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During the reign of one of the Orthodox kings who ruled Rome, there was a prince from Rome who was in command of one hundred soldiers. Filled with God's grace, he said to the king: "I want to leave this passing world and go to the wilderness to become a monk there."

He sailed to Alexandria, and after that he traveled on land to Tor Sina (Sinai). That was 200 years after the departure of both St. John Clamacus, who wrote The Ladder of Divine Ascent and was the father of all the Sinai monks, and St. Anastas, the Sinai Abbot. Both were righteous and advanced in virtue.

At that time, there were 250 monks at the monastery. St. Stratios behaved in the monastery with great devoutness and with a flaming fervor for Jesus Christ that he deserved to wear the monastic garb (Eskeem).

After spending many years in the monastery during which time he served the monks with extreme love, he begged his spiritual father to let him go into the wilderness. His father agreed, thinking he was going to live in a cave nearby, and not too far from the monastery.

St. Stratios took his scarf and his walking stick and walked praising God and saying:
"I lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 121)

He continued walking until he reached a cave far in the wilderness, and there he continued striving in devotion and struggling aggressively in his spiritual life and in his love for the Lord Jesus Christ. In the wilderness, he ate from the grass growing on the rocks and drank from a spring that ran close to the grass. He spent many of the days fasting and would only eat a handful of grass and little water.

His prayer was ceaseless, because he imitated the spiritual people in their continuous praising and nonstop prayer. And he continued that way for about twelve years in the wilderness.

He knew that he was going to depart from this passing world to join the saints in the forthcoming world after forty days. When he felt that his time was close, he made the sign of the Holy Cross, of the glorious Lord Jesus Christ, on the wind, and he was carried off instantly and brought inside the monastery.

There he met the abbot of the monastery, who had aged. When the abbot asked him, "Who are you?", St. Stratios answered, "I am your son, Stratios, who lived in the monastery twelve years ago, and I have come now because my departure from this world is near. After forty days I will go to the new world, where there is eternal comfort. So I want to spend these few days with the monastery fathers and the saints' prayers, so that I may have their blessings before I depart."

The abbot was so glad to see him that he hugged him and requested the bells to be rung. The fathers came, and they, too, were glad to see the anchorite saint. Then they gave him a separate cell into which he entered and closed the door. He left without anyone noticing, and went to the graves of John Clamacus and St. Anastas. He knelt down asking for the assistance of these saints' prayers who preceded him two hundred years before.

While he was praying and asking them insistently, the Lord's Angel appeared to him and called "Stratios, St. John and St. Anastas came here by spirit to bless you, O you blessed and happy saint, before your departure from this world." Right away, St. Stratios saw them and received their blessings, and they told him "We will be there when your soul departs from your body, and we will pray upon you in your cell that the fathers gave you inside the monastery." They gave him peace and left. After that, he went back to his cell.

St. Stratios did not tell anyone about this incident except his disciple, to whom he said, "My son, after thirty-seven days are completed, open the door to my cell because I will depart on that day from this passing world, and do not linger on counting these days so you can bury my body."

When the days passed and the time came, they knocked on the door, no one answered. Finally they broke the cell's door and found St. Stratios lying down, and his face was covered with a scarf that was made of rough wool. They were amazed to find next to him a censer with coal in it. Incense, which had a very good scent, was coming up from it, and this was a sign that the anchorite fathers had come and prayed upon him. Then the fathers prayed very short prayers upon him and buried him, with great respect, with the saints and fathers. An indescribable herbal scent came from his body, and spread all around. St. Stratios became a blessing to many.

Unto the Lord is due all glory and honor and worship, now and onto the ages of all ages, Amen.