Why are there so many cafes next to churches?a

Why are there so many cafes next to churches?
a priests like coffee; b to attract business; c a place to chat after the services. Well, maybe all of the above. The liturgy in the world is often conducted over food and drink. This is where friends make social discourse and where social discourse makes friends.

We were opposite to St Dimitrios church about to visit the catacombs, outside an icon shop. There we met two priests from Cyprus fr Andreas and fr Irenaeus. Fr Andreas with his Presbytera invited us to join them for coffee at a cafe. Our conversation outlasted the coffees as we made connections of places and people we knew. The Orthodox Church is both large and small. One can be sure that you will know someone in common.

After a long joyful conversation we parted friends exchanging contact details. Asked if I was on viber I shook my head. After visiting the quite remarkable catacombs of St Dimitrios, the intended visit to a clerical tailor did not materialise either metaphorically or literally. So we visited the monastery church of St Theodora where we venerated the relics of the saint and those of St David the tree dweller of Thessaloniki.

Lunch time is very flexible in Greece ,late afternoon seems as good a time as any other. My eremital instinct was beginning to re emerge so my kind hosts allowed me to take some quiet in my room or as my host said ” escape.”

” Wishing for a quiet life, St David fled to the seclusion of an almond tree.”

Fellowship and hesychia are both needed in the Christian life.