On Tuesday, March 11, His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim of Germany, Central, and Northern Europe celebrates 35 years of episcopal ministry. He was ordained as Assistant Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sibiu, bearing the title “Bishop of Făgărăș”, shortly after the fall of communism, on March 11, 1990.
Early Life and Education
Born on September 4, 1948, in Boholț, Făgăraș County, he was the youngest of five children in his family.
He pursued theological studies at the University Theological Institute of Sibiu (1970–1974) and later at the St. Serge Institute in Paris (1982–1985), where he earned a doctorate with the dissertation “The Hesychast Renewal in the Romanian Lands.”
Priestly and Episcopal Ministry
He was ordained a celibate priest on September 22, 1974, and between 1975 and 1982, he served as a museum curator and missionary priest at the Cathedral of Alba Iulia.
On October 16, 1993, he was elected Metropolitan of Germany and Central Europe by the Eparchial Assembly, confirmed by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church on January 12, 1994, and enthroned in Munich on June 5, 1994.
Theological Contributions and Honors
Metropolitan Serafim has authored numerous studies on Orthodox theology and spirituality, published in multiple languages across Europe and the Americas.
In 2012, he was awarded Romania’s National Order of the Star of Romania, Knight Rank.
He has also received honors from German authorities, the Bavarian Red Cross, and faith communities in Bavaria.
Photo: Basilica.ro
