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Published by the
Orthodox
Church in America,
August 12, 2005
Services mark 35th
anniversary of glorification of St. Herman
of Alaska |
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His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, His
Eminence, Archbishop Leo of Karelia and
All Finland, hierarchs, clergy, and
faithful are led in procession by the
Valaam Icon of the Mother of God during
the 35th anniversary of glorification of
St. Herman of Alaska and annual
pilgrimage to Spruce Island, Alaska. |
KODIAK, AK [OCA
Communications]
— His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman and His
Eminence, Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All
Finland presided at the celebration of the
Divine Liturgy on Spruce Island on Monday,
August 8, 2005, in conjunction with the 35th
anniversary of the glorification of
Saint Herman of Alaska.
The hierarchs, accompanied by the wonderworking
Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, brought to
Alaska from Finland’s New Valamo Monastery by
Archbishop Leo, set out on one of several boats
for the island. The Divine Liturgy was
celebrated at the chapel marking the original
site of Saint Herman’s grave.
On Tuesday morning, August 9, the feast of Saint
Herman, the hierarchs concelebrated the Divine
Liturgy in Kodiak’s Holy Resurrection Cathedral,
in which Saint Herman’s relics are enshrined.
On Tuesday, August 2, Archbishop Leo and a
delegation representing the autonomous
Finnish Orthodox Church, accompanied by a
delegation from the Orthodox Church in America
that included His Grace, Bishop Seraphim of
Ottawa and Canada, were warmly welcomed to
Alaska by His Grace, Bishop Nikolai of Sitka,
Anchorage, and Alaska. A Service of Thanksgiving
was celebrated at Sitka’s historic Archangel
Michael Cathedral.
While in Sitka, the Finnish delegation visited
the 18th century Russian Bishop’s House and
other historic sites. On Wednesday evening,
August 3, they celebrated the Akathistos Hymn in
honor of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God at
Archangel Michael Cathedral.
On Friday, August 5, Bishop Nikolai welcomed the
Finnish delegation to Anchorage, where the Vigil
for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration was
celebrated at Saint Innocent Cathedral. The
following morning, His Beatitude, Metropolitan
Herman celebrated the festal Liturgy at the
cathedral, with responses sung by the Finnish
Choir from Valaam Monastery. After the Divine
Liturgy on Sunday, August 7, Archbishop Leo
presented Bishop Nikolai with a copy of the
Valaam Icon. Later that evening, the hierarchs
and delegations traveled to Kodiak, where the
Akathistos Hymn was sung at Holy Resurrection
Cathedral by the Saint Romanos Choir of Chicago.
Among the other hierarchs present for the
anniversary celebration were His Eminence,
Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian
Episcopate; His Grace, Bishop Nikon of Boston
and the Albanian Archdiocese; His Grace, Bishop
Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania;
and His Grace, Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley.
Photo coverage of the anniversary celebration
and the visit of Archbishop Leo can be found in
the
July and
August 2005 "Photo Gallery and Events"
section of www.oca.org. Additional details and
coverage will appear in “The Orthodox Church”
newspaper.
Click
here for speeches delivered by Archbishop
Leo of Karelia and All Finland during his
pilgrimage visit to Alaska.
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