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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.
Residing with Father Gordon presented the opportunity to meet and have closer contact with Father [[Daniel (Byantoro)]], the founder of the Indonesian Orthodox Church, and in 2004, at Father Daniel's request, Father Seraphim followed him back into the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
In 2005, Father Daniel and Father Gordon (now retired and CEO of Grace Ministries, an important arm of support for Father Daniel's work), asked Father Seraphim to travel to Jakarta, Indonesia, as Father Daniel's representative, for the inaugural Archpastoral visit of His Eminence, Archbishop [[Hilarion (Kapral) of New York|Hilarion]] of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, [[Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (ROCOR)|Diocese of Australia and New Zealand]] and under whose [[omophorion]] Father Daniel and the Indonesian Orthodox Church (GOI) had been received the year before. Upon his return to the United States via Australia, Archbishop Hilarion raised Father Seraphim to the office of [[Reader]] on [[April 16]], 2005, at the Church of All Saints of Russia, in [[w:Croydon, Sydney|Croydon, Sydney]].
It is interesting to note that there is a personal link to the land of Indonesia, as Margaret's father was born in Bandung, Java, Indonesia, of Australian and Dutch parents and lived here for the first 13 years of his life. Margaret also looks forward to a closer connection with this country and its people in the future.
Father Seraphim's mission and ongoing prayer is to faithfully serve the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church all the days of his life and he looks forward to further serving his beloved brothers and sisters in Indonesia.
Due to serious illness, Fr. Seraphim moved to Nashville and was transferred to the [[Diocese of Eastern American and New York (ROCOR)|Eastern American Diocese]]. With the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion, Fr. Seraphim founded the missionary parish of St. Innocent of Moscow in Nashville.
[[January 17]], 2011 Priest Seraphim reposed in the Lord. He was 68. Fr. Seraphim is survived by his Matushka Margaret, his sons James and Nicholas, and his daughters Tatiana and Mary.
== 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]]
