Archbishop
Nikolai Borisovich Sobolev, the future Archbishop Seraphim, was born on December 1, 1881, in Ryazan in the family of the merchant Boris Matveevich Sobolev. There were 12 children in the family, seven of whom died in childhood and adolescence. Nikolai's father suffered a stroke, and the atmosphere in the family was permeated with the spirit of prayer.
His mother, Maria Nikolaevna, wanted her son to become a priest. In 1894, Nikolai was admitted to the second class of the Ryazan Theological School, then graduated from the Ryazan Theological Seminary and in 1904 entered the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy.
On January 26, 1908, Nikolai was tonsured into monasticism with the name Seraphim. In 1908, he defended his dissertation at the Department of Moral Theology and was awarded the degree of Candidate of Theology.
From 1912, Hieromonk Seraphim was appointed rector of the Voronezh Theological Seminary. In 1915, a commission was sent to the seminary, which left a favorable review about it. In March 1918, the seminary was closed, and Seraphim moved to a monastery.
In 1920, he was appointed rector of the theological seminary in Simferopol, and on September 24, 1920, he was ordained as Bishop of Lubensky. In 1921, he became the rector of the Holy Nicholas Church in Sofia and the administrator of the Russian Orthodox communities in Bulgaria.
Archbishop Seraphim remained in office until his death on February 26, 1950. His veneration began almost immediately after his passing, and numerous cases of posthumous prayer assistance are associated with healings and the granting of children.
On February 3, 2016, at the fifth plenary session of the Holy Archierical Council, a decision was made to glorify Archbishop Seraphim of Boguchar in the ranks of saints.
