Joachim Balasis of Vatopedi

Joachim Balasis of Vatopedi was a genuine Athonite. He loved the Mother of God, the Holy Mountain, its history and the Athonite fathers much. He was distinguished by industry, love of learning and of virtue. He avoided many cares and many words. He was a forgotten, humble and good monk. His poverty gave him a rich heart. Elder Joachim was accused, but accused no one.

He was born in 1893 in the village of Dafni in Kalavryta, to pious parents with many children; he was the eldest of eight. His first words as an infant, miraculously, were: "I will be a monk." After graduating from the gymnasium he worked for a time in a grocery in Patras. He met and became attached to the confessor Gervasios Paraskevopoulos (d. 1964). From Dafni of Kalavryta he came to Daphne of Athos in 1915 and went to the skete of Kavsokalyvia, where for a few months he stayed with the company of Father Chariton (d. 1906). There, in the hut of the Akathist, reigned silence, stillness, prayer, compunction, poverty and blessedness. In 1916 he came to the Pantokratoros cell of the Nativity of the Theotokos, with a Kollyvades tradition, and was tonsured a monk by Elder Onouphrios. For a decade he worked hard there, and his only consolation was night study. He stayed briefly in a dry hut of Kavsokalyvia, then at the cell of Saint Demetrius at Kerasia, where the famous Hadji-⁠George (d. 1886) had lived, and in the neighbouring cell of the Forerunner he had a small company. His disciple, the hieromonk Andrew (d. 2004), writes that he was serene, gentle, sweet in manner, full of kindness, and his words full of wisdom and parables.

In 1942 he took with his company the Iviron cell of the Holy Theodores, in 1953 the Simonopetra cell of the Annunciation, and finally in 1971 the Vatopedi cell of the Ascension of the Lord, where he remained until his death with his faithful disciple, the monk Theodore. In the seventy-⁠three years he spent on Athos he went out only three times, very briefly, from great need, and did not visit his birthplace. He had no correspondence even with relatives. When his mother sent him a letter, he was moved, did not read it all and burned it. Every day he prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, whatever is foreign, unlawful, unjust and harmful to the soul, let it go in whatever way you will. Let them steal it, let them ask it of me if they need it, let it break. Only let it not burden my soul." He loved study much: "On the Mountain the books kept me." He had spiritual ties with the elders of the Ioasaphaioi, the Danielaioi and the Thomades, with Gerasimos of Little St Anne's, Andrew and Theodosios of St Paul's, Athanasios the physician of the Lavra, Athanasios of Iviron, Joseph the Cave-⁠dweller, Eulogios of Phaneromeni, Theokletos of Dionysiou, Paisios the Athonite and others. The last, visiting him gravely ill and in great pain, said: "Hey, Old Joachim, do you want only the monk's crown? Take the martyr's too."

He reposed in peace, with an expression of joyful sorrow, in 1988. Bishop Chrysostom of Rodostolon led the funeral with twenty priests and fifty monks. His beautiful Athonite stories were published in a book, to the joy of his disciple. He is venerated by the faithful, without synodal canonization.