On December 28, 1954, at the age of 21, he became a monk in the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi , Messinia, after the relative blessing from the Metropolitan of Messinia Chrysostomos Daskalakis. The bishop and ordained him a deacon soon after, while he was still at the monastery. The few Kollyvades monks who kept the monastery, the abbot Alexandros, and the monks Ambrosios, Polykarpos, his friend Hieronymos, and Pangratios, provided guidance for Meletios. By that time, he had mastered Ancient Greek and spoke Latin as his mother tongue. He also knew Russian, French, German, and English fluently. Because of his abilities, Chrysostomos took him from the monastery and he brought him to Kalamata in 1957.
