by Newnameelizabeth

St. Herman of Alaska
Wonderworker of All America

Prayer to Saint Herman of Alaska
O Almighty God, We praise and glorify You, Our Lord and Creator. All the earth and everything within it acknowledges You as Creator, The Eternal Father.

Heaven and Earth, Angels and Men, together, praise and glorify You, the most glorious company of Apostles, the praiseworthy fellowship of Prophets, the great and noble gathering of Martyrs, the whole community of Saints, all praise You.

We the members of the holy community on earth pray: Make us worthy with all the Saints in Heaven, especially the newly glorified Elder, the Blessed Herman of Alaska, to reign in Your everlasting glory.

On this day the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church praises and glorifies You, our God, in joyful thanksgiving. The inheritors and children of the Holy Church of Christ which you, 0 Blessed Father Herman and your holy companions planted here, now flowering and growing throughout this great continent, gather at your reliquary. We gaze at your Relies in the knowledge that your soul joins together with the Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs, Saints and the Heavenly Hosts before the Throne of the Most Merci- ful God in praise of the Holy Trinity.

O Blessed Herrnit of Spruce Island, good teacher of the faith in the Holy Trinity, and our Spiritual Father, intercede before the throne of the Almighty God, for peace within the Church, the dispelling of all disunity, faithlessness and discord.

Come to the aid of our spiritual leaders that they may always be true and ef- fective instruments of the Holy Spirit, with the power to proclaim the evangelical truths, with the wisdom to enlighten the unenlightened, with the spirit to inspire all to love the knowledge of God, with the perseverance to defend the Church, even unto death, from all enemies both within and without and at all times.

May the hearts of your spiritual children be filled with that faith and love of the Holy Church which you manifested in your holy life; praying to Him to: deliver us from the temptations which cause us to fall; renew our child-like faith in our Heavenly Father; replace our trust in God, and in Him alone; satisfy our thirst for the true knowledge of God; teach us to serve God faithfully; transfigure our life that it may truly reflect the image and likeness of God.

O Holy Father and Patron of the Church in American: Be a physician to the weak in faith; be a support to the fallen; be a defender to the defenseless; be a bulwark of strength to the weary in spirit; be a guide to the travelers by sea, by land and by air; be our heavenly intercessor.

O Blessed Father Herman of Alaska, together with all the Saints and the Heavenly Hosts, pray to God that on each of us He will bestow wisdom for our mind, strength for our will, light for our spirit, enabling us to attain to the true peace of life which is from God alone. We praise with joyous and grateful hearts, the Life-Creating Trinity: Father Almighty, Only-Begotten Son, Comforter, Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Life of St. Herman of Alaska

by Newnameelizabeth

This documentary includes interviews with those who knew those who knew him.

The Video of Metropolitan Jonah’s Revolutionary Speech Sunday Night

by Newnameelizabeth

Is American Orthodoxy legitimate or not? It’s time to be adults and show the East that we can take care of ourselves, hopefully with their prayers.

Leave the American Orthodox Church alone (the video). Or as we say here in Texas, don’t mess with us. Remember Alaska!

Saints of North America: Herman, Innocent, Peter the Aleut, Tikhon, Raphael, John of San Francisco, and Blessed Seraphim Rose, pray for us!

What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?

by Newnameelizabeth

From The Life of Saint Herman of Alaska (whose repose was commemorated yesterday) on oca.org,

Further on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from St Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’

“Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ Various answers were offered … Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘It is not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion – that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “

All said, “Why, yes! That’s self-evident!” Then the Elder asked, “But do you love God?” They all answered, “Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?” “And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,” Father Herman protested to them. He then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. “if we love someone,” he said, “we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. Is that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?” They had to admit that they had not! “For our own good, and for our own fortune,” concluded the Elder, “let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!” Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.