Ephraim Moraitis (June 24, 1928 – December 7, 2019) was a Greek preacher, archimandrite, and Athonite elder renowned for his spiritual guidance and the spread of Orthodox monasticism in Greece and North America. Born Ioannis Moraitis in Volos, Greece, to Demetrios and Victoria Moraitis, he grew up in poverty, shaped by his mother’s ascetic piety—she later became Nun Theophano under his guidance. At 19, he joined Mount Athos in 1947, becoming a disciple of Saint Joseph the Hesychast at St. Anna’s Skete, who tonsured him as Ephraim in 1948 and ordained him a priest, fostering his rigorous spiritual life over 12 years until Joseph’s death in 1959. Ephraim’s preaching career flourished as he led a growing brotherhood, becoming abbot of Philotheou Monastery in 1973, where he revived its spiritual vitality, expanding it from a handful of monks to over 80 by 1981. His sermons, rooted in hesychastic tradition, emphasized the Jesus Prayer, repentance, and divine love, influencing monasteries like Xeropotamou, Konstamonitou, and Karakallou under his guidance. In 1979, he began ministering to Greek diaspora in North America, founding 17 monasteries, including St. Anthony’s in Arizona, where he settled in 1995, preaching to thousands as a grace-filled confessor. Author of works like My Elder Joseph the Hesychast, he died at age 91 in Florence, Arizona, leaving a legacy as a transmitter of Athonite spirituality and a beacon of Orthodox faith. Unmarried, he dedicated his life wholly to monasticism.