Fr. Archdeacon Seraphim (Mac Fadyen) Memory Eternal/Вечная Память-זצ »ל-Memoria Eterna!
Fr.
Archdeacon Seraphim (Mac Fadyen) passed away in Jerusalem at the
elderly home of the French Sisters where he had been spent many years.
Born into an American family in Cuba (Las Habanas), he worked for the United State Administration before becoming a monk at Jordanville.
He
served there and became a deacon in the Russian Church abroad. sent in
1980 to Jerusalem to serve as a deacon at the Mount of Olives Russian
Church Abroad Monastery, he quit the Monastery for specific reasons and
was accepted in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
In
the late 80'es he worked at the Monastery of the Cross then was hosted
at the St. Onuphrios Monastery (Haqeldam Monastery). In both places he
got attacked and had to be taken to the hospital. He had been my
parishioner since 1998. For years I could help him and could install him
at the French Sisters' Home in Abu Dis where he passed away. He never
could serve as an archdeacon for other reasons due to the connection
between the Churches.
A
man of great education, very pious, left aside in many ways as we all
are in the Holy Land, he had decided to serve at his elderly home as a
man of prayer for those whith whom he lived. In the last years, the new
heads of the Russian Church Abroad head of the Maria Magdalena's Convent
have visited him as well as the nuns (esp. Mother Nona). May the Lord
take him into His peace and show His loving-kindness, compassionate love
and trust. Memory eternal! Вечная память! זיכרונו לברכה!
A man of great intelligence
and culture, he had been accepted in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of
jerusalem at a time when the Institution was more or less stable under
late Patriarch Diodoros. He could rely upon the active friendship of
Archbishop Aristarchos, Secretary Général of the Patriarchate of
Jerusalem who always interceded for him, Archbishop Theophanis and
Archbishop Nikephoros.
it should be noted that he
was the "living memory" of the Jerusalem Church as for the time before
the changes in the Orthodox world and society and I accounted his
testimony that will be of use for the future generations in Jerusalem
and, in general for the history, development of the Churches in the Holy
Land, among the Russian Churches, the Greek and all Orthodox Bodies. He
also perfectly knew the situation of the other Churches, such as the
Anglican and the Roman Catholic Church(es) locally.
It should also be noted that
he had been hosted and welcomed, assisted all through the years of
sickness by the Arab faithful, true Christian Arabs, monastics and nuns
of Arab identity; the people at Jaffa Gate, the managers of the
guest-houses did support him in times of terrible need, also with a
constant sense of profound kindness, both humane and really Christian.
Fr. Seraphim was mainly an
american but quite internationally minded: born in Cuba, he perfectly
spoke Spanish and had the insights of a man who had been trained in a
latin language and culture along with American English. He was quite
fluent in French due to some family backgrounds. He could understand
Yiddish but was poor in Hebrew and arabic. He often detailed as time
passed his Jewish backgrounds and deeply sobbed when he visited
Yad-VaShem. He always wore Yad VaShem's pin on his heart and would not
speak any further of the members of his family who were killed during
the Shoah/Holocaust.
Archdeacon Seraphim had also
strong connections with the hierarchs of the Church Abroad, esp.
metropolitan Hilarion who is heading the Church Body at the present. He
was also related to the Phylis Monastery in Greece.
On the picture, Fr. Seraphim was at Jaffa Gate with a very close friend and "spiritual son" Kevin. Please be kind enough to let the news be known. A lot of people where no more in contact with Fr. Achdeacon Seraphim. He had friends and connections all over the world. Memory eternal! Вечная память! זיכרונו לברכה! Memoria eterna!
