The website
of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church announced earlier this afternoon that Elder
Dobri Dobrev, known around the world for his great love and sacrifice of
charity to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and people, has reposed in the Lord.
He was 103 years old.
“We regret to
report that Dobri Dimitrov Dobrev (Grandpa Dobri), loved by all, reposed in the
Lord today,” the message reads. He reposed at the Monastery of St. George in
Kremikovtsi, to the northeast of Sofia, according to Wikipedia.
In 2013,
Elder Dobri was part of Novinite's Personality in the News poll, and won
overwhelmingly, coming first not only in his (Charity) category but also
gaining more votes than all other participants combined.
An icon of
charity, he came under the spotlight when it was revealed that for years he had
walked more than 12.5 miles to reach Sofia from his home in the village of
Bailovo to beg for money and then donate it for charity.
After
spending years at the entrance of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, with a
plastic cup in his hand, he collected about BGN 40,000 ($24,700 today) for the
cathedral in Sofia, BGN 10,000 ($12,350 today) for the Sts. Cyril and Methodius
Church in Bailovo, and BGN 25,000 ($31,000 today) for the restoration of the
Eleshnishki Monastery of the Mother of God located to the east of Sofia, and
the local church of the Gorno Kamartsi village.
Elder Dobri’s
body was placed in the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church in his home village of
Bailovo, where he had lived since 2000, for visitation and veneration today.
The church will remain open all night. The Divine Liturgy will be served
tomorrow, after which his body will remain in the church, and his funeral will
be served on Thursday.
Dobri
Dimitrov Dobrev was born on July 20, 1914 in the village of Bailovo. His father
died in World War I and his mother raised the children. He married in 1940,
when Bulgaria was participating in the Second World. A shell fell near him
during one of the bombings in Sofia, depriving him of nearly all his hearing.
He had four children with his wife, two of whom he outlived.
Over the
years, the elder became more and more detached from the material aspects of
life, devoting himself entirely to the spiritual life. Around the year 2000, he
donated all of his belongings to the Orthodox Church and began living in a
small and modest addition to the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church in his native
village. It is also about that time that he began to collect money towards the
restoration of churches and monasteries throughout Bulgaria.
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