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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
The closest “skete” was the outdoor chapel where the fathers had performed their first service after their move to the wilderness, and where Archbishop Anthony had celebrated the first Divine Liturgy. This site, located a hundred yards up the hill from the monastery church, was dedicated by the fathers to the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord — St. Herman’s beloved feast day. The fathers hoped to build a chapel there, since St. Herman had dedicated his chapel on Spruce Island to the Meeting of the Lord.
On the Feast of the Meeting, February 2/15, 1975, Fr. Seraphim wrote in his Chronicle: “We had a procession around the monastery, and at the outdoor church (site of the future chapel devoted to the Meeting) we stopped to hear Fr. Herman’s sermon on the significance of this feast for Orthodox America and for us. Truly, America met Orthodoxy in St. Herman, and the wilds of Northern California met Orthodoxy when the Liturgy was celebrated on this very spot.”
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 69 “An Orthodox Corner of America”
“I found in Chinese philosophy the noblest view of man, until I encountered Orthodoxy and the Orthodox Lives of the Saints. Then, shortly after I was received into the Orthodox Church, I met Archbishop John, who was the noblest man I had ever met.”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “Personal Reminiscences of Fr. Seraphim” by Fr. Alexey Young
Significantly, it is among "ecumenical Christians" that the "charismatic" and "meditation" movements have taken root. The characteristic belief of the heresy of ecumenism is this: that the Orthodox Church is not the one true Church of Christ; that the grace of God is present also in other "Christian" denominations, and even in non-Christian religions; that the narrow path of salvation according to the teaching of the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church is only "one path among many" to salvation; and that the details of one's belief in Christ are of little importance, as is one's membership in any particular church. Not all the Orthodox participants in the ecumenical movement believe this entirely (although Protestants and Roman Catholics most certainly do); but by their very participation in this movement, including invariably common prayer with those who believe wrongly about Christ and His Church, they tell the heretics who behold them: "Perhaps what you say is correct," even as the wretched disciple of St. Paisius did. No more than this is required for an Orthodox Christian to lose the grace of God; and what labor it will cost for him to gain it back!
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, p. 170
Blessed Feast of St. Xenia of Petersburg!
PDF below of the full issue of The Orthodox Word dedication to her upon her glorification by ROCOR
1) Epistle of Metropolitan Philaret on the Glorification of St. Xenia
2) The Life of Saint Xenia of Petersburg
3) The Service to Saint Xenia of Petersburg
https://youtu.be/Jg9J70NXaqE?si=nmdFj6igjdgqw-1m
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From all that has been said above, it can be seen how, in the years following the publication of Fr. Seraphim’s book, the formation of an actual “religion of the future” has become increasingly real and believable. Now we can see even more clearly how humanity is being made open to the “demonic pentecost” that Fr. Seraphim predicted, in which the multitudes of the world — including those who call themselves Christians — can actually be initiated into the realm of demons.
Only Orthodox Christianity — with its Patristic standard of spiritual life and its thoroughly refined teachings on spiritual discernment — can cut through all the deceptions of our times at once. For this reason, satan sees it as his greatest enemy, and is doing all in his power to undermine it. But for the same reason we must do all that we can to cling to it, as Fr. Seraphim exhorts us.
-Fr. Damascene Christensen from his Epilogue to Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, p. 200.
Bishop Savva with St. John in front of the St. Stephen Cathedral in Alhambra, California
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I think the jurisdictional problem is not really as big as it may seem to you right now. While there are some in our Russian Church Abroad (most notably the Greeks you have come to us from the Greek Archdiocese and “overreacted” to the whole situation) who want to make the Synod the exclusive and only Orthodox body left in the world, the prevailing opinion in our Church is not at all so exclusivistic. I think the realization is increasing among us that we must speak for and to all Orthodox who want to preserve their Orthodoxy, and that we should be slow in drawing absolute lines between jurisdictions… I can’t tell you: “Come to the Synod and all your problems will be solved.” You should be aware that we have our own problems and politics too, before you make this decision.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated Jan 24/Feb 6, 1981
Blessed Feast of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia!
“The significance of the Catacomb Church does not lie in its correctness; it lies in its preservation of the true spirit of Orthodoxy, the spirit of freedom in Christ. Sergianism was not merely wrong in its choice of church policy, it was something far worse: it was a betrayal of Christ based on agreement with the spirit of this world. It is the inevitable result when church policy is guided by earthly logic and not by the mind of Christ.” -Fr. Seraphim Rose
Fr. Seraphim’s Introduction to Russia’s Catacomb Saints
-Read: http://russiascatacombsaints.blogspot.com
-Listen: https://youtu.be/XPyQWw3Q9wg
“The fragrance of true Orthodox piety is most thoroughly absorbed in the formative years of childhood, before the soul has become hardened in a wrong understanding of life, or become involved in the atmosphere of fakery and lying so characteristic of the present-day world on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Nothing is so essential to the gaining and keeping of this fragrance as truthfulness, for God is Truth and Satan is the father of lies. Lying, dishonesty, deception — disfigure and wound a child and cause him to lose this fragrance. A child who is taught the habit of truthfulness can preserve the precious fragrance of Orthodoxy for his whole life and bring forth abundant spiritual fruits unto eternal salvation.”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, “Childhood in Christ,” OW, no. 57 (1974), p. 125.
Fighting the Passions
Letter from Archbishop Theophan of Poltava
Archbishop Theophan is the spiritual son of St. Theophan the Recluse and spiritual father of Archbishop Averky of Jordanville
Bishop Theophan, the Recluse of Vysha
-The Orthodox Word, Jul-Aug 1966, #9. Translated by Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose
“If we truly live the Orthodox worldview, 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”
In his final letter to his mother on July 27, 1982, just five weeks before his repose, Fr. Seraphim ended with these seemingly prophetic words:
“…in general the summer has been quieter than usual. But the next few weeks will be hectic.”
Holy Father Seraphim, pray to God for us!
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Fr. Seraphim Rose on sexual relations, birth control, and more…
Letter to Alexey Young while he was still a layman
Feast of the Annunciation - March 25 / April 7, 1975
Very important talk for anyone who loves St. John and Fr. Seraphim
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6WnVn0tnw7UovOeLqwEUdW?si=LqBbttnVQ9i3BJRTxNPEKQ
The Life of St. Sophia of Kiev - Abbess & Confessor of the Catacomb Church
https://youtu.be/MW8SJbIjRCE
In the prevailing Russian understanding today a “monastery” is a place with an incidental collection of people, with a definite function in the Church: to serve as a bishop’s summer residence, picnic center, manpower pool for church needs, etc. And “monks” are those people who becomes slaves, crushed by the authorities for the sake of “obedience,” who can be used by the church organization: the more hopeful ones as bishops, the less hopeful ones as hieromonks in parishes that can’t afford anything better, and the complete fools to remain in the monastery and tend the cows. Against such a perverted idea, both of monasteries and of “obedience” and the monastic virtues, we emphatically protest, and if God grants us to have a real monastery here, it will fit into this “accepted” picture only over our dead bodies.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, letter dated August 10/23, 1971
Hieroschemamonk Ambrose (Young), a spiritual child of Fr. Seraphim (Rose), and a worthy priest in his own right, is in need of our prayers and support! Lord, have mercy! https://www.givesendgo.com/GADND
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Before quoting the “charismatic” testimonies, we should take note of a chief characteristic of the original Pentecostal Movement which is seldom mentioned by “charismatic” writers, and that is that the number and variety of Pentecostal sects is astonishing, each with its own doctrinal emphasis, and many of them having no fellowship with the others. There are “Assemblies of God,” “Churches of God,” “Pentecostal” and “Holiness” bodies, “Full Gospel” groups, etc., many of them divided into smaller sects. The first thing that one would have to say about the “spirit” that inspires such anarchy is that it certainly is not a spirit of unity, in sharp contrast to the Apostolic church of the first century to which the movement professes to be returning. Nevertheless, there is much talk, especially in the “charismatic revival” within the denominations in the past decade, of the “unity” which it inspires. But what kind of unity is this? — the true unity of the Church which Orthodox Christians of the first and twentieth centuries alike know, or the pseudo-unity of the Ecumenical Movement, which denies that the Church of Christ exists?
-Fr. Seraphim Rose, Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, p. 118
On January 30th we remember Bishop Savva of Edmonton who reposed this day in 1973. Bishop Savva was an ardent defender and venerator of St. John Maximovitch.
Article published upon his repose:
Bishop Savva of Edmonton and the Glorification of Archbishop John Maximovitch
-The Orthodox Word, Nov-Dec 1972, #47
“Russia’s Catacomb Saints” by I. M. Andreyev, Fr. Seraphim Rose, and Fr. Herman Podmoshensky
Download: http://russiascatacombsaints.blogspot.com/?m=1
Buy (print on demand): https://www.lulu.com/shop/a-turner/russias-catacomb-saints-hardcover/hardcover/product-kgwz88.html?page=1&pageSize=4
https://youtu.be/htlwrp_XssU?si=jPjH4MKPebkaDVO_
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St. Xenia Orthodox Church
Payson, Utah
https://youtu.be/MXMUdQw-GRQ?si=lbQQ97JYmERJ8aX7
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Valentina Harvey, a Russian spiritual daughter of St. John from Shanghai, and host of many pilgrims at her home in Redding as they made their way to Platina one hour away. Both quotes are from her:
“In November of 1965, my American husband Richard was baptized by Vladika John in San Francisco, taking the name Rostislav. Eugene was present at that time, and, since my husband did not understand Russian, Eugene acted as his interpreter, explaining to him what was going to happen in the service. This was the first time I met Eugene. I could quickly tell that Vladika was extremely fond of him. He looked at Eugene with gentle love — a special love, as if to say, ‘He is my son.’ I recognized that look from when I was growing up in Shanghai. That was how he looked at the children of his orphanage, each of whom he regarded as his own child. Later I heard from several people in the Cathedral that, indeed, Vladika really loved Eugene.” -Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 41 “The Apostolic Vision of Archbishop John”
“Saint John thought the world of Father Seraphim. Saint John meant the world to all of us, and he cared about all of us. But there were a few special people he really loved, and that's the way he looked at Father Seraphim. When I saw the way the he looked at him, it told me immediately how much Father Seraphim meant to Saint John. Saint John recognized a kindred spirit. They were the same: Special." -Seraphim Rose: The True Story and Private Letters, p. 187
And in general, in the history of the Church there has been no joint celebration without oneness of mind. This latter is a purely ecumenistic attainment of our days. "Love," understood according to ecumenistic thinking, opens wide to everyone and everything its "loving embraces," and these embraces are ready to strangle to death true Orthodoxy, burying it in the bosom of un-Orthodox ways of thinking. It is not for nothing, after all, that the Apostle of love says that a man who incorrectly speaks of the truth should not be received into the house, nor even greeted. For he who greets him participates in his evil deeds...
-Met. Philaret, The Orthodox Word, Jan-Feb 1975, #60