Abba Seraphim

Abba Seraphim El-Suriani (born William Henry Hugo Newman-Norton, 27 February 1948) is an English Independent Oriental Orthodox bishop. He is the Patriarch of Glastonbury and self appointed head of the British Orthodox Church[1] with the title of "His Beatitude Patriarch Seraphim, the British Patriarch of Glastonbury".

His Beatitude

Abba Seraphim
Patriarch of the British Orthodox Church
ChurchBritish Orthodox Church
MetropolisMetropolis of Glastonbury
SeeGlastonbury, United Kingdom
Appointed28 February 1979
PredecessorMar Georgius
Personal details
Birth nameWilliam Henry Hugo Newman-Norton
Born (1948-02-27) 27 February 1948
London, England
DenominationIndependent Oriental Orthodox
Alma materUniversity of Exeter

Life and ministry

Metropolitan Seraphim was born in London, England in 1948. He was ordained as a deacon in 1967 and a priest in 1971. During this time he was diocesan secretary from 1968 to 1977. He served as an assistant priest in Blackheath, London, from 1972 to 1977.

He was consecrated as coadjutor bishop to the Metropolitan of Glastonbury in 1977[2] and succeeded him as Metropolitan of Glastonbury in 1979. In 1994, Mar Seraphim led much of the UK branch of the church into union with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, thus forming the British Orthodox Church. He was consecrated as a metropolitan of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate by Pope Shenouda III.

In 1994 he became a monk of the Monastery of the Holy Virgin Mary (El-Surian), Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, hence his name "Abba Seraphim El-Suriani".

On 4 October 2015 the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, in response to a request from the British Orthodox Church, agreed to the British church returning to its pre-1994 status as an autonomous jurisdiction, with Seraphim as primate. This action led to a restoration of the situation in which the British Orthodox Church was not in communion with any of the ancient Orthodox churches.[3]

On 7 January 2019, it was announced that Metropolitan Seraphim would be known as "His Beatitude Patriarch Seraphim". The church he leads continues to be known as the British Orthodox Church - Metropolis of Glastonbury. He is now to be considered the VIIth patriarch, having ceased to use the title of Patriarch during the period of union with the Coptic Orthodox Church out of courtesy to Pope Shenouda III.[4]

Councils membership

With the return to an independent condition out of communion with the ancient Orthodox churches in 2015, Metropolitan Seraphim ceased to hold membership in these councils.

  • Vice-President of the Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches in the UK.
  • Council of the Society of Saint John Chrysostom

Arms
Coat of arms of Abba Seraphim
Crest
In a Crest Coronet Or a demi-Lion double queued Azure holding in the dexter paw a Bell Or
Escutcheon
Azure a Chevron between 2 Bells in chief and a Crescent in base Or

See also

References
  1. "About the British Orthodox Church". Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  2. Hollands, Leonard (9 July 2014). An Introduction to the Celtic Orthodox Church. Lamorna Publications. p. 37. ISBN 978-0955983283.
  3. "Joint announcement from the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom and the British Orthodox Church of the British Isles" (PDF) (Press release). 5 October 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  4. "Announcement of the restoration of title of Patriarch". 7 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.


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