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Fr. '''Seraphim Scheidler''' (1942 - 2011) was a [[priest]] of the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]], and rector of the [[parish]] of St. Innocent of Moscow in Nashville, Tennessee.
== Early life ==
He was born [[November 25]], 1942 in [[:w:Vienna|Vienna]], Austria of both European and Slavic backgrounds, Father Seraphim, like most Austrians, was born into the [[Roman Catholic Church]], and always considered the [[Orthodox Church]] another side of the same coin. As a young man he immigrated to Australia, eventually taking on the citizenship of his chosen homeland.
As a young man he immigrated to Australia, eventually taking on the citizenship of his chosen homeland. It was in this country that he came into contact with the [[w:Liberal Catholic Church|Liberal Catholic Church]] (derived from the [[w:Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands|Old Catholic Church of Holland]]), meeting his future wife, Margaret, at a church congress. After extensive study for [[Holy Orders]] under the direction of the late Bishop Sten von Krusenstierna, then Regionary Bishop of the Province of Australia, he was eventually ordained a priest serving in various locations in [[w:NSW|NSW]] and [[w:Queensland|Queensland]] for about 11 years.
== Conversion ==
Father Seraphim has always been an avid reader, and when he found an image of the great Russian Saint, St. [[Seraphim of Sarov]], in a magazine, he was inexplicably taken by it, so cut it out and placed it in a frame next to his bed. From this time on, grew such a desire to learn more about Orthodoxy that he reached the point of making the most difficult decision of his life: to request release from his ministry in order to join the Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church.
With the commencement of the ceremony taking place on St. Seraphim’s Day in August 1987, he, Margaret, and two of their children, their daughters, Leolie Tatiana and Jasmine Mary, were chrismated at the [[Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church of the (Brisbane, Australia)|Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church]] ([[OCA]]) in [[w:Brisbane|Brisbane]].
Although living about 3 hours’ away, they attended there as regularly as possible, as well as the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia|ROCOR]] parishes and occasionally visiting the [[Serbian Orthodox Church|Serbian]] and Greek churches. In 1991 the family joined the [[Church of Antioch|Antiochian Orthodox Church]] of St. Mary the Virgin in [[s:Sydney|Sydney]].
It was also about this time that Father Seraphim’s lifelong studies, interest and involvement in the arts and crafts culminated in his graduating as a studio potter from the College of Art, Lismore TAFE, in 1992.
== Sources ==
* [http://turcograecus.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/hristiyan-ortodoksluka-dogru-yolculuklar/ Ortodoksluk'a Christian Right Journeys The Story of Fr. Seraphim Scheidler]* [http://www.stinnocentsnashville.org/p/father-seraphim-scheidler.html Fr Seraphim Scheidler]* [http://www.eadiocese.org/News/2011/jan/16/scheidler.en.htm Priest Seraphim Scheidler reposed in the Lord]
[[Category: Priests]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity from Roman Catholicism]]
[[Category: Orthodoxy in Australia]]
