Fr. Seraphim Rose and the Call for an American Thebaid

Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim’s monastic life and writings make clear how he longed for an American Thebaid to flourish in his homeland, as it had in Orthodox lands in preceding centuries. In fact, his path of repentance and the zeal with which he lived out his monastic calling make him a true herald of the American Thebaid which we see around us today, and which is the numinous subject of my photo book.

In the course of my pilgrimages to over thirty Orthodox monasteries across America (and over a dozen parishes in between) for The North American Thebaid Book, I encountered widespread veneration of and respect for Blessed Father Seraphim. The monastics clearly revere him as one of the modern heroes of their ranks; photos of Hieromonk Seraphim adorn many a trapeza and guest house, and icons of him are found in both monastery and parish chapels (and many monastic cells and lay peoples’ homes). At a monastery I visited in the American West, one of the monks had been given the obedience of composing a complete service to Hieromonk Seraphim, one of the most important and essential steps before the formal glorification of a saint. A thriving mission parish in the Serbian Archdiocese of America (Midwest Diocese) features in their reliquary a large (20” x 30”) icon of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim displayed beside a complete set of his priestly vestments, gifted to them by St. Herman Monastery in Platina CA. One encounters Blessed Father Seraphim all across America.

Two passages from Father Seraphim’s writings convey his hope for an American Thebaid, an authentic monastic movement here on this continent. This first excerpt is drawn from one of Fr. Seraphim’s letters, as cited in his epic biography. We chose to use his inspiring quote (in bold, at the bottom of this excerpt) as the Epigraph for The North American Thebaid Book:

As at the beginning of his monastic path he had drawn inspiration from the phenomenon of desert-dwelling in northern Russia, so now was he to do so from an identical phenomenon in the land of his forefathers. The flight of God-seeking men and women into the Jura Mountains of ancient Gaul was in fact an exact precursor of the movement that began in Russia almost a millennium later. “The Jura monasteries,” wrote Fr. Seraphim in 1976 to a young monastic aspirant, “are especially interesting to us because they are a forested desert, very close to the spirit of the Northern Thebaid (or to the American Thebaid that could be if there were souls to match the mountains!).”

Excerpt From: Hieromonk Damascene. Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works. iBooks edition, 2010, p. 1963.

The second excerpt comes from the Epilogue Fr. Seraphim wrote for The Northern Thebaid book about Monastic Saints of the Russian North, and shows how his monastic inspiration was always connected with the real-world examples of earlier desert-dwelling men and women who serve as spiritual trailblazers, showing us the way. In designing the Thebaid Book, we chose to feature this quote in the section for St. Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, California:

Still the voice of the Northern Thebaid calls us—not, it may be, to go to the desert, but at least to keep alive the fragrance of the desert in our hearts: to dwell in mind and heart with these angel-like men and women and have them as our truest friends, conversing with them in prayer; to be always aloof from the attachments and passions of this life, even when they center about some institution or leader of the church organization; to be first of all a citizen of the Heavenly Jerusalem, the City on high towards which all our Christian labors are directed, and only secondarily a member of this world below which perishes.

Epilogue to The Northern Thebaid, St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, Platina, CA, 1975.

Fr. Seraphim Rose strived to live as closely as he could to the examples of the desert strugglers of the Russian Northern Thebaid, of 5th century Gaul, and of the Egyptian Thebaid, and to convey that life to Orthodox strugglers of today.

The anonymous author of the beautiful Akathist to Our Holy Father Seraphim of Platina focuses on the monastic calling in the Seventh Kontakion and Oikos:

Kontakion 7

Loving the paradise of God before this passing earth, you sought the monastic habit to train your soul to seek the higher things. Having sat at the Lord’s feet listening to his words, you took the better part. And we, chasing after many things, long to say with you to the Lord: Alleluia!

Oikos 7

Having sought to save your soul as a humble monk you are exalted beyond passion’s reach. And we, plundered by enemies and passions, beseech your prayers by such praises as these:

Rejoice, you who sought to provide monastic life to perishing modern man!

Rejoice, you who led the call for an American Thebaid!

Rejoice, lover of the desert dwellers of Egypt!

Rejoice, creator of a Mount Athos in your heart!

Rejoice, follower of St. John the Forerunner crying out to the world from the wilderness!

Rejoice, veneration of the New Martyrs, forerunners of the monastics of the end times!

Rejoice, Holy Father Blessed Seraphim, radiant lamp of Christ illuminating the last times!

This is all bound up with my inspirations for the North American Thebaid Book. Holy Father Seraphim pray for us!

You can learn more about the widespread veneration of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim Rose, and order the Akathist booklet, here.