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Dear Parish Faithful,
We do not have that many formally glorified/canonized saints in North America, but the one probably most well-known is Blessed Fr. Herman of Alaska.
He was not native to North America, but journeyed here from Russia, landing in Alaska in 1794 and remaining there for the remainder of his earthly life. But if we are not familiar with St. Herman's life, I would highly encourage everyone to make a point of becoming so. Fr. Herman is a splendid image of holiness and in his "counter-cultural" way, could be a shining example to us of placing the Gospel first in our lives. He belonged to no political party, embraced no ideology, and lived among the poor and downtrodden. His entire life was evangelical.
Here is a very full account of his life provided by the OCA on its official website. It may take a bit of a commitment of time, but do your best to make that commitment when it works in your life, and become familiar with one of our "heavenly patrons."
Of great interest are some further links below. One of them is the address back in 1969 of the Holy Synod of Bishops in which we can gain fascinating insight into the very process of how a man or woman is determined to be worthy of official glorification/canonization.
Here, then, is some further good reading during our current Dormition Fast.
From the OCA website:
- Download a high resolution icon of Saint Herman
- A Chronology of Events on the Life of Saint Herman of Alaska
- Address of the Great Council of Bishops of March 11-13, 1969 concerning the Canonization of the Spiritual Father Herman of Alaska
- Photos of the Canonization of Saint Herman of Alaska
- Prayer to Saint Herman of Alaska
- Liturgical Music Downloads
* Editor's Note: See also our parish website's Special Resource Page on St Herman, which has additional materials, videos, audio, a bibliography of suggested books, icon galleries, and much more.
