Sep 12, 2009

SAINT HERMAN OF ALASKA?



I have no idea who this saintly figure is, I just love the name:
St. Herman of Alaska

(Image can be found at the wonderful Orthodox Christian Blog: Salt of the Earth)
In 1794 a group of Russian missionaries from Valaam Monastery arrived in Kodiak, Alaska. For the next forty years one member of their party would remain, enduring hunger, cold, and mockery. Today he is universally recognized as a Saint of the Orthodox Church: St. Herman of Alaska.
St. Herman's love for the Kodiak natives manifested itself in his service to them throughout his life. He was the protector of the persecuted, a nurse to the sick, and a father to orphans. As a hermit on Spruce Island, he was a friend of God and of angels. Even today the natives of Alaska refer to him as their father, a connection that has never been broken.

0 comments: