He Has Become an Edifying Example for Subsequent Generations of Orthodox Monks

Elder Avvakum (Vakarov) lived an ascetic life in the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos for over 45 years. After coming to the monastery as a young man in 1926 with the blessing of Venerable Alexis (Kabaliuk), he devoted the entire remainder of his life to Saint Panteleimon’s, which became a second home for him.

As a disciple and follower of outstanding elders of Saint Panteleimon Monastery such as Venerable Silouan of Athos, Schema-archimandrite Misail (Sapegin), Fr Kirik (Maximov), and other ascetics, Fr Avvakum drew upon their rich experience of inner prayer of the heart, humility, and obedience.

After beginning his monastic life as an ordinary monastery labourer, he gradually came to grasp the foundations of the monastic life under the skilful spiritual direction of the monastery steward, Venerable Silouan of Athos, and of Abbot Misail (Sapegin), and in time succeeded Saint Silouan as monastery steward.

During the most difficult period in the history of Saint Panteleimon Monastery, when its very existence was endangered, Fr Avvakum played a key role in its fate by dedicating himself to preserving the monastery. As a member of the monastery Council of Elders, he had the difficult and highly responsible obedience of serving as monastery representative (antiprósopos) at the Holy Community of Mount Athos for over 13 years (from 1959–1972). Here, he had work unbelievably hard to defend the interests of the brotherhood of the monastery, which at the time was on the verge of being dissolved.

Thanks to the efforts of Fr Avvakum and others in the 1960s and 1970s, it proved possible to save Saint Panteleimon Monastery. During the same period, likewise thanks to their efforts, the monastery restored close links with the Russian Orthodox Church, and the monastery brotherhood, which was on the cusp of extinction, began to grow again thanks to an influx of new young monks from Russia and the Ukraine. This was all made possible by Fr Avvakum.

On two occasions, the brotherhood put Fr Avvakum as a candidate for abbot, but in his deep humility, he refused this position and ceded it to his fellow brethren.

From his time in Saint Panteleimon’s, Fr Avvakum left behind memories of himself as a true man of prayer and an ascetic who stood out with his deep humility, modesty, obligingness, lack of malice, and love for his fellow brethren and neighbours.

He has become an excellent edifying example for subsequent generations of Orthodox monks. In giving my blessing for the publication of this book about Elder Avvakum (Vakarov), I hope that it will help to provide a deeper understanding of the meaning and significance of monasticism and to inform people about a little known and difficult period in the history of the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos.

Foreword by Abbot Evlogii of the Athonite Monastery of Saint Panteleimon