https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1739633992987196&id=100008218360484

This is a small post in recognition of the work done by Vyachaslav Marchenko on Wednesday, 22/6/16 and posted by him at 7:12am

ANNIVERSARY OF REPOSE OF ONE OF THE GIANTS OF ORTHODOX MISSION IN ENGLISH SPEAKING LANDS

On June 30 of this year, we with God’s grace, will celebrate the third year of the repose of Hieromonk Abbott Herman of Platina.

Ignore any slander about this blessed man. His work brought thousands of people to Orthodoxy, enticing incredible envy from his metromasters and others who finally arranged for his early death, as they did with Archbishop John.

He was one of Holy Archbishop John’s closest confidants and spiritual son. He was also Bl Father Seraphim Rose’s spiritual father and teacher.

Right up until his untimely repose due to Parkinsons, under great pain and suffering, each day he personally answered numerous letters to his followers in the West and especially from Russia, where he is highly reveared. Patriarch Alexis II, presented Abbott Herman with a Gold cross, as a holy token of appreciation for his work in the Church.

His work was most instrumental in arranging for the glorification of Saint Herman of Alaska and Holy Archbishop John. And for the New Confessors of Russia during its yoke of communism. As well as personally assisting many with spiritual questions and guidance in Church life, imitating by this the work of the great Saint Theophan the Recluse.

Read Abbott Herman’s biography and struggles in the book “Not of this World”, first edition only. There you will find similarities to the struggles that Theophan the Recluse had to face, with the envious ones in the Church hierarchy.

You iconographers out there, paint his iconographic image and ignore the protests of those “super correct, super canonical” evil wishers, who did not know about his canonicity with holy bishops in Russia in the 1980s – 2014. Who to this day wish to discredit him with the vitalist slander, because his cause, was so powerful and fruitful and theirs was fruitless. By your iconography you will glorify God through one of the most important Orthodox workers of our age.

Many believe that he will be glorified “officially”, sooner or later.

Even in his repose, he continues to be the spiritual father of :

orthodoxaustralia.org

(Readers should be aware that this is an open Orthodox Site, to which many people contribute. Hence, if there appears to be an issue with any of the articles there, please be so kind as to ask the Site administrators for clarification, rather than using any of the material printed there to evoke negative and ridiculing responses, in other posts of this section. Your co-operation in this manner may save others from impressions which could do harm to their spiritual life.)

Abbott Herman’s name, certainly with his large following in Russia, is synonymous with Platina monastery, a place of holy pilgrimage in the heart of the USA. Even though his burial was not accomplished in his own monastery.

If there was one short sentence that could be on his epitaph it would be:

“I came to show the world otherworldliness”
(Cf. John 18:36)

It is this otherworldliness, which inspires the evil one to act on the souls of strugglers of piety.

Otherworldliness requires much sacrifice and it is this sacrifice which modern man is often afraid to touch. It might mean loss of status in this world, ridicule and demeaning of one’s life in general. But all of us should recall Christ’s teaching when He told us to not be afraid, as He has overcome the world, for our sakes.

Question:
Did he not struggle with homosexuality?

Fr Basil:
He was not homosexual. One and only one person accused him of this, as is usually the case once it becomes clear that there are no other accusations that can be brought upon a monastic.

One would logically assume that that would be the only step left to discredit someone who is beyond reproach.

No impropriety was ever proven about Fr Herman. And would it not seem strange, that a person who had holy and prophetic men for his entire monastic life, would not have been picked up on such a point, well before any other sinful inclination.

What we have often found is that those who accuse someone, particularly of sexual sins, are actually the ones suffering from such things. By these actions they imagine to lessen their own improprieties, rather than repenting and getting themselves fixed up.

Fr Anthony:
As St. John Chrysostom said, “All the prostitutes in Constantinople accuse all the other women of being whores”

Fr Basil:
Good one Fr Anthony. The plot against Fr Herman was very carefully contrived and long on the making. It was not a random knee jerk reaction.

He even had to see s psych to prove his sanity. We went with him, that is took him there. After this consultation the psych asked us to have coffee together in a restaurant. She said that Fr Herman’s “issue”, was that he was not an “organisational man”, he was a free spirit and hence he did not do the bidding of the organisational wheelers and dealers. They could not control him as they wished and hence their strategy was to destroy him.

How all this is so familiar when one reads many of the lives of the Saints:
“If you can’t own them, then destroy them “.

He often said that despite printing so many important books, not one of the hierarchs thanked him, not that he sought thankfulness from them.

The only hierarchs that cared for him and “looked” out for him and for Fr Seraphim, in the USA, were Archbishop John, Bishop Nectary (of Seattle), Metropolitan Philaret (and his cell attendant Protodeacon Nikita), Archbishop Leonty of Chile, Bishop Andrew of Novodiveova, a few more who slip my mind at present and a handful of priests.

Most of this support was clandestine, but by mid 1980s, they had all changed their addresses to be in the Heavenly Realm. Hence Fr Herman was left without protection and became an easy target by those who made themselves his enemies, for no reason at all.

Protodescon Nikita often warned the Synodal members that the Platina Fathers are the spiritual barometer of English language mission in the USA.

Once the opportunity was “ripe” to destroy Fr Herman, direct and indirect members of a convert group were arranged to delver the fatal blow. How cunning is that. Choose those who are not fully understanding of the Orthodox depths, so that they can carry out this assignment with a “clear” conscience.

The irony of some of this is that I once saved the life of one of these persons, who was just about half a second away from falling some three stories to his death, having not noticed that he was about to step into a void in the floor, which was left uncovered by restorers at a famous monastery in Russia.

In any case, those truely wishing to learn about some of the history of Platina Monastery, should carefully study the letters of Fr Seraphim Rose, written mainly in the 1970s, now being presented in both English and Russian on this Orthodox Facebook site. Fr Seraphim clearly sets out how the intrigues against Platina began and gained momentum, until they grew into what could only be described as “murder”. If not outright physical, then certainly spiritual. These intrigues have propagandarised quite a few people, especially Orthodox converts, still babes in spiritual life, to believe the lies and become uninformed accusers against Fr Herman.

Again I can only repeat Christ’s teachings when He said that temptations must come, but woe to those by whom they come.

Fr Basil on the biography of Fr Seraphim Rose and the pokrov.org website, in which a number of allegations are made:

A slanderous link having no justification, nor proof. We have known and lived for extended periods with Abbott Herman since 1980. He had non of those inclinations. In fact the site you mention has quite a few saints on its list. Does that not show something!

A testimony of Deacon Vladimir:

Sadly Pokrov has done more harm to those abused than good.They publish every piece of gossip ,innuendo and accusation without any shred of evidence apart from hearsay.Secondly i have also known Fr Herman for many years and can support Fr Vladimir’s statement.As the late Fr Nikita Chakiroff the late Metropolitan Philaret of New York cell attendant used to say the accusation of Homosexuality was the favourite attack method of a certain late Archbishop of Montreal’s.In fact it held up the ordination of more than one bishop who the late Archbishop saw as a potential vote against his group in the Church Abroad.

Vyaceslav Marchenko’s testimony:

+Обычное бесовское нападение на монаха-подвижника. А я свидетельствую: я много раз в своей жизни и подолгу бывал наедине с отцом Германом. Отец Герман – чист и, я видел – свят. Это был в сей жизни настоящий подвижник и прозорливец.

Translated:
Average demonic attack on the ascetic monk. And I testify that I visited him on numerous occasions and spent many hours alone with father Herman. Father Herman was a pure man and i had seen this myself, he had a holy life. He was a true ascet and proselyte in this corrupt world.