Veles, North Macedonia, December 26, 2025
Photo: povardarska-eparhija.org.mk
The Povardarie Diocese of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric announced on Wednesday that it has published a two-volume edition of Light from the West, dedicated to the life and teachings of Fr. Seraphim (Rose).
This news comes just two weeks after the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia announced it is formally studying the life and veneration of Fr. Seraphim for possible canonization.
Fr. Seraphim is already venerated throughout the Orthodox world, and a 2022 photo gallery published by the same diocese showed a fresco of him on the wall of the Church of St. Demetrios in Kavadarci, North Macedonia:
Fr. Seraphim is to the left and above Met. Agatangel. Below him is an icon of the recently canonized St. Cleopa of Romania. Photo: povardarska-eparhija.org.mk
The books were prepared and printed with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Agatangel of Povardarie. The translation was done by Nikola Cilakov, with linguistic editing by Fr. Jani Mulev, and the cover and illustrations created by iconographer Vladimir Simeonov.
Fr. Seraphim was one of the most influential figures in contemporary Orthodoxy. His significance lies in bringing Orthodox spirituality closer to people in the West, inspiring many conversions to Orthodoxy, and encouraging a return to serious spiritual life, repentance, and faithfulness to Church Tradition.
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Met. Agatangel wrote the foreword to the new publication:
Met. Agatangel. Photo: liturgija.mk
Every age and every land has its own figures and events that leave deep marks on its history and shape its future. The very birth of Christ the Savior in human flesh gives history an entirely new direction. Every hero, every scientist, every ascetic, and every saint, in his or her own way, influences the course of the world. Thus, this highly educated American, who in his search for God explored Eastern religions, after long seeking came—through St. John of Shanghai, the Teacher of Bitola—to an encounter with the Truth, Christ. For him, participation in the Liturgy became an act of “coming home,” a return to the place where he had always truly belonged.
Eugene Rose (later Fr. Seraphim Rose) was born in 1934 in California into a Protestant family. He graduated from Pomona College and went on to earn a master’s degree in Chinese literature at the University of California, Berkeley. In his search for Truth, he immersed himself in Eastern religions and philosophies, eventually becoming a Buddhist. At the same time, he acquired a broad and refined education, with deep knowledge of Shakespeare, English and American literature, and the theater.
Although he was a candidate for a university professorship and had a promising academic career before him, Eugene underwent a profound spiritual crisis. In Buddhism he encountered impersonality and emptiness, while in the academic world he became disillusioned by the moral decay he perceived among the youth. During this period he met Gleb Podmoshensky (later the monk Herman), a graduate of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville. Under the spiritual guidance of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, Eugene embraced Orthodox Christianity.
Together with Gleb, he began publishing the journal The Orthodox Word and opened a bookstore specializing in Orthodox books and icons. This work gradually awakened in them a desire for complete dedication to God—that is, for the monastic life. Eugene used money received from his parents to purchase land in the remote area of Platina, where they built simple cabins and began their monastic struggle. What remarkable courage and faith these two souls possessed: they had never visited Mount Athos or any major Russian monastery, yet through reading the lives of the saints they found inspiration for so lofty a calling.
They were tonsured with the names Seraphim and Herman and dedicated their monastery to St. Herman of Alaska. From the beginning, this monastery was not merely a place of withdrawal, but a missionary center, where sermons, patristic texts, and testimonies of faith were translated and published. Through The Orthodox Word, Russian Orthodoxy became accessible and comprehensible to Americans, largely through the labors of Fr. Seraphim, who learned both Church Slavonic and Russian and undertook extensive translation work.
Their path was marked by many trials: harsh living conditions, financial hardship, misunderstandings with church authorities, and serious health problems. Yet the greater the cross, the more glorious the resurrection. God strengthened their labor with abundant grace, and this small and humble brotherhood began to grow. Many seekers came, longing for Christ and for an authentic spiritual life; with their support, other missionary centers were established throughout America. For this reason, and not without justification, Fr. Seraphim Rose is often called a new apostle to America.
At the end of August 1982, he was suddenly stricken with severe stomach pains. An unknown illness caused catastrophic internal damage, and he reposed in the Lord on September 2, 1982. At his funeral, despite the intense heat and the large number of people and children gathered around his body, no one perceived any unpleasant odor—a sign that “the saint of God will not see corruption,” as the Psalms of David proclaim.
He revealed himself as a great philosopher, missionary, tireless translator and writer, and a zealot for the purity of the Orthodox faith. Consequently, in his works and letters one does not find the usual monastic instructions focused primarily on obedience and humility; rather, he appears as a monk of a different kind—a missionary monk and pastor. Today, the monastery in Platina stands as one of the most important pilgrimage sites, drawing faithful from all corners of the world to venerate the grave of this contemporary apostle and confessor of the faith. Those who knew him personally regard him as a saint, and their number is not small; for this reason, icons bearing his likeness are found in many places.
Owing to the vast amount of material devoted to Fr. Seraphim, as well as the numerous articles and studies authored by him, this book is being published in two volumes. The first volume presents his extensive life, while the second contains his theological reflections and analyses. May God grant that we may all live to witness his glorification by the Holy Church, among the choirs of saints, in the Kingdom of Christ the Lord, whom he loved with all his heart and whom he faithfully served. Amen.
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