His Eminence, Archbishop Seraphim was born Kenneth William Storheim in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on January 25, 1946. Of Norwegian and Scottish heritage, he was raised in the Lutheran faith.

After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta in 1968, he studied at the Vancouver School of Theology in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he received his Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1971. A former Anglican rector and accomplished musician, he was received into Orthodox Christianity Church in 1978, accepting as his heavenly patron Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Subsequently, he attended Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, NY, from which he received the Master of Theology degree in 1981.

He was ordained to the diaconate on October, 28 1979, by Archbishop Sylvester of Montreal in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, and to the holy priesthood on November 21, 1979, by Metropolitan Theodosius at Three Hierarchs Chapel, Saint Vladimir's Seminary, Crestwood, NY.

Prior to his consecration to the episcopacy, he lived at New Valaam monastery in Finland and served as a parish priest in communities throughout the United States and Canada. He received monastic tonsure on April 3, 1987, at Saint Tikhon's Monastery, South Canaan, PA.

He was consecrated auxiliary Bishop of Edmonton on June 13, 1987 by Metropolitan Theodosius, Bishop Nathaniel, and Bishop Boris, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and became ruling bishop of the Archdiocese of Canada in 1990. In March 2007, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop of Ottawa and Canada, by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America.

Archbishop Seraphim serves in a number of administrative capacities in the Orthodox Church in America. He is secretary of the Holy Synod of Bishops, chairman of the Department of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations and chairman of the Board of Theological Education. As chair of the Department of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations, he has represented the OCA at numerous events in Russia, Ukraine, the Middle East, and throughout Europe. He also is cochairman of the Bishops' Dialogue (North America) between the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas [SCOBA] and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Most recently, he was appointed Administrator of the Metropolitan See of the Orthodox Church in America upon the retirement of Metropolitan Herman on September 4, 2008.

Although often on the road visiting the many and far-flung communities of the Archdiocese of Canada, as well as representing the OCA internationally, Archbishop Seraphim maintains his residence and office a short distance south of Ottawa, near Johnstown, ON, where the archdiocesan chancery is located. He also oversees the small monastic community of Saint Silouan the Athonite there.