Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden sent a letter regarding the collection of artefacts related to Fr. Eusevios Vittis’ Ministry in Scandinavia.
According to the letter, this year marks the tenth anniversary of the falling asleep in the Lord of the ever-memorable Elder Eusevios Vittis, a seminal contemporary spiritual father of the Orthodox Church. He noted that with the blessings of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, he was taking the initiative of collecting artefacts regarding Fr. Eusevios’ ministry in Scandinavia for the purpose of publishing a commemorative album in his memory.
Moreover, the flock of the Mother Church of Constantinople in Scandinavia takes pride in the St. Nicholas Hermitage in Rättvik, Sweden, which served as Fr. Eusevios’ residence and spiritual springboard until his permanent relocation to Greece. It was transferred to the Holy Metropolis of Sweden on the 9th of November 2014, and the Thyranoixia (dedication) service for the renovated structure was celebrated on Sunday, the 6th of December 2015.
Fr. Eusevios was ordained a Presbyter in Sweden in 1965 by Archbishop Athenagoras Kokkinakis of Thyateira and Great Britain, and stood out for his asceticism and missionary zeal, his paternal love, and the love and care that he displayed for the salvation and spiritual edification of our Greek Community in Scandinavia. He stood well in his service, displaying zeal for his holy mission and spreading the lifegiving Word of the Gospel, and he embodied our common hopes, bearing witness to the Great Church of Christ through self-sacrifice. Hundreds of people of all ages – men and women, young and old, white and blue-collar workers, learned and unlettered – were inspired by his modest and discrete paradigm, as well as his vast pastoral, philanthropic, social, literary, and missionary work.
He also asked of those who personally met Elder Eusevios and had recollections of their spiritual interaction with him to share their accounts in writing, as these will be included in the commemorative album. The same goes for correspondence and related photos. “If you know people who were acquainted with Elder Eusevios living in Scandinavia, Greece, Cyprus, or elsewhere, kindly send me their contact information and I will get in touch with them,” he said.
