Gleb "Fr. Herman" Podmoshensky: A Biography of ROCOR's Worst Pedophile
The complete story of the notorious ROCOR predator and the Church's coverup of his heinous crimes.
One of the great tragedies of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), is its dark history of clerical sexual abuse of children. For all its achievements of preserving Russian Orthodoxy in the diaspora during the 20th century, the Church has been plagued with numerous cases of child sexual abuse over several decades. Unfortunately for the victims of these crimes and their families, the ROCOR hierarchy has never shown any interest in meeting its child protection responsibilities. On the contrary, it has always attempted to cover up such cases, failing to report them to the police, and using tactics of intimidation and shunning, to bully and silence victims from speaking out.
Without a doubt, one of the most horrific pedophiles & abuse perpetrators in ROCOR history, is Gleb “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky. Gleb Podmoshensky was the partner of the well-known American convert to Orthodoxy, the writer and co-founder of the St Herman Monastery in Platina California, Fr Seraphim Rose. Podmoshensky was active in the Church community for over 5 decades from the late 1950’s to the 2000’s. His abuse of countless underage boys and young, vulnerable novices took place from around the late 1970’s onwards, in a variety of locations, including the Monastery of St Herman in Platina, California. His crimes have never been acknowledged or by ROCOR leadership, nor have they ever taken any responsibility for what they allowed to occur.
Early Life
Gleb Podmoshensky, was born in Riga, Latvia in 1934. When the Nazis occupied Latvia during World War II, he fled with his mother and sister to Germany. Here they lived in poverty and uncertainty in refugee camps. At age fourteen in 1949 he and his family moved to the United States to be united with his grandmother, an accomplished ballet dancer, who had earlier immigrated to New York City. Here life continued to be difficult and Gleb had to work several jobs to support his sick mother and sister.
Gleb’s youth was dysfunctional and contributed to his mental health issues that became progressively worse throughout his life. When Gleb was a child, his father Dimitry was arrested by the Soviet NKVD secret police and sent to the Vorkuta concentration camp in Siberia, located thirty miles north of the Arctic Circle. The absence of a father in his life was a lifelong trauma. In an interview, Gleb himself stated that:
All my life I suffered from the absence of a father. I was in need of an authority figure. Mother was no authority figure. Despondency reigned in my soul. The question of life was not so much negative as meaningless. At that time the idea of suicide didn’t exist. But I was extinguished. I didn’t want to go to college, to learn, I didn’t want to live. There was no point.
While this depressive mental state saw some improvement following Gleb’s first visit to the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville in 1954, other psychological issues like megalomania (delusions of grandeur, control and self-importance) and a defiant personality disorder, would only become apparent later in his clash with church hierarchy and descent into cult leadership. Gleb was also a homosexual. This became evident in his lack of any interest in women, or pursuing a family life in his younger years. It also saw expression in his progressively uncontrolled urges for young men, that ultimately led him to commit many sexual assaults from the 1960’s onwards.
From the late 1958 Gleb studied at the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville. Here he was exposed to positive influences like Archbishop Averky (Taushev), Fr Vladimir Sukhobok and Fr Michael Pomazansky. Contemporaries of his time at seminary described him as nervous and prone to outbursts of excitement, tempered by periods of depression. Academically, Gleb was said to be a bright and intelligent student that had an excellent grasp of theology. His enthusiasm, intellect and charisma endeared him especially to Archbishop Averky who was the rector of the seminary and considered Gleb to be his “golden boy”.
On a darker note, not all of the monastery elders were so taken in by Gleb’s youthful radiance. When Gleb initially visited Jordanville, he had a meeting with Fr Adrian Rymarenko - the future Archbishop Andrew of Rockland. During this meeting, the clairvoyant elder revealed his perception of Gleb’s homosexual and pedophilic inclinations, that left the young man shocked and distraught. Fr Andrew attempted to counsel him about the incompatibility of these inclinations, with the pursuit of a life in Christ and service to the Church. It’s unclear how Gleb responded, but his subsequent enrolment at the seminary indicates that whatever his attitude was to his own sexuality, he was determined to pursue his theological studies regardless.
Early Relationship with Eugene Rose - The Future Fr Seraphim
Gleb Podmoshensky first met Eugene Rose (the future Fr Seraphim) Rose in 1962 in San Francisco. Gleb had recently graduated from the ROCOR Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, New York, and was travelling across the country, doing a slideshow presentation on “Holy Places in America”. Eugene Rose, like Gleb, was also a homosexual and had, up until recently, been living in an openly gay relationship with a Jon Gregerson, a Finish-born2, Russian Orthodox Christian. In 1962 Rose had converted to Orthodoxy and ended his relationship with Gregerson. A quietly spoken man of great intellect, Eugene had been seeking the true meaning of life for years and had dabbled in various eastern religions and philosophies. Ironically, it was Gregerson that had first introduced him to Orthodoxy. Gleb and Eugene were introduced by members of the San Francisco Russian Orthodox community and quickly became good friends.
Gleb & Eugene: A Gay Romance?
In a short time, their relationship began to bloom. While Gleb returned to the East Coast for a while, he missed Eugene and soon returned to California and settled in Monterey to be closer to Eugene. The two young men began spending increasing amounts of time together. They shared their ideas and dreams with each other, many of which revolved around the evangelization and conversion of Americans to Orthodoxy. They attended church together at the newly built Joy of All Who Sorrow Cathedral in San Francisco, as well as spending time amongst nature.
There are strong signs that at this time, Gleb and Eugene may have been involved in a gay romance. The circumstantial evidence for this is compelling. One would have to be extremely naive, to believe a fairy tale of two young, gay men spending days alone together on the beach and in the woods, during which time nothing sexual happened. That’s just not how the real world works. Given what we know of Gleb’s lack of sexual restraint, it is hard to see how at this time, he was able to restrain himself with a now single Eugene.
On Eugene’s side, many accounts speak of how he was always submissive to Gleb. It is possible that it was at this early point of their relationship, that his submission to Gleb really first began. If you think the suggestion of such a gay romance is unrealistic, then read Chapter 26 of Damascene Christiansen’s Seraphim Rose biography “Fr. Seraphim: His Life & His Works”, that covers the early days of their relationship and then decide for yourself, if it was all just innocent and platonic.
Whether intentionally or not, some of those parts of the Christiansen biography are full of loaded, overtly homoerotic language. Some almost read like a gay Mills & Boon novel and include quotes from Gleb himself. For example:
On succeeding visits by Eugene to Monterey, Eugene and Gleb roamed for hours on the seashore and through the woods. “I was interested in what made him so deep and penetrating,” Gleb writes. (p.240 Kindle Edition)
And:
“One night we were walking on the beach in Pacific Grove. The night was warm and fragrant because of the blooming oleanders and other plants which blossom early in the year. The sea was agitated and the moon was bright. I thought I sensed a feeling of inspiration in him, and was ready to devour what would come out from that highly inspired soul which was, as I thought, ready to open.” (p.241 Kindle Edition)
Or this gem, where Gleb describes a romantic, evening walk along a beach in Pacific Grove while reciting Eugene some of his fanciful dreams and ideas:
“Of course I loved the whole thing. Of course I saw that my listener was gobbling up my own treasure. In his quiet, reserved way he was very happy. (p.241 Kindle Edition)
Just like for many other parts of the lives of Gleb and Fr Seraphim, their admirers will look at this chapter of their life, through rose colored glasses (no pun intended), and deny even the suggestion of such a gay romance, as having ever been possible. People that are more sober and realistic however, would agree that at the very least, its a strong possibility.
Early Publishing Ventures and the Transition Into Monasticism
In 1963, with the blessing of the future saint Archbishop John (Maximovich), Gleb and Eugene founded the St. Herman Orthodox Brotherhood with the aim of missionary work. In 1964 they opened an Orthodox bookstore near the Cathedral on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco. They acquired a small printing press and in 1965 began publishing an Orthodox periodical “The Orthodox Word” to share patristic spirituality in the English language. This was at a time where there was little available in the way of Orthodox patristics in the English language.
As Eugene and Gleb continued their publishing activities, they began to consider that it was not enough to read and study the lives of saints but that they should try to emulate the way they lived. In 1967 they purchased a property in Platina, in a remote region of northern California in order to establish a skete. In Orthodox lexicon, a skete is a very rudimentary settlement of huts and a chapel, a sort of predecessor of a later monastery. It is important to note, that while Archbishop John of San Francisco had given his blessing for the two men to form a brotherhood, he passed away in 1966 and never blessed them to move away from the city, or to establish any kind of monastery. The idea that St John blessed Platina is a myth, and if there had been such a blessing, then there would have been a signed document as proof. No such document exists.
In 1969, Gleb & Eugene finally moved to their property at Platina, bringinging with them their printing press to continue their publishing work. Eventually the skete was transformed into the monastery of St Herman of Alaska. In October 1970, Gleb took monastic vows with the name “Herman” in honor of St Herman of Alaska, who was canonized that same year. Eugene Rose was also tonsured a monk at this time with the name “Seraphim” in honor of St Seraphim of Sarov.
The tonsure of both men was carried out by Bishop Nektary Kontzevich of Seattle. The tonsure itself was a highly unusual, and some would say irresponsible act by Bishop Nektary and the ROCOR Synod that approved it. The accepted practice in the Orthodox Church is for a monastic candidate to spend at least 3 years, and often much longer, as a novice in an established monastery. This is to allow one to be tested in an environment where there is spiritual supervision and to ascertain if there is a genuine commitment to live by the rules and practices of established monasticism.
Many young men, converts in particular, burn with an initial zeal for Orthodoxy but this is often short-lived. Due to Orthodoxy’s unhealthy obsession with monasticism, these young men believe that to truly follow Christ, they must become celibate and join a cult-like, isolated community like a monastery. In more extreme cases, like Eugene Rose & Gleb Podmoshensky, the preference is for complete isolation in remote wilderness. For many, both cenobitic (communal) or eremitic (solitary) monasticism is a big mistake, as few people are actually suited for such an unnatural life. For Gleb Podmoshensky, an unstable and transient gay man with serious mental health issues, it was certainly a poor choice that would result in serious harm to himself, as well as to others.
In 1976, Gleb “Fr Herman” was elevated to the rank of hieromonk (priest-monk) by Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of San Francisco and became abbot of St Herman’s Monastery Platina, a role for which he had no training or preparation, and which he would soon come to abuse for his own sexual gratification.
The Lack of Obedience & Monastic Formation
Many critics familiar with church life, have noted that a major problem with Gleb Podmoshensky and Seraphim Rose, was that neither had any proper monastic formation or guidance under an experienced abbot and spiritual father before deciding to set up their own monastery. Theirs was a D.I.Y - Do It Yourself monasticism driven by naïveté, pride, and prelest (spiritual delusion), of which all the Holy Fathers warn about.
The danger of false or “self-willed” monasticism is referenced by many Holy Fathers including St. Benedict of Nursia. He famously warned against “Sarabites,” whom he described as the most detestable kind of monks. These individuals lived without a rule or an experienced elder, “soft as lead” by their works, keeping their faith with the world while lying to God. They followed their own desires rather than a “rule’s dictates,” and acted without humility or obedience, treating their personal whims as holy.
St Benedict states in his Rule:
It is well known that there are four kinds of monks. The first kind is the Cenobite, that is, the monk who lives under a rule and an Abbot. The second kind is that of Anchorites, or Hermits—those who, trained for combat in the desert, are able, with the help of God, to fight evil single-handed, without the help of others. But a third and most despicable class of monks is that of the Sarabites, who, living without a shepherd make their own cloister, not in the Lord's sheepfold, but in their own. The gratification of their desires is their law; because what they like they call holy, but what they happen to dislike they call unlawful.
There is, in fact, a fourth class of monks which we call Gyrovags. These so-called monks keep constantly moving, staying three or four days at a time in different cells as guests. Always roving and never settled, they indulge their passions and the cravings of their appetite, and are in every way worse than the Sarabites. It is better to pass these over in silence than to speak of their most wretched life.
If Gleb or Eugene had genuine respect for Orthodox Tradition, and approached their monastic endeavour with the true humility it requires, they would have gone to live, for at least 3 years, in a well-established monastery like Holy Trinity Jordanville. Here they could have learned about the proper, traditional, monastic way of life from experienced elders who had lived in real monasteries, before going out on their own. Most importantly, in this way they could have learned OBEDIENCE, the most important of monastic qualities, without which, one is best to never embark upon such a serious, lifelong path.
St John of the Ladder cites obedience as one of the first qualities needed to be acquired by a monk. It is clear from his life both before and after Platina, that Gleb Podmoshensky had no desire for obedience to anybody, and that the need for power, control, and the satisfaction of his sexual urges, were the only things he was really prepared to be obedient to.
For both Gleb and Eugene, the question needs to be asked:
Who were these men that thought so highly of their own sanctity, that they believed they had any right to start a monastery, seek ordination, evangelize and preach Orthodoxy to others, whilst they themselves were complete beginners & amateurs with no experience, or direct elder guidance themselves?
The Sexual Assaults of Gleb “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky
By the mid 1970’s, St Herman’s Platina became an increasingly popular place of pilgrimage for both existing Orthodox people, and those that were seeking the true faith. Many of these people were Anglo-Americans seeking their first contact with Orthodox Christianity. As is often the case with monasteries, it also attracted many troubled and vulnerable youth, especially young men. Some were from broken homes or struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues. Unfortunately it was exactly this kind of vulnerable young man that appealed to Fr Herman Podmoshensky. The isolation of the Platina compound, and his powerful position of authority as the abbot, provided him with the perfect environment to prey on his victims.
Complaints about Podmoshensky’s molestation and abuse of young men and boys, began to be referred to ROCOR leadership from the late 1970’s and continued throughout the 1980’s. It is a myth that knowledge of this only surfaced months before Fr Seraphim died. A number of victims that have been in contact with Pokrov Truth in recent times, have cited complaints that were put into the Western America Diocese going back to at least 1975. Others who lived with Gleb at Jordanville, have disclosed that even during his time at Jordanville seminary, he was known for instances of aggressive sexual advances towards fellow students and had to be cautioned about this on least one occasion.
The complaints were common knowledge in the Russian Orthodox community of California. The official written complaints, continue to be locked away in the archives of the ROCOR’s Western American Diocese, and in those of the ROCOR Synod in New York. The evidence is there, but in line with ROCOR’s abuse coverup policy, it remains sealed and locked away. While at least some of the Epstein Files were released, it’s unlikely that we will ever see a single page of the Podmoshensky Files.
Many of the abuse complaints were submitted in writing to the ruling bishop of the ROCOR Western American Diocese, Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of San Francisco. His failure to take prompt action against Gleb, allowed Gleb to continue his offences and exposed more young men to his abuse. Fr Alexey Young, a well known former ROCOR priest who spent much time at Platina, and who personally knew both Fr Seraphim and Gleb “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky later attested that:
The Archbishop (Anthony Medvedev) treated these accusations against Fr. Herman with utmost discretion, with all his heart HE DID NOT WANT TO BELIEVE THEM and DID NOT PRESS THESE PARTICULAR CHARGES AGAINST FR HERMAN. (It is a fact, however, that Fr. Herman’s alleged problems in this area actually surfaced shortly before Fr. Seraphim’s death, and were known to him, undoubtedly contributing to the overwhelming sense of sadness that precipitated his final illness and repose, and which may explain his last words to Fr. Herman.)
PDF Format of Fr Alexey Young’s Testimony that includes the above quote:
It is worth noting that Fr Alexey Young errs when he says: “Fr. Herman’s alleged problems in this area actually surfaced shortly before Fr. Seraphim’s death”. The vast academic literature on pedophiles, is clear that tendencies of this kind begin to grow and manifest themselves long before they are acted upon. Along with the testimonies of victims, it is clear that Gleb’s active pedophilia commenced many years earlier than 1982.
Gleb’s assaults of young men and boys occurred both while they were visiting the monastery at Platina, and while Gleb was traveling to other places on his frequent lecture tours. It was alleged that he would grope and try to kiss them, either while they were asleep, or when he was alone with them. Some sources report the sexual assaults went even further. Pokrov Truth has spoken to sources that lived at Platina both before, and after Fr Seraphim’s death and they confirm many of the assaults happened on the monastery grounds. One ex-novice stated that:
I was at Platina for two and a half years and the culture there was even worse than what many people imagine. The molestation by Gleb incessant and unrestrained. Everyone was aware of it. In many ways it was a frightening place to be, especially at night time.
Such is the trauma of what occurred there, that some of his victims later ended their lives, unable to cope with what Gleb did to them.
The late Reader Daniel Everiss, one of Gleb Podmoshensky’s victims who spent time at Platina, is one of the most important sources on the truth about Gleb “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky. He was a lifelong member of ROCOR and had a blog for many years which covered church affairs and revealed the abuse that had been inflicted upon him. He passed away in 2023 but his testimony about Podmoshensky gives an excellent insight into the toxic, traumatizing culture that existed at St Herman’s Monastery Platina. It was Reader Daniel who revealed that Gleb once even publicly proclaimed that homosexuality was commonly accepted in monasteries. This occurred in a lecture during a St Herman Summer Pilgrimage and was witnessed by others including Fr Seraphim Rose who left the lecture in disgust. This incident is also referenced in this article:
https://startingontheroyalpath.blogspot.com/1999/02/in-fr-seraphims-defense.html
Reader Daniel attests:
Herman totally lost control of the passions of his flesh, (his main spiritual problem) and he taught others, that such a licentious false way of monastic life, was alright & acceptable in Orthodox practice and monastic life as long as it was hidden from view. As one, among the many, whom he deeply hurt and wounded, and slandered and maligned and calumniated against, because I reported, in order to stop him, with a number of others, his terrible misdeeds and harm to our souls to our Archbishop Anthony. I can only say now: MAY ALMIGHTY GOD HAVE MERCY UPON HIS SOUL, FORGIVE HIS MANY SINS, and help me to forgive him! I still cannot totally forgive him.
He never apologized to me, nor asked my forgiveness. He needed to.
I am unable to say or sing, 'Memory Eternal' for him.
His nickname for me, after he left ROCOR, to his many past deluded zombie-like cultic followers, who thought that he was 'our living saint', was: 'That scum Everiss!'. This he repeated over many years to many.
God only knows how many souls, he drove away from Orthodoxy, and even from God.
Other Testimonies of Gleb “Fr Herman’s Abuse
Other testimonies about Gleb’s abuse and its consequences can be found in comments from Reader Daniel’s, and other forums.
Commenter 1:
Fr. Herman hurt a lot of people. Some quite directly. Others were caused to stumble just from learning that Fr. Herman was a pervert. The more someone looked up to him the more devastating it was for them, – for some the damage seems to be for life. The sorry condition of Platina today is not entirely Fr. Herman's fault, but he is at the root of it. I forgive Fr. Herman for his failings towards me. I managed to survive. But there are others who have not fared as well.
And
For a number of Fr. Herman's victims, the offense hasn't stopped. Not completely. It is still a devastating memory. It is a permanent stumbling block causing a lifetime of confusion, paranoia, depression, inability to trust people. But the worst, the hardest for the victims to bear, is the people who believe Fr. Herman is innocent and that the victims are lying. In this sense the injury first caused by Fr. Herman years ago is still injuring his victims today.
Commenter 2:
I watched as Gleb stroked MacKay's hair and told him longingly how special he was. MacKay thusly became an instant devotee of Gleb.
Daniel J. MacKay is a former priest with the Serbian Orthodox Church who was convicted of prostitution-related charges in Oregon in 2017.
2001 Letter of Gerasim Eliel, Former Abbot St Herman’s Platina to Bishop Jovan of Serbian Orthodox Church in America.
This letter references an abuse allegation against Gleb Podmoshensky by a boy who visited Platina. It is significant because Gerasim Eliel, now an OCA bishop, was then a monk at Platina who was close to Gleb and later left with him into schism. It is noteworthy how Eliel attempts to downplay the matter, given he knew the truth about Gleb. The letter is also significant because it references a case of abuse that occured in the 1990’s, indicating that Gleb continued his abuse for years after Fr Seraphim’s passing.
Gerasim Eliel is now a bishop with the OCA - Orthodox Church in America, and part of his responsibilities are child safeguarding in his diocese. How a person of such background, with intimate inside knowledge of clerical sexual abuse is appointed to the episcopate is truly mystifying. Prior to his consecration, there was a vocal campaign by the anti-abuse organization SNAP, for the OCA to reconsider such a move. A statement on the bishopaccountability.org website states about Eliel:
While the resume mentions that Eliel’s monastery, St. Herman of Alaska in Platina, California, went into schism from the Orthodox Church in the 1980s, it chooses to omit the fact that the abbot who led the monastery into schism, Podmoshensky, left the Church in the wake of allegations that he sexually abused young men and boys. The Church (ROCOR) never made any findings on the abuse allegations, electing instead to defrock Podmoshensky on the easier to prove charge of disobedience. Eliel, unlike most of the Platina brotherhood, chose to follow this sexual predator into schism.
Some of the testimonies about Gleb Podmoshensky are also found in online forums, chat rooms and comments sections of blogs. These sources, while mostly anonymous, are also just as valid as more formal and identified ones. The shame and stigma that accompanies sexual abuse, means many victims are quite understandably unwilling to come forward openly. In many ways, such anonymous accounts are actually more reliable, because they are often spoken from the heart and in quite straightforward, everyday language. This is as opposed to more formal, legalistic depositions made for court proceedings. Also, the fact that, as in this case of Gleb Podmoshensky, there is such a large number of these accounts, the idea that this is all just concocted rumour becomes a non-argument. When you have so many different people at different times, speaking in unison about the same person and events, it is manifestly compelling and believable.
Testimony of former St Herman’s novice S.K. from an ex-Orthodox online forum written 2009.
I am very glad and shocked to find your community. I have searched the internet for years and have not been able to find anything from people who are talking specifically about the monastery or the "brotherhood". Anyway I lived at St. Herman's Monastery from 1996 to 1998. From there I moved to Alaska to the St. Innocent’s Academy until 2000. I lived for awhile in Eugene with the community there, but did not have a very good experience. I now live in Boise Idaho, totally separated from "the church" or any part of Christianity for that matter. I often think about my experiences with Orthodoxy, because they had such an impact on my formative years.
I had a great struggle in 2000 when I decided to separate myself from Orthodoxy. I had a difficult time for a number of reasons, but mostly it had to do with the fact that while living in the monastery as a novice, Fr. Herman tried numerous times to make out with me and use my own sexual frustration for his benefit. I am not the only person this happened to and other people have left the church for the same reason. I was reticent about saying these things but I recently found him speaking on Youtube, spouting his propaganda. I was under the impression that he was sent to reclusion by his spiritual father, a Romanian priest that I cannot remember his name, but the monastery wrote a book about him because he spent some time in the Romanian gulag.
People are under the impression that Fr. Herman is some type of Holy Father, but he is nothing more than a confused old gay man that has nothing left to hang on to other than his Orthodox beliefs. It makes more sense when … was also talking about Fr. Seraphim's homosexuality, and frustrates me to think that two gay guys from San Francisco moved to the mountains and became heiromonks ended up brainwashing a huge multitude of people. I'm not saying these things from a homophobic bias either. I have no problem with homosexuality, it's only ironic that the Orthodox church looks heavily down on it. Please don't let these words discourage you from believing in Orthodoxy.
I would just not have anything to do with those people. These are my experiences that have probably driven me further from Orthodoxy, and I would not want to discourage other's beliefs.
I just want to help people get the hell away from St. Herman's monastery and those associated with it. People should be able to be Orthodox Christians and still exist in the world, and not fell like they have to live a monastic lifestyle. I did not feel like I could do both, so I left. I would be very interested in hearing others' experiences, I hope they may be less depressing than mine.”
Testimony of a another former St Herman’s Platina novice M.J, also from the Reddit “Ex-Orthodox” online forum
"Fr Herman hurt several men that I know personally. The accusations are real. The damage done is real and has been life altering for them. It is hard to hear him lauded. I realize he brought many to the church, but he abused many as well. The men I know were in their teens when it happened. Barely adults (late teens) but they were not minors. The shame they bare is horrible as well as feeling duped. One of them can barely stand to be in church. He goes with his wife but always stands in the back holding his youngest child. Even though they were not minors, this is still abuse. They were young and in the presence of someone telling them he was their spiritual father. It was an incredible abuse of power. And those he brought to the church eventually had to deal with a difficult transition from outside the canonical church to inside it and all the mental and emotional changes associated with that. Please be careful reading his works and know that they come from a man who was spiritually sick. And pray for mercy for his soul."
Testimony of a another former St Herman’s Platina novice from “Fallen Leaves” Livejournal:
I lived at St. Herman’s Monastery from 1996 to 1998. From there I moved to Alaska to the St. Innocent’s Academy until 2000 [An Orthodox school in Kodiak, AK that was designed for “at-risk young men” and whose founders were loosely affiliated with Fr. Herman. -FL] …I now live in Boise, Idaho, totally separated from ‘the church’ or any part of Christianity for that matter. I often think about my experiences with Orthodoxy, because they had such an impact on my formative years. I had a great struggle in 2000 when I decided to separate myself from Orthodoxy. I had a difficult time for a number of reasons, but mostly it had to do with the fact that while living in the monastery as a novice, Fr. Herman tried numerous times to make out with me and use my own sexual frustration for his benefit. I am not the only person this happened to and other people have left the church for the same reason.”
(from LJ user ‘monksrock’)
Source: https://fallen-leaves.org/2019/03/07/fr-seraphim-rose-part-8/
Other survivor accounts also appear in comments of this site:
Podmoshensky’s Other Pedophile Connections - Samuel David Allen
Another pedophile that Gleb Podmoshensky had an association with was a Samuel David Allen. The new defunct anti-abuse website pokrov.org, provided a biography of Allen which is still accessible here: www.pokrov.org/samueldavidallen
Allen was active in California in the 1980’s and had served prison time for child sexual abuse. His records are available in the archives of the Marin County Court, California. In the 1990’s Allen attended the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Orthodox Church in America in San Francisco where he continued his offences against children of the parish.
One of his court records contains the following case number and details (WARNING: Confronting Details of Abuse):
People v. Allen
Superior Court of the State of California
County of Marin
Case Number 8601 (1983)
Allen pleaded guilty to two felony counts of child molestation: California Penal Code Section 288(a), lewd or lascivious acts with a child under age 14 (eight year old girl), and California Penal Code Section 288(a)(c), oral copulation (seven year old boy). Allen was sentenced to three years in prison, but the judge released him on parole.
Other case numbers for Allen include: All in Superior Court of the State of California
County of Marin, Case Number 8601 (1987), Superior Court of the State of California, Case Number 012034A (1990). Case Number 012034A (1999). Case Number 151616 (1991). Case Number 958314 (1994). County of San Francisco. Case Number 964140. Case Number 965838 (1994).
The connection with Podmoshensky comes in the form of a letter from Podmoshensky to Allen in February 1990. The occasion was seemingly a desire by Allen to come and stay at Platina, no doubt in part due, to the availability there of vulnerable young men to molest. Of all the evidence against Podmoshensky, this is perhaps the most damning. At the end of the letter, Podmoshensky makes a simple statement, but one that completely gives the game away. It is the part where he refers to Allen and himself as: “People like us”. Note well that Podmoshensky was aware of Allen’s history as a sexual abuser and didn’t think twice of not having him at the monastery. It is well known that pedophiles and sexual predators often network with each other and encourage each other in further offending.
Here is a full transcript of the letter from pokrov.org:
February 27, 1990
+
My dear Sam! God Bless you!
I have just returned from Alaska and plan to go there again. While I'm gone I don't think it is a good idea to be here with me absent therefore I think you should wait coming to us now. Of course I'd love to be of any spiritual help to you - you are always welcome to come and pray with us. But be informed that I am a very tough spiritual father. I don't tolerate a lot of things and give real trouble to my sons, for otherwise I'm really of no value to them, I think! Please pray for me.
Everybody here is fine and all greet you likewise, asking to forgive them, and me, because of the beginning of lenten season, which begins with Forgiveness Sunday. Yes. I agree wholeheartedly with Br. David Finkelstein about the monastic way, that's the only way for people like us.
Pray for us! Your loving Fr. Herman
& Brothers
Abbot Herman*
St. Herman of Alaska Monastery*
PS Fr. Theophistus and Fr. Raphael will write to you soon. God luck & God speed on your college mission. Pray for our mission in Russia. We plan even to go there.
May St. Seraphim bless you - this is icon of his, or rather his portrait.
And here is the original letter written by Podmoshensky:
(Many thanks to Melanie Sakoda, anti-abuse campaigner and editor of the original POKROV.ORG website for providing the above copy of the actual letter.)
Some time after this invitation, Allen was again arrested for more sexual assaults of children and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Following completion of his state prison term, Allen was found to be a Sexually Violent Predator by a jury. He was committed to a state mental institution for an indeterminate time, although his continued incarceration must be reviewed every two years.
The Death of Fr Seraphim Rose and the Beginning of Gleb’s Mental Breakdown
In August 1982, after feeling acute pains for several days while working in his cell, a reluctant Fr Seraphim Rose was taken by fellow monks to Mercy Medical Center in Redding for treatment. When he arrived at the hospital, he was declared to be in critical condition and fell into semi-consciousness. After exploratory surgery was completed, it was discovered that a blood clot had blocked an artery supplying blood to his intestines, which had become a mass of dead tissue. He slipped into a coma after a second surgery, never regaining consciousness.
As Fr Seraphim’s body was returned to Platina to lie in state in the monastery church, a wave of grief swept over the Californian, and broader American, Orthodox community. Continuous prayers were read over his body with a multitude of mourners attending to pay their respects.
There are two particular incidents during the time of Fr. Seraphim’s death that add further weight to Gleb Podmoshensky’s guilt as a sexual abuser. These are the deathbed condemnations of Gleb by Fr. Seraphim on his deathbed and the hysterics of Gleb himself by the coffin of his life partner.
Fr. Alexey Young, a former ROCOR priest that was very close to the fathers, stated in his review of Damascene Christiansen’s biography of Fr Seraphim, that Fr. Seraphim’s final words to Podmoshensky were a harsh rejection:
I’m finished with you! Damn you!
Most interestingly, Fr Alexey states that it was Gleb Podmoshensky himself, that made this revelation to him:
Fr. Herman himself told me that the very last words spoken to him by Fr. Seraphim were: “I’m finished with you. Damn you!” Fr. Seraphim’s uncharacteristically angry words bespeak a mind deeply troubled over Fr. Herman’s general behavior and suggest that there was more going on than any of us suspected at the time.
Fr Alexey’s full review, that includes the above quote, can be found at:
These words of condemnation are significant because they indicate that even Fr. Seraphim had knowledge of Gleb’s crimes. As has been highlighted in our recent article arguing against the canonization of Fr. Seraphim, he was acutely aware of Gleb’s pedophilia and his countless assaults of boys both on the grounds of the Platina monastery, and while Gleb was away on his lecture tours across America. The assaults outside of Platina often occurred in private homes that Gleb stayed in while travelling.
The aforementioned Reader Daniel Everiss, also speaks of these deathbed condemnations. He attests:
He (Fr. Seraphim) suffered from the sins of his monastic partner. On Fr. Seraphim’s intensive care hospital death bed, he was heard clearly to say in Herman’s face, three times before he died: “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” When later these last death-bed words were repeated to Archbishop Anthony, he replied: “But then, Fr. Seraphim cannot be a saint!”
And:
He (Gleb “Fr. Herman” Podmoshensky) gave in to his passions, and then made excuses for doing it. He harmed many souls, myself included. He drove me away from his Platina Monastery. He drove only God knows, how many wounded souls, especially of young men, from the Church, even from God.
https://readerdanielsharing.blogspot.com/2016/04/english-letters-of-fr-seraphim-rose.html
Reader Daniel also describes a pathetic scene following Fr Seraphim’s death, where in a rare expression of regret for his crimes, Podmoshensky belatedly begged for Fr Seraphim’s forgiveness:
When Fr. Seraphim died, and I was at his all night vigil over his coffin, and funeral on the following day, Herman was totally out of his mind with remorse and guilt and weeping and self-accusation , kneeling down many times at night, in front of the coffin and trying to tell Fr. Seraphim, that he was sorry.
Source: https://readerdanielsharing.blogspot.com/2014/07/death-of-fr-herman-podmoshensky.html
Reader Daniel corroborates the testimony of Fr Alexey Young, and even goes further because he himself is a survivor of Gleb’s abuse. His validity and sincerity as a reliable source is unquestioned. The behaviour of Gleb Podmoshensky by Fr. Seraphim’s coffin can only be described as pathetic. It goes beyond a normal expression of grief and in fact, can be seen more as an expression of deep, profound guilt over his sexual perversion and abuse of children. It’s certainly not the behaviour of a humble and pious monk that grieves quietly in the assurance that his brother’s soul is now in the hands of the Lord.
While defenders of Gleb Podmoshensky attempt to write off this incident as insignificant, we would would argue on the contrary, that it was more significant than many realize, because it was one of the few times that Gleb’s mask of sanctity truly fell off and revealed the perverted demoniac and sexual abuser underneath.
The Post Fr. Seraphim Rose Era. Gleb’s Complete Apostasy, Mental Illness and the Fall of St Herman’s Platina.
The death of Fr. Seraphim Rose in 1982 marked the end of one era and the beginning of another, darker one, for Gleb “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky. For Gleb this meant:
A descent into complete mental breakdown and spiritual delusion (prelest).
Conflict with Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of San Francisco, leading to his suspension, eventual defrocking and exit from ROCOR - the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.
A complete abandonment of Christianity and fall into cultism through his association with the New Age cult - the Holy Order of MANS, and the sect known as “The Archdiocese of Vasiloupolis”.
Being on the payroll of the Christ the Savior Brotherhood, the successor organization to the HOOM.
His further descent into sexual depravity through his association with a convicted pedophile, the heresiarch “Metropolitan” Pangratios Vrionis.
His establishment of an illegal, non-canonical monastic community in Kodiak Alaska.
His trips to Russia in the early 1990’s where as a defrocked lay person he continued his deceit of people and passed himself off as a legitimate priest-monk.
His irresponsible and scandalous acceptance by the Serbian Orthodox Church in America, without any investigation of his child abuse history or requirement for accountability and repentance.
The 1980’s. Gleb’s Bereavement & Mental Illness
Following the death of Fr Seraphim in 1982, Gleb Podmoshensky’s mental state declined significantly. While the grieving process is normal following the death of loved ones, in Gleb’s case it was particularly severe.
Gleb’s grief was very much like the grief experienced by someone in the case of the death of a spouse. The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory measures stress by assigning numerical values to common life events, with higher scores indicating a greater risk of illness. The highest rated event, with a stress score of 100, is the death of a spouse. With Gleb’s already pre-existing conditions of manic-depression / bipolar and megalomania, it was a given that with the loss his life partner and the love of his life , his mental state would plunge to a new critical low.
Research has shown that the death of a same-sex spouse or partner, can be an even more difficult experience, primarily due to external social, legal, and emotional factors often referred to as disenfranchised grief—grief that is not openly acknowledged or socially supported. Certainly, in the case of a gay monk like Gleb, there was no question of any recognition by the Church of his “disenfranchised grief” or of the fact that, for all intents & purposes, with Fr Seraphim’s death, Gleb was now a defacto widower.
There likewise was no question either, about the continuation of the St Herman’s Monastery. Christiansen’s biography (p.1128 Kindle edition) states that after the funeral:
Bishop Nektary had told the fathers that they should continue doing what they were doing even if only one of them remained. And now, with Fr. Seraphim buried in the earth, he said these words to the Brotherhood: “Platina is the lead violin; and now one of its strings is broken. But you must finish the melody with that broken string.”
The only problem was that from here on in, there was no longer any stabilizing influence at Platina. The allusion to one broken string was all well and good if there were in fact other strings. But the great hoax of Platina, is that other than Fr Seraphim, there was no one else left there, least of all Gleb “Fr Herman”, who could provide any pastoral or spiritual leadership whatsoever. The illusion that this was in any way a genuine Orthodox monastery quickly evaporated. The reality that remained, was that it was a place of spiritual poverty and home to a dangerous cult, now headed by an unstable and mentally ill, homosexual pedophile monk.
The 1980’s. Gleb’s Involvement With the HOOM - Holy Order of MANS Cult and its Transformation into the “Christ The Savior Brotherhood”
California in the 1960s was the epicentre of the American counterculture movement. This era was marked by a growing rejection among many young Americans of the conservative values, traditions, and Christianity embraced by their parents’ generation. In their search for new forms of meaning and identity, many turned toward Eastern religions and philosophies, sexual liberation, recreational drug use, and progressive political movements. The decade also witnessed a significant rise in cults and alternative religious communities. Among these groups was an organisation known as the Holy Order of MANS (HOOM).
The HOOM was founded by Earl W. Blighton (1904–1974), who was a retired electrical engineer and social worker whose spiritual explorations in California's alternative religions subculture led him to such organizations as the Theosophical Society, the Subramuniya Yoga order, the Spiritualist church, and the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis. Blighton's order developed a unique system of initiatory spirituality that included elements of Kabbalism, Rosicrucianism, New Age Millennialism, New Thought philosophy, and Tantrism. The mission of the order was to prepare the earth and its peoples for an imminent golden dawn of spiritual enlightenment by initiating the masses into the "ancient Christian mysteries.
In 1983, only a year after Fr Seraphim’s death, Gleb Podmoshensky was contacted by Andrew Vincent Rossi, who by that time was the leader of HOOM. Due to the growing alarm about cults in America, the Holy Order of MANS were looking to escape public attention by renaming and reinventing themselves as a Christian denomination. Rossi had discovered Podmoshensky through a copy of The Orthodox Word, a journal focused on Russian Orthodoxy published by the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood of Platina.
The charismatic Podmoshensky appealed to Rossi, who was slowly beginning to shift the Holy Order of MANS theology toward incorporating Orthodox teachings, whilst also retaining many of the cult’s other esoteric beliefs. Given Podmoshensky’s megalomania and narcissism, the invitation by Rossi for him to take a spiritual leadership role within the cult was a temptation too good to resist. Here was a group of vulnerable people that had already surrendered their will and reason in a fringe religious community. In many way, they were were no different to the lost and abused brotherhood of young men that made up Gleb’s own cult at St Herman’s Monastery Platina.
For Gleb Podmoshensky his role with HOOM was simply a natural progression as a cult leader. By the end of 1983, Podmoshensky was a regular guest at the order's retreat in Forestville, near Santa Rosa. He was also increasingly taking command of the spiritual direction of the order. According to a former HOOM member, during his stays at the retreat, Podmoshensky would be present for the religious ceremonies that went on there, something completely contrary to Orthodox teaching and forbidden for Orthodox clergy like Gleb.
Ironically, one of Fr Seraphim Rose’s pet hates was ecumenism - the concelebration of Orthodox with other Christian denominations like Catholics & Protestants. In his concelebration with the HOOMies, Podmoshensky took his apostasy and rejection of Fr Seraphim’s teaching to the most extreme limit as the whole HOOM cult was an ecumenical Frankenstein monster, a syncretism of esoteric paganism, Buddhism, Christianity and every other religion imaginable.
Podmoshensky’s Association With Other Abusers and Apostates: “Metropolitan” Pangratios Vrionis & The Archdiocese of Vasilopoulos
Gleb Podmoshensky continued his involvement with HOOM throughout the mid 1980’s. Now supported in this venture by his closest Platina disciples and partners in apostasy, Damascene Christiansen (Fr Seraphim Rose’s future biographer) and Gerasim Eliel (the future OCA Bishop Gerasim), Podmoshensky became central in the HOOM’s plan to formally rebrand itself. As Gleb Podmoshensky had been suspended by ROCOR in 1984 and finally defrocked in 1988, a subject we’ll return to shortly, what was desperately needed by HOOM was a church and bishop to take them in.
It was at this point, that Gleb Podmoshensky found “Metropolitan” Pangratios Vrionis in New York City. Through the 1960s, Vrionis was a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church, serving a parish in Harrisburg, Pa. In 1969, he abruptly left.
Court documents from Dauphin County, Pa., show that in 1969 Vrionis was indicted on two counts of sodomy and one of corrupting the morals of minors. The documents state that in November 1968, Vrionis performed homosexual sex acts with two 14-year-old boys. He later pleaded guilty to the charges, and in 1970 paid a $250 fine and served 23 months probation for each charge, sentenced concurrently.
That same year, he was defrocked by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America. And also that same year, Vrionis started his own church, the Archdiocese of Vasiloupolis, in Queens, N.Y. He was consecrated as metropolitan of Vasiloupolis by a trio of vagante, self-styled bishops from Russia, Albania, and Romania. His sect was considered schismatic was not recognized as legitimate by any canonical Orthodox authorities in America.
From 1986 onward, Rossi, Podmoshensky, and Vrionis were all in discussions about moving the Holy Order of MANS into Orthodoxy. As HOOM services and publications took on a more Orthodox tone, a number of disenchanted members left. Rossi pushed ahead regardless. On May 22, 1988, the Holy Order of MANS officially became Christ the Saviour Brotherhood. That Easter Sunday, Podmoshensky baptized 750 members of the order in one service.
There have been suggestions that what is known about Gleb Podmoshensky’s sexual abuse is only the tip of the iceberg and that he was part of a larger pedophile network operating in Orthodox circles in the 1980’s. It is well known that pedophiles associate with each other and the link between Podmoshensky and Vrionis is certainly a disturbing one. Likewise disturbing is that the Holy Order of MANS, and its subsequent successor organization, Christ The Savior Brotherhood (CSB), was also connected to numerous child sexual abuse cases. And where there is smoke, there is usually fire.
Gleb & HOOM / Christ The Savior Brotherhood: The Financial Factor
An often overlooked factor with Gleb Podmoshensky, is that like most monks, he was not financially well off. While the Platina project was well supported materially by the West Coast ROCOR community, once things went south after Fr Seraphim’s death and Gleb’s conflict with Archbishop Anthony, his funding dried up. The publishing business while spiritually profitable to others, was not exactly a serious source of income.
For a character like Podmoshensky, much in need of money at this time, his involvement with Christ The Savior Brotherhood was also a financial decision. HOOM / CSB was a wealthy, global organization that operated restaurants and other money-making operations. In his article on HOOM, the sacked OCA Metropolitan and big Gleb Podmoshensky admirer, Jonah Paffhausen states openly that:
The Christ The Savior Brotherhood funded many activities for Fr. Herman in a teaching ministry which stretched across North America and Europe to Moscow.
For CSB, having someone like Podmoshensky on the payroll as “Spiritual Director” was also an advantage for the perceived religious legitimacy he gave them, especially when they were trying to sell themselves as Christians. In the end, as far as Orthodox Christians are concerned, HOOM / CSB can also be seen as the 30 pieces of silver for which Podmoshensky also betrayed the Orthodox Church.
The 1980’s. Gleb’s Conflict With Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of San Francisco
Alongside all these events, the years after 1982 saw a deterioration, and eventual end, to the relationship between Gleb “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky and the ROCOR (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia). As a result, with the St Herman’s Monastery Platina also legally being Podmoshensky’s personal property, and the remaining monks being loyal to him, it meant that the monastery itself defacto exited ROCOR’s jurisdiction.
Part of the reason for the deterioration was that Podmoshensky always had a rebellious and dismissive attitude towards the bishops of the Church. Professor Phillip Charles Lucas, a professor of religious studies at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, wrote the defining book on HOOM, The Odyssey of a New Religion: The Holy Order of MANS From New Age to Orthodoxy. As part of his research, he looked into the attitude held by Podmoshensky by the mid 1980’s towards not only the ROCOR episcopate, but towards all bishops generally. He is quoted as saying:
Part of Podmoshensky's and Vrionis' perspective on contemporary Orthodoxy in America," he says, "is that there are a number of corrupt archbishops and bishops, or metropolitans and bishops. They have a kind of apocalyptic perspective on this, such as, 'We're in the last days, and in the last days Satan is infecting even the church and the leadership of the church.'
So their rationale for not being connected to SCOBA (Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas) and in communion with other Orthodox groups, is that this is a kind of free-for-all situation that we find ourselves in now. And just because somebody has a quote-unquote legitimate Orthodox bishop does not mean that they are in fact part of the true Orthodox Church.
Source: The quote is in the article “Awkward Christian Soldiers” by Mark Athitakis
https://culteducation.com/group/975-holy-order-of-mans/36755-awkward-christian-soldiers.html
We have already covered some of the allegations against Gleb “Fr Herman Podmoshensky and the fact that the ruling bishop of ROCOR’s Western American Diocese, Archbishop Anthony was fully informed about them. With the allegations of sexual abuse reaching a crescendo in 1983, an investigation was finally launched by Archbishop Anthony. This move by the Archbishop provoked a violent response from Gleb. The first hand source Reader Daniel gives an excellent insight into what happened:
He (Archbishop Anthony) was their biggest friend and supporter on earth! But, when Fr. Herman was called by him to come down to San Francisco, and give his response/defense to the many testimonies against him, (about a year or so after Fr. Seraphim’s passing) Herman refused, and started to label Vladyka, as ‘The Devil’.
Even so, Vladyka Anthony gave Herman more than two years, before he had to suspend him, while the Synod in New York ordered him to defrock Herman, much earlier. At the beginning of that whole scandal, Vladyka Anthony was totally on Fr. Herman’s side, and he suspected a KGB plot against his “Holy Igumen”. Vladyka Anthony said: “How could an Igumen (Abbot) do such terrible things!? Impossible! This must be a KGB plot!”.
But, Herman would not repent or tell the truth.
So, he constantly slandered Vladyka, and proclaimed him as evil, and a servant of Satan, etc. and one who wanted to destroy his monastery, etc. He also taught his brotherhood and his followers, (mostly converts), that ROCOR was an evil church, because it, the ROCOR bishops, had persecuted his Vladyka John earlier (all exaggerated lies).
These were all total lies of a very in-prelest (spiritual delusion) deranged proud man, Herman Podmoshensky.
Source: https://readerdanielsharing.blogspot.com/2014/07/death-of-fr-herman-podmoshensky.html
Another even more disturbing claim by Reader Daniel is that Gleb even threatened to kill Archbishop Anthony:
But Herman, threatened to "get a gun and shoot Vladyka Anthony" , (which threat was recorded on a tape-recorder), when he refused many times to come down to see Vladyka Anthony and give his version of matters, etc.
Reader Daniel also states about Gleb Podmoshensky:
He saw himself as a persecuted elder, like those of the Northern Russian monastic tradition, the so-called, ‘Non-possessors’. He believed that all bishops, tended to normally persecute righteous elders, as with Vladyka John Maksimovich... and as with himself too. He did not trust or like bishops, except Archbishop John Maksimovich. In his life, he accomplished many things, some good, some bad.
But, he made cultic schism, he presented himself as a wise spiritual elder (starets), a teacher of Orthodoxy, he gathered many around him, in a bizarre personality cult, especially here in America, most especially young people, both naive converts and grand-children of Russian emigrants and others.
He mislead many, into harmful ways. He drove a number away from Orthodoxy and from even God. He made his own personal war on our ROCOR church and set himself up, as his own church. He created a cult around himself, as do many schismatics and heretics of all past ages, or of these current times also. Many of these confused people still think of him as a saint.
Source: https://readerdanielsharing.blogspot.com/2014/07/death-of-fr-herman-podmoshensky.html
Archbishop Anthony - The Sexual Abuse Enabler & Architect of ROCOR’s Greatest Coverup
In the case of Gleb Podmoshensky, it is clear that there is significant guilt held by Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of San Francisco as an enabler of abuse. A sexual abuse enabler is an individual or institution that knowingly or unknowingly creates an environment that allows abuse to occur, continue, or go unpunished. Rather than perpetrating the assault directly, they facilitate it through specific behaviors, willful ignorance, or institutional complicity. Archbishop Anthony:
Knew all the details of Gleb’s sexual assaults for many years.
Was given testimonies by victims in person.
For a time claimed the allegations were false, or a KGB conspiracy.
When he did start an investigation, he tolerated Gleb’s uncooperation and let the matter drag out for 4 years before the Synod finally defrocked Gleb in 1988.
Never reported the matter to police as he should have. He knew that sexual abuse was a crime in California. He knew his legal responsibilities as a Church leader. He thereby protected Gleb from the rightful legal investigation and prosecution he deserved.
Never apologized for the consequences of his mismanagement of his child protection responsibilities.
Engaged in a wilful coverup of the matter by never issuing any final ruling on Gleb’s abuse crimes and locking away, the evidence, in the form of all the victim and witness interview notes and the many written complaints the ROCOR Western American Diocese had received over many years.
Completed the coverup by recommending the Synod defrock Gleb Podmoshensky not for sexual abuse but for “disobedience”.
The Spruce Island, Alaska, Adventure 1983
With Gleb’s relationship with Archbishop Anthony and ROCOR in freefall, in August of 1983, a pilgrimage was undertaken to Spruce Island, Alaska, including a number of young brothers from St Herman’s Monastery, including Gerasim Eliel. Spruce Island held a particular importance in American Orthodoxy as the place where the great Russian missionary, St Herman of Alaska lived in his last years and where he is buried. Gleb Podmoshensky held St Herman in high esteem and it was after him that the Brotherhood of St Herman and the monastery at Platina was named. Gleb had hoped that monastic life could be reestablished at Monks Lagoon, so he ensured that the brothers who went had sufficient supplies to enable this to happen. John Christensen was clothed as a novice during this pilgrimage.
An attempt was made by the group to stay at Monks Lagoon, though it was not authorized by the Ouzinkie Native Corporation. It was also not blessed by the OCA’s Diocese of Alaska, or Gleb’s ruling bishop Archbishop Anthony. The initial group was Fr Gerasim, Fr Juvenal, Novice Michael, Novice John, and Peter.
In September 1983, they found that they could rent a small place in nearby Pleasant Harbor, legally keeping their belongings there and having somewhere to stay if they were kicked out of Monks Lagoon. Though Podmoshensky soon left, some of the group remained. Fr Juvenal and Peter left, leaving Novice John (who stayed at Pleasant Harbor most of the time), Novice Michael and Fr Gerasim (who generally stayed at Monks Lagoon).
The Podmoshensky Files: The Suspension & Defrocking of Gleb “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky and ROCOR’s Coverup of His Crimes
Concurrently with the commencement of an investigation by Archbishop Anthony, Gleb Podmoshensky was suspended by the archbishop in 1984 and ordered to step down as the abbot of St Herman’s. Four years later, after completely refusing to step down, be interviewed or to provide any cooperation with the investigation, the ROCOR Synod finally defrocked Podmoshensky in 1988. On Gleb’s part, he renounced the ROCOR and went into schism along with his group of brainwashed monks, whose loyalty lay only to Gleb himself.
As seen above in the statements by Reader Daniel, it’s clear that Podmoshensky not only did not have any contrition over his crimes, he was in complete denial. In addition, he went even further and concocted various grievances of his own against Archbishop Anthony, that had been so faithful and supportive of him over many years.
At the time of writing, after extensive online searches, we have been unable to locate any copies of the official documents pertaining to the investigation. What is know is that the decision by the ROCOR Synod was made on July 13/26, 1988 and that it confirmed the ruling of the Ecclesiastical Court of the Western American Diocese of June 16, 1988, to defrock Abbot Herman (Podmoshensky). The ruling was then published in ROCOR’s Church Life journal, New York, 1988, Nos. 3-4. That other than this official record, there is no other mention of any details in any ROCOR publications, is not surprising as the whole Podmoshensky matter was, and remains, the greatest abuse coverup in ROCOR history. Here is a list of pertinent facts that show the extent of the coverup:
Archbishop Anthony knew the all the details of Gleb’s abuse as he was the one that received all the written complaints.
Reader Daniel testifies that he personally told Archbishop Anthony of his abuse by Gleb. It is likely he would have also revealed to him the extent of the abuse of many others.
Fr Alexey Young, a priest close to AB Anthony also informed him and is quoted as saying:
The Archbishop (Anthony Medvedev) treated these accusations against Fr. Herman with utmost discretion and with all his heart HE DID NOT WANT TO BELIEVE THEM and DID NOT PRESS THESE PARTICULAR CHARGES AGAINST FR HERMAN.
This shows that Archbishop Anthony willfully delayed investigating and prosecuting Podmoshensky. In this way he enabled the abuse to continue and is guilty of allowing harm to come to more victims.
At this time, child sexual abuse was absolutely covered in the criminal statutes of the state of California. Archbishop Anthony and the ROCOR Synod were not naïve and would have been fully aware of the criminality of what was taking place. None of them can dare to plead ignorance of the law or of their legal responsibilities as officers of a registered religious organization.
Reader Daniel’s statement that: “Even so, Vladyka Anthony gave Herman more than two years, before he had to suspend him, while the Synod in New York ordered him to defrock Herman, much earlier” shows that the Synod in New York, headed by Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky) was also fully aware of Gleb’s crimes. The fact that they also knew and did not report the matter to police, makes them complicit in the coverup as well.
The Sin of Pilate: ROCOR’s Washing of its Hands
The most scandalous and obscene action of ROCOR in the Gleb Podmoshensky case, was in its final act. This was the act of defrocking him for “disobedience” rather than for his abuse crimes. For ROCOR, the fact that Podmoshensky failed to appear before an ecclesiastical court, meant that none of the accusations needed to be publicly put forward to the accused. This in turn meant that they were never recorded in any official documentation of such a proceeding. And for a church that put the protection of its reputation before the truth, this could not have been a more favorable turn of events. After all, what bishop in their right mind would want something like this being on record? Certainly not Archbishop Anthony, Metropolitan Vitaly or his Synod.
What was concocted by the Synod instead, was a grand act of sophistry and proverbial “smoke & mirrors”. This was the decision to defrock Gleb Podmoshensky for “disobedience”. In terms of an actual court case, this would be like a serial killer like Ted Bundy, being let off on all his murder charges and just being issued a parking ticket for leaving his car in a “No Parking” zone while dumping the body of one of his victims. Such is the absurdity of this situation.
If we are to make further comparisons to actual court proceedings, it is not uncommon for people to be tried by a civil court “in absentia”. There is an allowance for “in absentia” proceedings in California and many other jurisdictions. This process has been used historically including in war crimes trials like Nuremberg. In the Orthodox Church in America, there is provision for in absentia trials of clergy directly referenced in their 2015 Resolution of the Holy Synod on Canonical Procedures for Church Courts https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/statements/holy-synod/resolution-of-the-holy-synod-of-the-orthodox-church-in-america
If the court determines that there is probable cause to come to trial, the accused shall be summoned in writing by the court. The summons shall specify the nature of the accusation and the name(s) of the accuser(s), and the accused shall be given appropriate time to prepare his defense. If he does not answer two successive summonses, the court shall try the case in absentia.
For ROCOR however, in 1988, the Podmoshensky affair was too much of an embarrassing inconvenience, and a stain on its supposedly good name, to even try to attempt something so innovative in ecclesiastical jurisprudence. The decision to defrock Podmoshensky for “disobedience” allowed ROCOR to very effectively wash their hands of him, and completely avoid any accountability for the whole tragic affair, something it has continued to do right up until the very present time.
Citizen Podmoshensky
Unwilling to accept his defrocking in 1988, Gleb left the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia together with the other monks of Platina. His defrocking and exit from ROCOR meant that Podmoshensky was now a private citizen outside the canonical Orthodox Church and with no legal clerical rank whatsoever. In particular he no longer had the right to call himself “Father Herman” or have anyone else refer to him as such. The fact that so many people continued, and to this day continue, to refer to him as “Father Herman” is wishful thinking and a delusional twisting of reality. “Fr Herman” ceased to exist in 1988, after which time there was only Gleb the liar and charlatan, running around and passing himself off as a legitimate cleric and preacher.
Amongst the most notable of the other monks who followed Gleb into schism, were Damascene Christensen and Gerasim Eliel. It was Damascene Christensen who later wrote Fr Seraphim Rose’s biography, Fr Seraphim Rose - His Life & Works. Christensen later also faced accusations of child sexual abuse in court and has been the abbot at Platina since 2013. (See our previous article on Fr Seraphim for details of Christensen’s case.)
Gerasim Eliel meanwhile spent some time at Spruce Island, Alaska, before returning to Platina in 1986. There he continued to be Gleb’s right hand man, overseeing the defrocked monk’s small group of loyal disciples and supporting his guru in his involvement with the HOOM cult. Eliel also accompanied Gleb on his trips to Russia in the 1990’s. In January 1995, Gerasim Eliel was ordained deacon and then priest by Metropolitan John of St. Petersburg (Moscow Patriarchate). In 1996 he was again sent by Podmoshensky to illegally build a new monastery at Monk’s Lagoon. However, the brotherhood received a court order to vacate the land by May 1998. A court case later ruled that the buildings would not be torn down, and that the monks could live there only with the permission of the Ouzinkie Native Corporation. They later left for St Nilus Island and built a church. The monks then moved to St Michael's Skete.
For more details on Eliel see here: https://orthodoxwiki.org/Gerasim_(Eliel)
From the perspective of child abuse prevention, it’s a major concern that these two clerics continue to occupy positions of power within the Church, while never having condemned their past, close association with a serial abuser like Gleb Podmoshensky as well as his crimes. For men who are meant to speak the Truth, their ongoing silence is a stain on their reputations and credibility as clerics and community leaders.
Gerasim Eliel, eventually became abbot of St Herman of Alaska monastery and brought it back under the canonical Serbian Orthodox church. He is now a bishop in the OCA (Bishop of Fort Worth, Texas).
The 1990’s. The “Russian Pilgrim” Magazine, Gleb Podmoshensky’s Trips to Russia and Engagement with the Moscow Patriarchate
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, the era of communist persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church came to an end. For ROCOR leadership this was a time of rejoicing at the fall of the godless communist regime that had persecuted the Russian Church for over seven decades. Unfortunately, instead of reaching out to seek reconciliation with the Mother Church, Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov) began an aggressive and highly uncanonical campaign against the Moscow Patriarchate, by opening up so-called “Free Parishes” of the Church Abroad in Russia itself. This absurd and spiteful venture severely damaged relations between the two parts of the Russian Church, and led eventually to various schisms and splinter groups, all considering themselves to be a continuation of the real ROCOR.
For Gleb Podmoshensky, the end of the USSR also presented an incredible new opportunity to put his stained reputation in the USA behind him, and begin building a cult of personality with a whole new audience. This was an audience of Russians completely unaware that Gleb Podmoshensky was a serial rapist and a defrocked cleric that had no right to preach or pass himself off as a priest.
Gleb made several visits to Russia in the 1990’s. His visits were predicated on his role as the editor of the Russian Pilgrim (Русский Паломник) magazine that was published by the The Valaam Society of America, a lay missionary and publishing organisation under the St Herman’s Brotherhood. The Valaam Society was originally established to bridge the gap between traditional Russian monastic spirituality and Western converts and seekers of Orthodoxy. When the borders of the USSR began to open during the “glasnost” era in 1987, and the subsequent fall of the Soviet regime, Podmoshensky pivoted the society’s focus toward Russia to help fill the immense spiritual vacuum left by 70 years of state atheism.
To manage distribution, Podmoshensky helped establish a prominent Moscow branch of the Valaam Society of America. This network was run by inspired local converts, most notably Roman Vershilo (who later became a well-known traditionalist web editor) and Stefan Iakovlevich Krasovitskii.
Podmoshensky used the Valaam Society of America framework to orchestrate public speaking tours across Russia throughout the 1990s. He packed public auditoriums, university halls, and theatres. Alongside his assistants, he spoke on the "Catacomb Church" martyrs, American Orthodoxy, and the teachings of Father Seraphim Rose.
The society distributed thousands of Russian-language books authored or compiled by the Platina brotherhood. These texts focused heavily on the lives of modern saints, elders, and the concept of "Orthodoxy of the Heart," heavily shaping the worldview of post-Soviet converts. The Valaam Society of America effectively acted as an early catalyst for the mass catechism of the 1990s Russian intelligentsia. However, its prominence faded later in the decade. As the official Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) rapidly rebuilt its own publishing infrastructure and reclaimed local monasteries like Valaam, the need for imported materials diminished
During his prominent travels to Russia in the 1990s, Gleb Podmoshensky was primarily accompanied by monks and members of his St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, alongside a delegation from the Christ the Saviour Brotherhood. A core companion on these journeys was Fr. Gerasim (Eliel), who served as Podmoshensky’s close monastic assistant, translator, and right-hand administrator during his extensive speaking tours and missionary revival efforts across Russia. Another notable figure that also travelled to Russia as part of Podmoshensky’s entourage was James Paffhausen, the future OCA Metropolitan Jonah. Around this time Paffhausen was also part of Podmoshensky’s inner circle and served as a representative of the Valaam Society in Moscow.
In Russian Pilgrim, Gleb attempted to further spread the strange idea of “Independent Orthodox Workers”. This was part of his attempt to justify the uncanonical existence of his own cult of young monks, and its activities both at Platina and in Alaska.
Among the more unusual incidents that occurred during Podmoshensky’s time in Russia is his meeting, and serving together, with Patriarch Alexey II. The Russian source, “The Living Water” an official publication of the St Petersburg Diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate carries an article describing this meeting:
In 1992, Patriarch Alexy (Ridiger) welcomed and blessed "The Russian Pilgrim," hoping that it would continue to be distributed in Russia and printed at the Lavra Printing House. The Patriarch also invited Father Herman to serve at the Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin. And all this occurred despite the decree of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, published four years earlier, defrocking Father Herman.
It also describes a little know event in 1994 where Patriarch Alexey visited Alaska and again met Gleb Podmoshensky:
In 1994, the year of the bicentennial of St. Herman's Valaam mission, Patriarch Alexy visited Spruce Island, where he was greeted by Father Herman and his brethren, along with local Aleuts, descendants of St. Herman's spiritual children. He also visited Fort Ross, where the brotherhood presented the patriarch with an icon of this ascetic.
A good source on Gleb’s activities in Russia, for Russian language readers is the following website:
https://aquaviva.ru/journal/vozvrashchenie_russkogo_palomnika
It is worth noting, that there is very little awareness of Gleb Podmoshensky’s abuse crimes amongst his Russian audience. In the pre-internet days, such information was difficult to come by and allowed Gleb to effectively re-invent himself for a new Russian audience. It is only in recent years, as the extent of child sexual abuse in the Orthodox Church is beginning to be uncovered globally, that awareness in Russia of Gleb Podmoshensky’s criminal history as an abuser is coming to light. A recent Chat GPT search reveals that of some 36 online Russian articles on Podmoshensky, only 5 mention the abuse, and much of that is only in the comments sections.
Another curiosity is how Gleb was able to fool the Moscow Patriarchate about his clerical legitimacy. Did Patriarch Alexey and others not question him about who was his canonical bishop, and if so, what did Gleb tell them? It just goes to show how paper thin the veneer of Orthodox clericalism can be, that all you need to do is grow a beard, get yourself a black cassock, and with a little charisma, can pass yourself off as an elder, receiving the automatic respect and adulation of many naive people.
Death to the World Magazine
Another publishing venture that Podmoshensky was involved with was the “Death To The World” magazine. Published by St Herman’s Brotherhood throughout the 1990’s, it was started with Podmoshensky’s blessing. A founding member was Justin Marler who, soon after recording Volume One with seminal doom metal band Sleep in 1991, left for seven years of monastic life while Sleep went on to become metal icons.
The first issue was printed in December 1994, featuring a Podmoshensky holding a skull on the cover. The hand-drawn bold letters across the top read “DEATH TO THE WORLD, The Last True Rebellion” and the back cover had the caption: “they hated me without a cause.” The first issue, decorated with ancient icons and lives of martyrs inside, was advertised in Maximum RocknRoll and brought letters from all around the world.
The zine continued to be published and distributed at punk shows and underground hangouts. It was estimated that at one time, there were 50,000 in circulation. The monastics put out 12 issues in all, after which they continued distributing the zine but did not publish new issues.
Return of Podmoshensky and the St Herman’s Brotherhood to Canonical Orthodoxy
Since 1988, Gleb Podmoshensky and his St Herman’s Platina Monastery had been in full schism from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Podmoshensky had refused to accept his defrocking by ROCOR and as we have seen, continued to operate as clergyman throughout the 1990’s without any hindrance. Alongside him throughout this whole period, in similar rebellion against canonical Orthodoxy, remained his 2 most loyal disciples, Damascene Christensen & Gerasim Eliel. Technically, St Herman’s Platina throughout this time remained in the “jurisdiction” of the schismatic Archdiocese of Vailoupolis of the fake “Metropolitan” and pedophile, Pangratios Vrionis.
By 1999, the St Herman’s Brotherhood began to consider its uncanonical position as untenable and look at ways it could re-enter a legitimate Orthodox Church. One event that facilitated this reconsideration, was the publication in 1999, on the Pokrov.org website of documents revealing that Pangratios Vrionis — the “bishop” providing canonical cover to some communities had been convicted in 1970 of serious sexual crimes. Many parishes and communities that had unknowingly been under his authority were shocked, leading to a wave of departures.
From late 1999 onward, the leadership of St Herman’s explored several possible canonical jurisdictions including the Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Georgia, as well as the Orthodox Church in America. No transfer was completed however before Gleb “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky retired as abbot in spring 2000. In July 2000, Hieromonk Gerasim met in Jackson, California, with Bishop Jovan (Mladenović) of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church (headquartered in Alhambra, California). In October 2000, Gerasim Eliel and Damascene Christensen also met separately, with Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radović) of Montenegro and the Coastlands
On 28 November 2000, the St. Herman of Alaska Monastery at Platina was officially received into the Serbian Orthodox Church. Bishop Jovan issued a local synodal act by which:
The brotherhood was received into his jurisdiction with recognized canonical standing;
The 1988 defrocking of Gleb Podmoshensky by ROCOR was recognized as lawful and applicable. The Serbian Church did not contest ROCOR’s verdict, did not re-judge the case, and did not restore Herman’s priesthood.
Gleb Podmoshensky was received as a simple monk with no clerical rank.
On 28 November, Hieromonk Gerasim (Eliel) was elected by the brotherhood and installed as the second abbot of the monastery in its history.
The above chronology thanks to the ortodoxway.com website: https://ortodoxway.com/en/platina-monastery-rocor-serbian-patriarchate/
Passing The Buck: Complicity of The Serbian Orthodox Church in the Coverup of Gleb’s Crimes
While the acceptance of St Herman’s Brotherhood back into canonical Orthodoxy can generally be viewed as a positive development, the specific reception of Gleb Podmoshensky by the Serbian Orthodox Church of America without making him accountable for his abuse, was nothing short of criminal.
The Serbian hierarchy, was fully aware that Podmoshensky was a serial pedophile. They also knew that there was documented evidence of this in the form of written complaints held by their fellow Russian bishops in the ROCOR Western American Diocese. By 2000, Archbishop Anthony Medvedev was seriously ill and the affairs of the ROCOR Western American Diocese were being handled by Bishop Kyrill (Dimitrieff). It was at this point that both the Serbs and the Russians engaged in a major act of wilful negligence of their pastoral duties, to further their coverup of the crimes of Gleb Podmoshensky and to protect him from justice.
This occurred specifically through:
Bishop Jovan not seeking out, and vigorously investigating, Gleb “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky’s full abuse history and making a ruling SPECIFICALLY ON THIS MATTER, that ROCOR had avoided doing in 1988. They had a clear duty of care to do this. The fact that over a decade had passed since Podmoshensky had left ROCOR was irrelevant. The passage of time should never have been an excuse for them ignore the kind of serious offences committed by Podmoshensky. The Serbians were also aware that the Russians held mountains of DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE of the complaints against him and should have requested copies of these Podmoshensky Files BEFORE they accepted him into their jurisdiction. It is exactly this kind of machiavellian behaviour by religious leaders, that allows pedophile priests to move around jurisdictions, and enables them to continue their abuse of children.
Bishop Jovan not calling in, and handing Gleb Podmoshensky over to the police. If ever there was an opportune moment to remove this predator from the church community and make him accountable, this was it.
The Serbian hierarchy not laicizing Gleb Podmoshensky completely. It is fully within the scope of canonical law, to apply the most severe penalty of laicization for severe offences by clerics, including for sexual abuse. By this point in 2000, Gleb Podmoshensky had not only committed countless sexual assaults on children, he had also impersonated a priest and deceived thousands of people about his status, including the Patriarch of Moscow. The most recent allegations of his offending were in the 1990’s, as outlined in the 2001 letter of Fr Gerasim Eliel to Bishop Jovan (see above). He had also consorted with other convicted pedophiles and involved himself with a cult. If this did not qualify him from complete removal from monastic orders and return to lay status, then what would have?
As a comparison, in 2025, ROCOR laicized Nun Vassa Larin for “disobedience” in not following orders to cease her social media activities. How much more serious were the offences of Gleb Podmoshensky and yet he was allowed to remain a monk. It shows the priorities of ROCOR when the rantings of liberal academic, cosplaying as a nun, are considered grounds for laicization, while pedophiles like Gleb Podmoshensky are allowed to retain monk status.
Archbishop Kyrill (Dmitrieff), as the then administrator of the ROCOR Western American Diocese, also had full knowledge of the Podmoshensky case. He had been a vicar bishop of the Western American Diocese since 1992 and fully on top of all events and personalities in his jurisdiction. As soon as he learned of the actions of the Serbs, he had a duty of care to contact Bishop Jovan and inform him of the full history of Podmoshensky, and hand over copies of the Podmoshensky Files.
News travels fast within the upper echelons of the episcopal community, and the ROCOR would have become quickly aware of the events surrounding its most famous prodigal son “Fr Herman” and his brotherhood returning to canonical Orthodoxy. Archbishop Kyrill’s failure to act at such a critical juncture in history, was a wilful, child safeguarding failure and helped to ensure that the coverup of Gleb’s crimes continued into a new jurisdiction.
It’s always interesting to see how people like Archbishop Kyrill, who present themselves as leaders of morality and like to preach from the pulpit about love for others, quickly turn their heads and run the other way when confronted with a real moral challenge. If Archbishop Kyrill has the courage to be a true and honest bishop, he should do the right thing and release the Podmoshensky Files and apologize for the sins of the ROCOR Western American for its role in Podmoshensky Platina abuse scandal.
Podmoshensky’s Final Years.
In the years after being forced to step down as abbot, Podmoshensky continued to live at Platina township, down the road from the monastery for several years. During this time he still received visitors and kept up correspondence with his supporters. He also produced videos, some of which which are still available online today. One of these supporter visits was documented in an article by a Professor Alexander Portnyagin of the Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. The article appeared in a Russian online publication called “Moscow News” and can be found here:
https://mosvedi.ru/article/18397
It describes a visit to Platina by the professor and his wife Valentina Intosimi. It is a good example of the type of, glowing, almost hagiographical writing, produced by people who either are unaware of Gleb’s history of abuse or who know, but don’t care. The author of the article describes Gleb as:
A remarkable Orthodox enlightener of the American people!
And:
I have never seen a holy man. Blessed is he who has succeeded or been granted such an honor. However, it seems to me that I met an elder whose eyes spoke of this miracle happening for me and my wife, Valentina P. Imtosimi.
One of the last people from ROCOR to visit Gleb at Platina is the now Archbishop George Schafer of Sydney and Australia. At the time, he was Bishop of Mayfield. This was reported in the official ROCOR Eastern America Diocese website:
Prior to departing from Platina, Bishop George paid a visit to the ailing Fr. Herman (Podmoshensky).
The EA Diocese also provided the following photo of Bishop George at Platina.
It is unknown if Bishop George was aware at the time of the visit, that Gleb was a pedophile with a long history of abusing many young Orthodox people. In most likelihood, being a longtime member of ROCOR USA monastic and episcopal community, he must have had some knowledge. What is clear is that Podmoshensky, even into the 2000’s, continued to have a strong hold on many people, up to and including bishops of the Church, and that these people considered him worthy to visit, despite his grim past.
Source: https://archive.eadiocese.org/News/2011/july/calistoga.en.htm
Another ROCOR leader that paid a visit to Platina was the late ROCOR Metropolitan Hilarion in September 2012. The occasion was the thirty year anniversary of the repose of Fr. Seraphim (Rose). It’s unknown if Metropolitan Hilarion met Podmoshensky on this occasion. In any case, if ever there was an opportunity for a ROCOR primate to make a public acknowledgement and apology for the Church’s failures in regards to Podmoshensky, then this was it. As usual however, there was only silence regarding this matter from Metropolitan Hilarion.
Source: https://orthochristian.com/55897.html
For at least the last ten years of his life, Podmoshensky suffered from Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. His final years in retirement were spent at the ROCOR St. Seraphim Skete near Minneapolis. He died there on the morning of 30 June, 2014 at the age of eighty.
Due to the growing awareness amongst the Orthodox community in America over Gleb Podmoshensky’s crimes, by 2014 there was some doubt about who would take the ultimate responsibility, to lay him to rest. One of his wishes was to be buried at St Herman’s Monastery Platina but this was deemed inappropriate and denied. Even the Serbian Orthodox Church in America, who allowed Podmoshensky back into their jurisdiction in 2000, declined to be involved in his funeral. The job was finally accepted by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of America (Bulgarian Patriarchate). The following photos and emails were provided by an anonymous source that received communications at the time, about Gleb’s funeral arrangements:
Email 1
Fr Herman was buried in Sebastopol CA in the new Orthodox section of one of the cemeteries in the area. It was the decision of our Bishop Maxim to not allow his burial at the monastery. The below is a report sent out by one of the parishioners at the Holy Dormition Church. If you like, I’ll ask her permission to send you a link to the photos that were taken during the funeral and burial. Yours in Christ
The unworthy Hieromonk Paisius, secretary
Email 2
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As most of you know, Fr Herman reposed in the Lord on the morning of 30 June 2014 in Minneapolis MN. The funeral for Monk Herman Podmoshensky, the former Abbot of St Herman of Alaska Monastery, was served at Holy Dormition Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Santa Rosa CA (USA) on Thursday, 3 July 2014. His Grace Daniil, Vicar Bishop of the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (Bulgarian Patriarchate), officiated. He was assisted by the clergy of Holy Dormition and Hieromonk Paisii of the St Herman of Alaska Monastery, and by nearly 20 priests, hieromonks, and other clergy of many canonical Orthodox jurisdictions, and by monastics and laypeople from all over America and from as far away as Mt Athos and Moscow.
The graveside burial service took place in the Orthodox section of the Pleasant Hills Memorial Park in Sebastopol CA. The address of this cemetery is 1700 Pleasant Hill Road, Sebastopol CA 95472; it’s only a 15-20 minute drive west of Santa Rosa CA, deep in the countryside. After the graveside service, those who didn’t have to leave immediately to the airport gathered under the redwoods next to the Holy Dormition Church for a memorial meal. Bishop Daniil, who became a monk in Bulgaria when converted as a young man by the writings of Fr Seraphim Rose, never met Fr Herman, so many of those present shared dozens of stories about their encounters with Fr Herman.
Gleb’s Final Video
ROCOR’s Ongoing Coverup of the Podmoshensky Case
We’ve already discussed how the ROCOR leadership conspired to cover up the Podmoshensky case in the past. Their attempts to maintain the coverup continue to this day. A good example of how this is done, is through the “ROCOR Studies” website run by the official ROCOR historian, Professor, Fr Andrei Psarev. Fr Andrei is a graduate of both Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville (Bachelor of Theology) and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary where he gained his Master in Theology. He presently serves as Professor, Department of Theology, Patrology and Canon Law at Jordanville.
As of 2026, ROCOR Studies still carries an interview conducted by Fr Andrei with Podmoshensky in 2012 https://www.rocorstudies.org/2015/03/14/monk-herman-podmoshenskii-children-of-an-age-of-martyrs/ .
In the introduction to the interview, Fr Andrei makes no mention of Podmoshensky’s criminal past as a child predator and only states that:
Having become a “conscientious” [сознательный] member of the Russian Church Abroad, I judged Fr. Herman for the turmoil he caused, as a result of which he was defrocked by ROCOR in 1986 (sic).
And:
Suffice it to say that I know of the problems and accusations tied to his person.
And:
I wanted to highlight the loyalty (albeit obscured) he carried throughout his life to the ideal of beauty, about which he speaks in his interview.
How is it possible for an academic of Fr Andrei Psarev’s standing to simply downplay Podmoshensky’s crimes as “turmoil” and “problems”? He even admits he knows of Podmoshensky’s child abuse past but insists on ignoring it because he wants to focus on his “loyalty to beauty”. In fact the only beauty that Podmoshensky had loyalty to, was his perceived beauty of young boys. How can ROCOR ever confront its child abuse problem, when even senior ROCOR historians refuse to disclose the full and documented truth about the pedophiles and abusers within its ranks, and wilfully omit mention of their crimes? Imagine someone writing a preface to an interview with Jeffrey Epstein using the same language, saying:
I wanted to highlight the loyalty (albeit obscured) he carried throughout his life to the ideal of beauty.
Such academic malfeasance cannot be ignored. At present, in respect to these matters, the evidence is clear that ROCOR Studies is following the official ROCOR Synod propaganda narrative - the denial, and cover up by omission, of anything relating to its abuse history. ROCOR Studies, and Fr Andrei Psarev, are financed by the Fund For Assistance To The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, a branch of the ROCOR legal structure in the USA. Fr. Andrei, as an EA Diocese cleric, answers directly to ROCOR Metropolitan Nicholas and nothing is published by ROCOR Studies that is not approved by Metropolitan Nicholas and his Synod. The disclaimer found in the details of the ROCOR Studies website that:
The ROCOR is not responsible for the content of this private website.
is a blatant lie. This interview, its preamble and the views about Gleb Podmoshensky contained therein, absolutely reflect the official views of the ROCOR.
Other Podmoshensky Apologists, Defenders & Abuse Deniers
ROCOR Studies is not the only website that attempts to whitewash or defend the crimes and legacy of Gleb Podmoshensky.
The Pravoslavie.ru website has also published material sympathetic to Podmoshensky. Pravoslavie.ru is published by the Sretensky Monastery under MP Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov). One example is their obituary written after Podmoshensky’s passing in 2014, that conveniently makes no mention of his crimes, and only states that after 1982:
Fr. Herman took a turn for the worse.
See the full article here: https://pravoslavie.ru/71886.html
“He took a turn for the worse”. Let that euphemism sink in and weep.
Another article by pravoslavie.ru that is also favorable to Podmoshensky is an interview published in 2019 with a Thomas Hulbert, a missionary in Holland for the Brotherhood of St. Herman of Alaska. It provides numerous quotes alluding to the gay, cult-like culture at Platina under Podmoshensky.
In this article, Podmoshensky is described as a renowned missionary. Hulbert is also quoted as saying:
And then he (Herman Podmoshensky) added something I couldn't understand at the time: "I'll be your daddy." It was very nice, of course, but I thought, "But I already have a father!" At that moment, I realized that I had to become Orthodox. It wasn't the thought, "Oh! I want to become Orthodox!", it was more like a sense of duty: "I have to do this." Thus began my journey to Orthodoxy.
If anyone is familiar with what the slang term “daddy” means then you will understand its gay subtext meaning here.
Another quote from Thomas about Podmoshensky:
And he would look so caring, so excited. It was so unexpected for an ascetic from the desert, who was supposed to behave sternly, unapproachable. He was a very loving person and wanted those who came to him to feel this love. He acted as he felt, and sometimes the monks would roll their eyes…
The following quote even openly declares how other Californian Orthodox communities were already fully aware of the danger of the Platina cult:
I once visited an ordinary Orthodox parish in California. There, they tried to warn me about the dangers of associating with him, saying he didn't fit the rules, that he was a dangerous person. And I realized that I would NEVER have come to Orthodoxy through such a parish. I would never have converted if everyone around me was pointing fingers at me, "No, no, no, that's wrong, no cakes! Just the rules!" But Platina was a completely different place. The monastery was in the forest; it even resembled a campsite, a nature camp for tourists; everything was like a living Bible, and you were inside this living Bible. Nothing was super beautiful. Everything was very simple – both the meal and the treatment.
Delusional ideas of megalomania by Podmoshensky:
Later, when Father Herman became a priest, he half-jokingly said that by laying his hand on his spiritual children, he was conveying the blessing of the Tsar-Martyr.
He lived in Platina, fulfilling his dream—to live like a true, free American cowboy. He felt the time was ripe to carry out his mission.
It was hard for him to accept reproach and misunderstanding, but this did not stop him; he continued to preach.
Fr. Herman, my spiritual father, came to me in Holland and visited my store. He was pleasantly surprised by how everything was arranged and even wanted to spend the night there. Later, he told someone else, not me, that it was the most beautiful, the very best of the Valaam community's stores. At that moment, I realized I had never experienced such feelings with my own father.
When Father Herman was traveling through the United States and Alaska, he visited the grave of St. Herman of Alaska and prayed, "I need a companion as abnormal as I am if I'm to be a priest." And God gave him Father Seraphim, just as "abnormal" as he was.
For the full article see here and translate to English in your browser:
https://pravoslavie.ru/123354.html
Other than Andrei Psarev and Pravoslavie.ru, there are other sources that are even more openly supportive of Gleb Podmoshensky and even deny his status as a pedophile responsible for many crimes against children.
Orthodox Australia
This editors of this site are the classic abuse-deniers. They write off the irrefutable evidence as “slander” and describe Podmoshensky as “blessed”, and a confidant of St John of San Shanghai & San Francisco, which he never was.
Fr. Vladimir Ivlenkov aka“Basil Willow”
Another dedicated supporter of Gleb Podmoshensky is Australian, Antiochian Patriarchate, priest Fr. Vladimir Ivlenkov. Going by the nickname “Basil Willow” in the comments sections of a Facebook post in May 2026 by the Union of Orthodox Journalists, he claims:
The abuse allegations about Podmoshensky are fake.
That there was a conspiracy to “bring down” Platina and that involved various “US and USSR agencies”.
That all the documented instances of abuse were: “pure opinion & misunderstanding by certain converts, of the “intimate” way Orthodox monastics operate in greeting, relating & working in an Orthodox brotherhood.”
That “Both monks were under the spiritual care of Holy Hierarch John (Maximovich) & observed by Holy Metropolitan Philaret”. In actual fact, St John of Shanghai had passed away in 1966, four years before Gleb Podmoshensky and Eugene Rose were tonsured. As for Metropolitan Philaret, he was in ill health and geographically too far away on the East Coast to provide any guidance to Platina. That was entrusted to Archbishop Anthony of San Francisco, and we have already discussed how badly he mismanaged that situation and its consequences.
That accusations against Podmoshensky are: “silly accusations invented by a handful, who never entered seriously into the depth of Orthodox Christianity.”
Comments like these are typical of abuse-deniers. His comment that the abuse allegations are just a “misunderstanding” are particularly vile:
Pure opinion & misunderstanding by certain converts, of the “intimate” way Orthodox monastics operate in greeting, relating & working in an Orthodox brotherhood.
What level of delusion and depravity does an Orthodox priest need to reach, to state words like these about sexual abuse? Effectively he is saying that the countless incidents of Gleb Podmoshensky sexually assaulting his victims, fondling their genitals, forcibly kissing them on the lips etc, etc were actually normal physical interactions of an old, gay monk and that the victims simply misunderstood these interactions. These are the type of unworthy, abuse-denier priests that inhabit some Orthodox parishes. If one needed any further evidence that there is a strong culture pederasty in Orthodox male monasteries, and that this culture is defended by some parish priests, then this would be it.
It’s unknown if Fr. Vladimir’s dangerous and highly controversial views about clerical sexual abuse of children are apparent to his bishop, Metropolitan Basilios (Kodseie) of the Antiochian Archdiocese of Australia or the Victorian Commission for Children & Young People. The Archdiocese website does make it clear however, that:
We have zero tolerance for child abuse! All allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently, according to our robust policies and procedures.
Our organisation is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early as well as removing and reducing these risks.
Our organisation has robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.
Our organisation is committed to regular training and education of our staff/volunteers regarding child abuse risks. This training occurs at least annually.
Source: https://www.antiochian.org.au/departments/child-safety
Pro-Podmoshensky Material on Amazon
A short tribute to Podmoshensky by Vyacheslav Marchenko called: Testimony of True Orthodoxy - In Memory of Father Herman of Platina, is available on Amazon.
In this essay dedicated to “Fr Herman” Podmoshensky, Marchenko makes the following ludicrous claims:
That Podmoshensky was persecuted by the Church.
That Fr. Seraphim Rose was a “martyr”.
That Podmoshensky was defrocked for “his faith”.
The highlight is the following paragraph describing a dream Podmoshensky had where Christ Himself appeared to him:
Source: pg.7 Testimony of True Orthodoxy: In Memory of Fr Herman of Platina by Vyacheslav Marchenko (Kindle Edition) available on Amazon.
This final quote perhaps is the icing on the Podmoshensky cake. If indeed Christ Himself has appeared to “Fr Herman” in a dream and assured him of his salvation, then who are we to question his sanctity?
The Phenomenon of the Support of Pedophile Priests in the Orthodox Church
As can be seen, the phenomenon of abusive, pedophile priests not only being defended, but almost glorified by dedicated fellow clergy and lay supporters, is a thing in Orthodox Churches. This disturbing trend is not limited to the supporters of Gleb Podmoshensky. For all its positives, there is a dark and fanatical element that runs through many Orthodox communities where priests and bishops are put on such high pedestals of sanctity, that in the eyes of their followers, they can do no wrong. This creates a dangerous situation. It means that when incidents of clerical abuse do take place, the victims are then silenced and shunned, while the perpetrator is vigorously defended and protected.
Other examples of this phenomenon include the cult of convicted Australian pedophile priest Alexis Rosentool, and the webpage supporting the Canadian pedophile, ex-bishop of the OCA, Seraphim Storheim. The Rosentool cult in Australia is based around Rosentool’s old Cabramatta (Sydney) Pokrov parish. That parish is now under Rosentool protégé Fr. Boris Ignatievsky, well known for telling his parish after the Rosentool conviction, that “sheep do not judge the shepherd” (see video below).
Another chapter of the Rosentool cult operates in Melbourne Victoria, from the Pokrov Cathedral parish of Rosentool loyalist Fr. Nicholas Karipov. The fanaticism of the cult is so strong in Australia, that there are documented instances of the parents of abused children, continuing to support Alexis Rosentool and visit him in prison to the present day, despite being aware of what he did to their children. For more on those horrific cases, see our articles here:
SPECIAL REPORT: The Support of Convicted Abuser Alexis Rosentool in the Russian Orthodox Community in Melbourne
Our Australian readers would know that there exists a historical rivalry between the two great cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Mostly the focus is on positives - who has the better cultural scene, coffee or better weather. But there are also th…
The website supporting the ex-OCA Canadian bishop and pedophile Seraphim Storheim:
https://archbishopseraphim.org/
Seraphim Storheim was the Orthodox Church in America OCA, Archbishop of Ottawa and Canada from 1990 to 2010. Storheim was convicted in 2014 and served a prison sentence. He was defrocked by the OCA in 2015. Read more on Storheim here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seraphim_Storheim
Similarities in the Cases of Podmoshensky and Rosentool
The convicted Australian pedophile priest Alexis Rosentool studied at Holy Trinity Seminary at Jordanville in 1969 while Podmoshensky finished there in 1962. It is unknown if they ever met or shared their common predilection of young boys with each other. What is certain however is there are many common factors in their modus operandi including:
A magnetic and charismatic personality they used to groom and brainwash their followers and victims.
Placing themselves as abbot (head) of a monastery in a remote location where they could carry out their abuse unhindered.
A devoted following of supporters who are brainwashed and unable to see their guru’s crimes.
The creation of their own cults of personality.
Enablement of their crimes by dioceses and bishops who were fully aware of allegations against them but delayed action for years.
Their stubborn denial of their crimes. In Podmoshensky’s case he never once admitted any wrongdoing or showed any contrition. As of 2026, Rosentool also maintains his complete innocence and initiated a failed appeal of his conviction.
No matter how many books he published, monasteries he helped build, or souls he may have influenced, nothing can excuse the sexual abuse committed by Gleb Podmoshensky. The good a man does does not cancel out the evil he commits, especially if that man has the high calling of a priest of the Orthodox Church. The victims who carried these wounds for decades deserve better than attempts to rehabilitate his reputation or separate his achievements from his crimes. If the evidence presented throughout this history is accepted, then Gleb Podmoshensky should ultimately be remembered for what he was: a predator who exploited spiritual authority for abusive ends. By that measure, he stands not as a spiritual hero, but as a criminal and a monster.
The lasting scandal is that the institution surrounding him has never fully reckoned with what occurred. A Church that refuses to acknowledge its failures in protecting children and vulnerable people cannot credibly present itself as a moral authority to the world. Such a posture is not faithfulness but denial. ROCOR’s future will not be secured by preserving myths or protecting reputations. It will be secured only when it tells the truth about its past, seeks forgiveness from those who were harmed, and demonstrates genuine repentance through action. Until then, reconciliation with victims and trust among the faithful will remain tragically incomplete. Such is the legacy of one Gleb “Fr. Herman Podmoshensky.
Sources
Original pokrov.org page for Podmoshensky
HOOM article:
https://culteducation.com/group/975-holy-order-of-mans/36755-awkward-christian-soldiers.html
Gleb on homosexuality & Seraphim Rose commentary:
https://startingontheroyalpath.blogspot.com/1999/02/in-fr-seraphims-defense.html
Reddit on Gleb:
Reader Daniel on Gleb:
https://readerdanielsharing.blogspot.com/2014/07/death-of-fr-herman-podmoshensky.html
ROCOR Studies Apologetic
https://www.rocorstudies.org/2015/03/14/monk-herman-podmoshenskii-children-of-an-age-of-martyrs/
Pravoslavie obituary apologetic:
https://pravoslavie.ru/71886.html
Fallen Leaves
https://fallen-leaves.org/2019/03/07/fr-seraphim-rose-part-8/
Russian article on visit to Gleb:
https://mosvedi.ru/article/18397.html?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=yandexsmartcamera
Damascene Christensen bio:
https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/world/christ-the-eternal-tao/7
Reader Daniel
https://readerdanielsharing.blogspot.com/2023/09/?m=1
“Seraphim Rose: The True Story and Private Letters”: A Review
Monk Herman Obituary (Russian)
https://www.pravmir.ru/pamyati-monaha-germana-podmoshenskogo/
Holy Order of MANS article referencing Gleb
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=H1JBfY1zjGIC&pg=PA141&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=true
Gerasim Eliel Bio Orthodox Wiki
https://orthodoxwiki.org/Gerasim_(Eliel)
Russian Article Detailed on Gleb and “Russian Pilgrim” magazine
https://aquaviva.ru/journal/vozvrashchenie_russkogo_palomnika
Ortodoxway Article: How the Platina Monastery Passed from ROCOR to the Serbian Patriarchate
https://ortodoxway.com/en/platina-monastery-rocor-serbian-patriarchate/
Voices From Russia on Gleb
https://02varvara.wordpress.com/tag/gleb-podmoshensky/
Serbian Church article about Spruce Island
Starting on the Royal Path
https://startingontheroyalpath.blogspot.com/1999/02/in-fr-seraphims-defense.html
The Truth About Gleb article:
The Inquisition Cometh.
Yes, this is a clearly written and coherent history of abuses that integrates elements of missionary work and monastic life. These two things, missionary work and monasticism, and the publication of saints' lives to use as a cover-up mechanism. Then, how they are used in formative processes to enable sexual abuse, need circulation and responsive actions to this playbook that is often repeated. Accountability before God by all those who, in one way or another, have suffered as the abused or have been complicit as an enabler requires dissemination of these facts as well as demands for responsive actions...I hope through Pokrov Truth and other websites as Prosphon Healing, you will collect additional private data to demand change and secure justice. ..Truly, then we can process clarity for what is needed for a clean, "cheetsi" Orthodox Christian life that can bring forth the flowers of Grace, peace, and love, and not have these environmental poisons as fertilizers for fronts of a falsified sanctity, which the Bible defines as actions of the "Anti-Christ". . . As a former missionary bookstore worker in Miami in the 1970's, with the Orthodox Book Center, I was uneasy with what came across to us from Platina and St. Herman's, even in print, as it all did not balance. Your clearly written timeline of the abuse should shake the poisonous fruit down from the branches that have come down through this network of calculated and formative actions that have used good things of mission and monastic life to cover the evils being perpetrated historically and now today.
Thanks for the great article. Seraphim Rose and "Fr. Herman" were inseparable for decades. I imagine Seraphim knew a lot more about what was going on than he let on. Podmoshensky related that Seraphim's last words to him on his deathbed were "I curse you!" Pretty angry and emotionally bitter for a supposed saint. No blessed "равнодушие," forgiveness, or attempt to offer spiritual direction to his long-time monastic partner.
As for Psarev praising Podmoshensky for his "devotion to beauty..." What in the world does that have to do with anything, and what does it even mean? As you suggest it sounds more like a homosexual code word than anything Christian. These people seem to be incapable of distinguishing Orthodox Christianity from Greek paganism and worship of Aphrodite. ROCOR never seriously cleaned house of these people, probably afraid that if they did, not many would be left.