Rare photo of Fr. Seraphim and Fr. Herman
provided by Fr. Paul Baba
provided by Fr. Paul Baba
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
@frseraphimrose
Dedicated to sharing the life, teachings, and spiritual lineage of Hieromonk Seraphim Rose of Platina and promoting his veneration and glorification (canonization) by the Orthodox Church
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute (English)
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute is a Telegram channel that is dedicated to sharing the life, teachings, and spiritual lineage of Hieromonk Seraphim Rose of Platina. For those who are not familiar, Hieromonk Seraphim Rose was an influential figure in the Orthodox Church, known for his writings on spirituality and traditional Orthodox Christianity. The channel aims to promote his veneration and glorification (canonization) by the Orthodox Church. Through a variety of posts, including quotes, teachings, and reflections on his life, followers of the channel can gain a deeper understanding of the legacy of this revered monk. Whether you are a long-time admirer of Fr. Seraphim Rose or are just beginning to learn about his work, this channel provides a space for connection and education. Join the community at @frseraphimrose and immerse yourself in the wisdom and teachings of this beloved spiritual leader.
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
06 Jan, 13:40
Reading for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ from The Orthodox Word
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
06 Jan, 04:11
Some of these trials will come from the side of pleasing deceptions, from the "signs and lying wonders" which we begin to see even now; others will come from the fierce and naked evil which is already visible in Jonestown, Cambodia, and the Gulag Archipelago. Those who wish to be true Christians in these frightful days had better begin to become serious about their Faith, learning what true Christianity is, learning to pray to God in spirit and in truth, learning to know Who Christ is, in Whom alone we have salvation.
Fr. Seraphim Rose, Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, Epilogue
Fr. Seraphim Rose, Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, Epilogue
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
03 Jan, 19:13
“Pornography is the devil’s iconography.”
-Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose, The Orthodox Word, #128, 1986
-Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose, The Orthodox Word, #128, 1986
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
03 Jan, 13:50
After Archbishop John’s death, Fr. Seraphim’s own guide to the Holy Fathers had been Archbishop Averky, to whom Archbishop John had once told the brothers to turn whenever they had questions “Archbishop Averky,” Fr. Seraphim wrote, “is in the genuine Patristic tradition as few other living Orthodox fathers. A disciple of the great twentieth-century theologian and holy hierarch, Archbishop Theophan of Poltava, Archbishop Averky is a bearer and transmitter, in a direct and unbroken line of Orthodox theologians, of the genuine Patristic doctrine which is in danger of being eclipsed by today’s generation of Western-educated proud ‘young theologians.’ In recent years his voice has resounded and thundered as never before... as he strives to give the true Orthodox teaching to Orthodox Christians who are rapidly losing the salt of Orthodoxy.”
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 60 “Modern Academic Theology”
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 60 “Modern Academic Theology”
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
01 Jan, 22:43
A collection of nearly all of Fr. Seraphim Rose’s works on Genesis and Evolution
https://genesis.blessedseraphim.com/
https://genesis.blessedseraphim.com/
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
01 Jan, 21:33
What is there to say: The Metropolia has gone through with its coup, which for the present involves only itself, but obviously has possibilities for a future union of all those who think a “unified Orthodox Church” is the answer for American Orthodoxy. No, it is not the answer, and is the product of very superficial thinking on the question. The answer is a return to real Orthodoxy, so sorely diluted in this century in America. The Metropolia move, I believe, is the watershed of 20th-century Orthodoxy—from now on there will be two “Orthodoxies” in America: the real one (of which no one can doubt that our Synod has become the beacon-light) and the imitation, the product of the Protestantized-academicized Paris school joined to the practical indifference and secular Protestantism of American life. The proof of the case against the Metropolia (and the other like-thinking jurisdictions) lies not in its dubious tactics or even its criminal negotiations with the Soviets, but in the fact that its leadership is not preaching Orthodoxy but a cheap surrogate thereof. Yes, some priests still try, but the future belongs to Frs. Schmemann and Meyendorff, who are not Orthodox, and the future generation is being raised on the blasphemous parody of Orthodoxy contained in the official publications, from Young Life to Concern. These people doubtless mean well, but they have been drastically miseducated, and now they try to enforce their abysmal ignorance of Orthodoxy upon the whole Church.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated June 8/21, 1970
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated June 8/21, 1970
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
01 Jan, 18:11
You reprinted Fr. Michael Henning’s article on “Christmas,” “Easter,” and the “New Year.” While the intent of the article is commendable—to show that there is an Orthodox way and a non- Orthodox way of looking at these things—the article does err, I think, in its over-zealous insistence on abolishing terms which, after all, aren’t that reprehensible, and will cause in some converts an undesirable “correctness” complex with regard to them. But worse: the author obviously views the “new year” question in a purely abstract manner and evidently has no contact with the traditional Orthodox way of handling the question: Archbishop John without fail had a new year’s moleben on January 1/14 every year, precisely to mark the civil new year by the old calendar (not the new—he refused to serve a moleben then); this is sound, living “conservatism.” The Church new year is another occasion entirely—which you yourself admit since you don’t change the year’s number on Sept. 1. But some of your “correct convert” readers, when they hear that Archbishop John did this, will very likely begin to suspect further his Orthodoxy—and you will have helped put a new poison in the air without realizing it. (Don’t think it isn’t so—how many already show disdain for Archbishop John because he venerated Blessed Augustine and did other things the “Patristic revival” forbids!) There must be a whole different tone to the preaching of Orthodox truth!
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated Oct 23/Nov 5, 1979
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated Oct 23/Nov 5, 1979
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
30 Dec, 02:49
“Are we content to have beautiful churches and chanting?” Fr. Seraphim once asked his fellow believers. “Do we perhaps boast that we keep the fasts and the church calendar, have ‘good icons’ and ‘congregational singing,’ that we give to the poor and perhaps tithe to the Church? Do we delight in exalted Patristic teachings and theological discussions without having in our hearts the simplicity of Christ and true compassion for the suffering? — then ours is a ‘spirituality with comfort,’ and we will not have the spiritual fruits that will be exhibited by those without all these ‘comforts’ who deeply suffer and struggle for Christ.”
-Not of This World: The Life and Teaching of Fr. Seraphim Rose, Epilogue “The Catacomb Network”
-Not of This World: The Life and Teaching of Fr. Seraphim Rose, Epilogue “The Catacomb Network”
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
29 Dec, 09:43
Some of the decrees of the recent Sobor of Bishops were encouraging, but some of the “undertones” worry us, if you know what I mean! But doubtless we will hear more of these and have something more solid to talk about in the future. From the first “milk” I drank in as an Orthodox Christian in the Synod, I was taught that we have two kinds (or perhaps “traditions”) of bishops: on one side Vladikas John, Averky, Leonty, Nektary, Savva; on the other, those who now seem to have the governing positions. (Metr. Philaret would classify as an “independent,” and as long as he is Metropolitan I see Vlad. John’s influence as somehow present.) Not to say that anyone is a heretic or enemy of any kind; but nonetheless the two characteristic dispositions, rather difficult to define, do seem to exist. The one group of bishops has now just about died out, and from them we have inherited some things which, I fear, may make us somewhat “out of fashion” in the Synod in the future, about which we’ve already had some hints. But perhaps this is too cryptic, or in any case is more suitable for oral communication than written.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated Nov 1/14, 1971
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated Nov 1/14, 1971
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
29 Dec, 09:17
In general, I think you underestimate the gravity of what is happening: it is by no means a matter of jealousy between priests or monasteries (such things, it is true, exist, but they are secondary). The first question is one of a difference in the whole approach to the Orthodox Church, our witness today, our compassion for those striving to regain a lost or damaged Orthodoxy, etc. One group in our Church (mostly Greeks and converts) wants to define this question so narrowly that our Orthodoxy becomes almost a sect, and “we are the only pure ones left”; the other group, led by our Metropolitan and bishops, wants to keep the same open and loving approach we have had for sixty years and does not want to change it. This is why there are such bitter reactions on the part of those who do want to change and narrow our conception of Orthodoxy.
You think that our Orthodox Word has become more “controversial” in recent years? But really, try to look objectively (leaving aside the opinions of some people on the East Coast) at our issues of past years and our issues of today: don’t you see that our tone has in fact become more rather than less meek than it used to be? This is the only difference, and it is a difference that has come about because our bishops have told us that they prefer this approach.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated Sep 25/Oct 8, 1981
You think that our Orthodox Word has become more “controversial” in recent years? But really, try to look objectively (leaving aside the opinions of some people on the East Coast) at our issues of past years and our issues of today: don’t you see that our tone has in fact become more rather than less meek than it used to be? This is the only difference, and it is a difference that has come about because our bishops have told us that they prefer this approach.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated Sep 25/Oct 8, 1981
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
29 Dec, 08:45
“Fr. Seraphim was a very strict isolationaist about other jurisdictions in the first several years (roughly 1966-75) I had contact with him. I believe that at this time his own experience of other Orthodox groups was somewhat limited and academic, and so his strict views were formed on an almost purely ideological basis. This changed rather abruptly, however, as he began to see 1) the effects of isolationism on the Synod Abroad, and 2) the increasingly shrill fanaticism of the [super-correct] ‘party’ in the Synod. He was at first uncomofrtable, and then openly appalled at the utter lack of charity on the part of the so-called ‘zealots.’ He was himself a ‘zealot,’ but not to the exclusion of charity. Near the end of his life he once said to me: ‘I regret many of the “pro-zealot” articles we published in The Orthodox Word in the earlier years: we helped to create a monster, and for that I repent!’ He was quite emphatic about that….”
-Fr. Alexey Young, quoted in Not of This World: The Life and Teaching of Fr. Seraphim Rose, Ch. 100 “Hope”. Letter to Fr. Damascene Christensen dated August 1, 1991.
“We fear that all our articles about ‘zealotry’ in the past years have helped to produce a monster! For the future we will have to emphasize the ‘feel’ of Orthodoxy, without which zealotry is empty and even harmful.”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, June 2/15, 1976
-Fr. Alexey Young, quoted in Not of This World: The Life and Teaching of Fr. Seraphim Rose, Ch. 100 “Hope”. Letter to Fr. Damascene Christensen dated August 1, 1991.
“We fear that all our articles about ‘zealotry’ in the past years have helped to produce a monster! For the future we will have to emphasize the ‘feel’ of Orthodoxy, without which zealotry is empty and even harmful.”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, June 2/15, 1976
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
25 Dec, 19:29
Blessed Feast of our Holy Father Herman of Alaska!
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
25 Dec, 05:09
PDF of Little Russian Philokalia, Vol. III: St. Herman
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
24 Dec, 21:42
Fr. Seraphim Rose to a priest of the Metropolia (OCA) shortly after receiving autocephaly from the Moscow Patriarchate.
“You write that you regret that our labors for St. Herman remain so ‘distant and separate’ from yours in the Metropolia, and you pray that ‘peace and harmony’ will come to the Church, especially through the intercession of St. Herman by means of ‘translating into action’ St. Herman’s example to us. We agree with you wholeheartedly and fully. But do you not see what is involved here? The difference between us is real and it will not vanish if we simply forget it. And the difference (the chief one) is so great that no compromise is possible on it….”
“You write that you regret that our labors for St. Herman remain so ‘distant and separate’ from yours in the Metropolia, and you pray that ‘peace and harmony’ will come to the Church, especially through the intercession of St. Herman by means of ‘translating into action’ St. Herman’s example to us. We agree with you wholeheartedly and fully. But do you not see what is involved here? The difference between us is real and it will not vanish if we simply forget it. And the difference (the chief one) is so great that no compromise is possible on it….”
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
03 Dec, 23:25
In December of 1962, however, Eugene met the greatest of them all: the future Saint, Archbishop John Maximovitch. Interestingly, Archbishop John arrived in San Francisco one year to the day after Eugene had first met
Gleb: the Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple.
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 27 “Wonderworker of the Latter Times”
Gleb: the Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple.
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 27 “Wonderworker of the Latter Times”
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
30 Nov, 22:18
Since his repose, Fr. Seraphim has become a heavenly intercessor for people struggling against sexual sin, for those who wish not to be dependent on the powerful sexual influences which have become so prevalent in our days. The following letter was received very recently:
“I am writing to you so as to explain my situation and to ask for your prayers and guidance. We had already begun to talk about this before, i.e., my battle with fornication and homosexual sins…. Just yesterday I was under a demonic attack both physically and spiritually. I prayed to all the saints near to me, but when I prayed to Father Seraphim Rose, peace came immediately to my soul and body.”
-Not of This World: The Life and Teaching of Fr. Seraphim Rose, Hieromonk Damascene, p. 972
“I am writing to you so as to explain my situation and to ask for your prayers and guidance. We had already begun to talk about this before, i.e., my battle with fornication and homosexual sins…. Just yesterday I was under a demonic attack both physically and spiritually. I prayed to all the saints near to me, but when I prayed to Father Seraphim Rose, peace came immediately to my soul and body.”
-Not of This World: The Life and Teaching of Fr. Seraphim Rose, Hieromonk Damascene, p. 972
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
30 Nov, 19:33
A reading of “Forming the Soul” by Fr. Seraphim Rose
https://youtu.be/8_9AN8qn0Og
https://youtu.be/8_9AN8qn0Og
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
30 Nov, 19:21
Interview with Cathy Scott about her biography of her uncle, Fr. Seraphim Rose. The Foreword of the book was written by Fr. Alexey Young. Scott says she plans to publish a new edition soon.
https://youtu.be/uDz-Q1tGPLw?si=j00rvb6api3zO-K2
https://youtu.be/uDz-Q1tGPLw?si=j00rvb6api3zO-K2
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
27 Nov, 22:11
Update on Fr. Ambrose (Alexey) Young
https://www.givesendgo.com/GADND
https://www.givesendgo.com/GADND
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
23 Nov, 21:51
“To Fr. Seraphim, the modern obsession with comfort through technology was as dangerous to the soul as any heresy.”
-A spiritual child of Fr. Seraphim’s, Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 102 “Repose”
-A spiritual child of Fr. Seraphim’s, Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 102 “Repose”
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
22 Nov, 03:58
When classical music would be played for the monastery’s pilgrims, Fr. Herman noticed that Fr. Seraphim felt most at home with the compositions of Bach’s contemporary, G. F. Handel. As Fr. Herman described it, Fr. Seraphim
was at peace in the company of Handel’s measured, flowing strains, which evoked an atmosphere of gentility and high culture. They did not touch that deep, painful longing that the music of Bach, or that passage of Mozart, stirred in him. It was probably for this reason that Fr. Seraphim once confessed: “I know Bach is the greatest, but my favorite is Handel.”
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 100 “The Death Knell”
was at peace in the company of Handel’s measured, flowing strains, which evoked an atmosphere of gentility and high culture. They did not touch that deep, painful longing that the music of Bach, or that passage of Mozart, stirred in him. It was probably for this reason that Fr. Seraphim once confessed: “I know Bach is the greatest, but my favorite is Handel.”
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 100 “The Death Knell”
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
21 Nov, 16:36
Today is the 39th anniversary of the repose of Met. Philaret of New York. Holy Hierarch Philaret, pray to God for us!
Above is the issue of The Orthodox Word focusing on Met. Philaret, with an introduction by Fr. Seraphim and his “Thyateira Confession”
Above is the issue of The Orthodox Word focusing on Met. Philaret, with an introduction by Fr. Seraphim and his “Thyateira Confession”
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
20 Nov, 19:09
Fr. Seraphim’s excellent analysis and summary of St. Cyril of Kazan’s ecclesiological stance toward Sergianism and the Russian Church’s apocalyptic podvig
From Russia’s Catacomb Saints
From Russia’s Catacomb Saints
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
15 Nov, 19:15
Sometimes a spiritual father will deny his child the reading of some spiritual book and give him instead a novel of Dostoevsky or Dickens, or will encourage him to become familiar with certain kinds of classical music, not with any “aesthetic” purpose in mind–for one can be an “expert” in such matters and even be “emotionally well-developed” without the least interest in spiritual struggle, and that is also an unbalanced state–but solely to refine and form his soul and make it better disposed to understand genuine spiritual texts.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “Forming the Soul”, Orthodox America, May 1982
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “Forming the Soul”, Orthodox America, May 1982
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
14 Nov, 22:25
Update on Fr. Ambrose (Alexey) Young
https://www.givesendgo.com/GADND
https://www.givesendgo.com/GADND
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
13 Nov, 20:49
If we truly live the Orthodox world-view, our Faith will survive the shocks ahead of us and be a source of inspiration and salvation for those who will still be seeking Christ even amidst the shipwreck of humanity which has already begun today.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “Living the Orthodox Worldview”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “Living the Orthodox Worldview”
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
12 Nov, 07:07
“Sometimes a spiritual father will deny his child the reading of some spiritual book and give him instead a novel of Dostoyevsky or Dickens, or will encourage him to become familiar with certain kinds of classical music, not with any ‘aesthetic’ purpose in mind — for one can be an ‘expert’ in such matters and even be ‘emotionally well-developed’ without the least interest in spiritual struggle, and that is also an unbalanced state — but solely to refine and form his soul and make it better disposed to understand genuine spiritual texts.”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “Forming the Soul”
Quoted in Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 96 “Forming Young Souls”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “Forming the Soul”
Quoted in Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 96 “Forming Young Souls”
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
08 Nov, 22:00
“Where, even among Orthodox Christians, is the Psalter still read and sung? And yet it is a central part of the Church's Typicon, of the standard against which we must measure our own Christian worship, a central part of the normal Christian life towards which we must constantly strive.”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “The Typicon of the Orthodox Church’s Divine Services”, The Orthodox Word #55
Photo: Fr. Seraphim, from the same article, explaining how to chant the psalter
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “The Typicon of the Orthodox Church’s Divine Services”, The Orthodox Word #55
Photo: Fr. Seraphim, from the same article, explaining how to chant the psalter
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
06 Nov, 21:07
Successful surgery for Fr. Ambrose (Alexey) Young
https://www.givesendgo.com/GADND
https://www.givesendgo.com/GADND
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
06 Nov, 20:48
Beautiful
https://youtu.be/3HgYKtem6Rw?si=gKWdb6K5yhR1gMBt
https://youtu.be/3HgYKtem6Rw?si=gKWdb6K5yhR1gMBt
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
04 Nov, 13:55
“Look, Fr. Seraphim Rose is received by people that study the phenomena of the New World Order, the prophecies of the holy fathers and mothers concerning the future events, as well as by those who have experience of Western and especially American culture. I personally consider him a prophet of our times. If what is rumored is true, that in his pre-Christian life, before he was baptized, he had homosexual erotic experiences then you realize that he is a great example for all our repentant homosexual brethren, that holiness is also for them, where there is repentance. When repentance is combined with Orthodox confession, instruction, and catechism, which Fr. Seraphim Rose accomplished, and is a model for many of us.”
-Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou in Cyprus, March 2024
https://youtu.be/6mTel8pFTXI?si=yKvfkDuHcGBzotf8
(Go to 19:33)
-Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou in Cyprus, March 2024
https://youtu.be/6mTel8pFTXI?si=yKvfkDuHcGBzotf8
(Go to 19:33)
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
01 Nov, 15:02
Blessed feast of St. John of Kronstadt
From The Orthodox Word #1, Jan-Feb 1965
From The Orthodox Word #1, Jan-Feb 1965
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
01 Nov, 15:00
The example of St. John’s righteous zeal when some Russians decided to celebrate a Halloween Ball on the evening of the vigil for the glorification of St. John of Kronstadt
Blessed John the Wonderworker, p. 57-58
Blessed John the Wonderworker, p. 57-58
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
29 Oct, 12:42
Fr. Seraphim Rose’s footnote in Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Fr. Michael Pomazansky
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
26 Oct, 21:39
Open To Me the Door of Repentance, O Giver of Life!
by St. John Maximovitch
The Orthodox Word #22, Jan-Feb 1969
by St. John Maximovitch
The Orthodox Word #22, Jan-Feb 1969
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
26 Oct, 17:26
https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/product-p/nth.htm
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
26 Oct, 17:25
Preface to The Northern Thebaid by Fr. Seraphim Rose
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
26 Oct, 13:58
Final paragraph from “The Royal Path” by Fr. Seraphim Rose
…a “united front” of confessing Churches to oppose the ecumenical movement which has taken possession of “official” Orthodoxy…this is a “political” view…But it cannot be that the witness of so many martyrs and confessors and champions of True Orthodoxy in the 20th century will have been in vain.
…a “united front” of confessing Churches to oppose the ecumenical movement which has taken possession of “official” Orthodoxy…this is a “political” view…But it cannot be that the witness of so many martyrs and confessors and champions of True Orthodoxy in the 20th century will have been in vain.
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
24 Oct, 17:13
L.A. premiere of film about St. John of San Francisco draws Orthodox faithful
https://orthochristian.com/164058.html
A new film about the Holy Hierarch and Wonderworker St. John of San Francisco, “Aroma of Holiness,” premiered in Los Angeles last week.
https://orthochristian.com/164058.html
A new film about the Holy Hierarch and Wonderworker St. John of San Francisco, “Aroma of Holiness,” premiered in Los Angeles last week.
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
23 Oct, 16:53
During one of his early visits to the St. Herman Hermitage, Bishop Nektary looked around with eyes filled with thankfulness and awe. Crossing himself, he said, “It’s a miracle!” In Russia Bishop Nektary had witnessed the closure of his beloved Optina Monastery by a regime of godless hoodlums who had taken over Russia like a plague. Living in the decadent city of San Francisco during the 1960s and 1970s, he had perceived firsthand the rapid rise of what St. Ignatius Brianchaninov had called “the elemental tide of apostasy.” In the midst of all this, there existed the St. Herman Monastery, lost in the woods, unknown to the world, with two monks of the new generation, one of whom was even an American convert. This to him was a miracle. “In Platina,” he told Fathers Herman and Seraphim, “the spirit of Optina dwells.”
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 69 “An Orthodox Corner of America”
Photo: Relics of the Optina Elders in Platina
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 69 “An Orthodox Corner of America”
Photo: Relics of the Optina Elders in Platina
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
22 Oct, 19:32
“…our bishops are inclining dangerously now to the path of compromise—the last Sobor said nothing in support of the Zealots, even those suffering on Mt. Athos, and seems to want to be friends with everyone; Archbp. Anthony of Geneva especially is advocating “condescension” toward the new calendar and everything that isn’t ‘dogma.’ The letter of the Bishops to Metropolia was very weak and, as Archbp. Averky and Bp. Nektary told us, shouldn’t have been sent in that form (without a call to return to the truth and step away from the world's ways).
The sad thing is that our Synod has justification for separate existence only if it is zealot, gives an example to the other fallen or falling away “jurisdictions”—but to be wishy-washy and just dragging along behind the apostasy has no meaning at all…. But Christ our God is with us, and Vladika John has pushed us in the right direction (he told us to keep right on accusing Athenagoras, even if people didn’t like it!), and all of our trials are only to strengthen us for the very difficult times ahead. God is with us!”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Jan 4/17, 1975 to Alexey Young
The sad thing is that our Synod has justification for separate existence only if it is zealot, gives an example to the other fallen or falling away “jurisdictions”—but to be wishy-washy and just dragging along behind the apostasy has no meaning at all…. But Christ our God is with us, and Vladika John has pushed us in the right direction (he told us to keep right on accusing Athenagoras, even if people didn’t like it!), and all of our trials are only to strengthen us for the very difficult times ahead. God is with us!”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Jan 4/17, 1975 to Alexey Young
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
22 Oct, 12:26
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
21 Oct, 16:33
I’m sorry you found The Orthodox Word no. 96 disturbing, but I can assure you there was nothing in it “implied” about any change in our attitude towards the Moscow Patriarchate. The recent “Decision” of the Synod of Bishops says it very well, I think, and I agree with it wholeheartedly.
I think perhaps a part of the disturbance comes from the fact that the attitude of our Church Outside of Russia to the Moscow Patriarchate has never been “defined” in so many words, and some people have read into the strictness of our attitude an ecclesiological statement about the Patriarchate that simply isn’t there.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose
I think perhaps a part of the disturbance comes from the fact that the attitude of our Church Outside of Russia to the Moscow Patriarchate has never been “defined” in so many words, and some people have read into the strictness of our attitude an ecclesiological statement about the Patriarchate that simply isn’t there.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
19 Oct, 23:37
We, of course, are already guilty of many of the "sins" with which Fr. R castigates our Church—worst of all (I suppose), the giving of Communion to New Calendarists. I can see how each priest should be free to do as he thinks best on this question, but for us, I see that we must open ourselves to all the Orthodox [emphasis in original] who aren't being helped by their own bishops and priests. Recently we were visited by another Antiochian priest (from Los Angeles), and just the fact of our friendship is a source of strength which helps them to struggle more themselves. What the end will be, jurisdictionally speaking, I don't know. But we must have the image of the Russian Church Abroad adjusted away from the "fanatic party line," which up to now has tried to take over—and whose failure is now becoming evident.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Letters from Father Seraphim, p. 227
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Letters from Father Seraphim, p. 227
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
19 Oct, 22:21
S has been tried for his attack on someone while drunk, and the judge wants to send him here for three months instead of to prison! Please pray for him and for us. It will probably be difficult for everyone (although not so bad if his father comes also), but we are ready to help the boy out (he would be ruined for good by prison).
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Letters from Father Seraphim, p. 218
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Letters from Father Seraphim, p. 218
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
19 Oct, 14:51
“It is difficult for us in the free world even to conceive under what conditions believers live behind the Iron Curtain. But those who are being persecuted and martyred by the Communist regime are our brothers in faith, and we cannot close our eyes to their sufferings; more, it is our duty to find out and make known the privations, indeed the tortures and deaths they are undergoing for the Orthodox Faith.”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, The Orthodox Word #1, p. 35
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, The Orthodox Word #1, p. 35
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
17 Oct, 17:24
Fr. Seraphim and Fr. Herman — Conclusion to Boris Talantov’s “Sergianism, the Leaven of Herod” in Russia’s Catacomb Saints, p. 486
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
17 Oct, 11:01
The Orthodox Word, issues 1-105 in a single searchable PDF
These are all the issues Fr. Seraphim published, including the last few published after his repose which include material he helped translate and produce.
These are all the issues Fr. Seraphim published, including the last few published after his repose which include material he helped translate and produce.
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
15 Oct, 14:08
Orthodox Christians of these latter times are indeed spiritually sleeping and desperately need to be awakened by a trumpet of the Spirit like Saint Symeon [the New Theologian]. Those who are Orthodox by birth and habit are not those who will inherit the eternal Kingdom of Heaven; they must be awakened to the conscious fulfillment of Christs commandments and a conscious reception of God's Holy Spirit, as Saint Symeon so eloquently taught.
...For Saint Symeon, as for all true Orthodox Christians, theology is life; the true words of God which speak to the Christian heart, raise it from its sloth and negligence, and inspire it to struggle for the eternal Kingdom, which may be tasted in advance even now in the life of grace which God sends down upon His faithful through His sanctifying Holy Spirit.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Preface to The Sin of Adam and our Redemption: Seven Homilies by Saint Symeon the New Theologian
...For Saint Symeon, as for all true Orthodox Christians, theology is life; the true words of God which speak to the Christian heart, raise it from its sloth and negligence, and inspire it to struggle for the eternal Kingdom, which may be tasted in advance even now in the life of grace which God sends down upon His faithful through His sanctifying Holy Spirit.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Preface to The Sin of Adam and our Redemption: Seven Homilies by Saint Symeon the New Theologian
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
12 Oct, 16:27
Today the Church commemorates the uncovering of the relics of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco
Read a first hand account here from Fr. Peter Perekrestov: https://orthodox-europe.org/content/st-john-relics/
Read a first hand account here from Fr. Peter Perekrestov: https://orthodox-europe.org/content/st-john-relics/
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
11 Oct, 17:50
Article on the Kiev Caves Lavra below on issue #13 of The Orthodox Word
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
10 Oct, 13:32
Today we commemorate New Martyr St. Peter of Krutitsa. St. Peter was one of three Locum Tenens appointed by St. Tikhon of Moscow. St. Tikhon was martyred in 1925 and with the first two in prison, the Locum Tenens role fell St. Peter. Over fifty bishops signed a decree approving of him as Locum Tenens.
Here is a brief account from Russia’s Catacomb Saints on St. Peter
Here is a brief account from Russia’s Catacomb Saints on St. Peter
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
07 Oct, 18:05
Arrival of St. Herman and the Russian Mission to Alaska, Sept. 24, 1974
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
06 Oct, 03:37
Update on Fr. Ambrose (Alexey) Young
https://www.givesendgo.com/GADND
https://www.givesendgo.com/GADND
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
05 Oct, 19:16
2025 St. Herman Monastery Calendar available for sale
https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/St-Herman-Orthodox-Calendar-p/cal_current.htm
https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/St-Herman-Orthodox-Calendar-p/cal_current.htm
Fr. Seraphim Rose - A Tribute
04 Oct, 11:53
ROCOR could canonize Metropolitan Philaret, Fr. Seraphim (Rose), and Br. Jose in coming years, says Archbishop of Canada
https://orthochristian.com/163752.html
All three men are venerated throughout the Orthodox world, and Fr. Seraphim was locally canonized in the Akhalkalaki Diocese of the Georgian Orthodox Church last year.
https://orthochristian.com/163752.html
All three men are venerated throughout the Orthodox world, and Fr. Seraphim was locally canonized in the Akhalkalaki Diocese of the Georgian Orthodox Church last year.
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