View the service information for Fr. Gabriel
The Very Rev. Gabriel Ashie, St. Vladimir's Class of 1958, fell asleep in Christ on October 25th, 2014, in Orange, California. One of the first students from the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), Fr. Gabriel was a steadfast supporter of SVOTS for many years, serving as the president of the Alumni Association and as a member of the St. Vladimir's Board of Trustees. During this time, he and his wife established an endowed fund, the "Archpriest Gabriel and Matushka Helen Scholarship Fund," to assist any and all students with financial needs.
SVOTS Senior Advisor Theodore Bazil remembers him as an articulate, ardent supporter of the Seminary. "He would never hesitate to talk about the mission and work of the school," notes Mr. Bazil. "As one of the most outstanding alumni representatives we've had, he was a warm, wonderful man who used his leadership abilities to build the Church."
After completing his studies at St. Vladimir's in the late 1950s, Fr. Gabriel served at St. Anthony Orthodox Church in Bergenfield, NJ. Under his watch, the parish purchased two parcels of land and constructed a new temple, which was dedicated in 1964.
Called to Southern California, Fr. Gabriel and his family moved to Garden Grove to minister at St. Luke Orthodox Church. There, he oversaw more growth and building projects, and facilitated community outreach programs like improvements to the Anaheim Memorial Hospital's chapel, one of two hospital chapels in the country at that time with Orthodox Christian representation. On March 17,1997, Fr. Gabriel retired from St. Luke Orthodox Church, but maintained a keen interest in his parish and in his alma mater.
May his memory be eternal! Service information for Fr. Gabriel is posted on the Antiochian Archdiocese's website.
