Schemamonk Sergius reposes in Etna, California Monastery
And a Heart-felt Memorial Sharing: Repose of life-Long Suffering Schemamonk Sergius
And my personal memories of him:
When in 1964, I was a novice -monk [a 'postlushnik'] with Hegumin Dimitry (Egoroff) at the
Point Reyes, California [Metropolia] St. Eugene's Hermitage, [the 'Pustinka'], I first met young monk Sergius the very day he had been tonsured as a riassaphore-monk at the Dormition of the Virgin Mary parish Church in Santa Rosa,[ 'St. Marys'}, at the hands of our diocesan bishop, Archb. Ioann Shahovskoy.
Monk Sergius drove by himself, his specially fitted car [so that he could drive it with only his two feet, as he had NO arms or hands], to St. Eugene's Hermitage [north of San Francisco in a heavily wooded forest location], and we had our first warm and memorable visit together, he... I suspected, was hoping to be able to live at St. Eugene's, and to be a member of our little brotherhood- then three in number: Fr. Dimitry, myself, and a severely mentally ill man that Fr. Dimity was the legal guardian of- Nicolai Nicholaivitch Orlowsky.
To my aging memory, I recall that he told me that he had been born a 'Thalidimide baby', and he was born without arms or hands. But I may be wrong in my fading memory on that exact point.
Fr. Dimitry privately, in his broken English, told me: 'But how can he live here, as of what use could he be, and who could take care of him?", as apparently Monk Sergius had requested that of him, and clearly he was disappointed that he was not allowed to stay there. He desired to live in a monastery, very much.
Sergius and I had much in common: we were both pursuing Orthodox monastic life, we were both American converts to Orthodoxy, and we were both about the same youthful energetic age. Our main difference back then, was that he was born with severe physical limitations.
Monk Sergius lived down near San Diego, California.... which is near the Mexican border.
Not long after I first met him, I received an 'obedience' from our bishop, for me to go down to southern California, to assist [somehow] a Mexican-American priest, a Fr. Robert Isais, in his struggle to build a 'Home for wayward boys', near Agoura, California.... which was north a bit, from Los Angeles.
So, Monk Sergius drove the long trip back up to St. Eugene's and picked me up, and drove me, first of all, the long way back down to his home area of San Diego, where he gave me hospitality and entertained me for close to a week, ..including two visits to the world-famous San Diego Zoo, a visit to the famous Balboa Park with its large collection, at that time, of antique Russian icons, and in visiting with some of the pious members of his [ Metropolia] St. Nicholas parish church there.
Then, he drove me back north of Los Angeles, to the abandoned large ranch-style house, 'in the middle of no-where', [which was to become the hoped-for, Guadalupe Boys Home... which never materialized in that location], near tiny rural dusty town of Agoura, California... which was then in a people-vacant semi-desert/wasteland location.
Sergius drove his specially fitted car, better than anybody I had ever seen anyone drive a car before. His monastic riassa also, conveniently hid his missing arms. He always wore it, and he took his monastic vows very seriously, though by necessity, he had to still live with his parents.
He never complained about his born malady. He seemed to just accept it, as God's will and not as any obstacle to his life. As far as I know, he basically took care of his own immediate affairs, with little or no assistance from anybody. Fortunately, for him, he belonged to a loving caring supportive family, [whom I never met], so that he did not have to support himself financially [as far as I knew]. He had a brilliant mind, a cheerful upbeat personality, and he went through college to achieve a law degree, [he could write with a special pen placed in his toes!, and using a special typewriter which he easily operated with his toes!... and too, he accomplished other functions with his feet and toes, and also with his mouth!].
When in 1964, I was a novice -monk [a 'postlushnik'] with Hegumin Dimitry (Egoroff) at the
Point Reyes, California [Metropolia] St. Eugene's Hermitage, [the 'Pustinka'], I first met young monk Sergius the very day he had been tonsured as a riassaphore-monk at the Dormition of the Virgin Mary parish Church in Santa Rosa,[ 'St. Marys'}, at the hands of our diocesan bishop, Archb. Ioann Shahovskoy.
Monk Sergius drove by himself, his specially fitted car [so that he could drive it with only his two feet, as he had NO arms or hands], to St. Eugene's Hermitage [north of San Francisco in a heavily wooded forest location], and we had our first warm and memorable visit together, he... I suspected, was hoping to be able to live at St. Eugene's, and to be a member of our little brotherhood- then three in number: Fr. Dimitry, myself, and a severely mentally ill man that Fr. Dimity was the legal guardian of- Nicolai Nicholaivitch Orlowsky.
To my aging memory, I recall that he told me that he had been born a 'Thalidimide baby', and he was born without arms or hands. But I may be wrong in my fading memory on that exact point.
Fr. Dimitry privately, in his broken English, told me: 'But how can he live here, as of what use could he be, and who could take care of him?", as apparently Monk Sergius had requested that of him, and clearly he was disappointed that he was not allowed to stay there. He desired to live in a monastery, very much.
Sergius and I had much in common: we were both pursuing Orthodox monastic life, we were both American converts to Orthodoxy, and we were both about the same youthful energetic age. Our main difference back then, was that he was born with severe physical limitations.
Monk Sergius lived down near San Diego, California.... which is near the Mexican border.
Not long after I first met him, I received an 'obedience' from our bishop, for me to go down to southern California, to assist [somehow] a Mexican-American priest, a Fr. Robert Isais, in his struggle to build a 'Home for wayward boys', near Agoura, California.... which was north a bit, from Los Angeles.
So, Monk Sergius drove the long trip back up to St. Eugene's and picked me up, and drove me, first of all, the long way back down to his home area of San Diego, where he gave me hospitality and entertained me for close to a week, ..including two visits to the world-famous San Diego Zoo, a visit to the famous Balboa Park with its large collection, at that time, of antique Russian icons, and in visiting with some of the pious members of his [ Metropolia] St. Nicholas parish church there.
Then, he drove me back north of Los Angeles, to the abandoned large ranch-style house, 'in the middle of no-where', [which was to become the hoped-for, Guadalupe Boys Home... which never materialized in that location], near tiny rural dusty town of Agoura, California... which was then in a people-vacant semi-desert/wasteland location.
Sergius drove his specially fitted car, better than anybody I had ever seen anyone drive a car before. His monastic riassa also, conveniently hid his missing arms. He always wore it, and he took his monastic vows very seriously, though by necessity, he had to still live with his parents.
He never complained about his born malady. He seemed to just accept it, as God's will and not as any obstacle to his life. As far as I know, he basically took care of his own immediate affairs, with little or no assistance from anybody. Fortunately, for him, he belonged to a loving caring supportive family, [whom I never met], so that he did not have to support himself financially [as far as I knew]. He had a brilliant mind, a cheerful upbeat personality, and he went through college to achieve a law degree, [he could write with a special pen placed in his toes!, and using a special typewriter which he easily operated with his toes!... and too, he accomplished other functions with his feet and toes, and also with his mouth!].
But his whole real abiding love was God and the Orthodox Church.
Monk Sergius's eyes were set on Heaven, not on this world.
He was very active, for years, in his Metropolia St. Nicholas parish church in San Diego, and over the ensuing years, also in a number of church related parishes and projects. He was a quiet/anonymous but generous financial donor too, with his funds and with his devotion and energies. He personally under-wrote the breakaway parish in San Diego, [which took refuge under the SIR Synod] after the Lavr Skurla lead betrayal to the MP in 2007, which original ROCOR parish [which he had helped to ALSO found] he had previously also heavily funded, in 1970, when his original OCA St. Nicholas parish in San Diego had gone with the phony, MP's 'autocephaly'.
He was very active, for years, in his Metropolia St. Nicholas parish church in San Diego, and over the ensuing years, also in a number of church related parishes and projects. He was a quiet/anonymous but generous financial donor too, with his funds and with his devotion and energies. He personally under-wrote the breakaway parish in San Diego, [which took refuge under the SIR Synod] after the Lavr Skurla lead betrayal to the MP in 2007, which original ROCOR parish [which he had helped to ALSO found] he had previously also heavily funded, in 1970, when his original OCA St. Nicholas parish in San Diego had gone with the phony, MP's 'autocephaly'.
Monk
Sergius had heavily supported and helped to found and fund,... and
Run.... THREE PARISHES in his life. And in them all, he chanted and
directed the choirs and gave totally of his time and resources. Unfortunately,
due to the passage of time and distance,...the vagaries of life!... he
and I totally lost any contact many years ago, but we both made some of
the same jurisdictional moves, in the end, as the old Metropolia
regrettably bowed to Moscow in 1970, and later, much of ROCOR in 2007,
made the basically same sad betrayal. Neither he nor I could tolerate
those betrayals and apostasy. It seems, however, that he changed his
jurisdictions, somewhat more quickly than I did. His whole life was the
church!
I always admired him. Of course, though to others he bore his infirmities with a happy face, yet because he was human, one knows that he must have also suffered inside of himself, not being able to do most things, all his 74 years, that normal people could, of enjoying an earthly life that most think of as, a normal happy life. Most pleasures of this earthly life, were denied him. "Whom the Lord loveth, He chastizeth!" explains his life, at least from a spiritual point of view. His life was one long humiliation, his personal Golgotha. He was always on his cross, with Our Lord.
In recent years, I had hoped to renew communication with him once more, but I had no way to contact him, nor did I know where he was. I tried.
And I was not aware that he resided at the Etna monastery, where he passed from.
But recently , he has been much in my thoughts, for some reason.
Dear life-long-suffering, beloved of God, Schemamonk Sergius, now you are in a place where bodily functions or 'disabilities', are meaningless, and where only your pure soul matters. Only your good deeds and your pure heart, these things you HAVE.
I always admired him. Of course, though to others he bore his infirmities with a happy face, yet because he was human, one knows that he must have also suffered inside of himself, not being able to do most things, all his 74 years, that normal people could, of enjoying an earthly life that most think of as, a normal happy life. Most pleasures of this earthly life, were denied him. "Whom the Lord loveth, He chastizeth!" explains his life, at least from a spiritual point of view. His life was one long humiliation, his personal Golgotha. He was always on his cross, with Our Lord.
In recent years, I had hoped to renew communication with him once more, but I had no way to contact him, nor did I know where he was. I tried.
And I was not aware that he resided at the Etna monastery, where he passed from.
But recently , he has been much in my thoughts, for some reason.
Dear life-long-suffering, beloved of God, Schemamonk Sergius, now you are in a place where bodily functions or 'disabilities', are meaningless, and where only your pure soul matters. Only your good deeds and your pure heart, these things you HAVE.
"All that we can have in the next world, is what we gave away here!" You sacrificed much in this life!
MEMORY ETERNAL! MAY YOU REST WITH THE SAINTS!... and with the coming great feast of Holy Pascha, I greet you, dear Monk Sergius:
CHRIST OUR ETERNAL JOY, IS RISEN! and DEATH IS NO MORE!
You have finally reached your heavenly homeland...the Heavenly New Jerusalem, the homeland of your heart's desiring.
With much love-but with some tears-
Reader Daniel Everiss in Oregon
MEMORY ETERNAL! MAY YOU REST WITH THE SAINTS!... and with the coming great feast of Holy Pascha, I greet you, dear Monk Sergius:
CHRIST OUR ETERNAL JOY, IS RISEN! and DEATH IS NO MORE!
You have finally reached your heavenly homeland...the Heavenly New Jerusalem, the homeland of your heart's desiring.
With much love-but with some tears-
Reader Daniel Everiss in Oregon
REPOSE OF SCHEMAMONK SERGIUS
March 20 (Old Style)/April 2 (New Style), 2015
Feast of the 44 Holy Abbas (Fathers) Martyred at the Monastery of St. Sabbas
Several hours ago, at 2:00 a.m.,
Schemamonk Father Sergius, the much-revered senior brother (in age) of
the St. Gregory Palamas Monastery reposed quietly in the Lord, in his
sleep, after a short bout with pneumonia. One of the Fathers and his
brother in the flesh, Mr. William Kornik, who was visiting, were with
him when he reposed. His Grace, Bishop Auxentios and His Eminence,
Metropolitan Chrysostomos and the brotherhood were summoned, and the
prayers for the departure of the soul were read, after which the body
was prepared and moved to the monastery Chapel (see photograph below), where the reading of the Psalter began.
Later this morning, after the daily Presanctified Liturgy, the funeral and burial service will take place at 11:00 a.m., in keeping with the ancient monastic custom of interment, when possible, before sundown on the day of death.
Father Sergius, 74 years of age, was born on July 31, 1940.At
eight years of age he contracted polio and lost all use of his arms and
hands. He thus lived his later childhood and adult years completely
dependent on others to feed him and to care for all of his personal
needs. However, despite his illnesses and limitations, he was an
indefatigable, uncomplaining, joyful, and dedicated servant of the
Church, fluent in English, Russian, and Slavonic, and a gifted expert in the Church’s typikon and Russian choral music. He was a graduate of the University of San Diego, where he also attended the School of Law.
Father Sergius was tonsured a monk, in 1964, by
the late Archbishop John (Shahovskoy) of San Francisco, in what was
then the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America (now the OCA,
or the Orthodox Church in America). He separated from the OCA when,
during the Soviet régime, it entered into communion with the Moscow Patriarchate, placing him- self
under the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCOR), from which he also
separated when it later joined with the Moscow Patriarchate. In all of
these transitions, Father was sedulous to act in a moderate but resolute
spirit, never condemning anyone in following his conscience. It was at
the time of the ROCA’s
reconciliation with Moscow that he asked to become a member of the
brotherhood of the St. Gregory Palamas Monastery, where he was tonsured
to the Great Schema in 2009. (See
the photograph above; from left to right:Archimandrite Akakios,
monastic sponsor at Father’s tonsure to the Angelic Schema, His Grace,
Bishop Auxentios, who performed the tonsure, and Father Sergius.)
At
the monastery, Schemamonk Sergius was always in attendance at daily
Liturgy, communing daily, and the other monastic services, even though
for the past year he was constantly on oxygen and had lost the ability
to walk more than a few feet. His innocence, purity, humility, famous
smile, and example of long-suffering acceptance of his disabilities
endeared him to all who knew him, including the four Fathers at the
monastery who were assigned to the sometimes demanding task of caring
for him day and night. Yet, Father’s entire life was, in actuality, one
of patiently bearing a heavy Cross. None of us can really understand
what a burden he endured, constantly dependent on others for his every
need; and, indeed, only with time will we fully realize what a great gift he was to us.
To describe Father’s inimitable piety and love of the Church, one story is sufficient. When one of the Fathers caring for him asked him what, if he could regain the use of his arms and hands, what would be the first thing that he would do, without hesitation he said: “I would cross myself.” May his memory be eternal! Aἰωνία ἡ μνήμη!
(At
left, in the Nave, looking from the monastery Chapel altar, the wooden
bier with Father Sergius’ earthly remains lying in state this morning,
covered with a funeral shroud.)
The Saint Gregory Palamas Monastery Brotherhood
His covered body in the Etna, California monastery chapel:
MEMORY ETERNAL! and...MAY HE REST WITH THE SAINTS!
-his arduous earthly journey has been completed and God has called him home-LET US PRAY for his soul's blessed repose!
Schemamonk Sergius, is on the far right of this photo:
ReplyDeleteA comment about the inspiring funeral of newly reposed Schemamonk Sergius-
Sent to a GOC bishop:
From: CTOS
Date: April 6, 2015 at 6:26:11 PM PDT
Subject: Funeral of Schemamonk Father Sergius
To: ActiveCTOS_Forum Palamas Monastery Gregory
The following was sent to us by one of the few laypersons who attended the funeral of Father Sergius this past Thursday. We felt it to be a fitting tribute.
the Fathers
CTOS/SGPM
--------------------------------------------------
To His Eminence, His Grace, and all the Fathers
Father Serge's Funeral was beautiful, from beginning to end and in every aspect a lasting memory of an inspiring gift of a man. Being in your midst for this service will be with me always.
With gratitude and love.
MEMORY ETERNAL!