Funeral at Amaravati for Stephen Santacitto Saslav

Amaravati WebmasterEvents & Ceremonies

On the morning of Saturday the 18th of August, 2018, Steve Saslav, the former Ajahn Santacitto, passed away peacefully in his home in Chichester. He was one of the very first Western monks to train with Ajahn Chah, having first taken robes in 1971. He was part of the founding monastic group of Amaravati in the ‘80s and was the very first Amaravati Librarian. The last years of his monastic life were spent as the abbot of Hartridge Buddhist Monastery, in Devon.

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May of last year and dealt with its relentless progress with great patience and good-heartedness right until the very end, attending at least three retreats at Amaravati during these final months, including a 10-day one in June of this year.

His funeral will be held in the Temple at Amaravati, at 2:00 pm on Thursday the 23rd of August. Family members, together with monastic and lay friends will be gathering for this occasion to offer our respects and to bid ‘farewell’. Everyone is welcome to attend.