Because of the high winds and waves the evening of departure, that continued into the next day, our progress to Sitka was delayed. We were supposed to be there from 12p - 6p Thursday. The ship didn't drop anchor at the Sitka harbor until around 2pm, and then we all had to draw a number for "tender transport". We drew numbers 540 - 547, but the numbers continued to around 1000. The people who had booked a shore excursion didn't have to draw a number and were transported off the boat first. Thus we didn't set foot on Sitka shores until 4pm! and they said we still had to come back by 6. This was quite the bummer as Sitka, home of St. Innocent of Alaska, was our premier destination.
More about St. Innocent from oca.org:
St. Innocent of Alaska
Evangelizer, Teacher, Visionary
Equal to the Apostles, Enlightener of North America
1797 - 1879
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| Drawing of St. Innocent by the Very Rev. L.P. Koulos which appeared on the cover of the 1997 OCA Desk Calendar and the OCA Sourcebook. |
Throughout 1997 Orthodox Christians in North America will celebrate the
two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of their "apostle" and first
bishop -- St. Innocent (Veniaminov).
Born on August 26, 1797, in a remote village in Siberia, John Popov
(who later assumed the surname of Veniaminov) studies for pastoral
service at the seminary in Irkutsk. After his marriage to Catherine
Sharina (1817) and ordination to the priesthood (1821), Fr. John
volunteered for missionary work in Alaska.
Arriving with his family in Unalaska in the Aleutian island chain
(1824), Fr. John began his remarkable career as a missionary priest and
bishop in the far-reaches of the Russian Empire -- Siberia and Alaska.
Following the death of his wife (1839), he entered monastic life by
taking the name Innocent and was elected the first resident bishop of
Alaska (1840-58).
A person with many skills and interest, Fr. John carefully studied the
traditional cultures of his flock and well as their natural
environment. He also designed and built churches including the Mission
House and St. Michael's Cathedral in Sitka.
An accomplished linguist, Fr. John learned the various native Siberian
and Alaskan languages of his diverse flock. While serving in Unalaska,
he learned Unangan, the Fox Island dialect of the Aleut people. Along
with Aleut leader Ivan Pan'kov, he devised a written grammar and
alphabet, translating the Gospel of St. Matthew and liturgical texts.
His spiritual treatise Indication of the Pathway into the Kingdom of
Heaven was first published in Unangan and was the first Aleut book.
Later in his life he was appointed Metropolitan of Moscow (1868).
However, Metropolitan Innocent's evangelical zeal never diminished --
establishing in 1868 the Orthodox Missionary Society. He died in Moscow
on March 31, 1879, and was canonized a saint of the Orthodox Church on
October 6, 1977.
I was very awed by the things we saw concerning St. Innocent. Actually, the thing that surprised me most was getting to see the Bishop's chair that St. Innocent made himself. It was really very nice, especially for being so old.
ReplyDeleteI was also very excited to have gotten to see his actual blessing cross made of ivory, which actually had a piece of the Holy Cross in it. Amazing.
It truly was amazing. Sure, the rough seas were fun to walk around in, but to miss out on the coolest town in Alaska, well, it just doesn't seem worth. it. I could easily have spent two days there. Plus, it was annoying waiting for the tender numbers to roll up that high. Oh well. It was still a great town to visit, and Saint Michael's was beautiful, even if it was a redo, as the original burned down in the Sixties. More on that later. I really miss that town.
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