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Orthodox Christian monk Father Spyridon speaks with a newly married French couple Thomas and Valentine on their way to the Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa in Amorgos island, Greece, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)Especially during Lent, Father Spyridon cherishes his mission to be present for his people – whether a short walk away or visiting from around the world.
“People are sent by God and it’s the responsibility of the monks to welcome them and feed their hunger for spirituality and for a better hope for the future,” he said.The monastery is blinding white in the Aegean sunshine. During the pitch-black nights, its small windows are the only specks of light in the swirl of stars.For Father Spyridon, to be “shapers of light” is the essence of everyone’s vocation – and the special blessing of Amorgos’ remote monastery.
“Here, it is about the soul, the spirit, the eternal part of us,” he said.Orthodox Christian monk Father Spyridon looks on inside the chapel of the Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa in Amorgos island, Greece, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Orthodox Christian monk Father Spyridon looks on inside the chapel of the Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa in Amorgos island, Greece, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Orthodox Christian monk Father Spyridon conducts the Divine Liturgy in the chapel of the Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa in Amorgos island, Greece, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)Ukrainian soldiers walk though human corridor with people holding photos of their missed relatives after returning from captivity during a POWs exchange between Russia and Ukraine, in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian soldiers walk though human corridor with people holding photos of their missed relatives after returning from captivity during a POWs exchange between Russia and Ukraine, in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)A Ukrainian soldier hugs a woman after returning from captivity during a POWs exchange between Russia and Ukraine, in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A Ukrainian soldier hugs a woman after returning from captivity during a POWs exchange between Russia and Ukraine, in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.