St. Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church

Thou didst love Christ from thy youth, O blessed one, and ardently desiring to work for Him alone,
thou didst struggle in the wilderness with constant prayer and labour; and having acquired love for Christ
with compunction of heart, thou didst prove to be the beloved favourite of the Mother of God.
Wherefore, we cry to thee: save us by thy prayers, O Seraphim, our holy Father.

Dismissal Hymn Fourth Tone

Image and Life of St. Seraphim  courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery             Brookline, MA   02445

    We are American converts from various ethnic and religious backgrounds who, with sincerity of heart, were guided by Christ himself to his Holy Orthodox Church. We cling to the true teachings of the Orthodox Faith as delivered to the Apostles and their successive Bishops without variance and without compromise.

     St. Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church began in 1991 with Metropolitan Ephraim giving his blessing for this new mission. Fr. Nicodemos Gayle offered his home as the first Church site and along with Presbytera Lydia and their three children became the first parishioners of St. Seraphim's. In time, St. Seraphim's has grown to twelve families from all across the U.S.

     A small country house was found suitable for our Parish in the rural location of Hanover County near Richmond, VA. We were able to celebrate our first Liturgy in our new home in the summer of 1994.
     One anonymous donor made it possible for us to start a building fund in order to add an addition and vault the Temple ceiling. Other monies were collected for a new Iconostasis, carpeting, paint, and new hardwood flooring. The building project was completed in August of 2004. Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ from throughout our Diocese attended St. Seraphim's Summer Feast to help celebrate the completion of the project.

     Sadly, St. Seraphim's suffered a tragic fire on October 8/21, 2007. The Church building was almost completely destroyed as were the contents inside. Neighbors had called Father Nicodemos and by the time he had arrived at 1:00 AM that morning, he could see the flames rising from the building from a mile-and-a-half away.

     As the parishioners gathered together for services behind the still smoldering building; we began to realize that it is WE that are the parish, not the building. As long as our love for each other and our dear Saviour remained strong, St. Seraphim's little church in the country would remain!

     Like gold being strengthened by fire, we began to see that some very interesting things had occurred in spite of this tragic event. The contents of the Church building were a total loss. However, in the Altar, even though the floor surrounding the Holy Table had collapsed; the Holy Table itself with the Gospel and the antimension remained intact. The relics in the antimension were not destroyed. And in the corner of the Altar, just 20 ft. from the hottest part of the fire, the prothesis table, which contained Father's vestments and the holy vessels, remained unburned! Our dear St. Seraphim was watching over us and had made it possible for us to continue serving by saving the holy things!

     As we move ahead with our new building project under the guidance of our beloved Metropolitan Ephraim, we wish to thank our many brothers and sisters in Christ who have given us great consolation and support in our time of need.

Glory be to God for all things!