Euthymios of Zographou

Euthymios of Zographou, an abbot, was born on 26 October 1926 in the village of Entsevtsi in the Veliko Tarnovo district of Bulgaria. At baptism he was given the name Bogomil. From childhood he was distinguished by intelligence and modesty. He finished the gymnasium with distinction. His father meant to leave him as successor in his business, but after military service Bogomil announced to his parents that he wanted to be a priest in his village. He enrolled in the Pastoral School that was then at Cherepish Monastery, finished in three years with distinction and returned to his village, where all expected him to be ordained. He was loved by all for his meekness, modesty and quiet and kind character. But first he had to find a priest's wife; inexperienced in such things, he asked a priest he knew to find him one, but the one found was not suitable. Then he left the village and from 1951 to 1961 worked ten years in construction, keeping his pious principles and remaining a faithful child of the Church.

At the beginning of 1962 he went to the monastery of the Transfiguration near Veliko Tarnovo, and after the regular trial became a monk with the name Euthymios. In 1963 he was ordained priest. When he heard the canon of Matins he made the sign of the cross and a prostration at every troparion. When pupils of the pastoral school came to him and asked for a blessing, he, now a hieromonk, blessed them but kissed their hand too. In 1964 he was sent as priest to the nearby convent of Saints Peter and Paul; the convent had burned and Father Euthymios worked with the sisters on its rebuilding, at heavy labour, even making adobe bricks themselves. Despite the tiredness he never lay in bed but slept a few hours in a chair. From so much standing the veins of his legs burst and he wrapped them in bandages. He wore chains next to the skin that made wounds on his back.

At that time the Holy Monastery of Zographou on Athos suffered from a lack of monks, and the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Church decided to send some monks to repopulate it. When it was proposed to Father Euthymios, he accepted with great joy and on 21 October 1969 he came to Zographou with Father John from the same monastery. The abbot then was the Romanian Father Dometios, of the Vatopedi cell of Saint Hypatios; they had agreed that he would be provisional abbot without leaving his cell and hand over the abbacy to a Bulgarian when one came. After his arrival Father Euthymios won the confidence of the fathers. In 1971 he was made superior, and on 3 November 1975 he was unanimously elected abbot for his virtue. But out of humility he did not want it at all. He firmly refused, but the fathers insisted. Then the Mother of God appeared to him and said: "You must accept, there is no other." So he became abbot by the command of the Mother of God. He kept simplicity and humility as abbot too.

He never put himself forward and did not look like an abbot, but wished to remain unknown. He was first in obediences and sacrificed himself for his monastery. Besides the duties of abbot he performed those of secretary: he read the letters and answered. He had learned a little Greek in Bulgaria and cultivated it more in the monastery, so that he could read and write formal Greek and communicate with Greek pilgrims and state officials. He was also the steward. Alone he went to Thessaloniki to shop for the monastery's needs. Going to the market with an old blue bag, he never used a taxi but carried the purchases himself in his arms to the metochion. When he finished, he took the bus again to the Chalkidiki agency and from there to the monastery with all his things.

In the city he lived very simply and austerely. He never omitted the services; he did them all with the prayer rope, the Psalter and a prayer book, because they lacked the necessary books. When the hour of the service came, he shut himself in his room and prayed. He made many prostrations, and if someone knocked on the door he did not open. The door, however, he did not lock, and if someone came in to ask him something, he said what was necessary and continued. In the morning he did Matins and was late. Many times the steward who was with him lost patience and knocked at the door so that the elder might finish and they could catch up with their errands. But the elder did not hurry: he first had to finish all his spiritual duties, and then they set out on their errands without taking breakfast. When in the evening they returned exhausted to the metochion, while they cooked some cabbage, the steward was hungry and took a little bread and some fruit. The elder patiently prepared the food and ate only at the table. Outside the table he never ate anything, neither in the monastery nor outside. He never went to restaurants; he said it did not suit a monk. Once the steward insisted and, out of obedience, they went to eat at a restaurant, but while they ate he was visibly very distressed. When they had no food at the metochion, he cracked a few walnuts and passed the evening.

In 1986 he took from the bank, for the monastery's needs, about a million drachmas, a lot of money for those times. It seems someone followed him; as soon as he came out, he snatched his old bag with the money and vanished at great speed on a motorcycle. The elder had time only to cry: "Wait, why are you taking it? It is monastery money." In the evening he told the steward, but quietly, with no distress, then fell asleep at once as if nothing had happened. He had probably prayed much for the thief.

In the city he did not let his eyes wander. He was careful and so kept his good spiritual state. When he returned to the monastery he immediately took the duty of serving, because priests were few, and tired from the journey he put on the stole and began Vespers. The next day at the Divine Liturgy, reading the Gospel toward the end, his voice would change with compunction and his eyes fill with tears. Going out into the world did not alter him, because he had sobriety and went out only from necessity. He felt compunction also when on Sunday evening he read the Akathist of Saint George. When he was not celebrating, he stood in the choir and liked to read and chant. He read the Psalter, canons and Hours slowly and clearly, without haste. When there was no one in the other choir, he said, without grumbling, the part of the other choir as well. He did not remark on the monks' shortcomings nor judge anyone, but was always peaceful and silent. Because the fathers of the monastery came from various Bulgarian monasteries, they did not keep a strict cenobitic order. The elder, when not asked, did not interfere in their personal life. He treated them with maternal love, but on two things he was unyielding.

He was found fallen asleep on a sofa after the vigil of the Entrance of the Theotokos, on 21 November 1994, when his pure soul had flown to heaven, to Christ whom he had loved from childhood and served in many ways all his life. The fathers noticed on his bed a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. In this life Elder Euthymios did not have his fill of sleep and did not rest like a man, but now may the Lord, the righteous Judge, give him rest in unageing blessedness. Those who knew him recall with emotion a holy man. He is venerated by the faithful, without synodal canonization.