On Sunday, January 23, 2022, Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium presided over the Divine Liturgy and then performed the memorial service of the Blessed Bishop Maximos of Evmenia at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Rotterdam.
The new Ambassador of Greece to the Netherlands, Aikaterina Gini attended the service.
In his sermon, the Metropolitan referred to the Gospel reading of Sunday.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the memorial service was held for the blessed Bishop Maximos of Evmenia, after which the Metropolitan spoke to the faithful, remembering his life and personality, saying, among other things:
“The Blessed Bishop was born in Stylida, Fthiotida, in 1935, where he received his circular lessons. He then graduated from the Ecclesiastical School of Lamia and then the Theological School of Halki, from which he graduated in 1958. In the same year, in the Holy Trinity Church of the School, he was ordained a deacon and a presbyter, and from December he took over as priest of the Church of St. Nicholas in Rotterdam, serving the whole of the Netherlands. In 1977 he was elected Bishop of Evmenia, continuing to serve the needs of the Holy Metropolis in the Netherlands. In 1992, at the urging of the former Metropolitan of Belgium, Panteleimon, he settled in Brussels and continued to serve and work for the needs of both Belgium and Luxembourg. On January 22, 2015, while at his residence in Brussels, he fell asleep in the Lord.
The blessed Bishop Maximos of Evmenia was loved by all and always stood by the side of the faithful with willingness and love. He had great love and absolute devotion to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He was always guided by the good of the Church and the relief of his suffering fellow man. He was distinguished for his obedience, humility, and charity.”