Friday, September 2, 2022

New Blog & Website on the Veneration of Fr. Seraphim Rose

At Blessed Father Seraphim's monastic cell, 2018.

For many years I have been maintaining here on the Facing Islam blog a resource page on Father Seraphim Rose of blessed memory. 

Growing out of that longstanding labor of love, for the past few years it has been my desire to create a new platform solely dedicated to advancing The Veneration of Blessed Father Seraphim, and gathering materials on his life, teachings, legacy, and significance for us today. This year being the 40th anniversary of his repose in the Lord on September 2, 1982, it seemed like the perfect time to launch this new website.

To begin with, I have posted an original article of mine titled, 'The Veneration of Father Seraphim Rose', which I originally wrote several years ago and updated recently, which tracks the global veneration of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim from his death up to the present day.

In addition, there are three main pages on this new site:

  • Akathist - which presents info on and link to order in booklet form an Akathist to Blessed Father Seraphim. This Akathist was retrieved online in 2006, but the site was subsequently taken down, and rather than just repost the Akathist, I took it upon myself to edit the text for spelling, grammar, and consistent use of pronouns, and offer it in booklet form. This is the 3rd edition, newly updated for 2022.
  • Videos - A growing list of links to online videos about Father Seraphim, or presenting his writings and teachings. Many of these are recordings of him delivering his talks.


I invite you to explore this new site, and to share it widely. 

It is my strongly held opinion that Father Seraphim Rose is a true saint for our age. His battle against the passions (including sexual passions, and even same-sex desires), his deep repentance and strict asceticism, his warnings against lukewarm Christianity, relativism, ecumenism, and what he called "the religion of the future, the religion of Antichrist," makes him a prophetic voice and a towering figure for our time. His emphasis on learning about and entering into the mystery of "suffering Orthodoxy," acquiring the warmth of "Orthodoxy of the Heart," on preserving the true "savor of Orthodoxy," and his example as a dedicated and self-sacrificing monastic of these last days, always interceding for and helping others with "pain of heart," reveal him as a true and trustworthy witness of authentic, kenotic Orthodoxy, one who followed Christ by picking up and carrying his own cross, and by loving Christ and his neighbor unto the very end.

Let us turn to him even and especially now in this late hour, and ask his intercessions for us. And let us strive with whatever strength, mercy and grace the good Lord gives us to persevere through these trials which are coming upon the entire world.

O Holy Father Seraphim, pray to God for us!

Amen!