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Born to Frank and Esther Eugene Rose was born on August 13, 1934, in San Diego in 1934, California. His father was Frank Rose, a World War I veteran. Eugene 's mother Esther Rose being businesswoman was raised also a California artist who specialized in Californiaimpressionist renderings of Pacific coast scenes. Raised in San Diego, where he Eugene would remain a Californian for the rest of his entire life. He His older sister was baptized in the Methodist faith at fourteen years oldEileen Rose Busby, but later became an atheistauthor, MENSA member, and antiques expert; his older brother was Frank Rose, losing all belief in Goda local businessman. Rose was also an uncle of scientist and author J. Rated at genius level in high school in formal IQ testingMichael Scott, true crime author and journalist Cathy Scott, and Cordelia Mendoza, in San Francisco he entered a beatnik phase in his life antiques expert and practiced Buddhismauthor.
In Rose was baptized in the summer of 1955Methodist faith at fourteen years old, but later became an atheist, between his junior and senior years at collegelosing all belief in God. After graduating from San Diego High School, Eugene met Finnish-born Jon Gregersonattended Pomona College, through whom where he came into initial contact with the Orthodox faithstudied Chinese philosophy and graduated ''magna cum laude'' in 1956. Eugene came out as [[homosexuality|homosexual]] While at Pomona, Rose was a reader for Ved Mehta, a blind student who would go on to become a close friend from college after his mother discovered letters penned between her son and Walter Pomeroywell known author. Mehta referred to Rose in two books, one of which was ''Stolen Light'', a friend from high school. Eugene later shed his identity book of memoirs: “I felt very lucky to have found Gene as a gay man as reader. ... He read with such clarity that I almost had the illusion that he slowly accepted Orthodoxywas explaining things.” Afterward, eventually ending his lengthy relationship Rose studied under Alan Watts at the American Academy of Asian Studies before entering the master's degree program in Oriental languages at the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated in 1961 with Gregersona thesis entitled '''Emptiness' and 'Fullness' in the Lao Tzu''.[http://www In addition to a remarkable gift for languages, Rose was also known for possessing an acute sense of humor and wit.pomona.edu/Magazine/PCMSP01/saintHe enjoyed opera, concerts, art, literature, and the other cultural opportunities richly available in San Francisco, where he settled after his graduation and explored Buddhism and other Asian philosophies.shtml]
Category
==Early life==
==Orthodoxy==
While studying under Alan Watts at the American Academy of Asian Studies after graduating from Pomona College in 1956, Eugene discovered the writings of René Guenon. Through Guenon's writings, Eugene was inspired to seek out an authentic, grounded spiritual faith tradition. Gregerson, a practicing Russian Orthodox Christian at the time, introduced Eugene to Orthodoxy. Just as Gregerson was choosing to abandon his Orthodoxy, Eugene was inspired to learn more about the faith. This culminated in Eugene's decision to enter the Church, being received into the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia through [[chrismation]] in 1962.
Eugene and another Orthodox Christian, [[Herman (Podmoshensky)|Gleb Podmoshensky]], later formed a community of Orthodox [[booksellers]] and [[Magazines and Publications|publishers]] called the [[St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood|St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood]], with the blessing of St. [[John Maximovitch]], Archbishop of San Francisco in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. The community eventually decided to flee urban modernity into the wilderness of northern California to become [[monasticism|monks]] in 1966. At his [[tonsure]] in 1970, Eugene took the name "Seraphim" after St. Seraphim of Sarov.
Following his [[ordination]] as [[hieromonk]], Fr. Seraphim began writing several books, including ''[[Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future]]'', and ''[[The Soul After Death]]''. One of his best known books, ''[[God's Revelation to the Human Heart]]'', was originally given as a lecture to a religious studies class at UC-Santa Cruz in 1981, and published in book form after his repose. He also founded the magazine ''The Orthodox Word'', still published today by the Brotherhood. The collective body of work that Fr. Seraphim published quickly proliferated throughout America upon Fr. Seraphim's death and later in Russia and Eastern Europe upon the fall of atheist Communism in those countries, though typewritten copies of some of his books had been distributed underground for many years prior.
Throughout his life, Fr. Seraphim stressed an "Orthodoxy of the heart," which he felt was absent in much of the ecclesiastical life in America.
One of his more controversial books is ''[[The Soul After Death]]'', which includes the teaching which had been passed on to Fr. Seraphim from Saint John of the so-called [[Aerial Toll-Houses]], regarding the soul's journey after its departure from the body. This teaching has drawn criticism from some within the Orthodox Church, but has been defended by such noted theologians as [[Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos|Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos)]] and Archimandrite [[Tikhon (Shevkunov)]].
[[Image:Father Seraphim Rose 1Fr_Seraphim_Rose.jpg|left|thumb|200px233px|Picture of Father Seraphim Rose at St. Herman's, April 1981, serving the Divine Liturgy. Note that he is holding a [[paschal trikirion]].]]
==Death==
After being dead for several days and while lying in repose in a pauper's coffin at his wilderness monastery, visitors claimed that Fr. Seraphim did not succumb to decay and rigor mortis. His body remained supple while several claimed he smelled of roses. A cause for glorification was begun after Fr. Seraphim's burial. He eventually informally attained the title of ''Blessed'' after several miracles were attributed to him and now he awaits glorification into sainthood by an Orthodox [[synod]].
==Audio Recordings==
===from 1982===
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/preciouspearlfan#grid/user/F5D46F33D82EE909 Living the Orthodox Worldview]
==Books==
*[http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/OldWorldBasic/FrSeraphim.html Father Seraphim Rose: Biography and Online Bookshop]
*[http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Orthodox_Elders/Various/Fr._Seraphim_Rose/ Photos of Fr. Seraphim Rose]
*[http://audio.ancientfaith.com/postcards/pfg_2009-06-10.mp3 Fr. Seraphim Rose in Greece (Postcards From Greece Podcast, by Fr. Peter Heers)]
*[http://deathtotheworld.com/seraphimrose/index.html Death to the World : Father Seraphim Rose of Platina]
*[http://audioshestodnev.ancientfaithortox.comru/postcardsprepodobnyjj_serafim_platinskijj_%28rouz%29/pfg_2009-06-10view/id/1109795 "Saint Seraphim of Platina (Rose).mp3 Preparing materials for Fr. Seraphim Rose 's glorification in Greece Russian Orthodox Church" (Postcards From Greece Podcast, by Fr. Peter Heersin Russian)]
===Criticism & debate===
*[http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/charismatic_revival_s_rose_e.htm Charismatic Revival as a Sign of the Times]
*[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/nihilism.html Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age ]
*[http://www.stxenia.org/frsrosefiles/history/ortham.shtml html Orthodoxy in America: Its Historical Past and Present]
*[http://www.deathtotheworld.com Death to the World - A Compendium of Fr. Seraphim Rose's writings on-line.]
*[http://www.desertwisdom.org/dttw Desertwisdom.org - On-line collection of writings by and inspired by Fr. Seraphim Rose.]
*[http://www.garyabersold.com/documents/Eugene_Rose_Thesis.pdf Eugene Rose Thesis]
[[Category:American Saints]]
[[Category:Priests]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity|Rose]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]
[[fr:Seraphim Rose]]
[[ro:Serafim Rose]]
