“Even though the young novice Francis [i.e., St. Joseph] was unlettered, he would not stop reading the writings of the holy Fathers for help and support. Since most of his free time was spent on noetic prayer, he did not devote himself to exhaustive studies. Nevertheless, he kept reading every day because persistent and arduous reading is necessary to understand the subtleties of various thoughts.

Naturally, his first choice in reading was Holy Scripture, and especially the New Testament and the Psalms. His mind was so steeped in the concepts found in the Psalms that he wrote his letters with a style similar to that of biblical texts. He also liked reading lives of the saints, which relax the mind, sweeten the heart, enrich one’s discernment , and increase one’s zeal for greater ascetical feats. He said that the lives of the saints are like a mirror in which one can see one’s faults . His disciples remember that no matter what problem they had, he would always have some beneficial incident from the lives of the saints to tell, which would shed light on their need or on the issue that concerned them. His other favorites were the writings of Abba Dorotheos, the Ladder, and the Evergetinos. As for the Philokalia, he never let it collect dust. He sometimes read the Ecclesiastical History and occasionally the Rudder of St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite. He also liked The Way of a Pilgrim, and when he himself became an elder, he highly recommended that people should not just read this book but also give it to others as a present.

Francis found great benefit in the writings and letters of the Metropolitan Nectarios of Pentapolis, who would later be canonized a saint. He had first heard about him from Elder Daniel of Katounakia. Later, he learned more about him from Elder Hieronymos when he visited him in Aegina. He had great reverence for St. Nectarios, even though he had not yet been canonized.

One book that he had as an inseparable companion throughout his life was the Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian. He often kept this book beneath his headrest so that it would be one of the first things he would see when he woke up! He had embraced St. Isaac’s teaching so much that one can see the entire life of Elder Joseph as a living book of St. Isaac the Syrian.”