The Glorification of St Olga of Alaska - A model for the eventual glorification of Blessed Father Seraphim Rose (and others)

The ranks of the Saints of North America could grow even more over the coming years, if their popular veneration and the sharing of their lives and intercessions continues to take root and spread.

From an Anchorage Daily News article, the following observations about St Olga provide a classic example of local veneration by the faithful leading to glorification by the universal Church, and apply equally well to the cause for the glorification of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim of Platina, and other righteous ones of North America:

“People were painting icons of her, as if she were already a saint,” said The Most Reverend Daniel, Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest, who was the chair of the canonization committee.

In 2023, the Orthodox Church in America’s national leadership voted to make Matushka Olga a saint. To Alaskans, especially, the decision to formally recognize Olga as a saint was a foregone conclusion, Archbishop Daniel said.

“The question I got was, well, what took you so long? ...  It was a grassroots veneration that began in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region and spread," he said.

St Herman Press and the future of The Orthodox Word

The St Herman Monastery Brotherhood announced recently their decision to change their publishing model for The Orthodox Word from subscription-based to individual annual issues.

The First Issue, Jan-Feb 1965

I was recently shopping on their website, and in reading the announcement, realized I was under the mistaken impression that they were ending publication of their venerable and beloved periodical permanently. This is incorrect, and because I was unclear as to the future of The Orthodox Word, I suspected others might be also, and would appreciate an update as to the Press's future plans for their longtime flagship publication.  

The Orthodox Word was, of course, founded in 1965 by Eugene Rose and Gleb Podmoshensky — the future Fr Seraphim and Abbot Herman, and was one of the first Orthodox Christian periodicals in the English language. These excerpts from the announcement on the St Herman Press website provide the essential information (emphasis added):

With more than a little regret, we have decided to discontinue The Orthodox Word as a subscriber-based periodical at the end of the current volume (no. 59). Our last issue will be no. 353...

The good news is that we will continue publishing one double-sized issue of The Orthodox Word per year, which can be purchased individually, rather than by subscription. As before, these issues will be made available in both print and digital editions.

Among our future plans is the publication, in book form, of compilations of past articles from The Orthodox Word, so that this material will be available to a wider readership and have greater permanency.

You can read the full announcement here for further details and the Brotherhood's reasoning behind this change, but the main point I wished to convey here is that The Orthodox Word is, God willing, not going away, it is merely changing in frequency of publication and purchase model. 

May it last for many years, until the Lord's Parousia, if I may be so bold as to say!

NEW, THIRD EDITION: Genesis, Creation, and Early Man, by Fr. Seraphim Rose

Dramatic improvements over the previous edition in numerous ways: Hardcover, elegantly redesigned full-color interior printing on high quality, soft-gloss coated paper, updated text.  As might be expected, the response has been overwhelming.

Description, sample page spreads, and links to order below:

Order from St Herman Press

From St Herman of Alaska Press:

NEW THIRD EDITION (2024/released 2025). For this new edition, we have updated many of the citations and have expanded the “Suggested Resources” section to include materials published since 2011. 

In Part I (Fr. Seraphim’s commentary on Genesis) we have noted more differences between the Septuagint and Masoretic texts; in Appendix One (“Created in Incorruption”) we have provided a broader treatment of the Orthodox theology of redemption; and under “Suggested Resources” we have added a subsection on the Septuagint and its Genesis chronologies. This edition also contains many new illustrations. 

1212 pages, hardcover, illustrated in full color. $45 from St Herman of Alaska Press.

Fr. Seraphim leads a group in singing 'Christ is Risen!' (VIDEO)

Fr. Seraphim Rose leads a group of students in singing 'Christ is Risen!'  Recorded at UC Santa Cruz, May 1981, immediately prior to his talk, "Signs of the End of the World." 

Listen to the talk:

New Resource Website on the Worldwide Veneration of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim

This much welcomed venture is, by its very existence, another example of the global veneration of Blessed Father Seraphim, and we wish the publisher and his team good strength and great success in advancing the cause of the glorification of this beloved, righteous ascetic struggler.  

Convert, writer, publisher, monastery founder and spiritual father, Hieromonk Seraphim of Platina shines like a burning light for our dark and troubled times, his words and example bursting with prophetic insights, counsel and significance. 

There is much to explore in this new website, and several unique features. Basic introductory texts are provided below. 

This information resource (internet site) was created to collect and publish information about the life, miracles and worldwide veneration of the 20th century American Orthodox ascetic Hieromonk Seraphim of Platina (Rose). It includes:

- preparation of materials for his canonization (declaration as a saint) in accordance with the tradition of the Orthodox Church.

- popularization of his life and teachings as a modern example of righteousness and as a guidance for salvation.

Follow the menu bar links for Information and About to learn how to contribute to the site's ongoing development. The publisher of the site has indicated his desire "to attract believers and specialists on voluntary basis to further replenish its content."