Bishop Gerasim Interview on AFT: On Reading Fr. Seraphim Rose in Context (VIDEO)

This recent episode of Ancient Faith Today LIVE, with Fr. Thomas Soroka, was recorded Tuesday, October 24, and in addition to the interview, features His Grace's responses to numerous questions sent in during the show by viewers and listeners.

Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth: On Reading Fr. Seraphim Rose in Context (VIDEO)

From an article on the podcast at OrthoChristian.com:

His Grace Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth, Auxiliary Bishop of the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the South, joined Fr. Thomas Soroka on his Ancient Faith Today Live podcast yesterday to talk about Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose), who is greatly beloved throughout the Orthodox world.

Bp. Gerasim personally knew Fr. Seraphim during the last two years of his life. He became a monastic under the influence of Fr. Seraphim and lived under his guidance as a novice.

In yesterday’s show, he spoke with Fr. Thomas about reading Fr. Seraphim in context. Bp. Gerasim addresses several issues, including the availability of Orthodox material and Divine services in English in Fr. Seraphim’s time, ROCOR’s and Fr. Seraphim’s view of the OCA, including Fr. Alexander Schmemann, the teaching of the toll houses, Fr. Seraphim’s popularity throughout Eastern Europe, and more.

My thoughts and response:

The format and time constraints of the podcast format did not allow Fr. Thomas and Bp. Gerasim to further explore some of the topics covered, so I would like to offer the following brief observations, in an effort to amplify just a bit what was an immensely helpful and authoritative "inside look" at the life and writings of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim by one who was "right there" the last two years of Fr. Seraphim's life.

Bishop Gerasim to appear on Ancient Faith Today Live: Tue. Oct 24

Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth (OCA) to appear on Ancient Faith Today LIVE with Fr. Tom Soroka

This will be a major episode on Ancient Faith Today. His Grace Bishop Gerasim is just the sober, knowledgeable voice needed to help provide a grounded hagiographical context for Blessed Father Seraphim Rose, as we approach his hoped for glorification and his entry into the calendar of saints.

• Tuesday, October 24 at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT! 
• Watch live on YouTube
• Or listen live on Ancient Faith Radio

For some background, listen to this fascinating interview of then Abbot Gerasim at Platina in 2007, conducted by Kevin Allen for The Illumined Heart podcast.

This will be another major episode on Ancient Faith Today. His Grace, Bishop Gerasim (Eliel) is one of Blessed Father Seraphim's most significant spiritual children, having entered St Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, California, a little over a year before the repose of Father Seraphim. 

After Fr Seraphim's death, he remained at the monastery and was soon tonsured a monk, and became deeply involved in the St Herman Brotherhood's publishing ministry. He helped Abbot Herman re-establish Orthodox monasticism on Spruce Island, Alaska, in the mid 1980s, and would later help lead the monastery back into canonical Orthodoxy around the year 2000. 

After that pivotal event he served as abbot for a number of years before proceeding to St Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary where he graduated as valedictorian. He has served in a few key roles roles since then, including as Administrator of the OCA Diocese of the South, before being consecrated Bishop of Fort Worth and continuing as auxiliary bishop and administrator under Archbishop Alexander (Golitzin) of the OCA Diocese of the South.

Bishop Gerasim: 'The Ecclesiology of Fr Seraphim Rose' (VIDEO)

This talk by His Grace, Bishop Gerasim (Eliel) of Fort Worth, Texas, was delivered in person at the recent Luminaries Summit in Akhalkalaki, Georgia. 

The transcript is available for download in English, Russian and Georgian, on the Summit's Google Drive. For more info, videos and links to transcripts of the many presentations at the Luminaries Summit see my earlier post. 

The Ecclesiology of Fr Seraphim Rose: Praxis and Teaching

New Talk by Bp Gerasim of Ft Worth: 'Fr Seraphim Rose: Truth and Legend' - UPDATED 050223

In this recent talk, Bishop Gerasim (Eliel) discusses Fr Seraphim Rose in the context of the times in which he lived, wrote and served the Orthodox Church. Vladyka Gerasim provides helpful insights into how some of Fr Seraphim's books were written and why, and also briefly discusses the process of glorification of a saint in the Orthodox Church, which begins organically, on the local level.

UPDATE May 2, 2023: The original podcast recording seems to have been deleted from the podcast channel feed. However, I did find it on YouTube, and am embedding it immediately below.

Bishop Gerasim: Fr Seraphim Rose - Truth and Legend (24th March, 2023)

See also this podcast interview with then Abbot Gerasim, from the 25th anniversary of Fr Seraphim's repose: 

Fr. Seraphim Rose - Prayer and Orthodox Spirituality - Interview of then Abbot Gerasim (Eliel) by Kevin Allen of The Illumined Heart Podcast (AFR), Sept. 2, 2007.

Fr. Seraphim Rose locally canonized in Georgian diocese (video)

Orthodox news platforms OrthoChristian.com and Byzantine, Texas, are reporting on a video posted by the Punks and Monks YouTube channel, featuring Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth TX (spiritual son of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim) and Metropolitan Nikoloz of Akhalkalaki, Georgia, concelebrating. 

In the video, Bishop Gerasim delivers a brief homily and, during his remarks, Met. Nikoloz announced that Fr. Seraphim was canonized in his diocese the week prior, and that an icon of him has been installed in their church. You can see the icon on the left side of the below frame from the video. 

Full report, partial transcript and embedded video below:

Fr. Seraphim Rose locally canonized in one Georgian diocese

Akhalkalaki, Georgia, Feb. 28, 2023  |  OrthoChristian.com

Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose), the righteous American struggler, is greatly beloved and venerated throughout the Orthodox world and many eagerly await his canonization.

Among those who venerate Fr. Seraphim is His Eminence Metropolitan Nikoloz of Akhalkalaki, Kumurdo, and Kari of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

On Sunday, the Georgian hierarch concelebrated the Divine Liturgy in the tiny Church of the Archangel Michael in his diocese with His Grace Bishop Gerasim of Forth Worth (Orthodox Church in America), who was a spiritual child of Fr. Seraphim at St. Herman’s Monastery in Platina, California.

And as Met. Nikoloz told Bp. Gerasim, Fr. Seraphim was, in fact, locally canonized in his diocese just a week prior, and an icon of Fr. Seraphim was hung in the church at that time. The icon can be seen to the left of the archimandrite at the beginning of the video from the Punks and Monks channel:

Reminiscences of Fr Seraphim Rose, by Bishop Gerasim (VIDEO)

Bishop Gerasim, of the OCA Diocese of the South, shares his reminiscences of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim, and discusses the importance of understanding Fr. Seraphim Rose's work correctly, dispelling common misunderstandings about his talks and writings.

Recorded at St. Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, California, on Friday, September 2, 2022, the 40th anniversary of the repose of Fr. Seraphim Rose. Bishop Gerasim was abbot of the monastery from 2000 to 2009, and a spiritual son of Fr. Seraphim Rose from mid-1981 until the time of the latter's repose on September 2, 1982.

Special thanks to Punks and Monks YouTube Channel for posting this and other videos connected with the 40th Anniversary Pilgrimage of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim.