Right Reverend Serafim, Bishop of Kostajnica
Vicar to the Metropolitan of Midwestern America (Serbian)
Bishop Serafim (Baltić) was born on May 7, 1978, in Zagreb to Veljko and Radojka and baptized with the name Bojan. His family originates from Banija. He completed his primary education and three years of high school in Electrical Engineering in Zagreb. However, due to the war in August 1995, he relocated to Florida, USA, where he finished high school and earned a degree in Information Technology.
While in the United States, he met Elder Ephraim of Philotheou, an Athonite elder whose spiritual influence would deeply impact his life. This encounter led him to explore various Orthodox monasteries in the United States, Serbia, and Greece. In the late 1990s, he met Bishop Longin (Krčo) of the Serbian Orthodox Church, whose blessing guided his monastic path. In 2003, he entered the New Gračanica Monastery and enrolled in Holy Trinity Seminary (ROCOR) in Jordanville, graduating magna cum laude in 2008.
During his seminary years, Bishop Serafim was tonsured as a monk in 2006 at New Gračanica Monastery and ordained as a hierodeacon that same year. After completing his theological studies, he was ordained as a hieromonk in 2008 by Bishop Longin. During his monastic service, he translated the works of St. Nikolai Velimirovich into English. In 2010, he spent six months at the Monastery of Hilandar on Mount Athos to deepen his understanding of Athonite monasticism.
Upon returning to the U.S., Bishop Serafim undertook various pastoral roles, including youth ministry at diocesan camps, teaching at Saint Sava School of Theology in Libertyville, and serving as steward of the mission parish of Saint Petka in Nashville. Since 2015, he served as the secretary of the New Gračanica-Midwestern American Diocese and completed an MBA degree. In late 2020, he was sent by Bishop Longin to Serbia for further service at the Monastery of the Holy Archangels in Kovilj, and from 2021 to August 2024, he served at the Cathedral of Saint Sava in Milwaukee.
On May 18, 2024, during the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Bishop Serafim was elected as Vicar to the Metropolitan of Midwestern America with the title of Bishop of Kostajnica. His consecration was held on Sunday, October 13, 2024, at the Church of Saint Sava in Vračar, officiated by His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije.
