Greek actress Myriella Kourenti has spoken publicly about her decision to turn to God following a dark period in her life three years ago.
In a video uploaded to TikTok, the performer detailed her journey toward Orthodox Christian faith, prayer, and her search for a spiritual father.
Kourenti explained that her path began while experiencing severe physical and emotional hardship, which prompted a profound shift in her personal life.
While searching for a different title on an online bookstore, she unexpectedly encountered a spiritual book titled Our Thoughts Determine Our Life.
Reading the text inspired her to seek a confessor, as she admired how the spiritual guide in the book provided counsel and heard confessions with grace.
Prayers to the Virgin Mary
Kourenti stated that she had felt a close bond with the Virgin Mary since childhood, prompting her to turn to prayer during her recovery.
For an entire month, she prayed every evening asking for a charismatic elder who could offer spiritual direction and hear her confession.
She expressed her belief that people should place their burdens in God's hands, describing a spiritual father as an instrument of divine guidance.
At the end of the month, she confided her desire to a friend named Markella, a practicing psychologist and psychotherapist, asking not to be mocked.
Matching Recommendations for a Confessor
Markella immediately recommended her own spiritual father, a hieromonk from Mount Athos who resided right next to Kourenti's home.
Mount Athos is an autonomous monastic peninsula in northern Greece, recognized worldwide as a principal center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism.
The hieromonk had studied under Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, a prominent monastic figure whose canonization by the Orthodox Church is anticipated.
When Kourenti returned home to inform her family, her mother revealed that she had also just found a spiritual father located nearby.
Her mother had received the recommendation from an old friend named Giorgos, whom she met by chance at a supermarket after many years.
The priest recommended by both women was the exact same person, despite Markella and Giorgos being complete strangers to one another.
First Confession and a Life Changing Remark
Kourenti viewed the identical suggestions as a direct answer to her daily prayers from the Virgin Mary and arranged to meet the elder.
She attended her first confession late at night, entering the elder's office at 11:00 pm after waiting for her turn.
During their initial conversation, the elder asked her name and inquired about when she celebrated her nameday.
She explained that her grandmother celebrated on August 15 during the feast of the Virgin Mary, as there is no traditional Saint Myriella.
August 15 marks the Dormition of the Mother of God, one of the most important religious holidays in the Eastern Orthodox calendar.
The elder looked at her and remarked that it was time they made a saint out of her, despite Kourenti viewing herself as deeply flawed.
Kourenti said that single statement altered her perspective on life, showing her that holiness is attainable and giving her spiritual role models.
