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Father Seraphim (Eugene Rose) was born in San Diego, California, in 1934. He was baptized in the Methodist faith, but later lost his faith and became an atheist. In the 1950s, he attended college and delved into Buddhism, art and culture in San Francisco. He also came out as a homosexual.
Eugene was introduced to Orthodoxy through a Finnish-born friend, who at the time was losing his faith. But Eugene was deeply inspired by it as he delved deeper. Eventually he completely shed his homosexual identity and was received into the Orthodox Church in 1962, truly reborn.
With the blessing of St. John Maximovitch, Eugene and another Orthodox Christian formed the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, focusing on Orthodox publishing. The brotherhood would later evolve into a monastery, located in the wilderness near Platina, California. Eugene was tonsured with the name Seraphim, and was later ordained a priest (hieromonk).
Fr. Seraphim wrote several books which remain popular today, as he used Orthodox patristics to examine many contemporary issues. He also gave many lectures, some of which were recorded and continue to circulate today. His works were translated into many languages and were smuggled into the Soviet union, inspiring the suffering Orthodox Christians there. He also promoted the knowledge and veneration among Orthodox Christians of many pre-Schism Western Saints. A major focus was the true transformation of the heart by the practices and doctrines of the Orthodox Faith, a transformation that he himself had experienced.
While working in his cell, Fr. Seraphim fell ill from the results of a blood clot and died on September 2, 1982. Many who attended his funeral witnessed a beautiful fragrance emanating from his body.
Fr. Seraphim was declared a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia in 2026.
4 x 6 inches