Venerable Herman of Alaska — July 27 / August 9 (Julian Calendar)

On this day, July 27 according to the Julian Calendar (August 9 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates Venerable Herman of Alaska.

Venerable Herman of Alaska was born in 1757 in Serpukhov, a town near Moscow, into a merchant family. His name in the world is unknown. The blessed one was sixteen years old when he withdrew from the world. At first he labored at the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg, on the Gulf of Finland; after about five years, seeking solitude and silence, he departed for Valaam. That monastery, built on the shores of Lake Ladoga, was cut off from the outside world for nearly eight months of the year.

After a thorough testing in various obediences, the abbot Nazarius blessed the young ascetic to withdraw to a secluded place in the forest. It is believed that Venerable Herman settled at Valaam in 1778 — the same year in which blessed Seraphim arrived at the Sarov hermitage. The life of Saint Herman on the island of Valaam closely resembles the struggles of the great wonderworker of Sarov: like Venerable Seraphim, the Valaam ascetic was distinguished by a deep and thorough knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and of the writings of the holy fathers of the universal Church.

After fifteen years of labors at Valaam, the Lord called Saint Herman to apostolic work and sent him to North America, to enlighten the pagan inhabitants of the sparsely settled, harsh land of Alaska and its neighboring islands. For this purpose a spiritual mission was founded in 1793, headed by Archimandrite Joasaph (Bolotov), a monk of the Valaam monastery. Among the members of the mission were five other Valaam fathers, and among them Venerable Herman.

Arriving on Kodiak Island, the missionaries immediately set about building a church and preaching. In the new place of labor Father Herman at first fulfilled his obedience in the bakery and managed the household affairs of the mission.

In 1799, during a storm, Archimandrite Joasaph and his companions perished in the ocean. In 1804, to aid the surviving missionaries, only one monk was sent from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra — the hieromonk Gideon. In 1807 Father Gideon left the missionaries’ station for good, and the whole responsibility fell upon Venerable Herman, who until his very repose remained the spiritual father and teacher of the mission entrusted to him, standing as a faithful guardian over the souls of his rational flock. They wished to ordain the blessed father first a hieromonk and later an archimandrite, but out of humility he refused and remained a simple monk.

Venerable Herman proved a truly good shepherd to the local people. The time of his repose was revealed to the venerable father in advance, and he gave instructions for his burial. On December 13, 1837, he asked his disciples to light candles before the icons and to begin reading the Acts of the Apostles, and he peacefully gave his soul to the Lord. The saint was then eighty-one years old.