immense emblem successful his hands portion the pilots’ faces flying by are adjacent capable to beryllium recognized.

Sometimes, the peculiar greeting is met by navy ships sailing adjacent by the constituent wherever the hermit resides. Many pilgrims who person happened to beryllium astatine the country person besides joined Monk Joseph successful his greeting ceremony.

The hermit has present go a benignant of patron oregon protector of pilots. He waves astatine them earlier they caput to their aerial missions and waits for them to instrumentality and greet him successful their ain peculiar way. Many pilots person visited the monk successful his compartment and presented him with souvenirs including an Air Force azygous with his sanction sewn connected the garments.

“I emotion them each similar my children,” said the hermit Joseph successful a conversation. “I person besides met immoderate up close.”

“Every day, erstwhile I perceive the dependable of airplanes, I dash from my cell,” helium revealed. “I spell retired and question the Greek flag. I weep with emotion, arsenic these young lads always, pursuing immoderate ngo successful the Aegean, travel to greet maine truthful that I whitethorn springiness them my blessing.”

“I person watched excessively galore battles,” Joseph said recently. “I felt fearfulness and pride. But the feeling I get aft each engagement erstwhile they walk implicit my hermitage to greet maine is indescribable…Some of the pilots came present and recovered me. We embraced, we talked, they opened their hearts. They revealed their problems. I consciousness that my words are words of God, and volition marque them adjacent much courageous to support everything successful our Greece.”

Born successful Corinth sixty-four years ago, Joseph was the lad of a clergyman primitively baptized arsenic Christos. Before helium became a monk, helium was known to the satellite arsenic Christos Bairaktaris.

He comes from the colony of Agios Vasilios successful Corinth, and the Greek Air Force has embraced him arsenic portion of its ain family.

In 1983, astatine the property of twenty-five, helium decided to go a monk astatine the Monastery of Megisti Lavra connected Mount Athos. From there, helium was sent to the compartment of Saint Minas successful the determination known arsenic Vigla, wherever helium would beryllium liable for taking attraction of the 19th-century tiny church.

It is said that Joseph’s compartment looks implicit the precise constituent wherever the Persian subject commandant Mardonius mislaid fractional of his fleet astatine oversea successful 492 BC.

Joseph is not fond of media attraction oregon flashlights, truthful helium lone shares his thoughts and words with the visiting pilgrims. He is 1 of the astir well-known cantors of Mount Athos and often chants successful churches and metropoles extracurricular the monastic assemblage of Athos. He besides attends spiritual fairs astir the country.

“He is simply a saintly man, a biblical personality, who whenever anyone comes to conscionable him, opens a model to a satellite of goodness and love,” said George Vazouras, a aviator who visits him often.