About St Herman of Alaska
Saint Her man of Alaska
A brief biography of our Patron Saint
“From this day forth, from this very hour and this very minute, let us love God above all and to seek to accomplish His Holy Will.”
St Herman of Alaska was born near the city of Moscow, Russia around 1756. He was part of a devoutly religious family and, at the age of 16, entered the monastic life by joining St Sergius Lavra, a monastery in the Russian town of Sergiyev Posad. This monastery is one of the most significant in Russia and argued to be the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church. While in the monastery, St Herman contracted cancer of his face. As he battled this disease, Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to him and healed him. In 1783, he was tonsured as a Russian Orthodox monk and was accepted into the community of the Valaam monastery where he stayed until allowed to retreat into a life of hermitage in the forest nearby, returning to the monastery only for feast days.
In 1793, the Russian-American Commercial Company for missionaries requested of Valaam to choose a group of its best monks to travel to the Americas. Eight of the monks were chosen, among whom was St Herman. The small group traveled across Siberia reaching Kodiak in 1794. Here they found that the local Aleut peoples were very receptive of them and their Christian message. During their first year there, they performed approximately 7,000 baptisms and 1,500 marriages. The monks spent the next years traveling on foot and in small boats to the various Aleut fishing villages. They were welcomed and their message received by most as in Kodiak, but, some of the priest shamans attempted to turn the people against them and their message and, in 1796 succeeded in killing one of the eight, priest-monk Juvenaly, making him the first Orthodox Christian martyr of North America. With many difficulties provided by the natural setting as well as the native resistance, the monks persisted in their mission. Over time, however, such discouragement led to several dying at sea and others whose discouragement led them to abandon the mission, leaving St Herman the sole priest in this area to spread the message of Orthodox Christianity.
St Herman settled on Spruce Island and again retreated into his hermit life. This life consisted of prayer and mission work to the surrounding communities. He denied himself fleshly comforts, fasting frequently and surviving on a meager diet of blackberries, mushrooms, and vegetables. Even in the face of such a difficult life, he founded both an orphanage and a school for the people of the island. He cared for their illnesses and built a chapel there where he held divine services which were welcomed and attended by much of the community.
St Herman fell asleep in the Lord on Spruce Island in 1836 at the age of 81. At the time of his passing, it is said that his face had a radiant glow and that the nearby residents saw a pillar of light rise above the hermitage where he lived and eventually passed. Many well meaning of his followers attempted to return his body to Kodiak to be buried in the church there, but a storm rose up and continued until they abandoned this effort. Finally, St Herman was laid to rest on Spruce Island according to his final wishes. On August 9, 1970, St Herman was canonized in Kodiak, Alaska by the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America and, at the same time, in San Francisco by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. St Herman of Alaska is the first canonized American Saint.
When asked if he was lonely in the life of a hermit missionary and in such a demanding and relentless mission, St Herman of Alaska noted:
“I am not alone;
God is here as everywhere,
and the Angels too.
There is no better company.”
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For more detailed information about
Saint Herman of Alaska, please see the
Orthodox Church of America site:
http://oca.org/FS.NA-Saint.asp?SID=4&Saint=Herman
About
St Herman of Alaska Orthodox
Christian Church
St Herman of Alaska Orthodox Christian Church was founded in 1997 by a group of dedicated Orthodox Christians. The desire was to establish a place that is faithful to the apostolic faith and worship. The goal was to create a place for al to experience this ancient faith in Washington County. We are located in West bend but welcome those who wish to worship to join us. We also welcome people of any faith who wish to worship and explore the Orthodox Christian faith.
St Herman of Alaska Orthodox Christian Church is a member of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) in the Diocese of the Midwest.
All are welcome to join us for Divine Liturgy served Sundays at 10:00am. Special services and feast day services will be announced.
