Foreword on behalf of the Friends of Mount Athos (Patron: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales)

We should like to thank this book’s author, Sergey Shumylo, and all who have cooperated in its publication and gathering of information on Athonite Elder Avvakum (Vakarov).

The book contributes significantly to the history of the Mountain’s spiritual influence, bringing to light Priest of the Great Schema Avvakum and many other forgotten twentieth-century Athonite ascetics. He was a spiritual son of St Silouan the Athonite, who is especially revered by Orthodox Christians in Britain and elsewhere. Fr Avvakum worked closely with his friend, the newly-canonized St Sophrony, founder of the Monastery of St John the Forerunner in Essex. Another of his fellow monks was Archbishop Vasily (Krivoshein), a promoter of Orthodoxy in Britain. Although Elder Avvakum never went to the UK in his forty-six years on Athos, he had spiritual children in our country, as can be seen from his correspondence with them kept in the Russian Athonite St Panteleimon Monastery archive.

The English edition of our book, published under the auspices of the Friends of Mount Athos, makes an important contribution to the spread of Orthodoxy and to historical enlightenment. I am sure that the book will play an important part in the spiritual influence of the Mountain and of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church. Fr Avvakum’s prayerful protection will help us preserve the purity of our faith in these uncertain times.

Dr Graham Speake,

FSA, Chairman of the Friends of Mount Athos

Oxford, UK