The Brotherhood grew out of efforts by [[Herman (Podmoshensky)|Gleb Podmoshensky ]] and [[Seraphim Rose |Eugene Rose]] who, with the blessing of [[John (Maximovitch) the Wonderworker|John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of San Francisco]], of the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia]], began publication of ''The Orthodox Word'', and established a bookstore in the early 1960s. Gleb, who was a Russian immigrant and graduate from [[Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Seminary]] in Jordanville, New York, and Eugene, who was a California intellectual and graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. The two had grown together in the Orthodox Christian faith and its [[monasticism]]. Their vision bore fruit in the founding of the Brotherhood in 1963, with Abp. John's blessing. The vision expanded, in 1968, into a monastery in Platina in the wilderness of northern California. In October 1970, both Gleb and Eugene were [[tonsure]]d [[monk]]s with [[monasticism|monastic]] names of Herman and Seraphim, respectively, andan soon entered into the [[Holy Orders|holy orders]], first as [[deacon]]s and then as [[priest]]s. Under their leadership - Fr. Herman as inaugural abbot and Fr. Seraphim as spiritual father - the Monastery of St. Herman of Alaska grew and prospered.