Annual Saint Herman Pilgrimage to Kodiak, Spruce Island to be held August 7-11, 2002
Final plans for the annual Saint Herman Pilgrimage to Kodiak and Spruce Island, AK were recently announced by the Diocese of Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America.
Presiding at the pilgrimage will be the new Primate of the Orthodox Church of America, who will be elected during the OCA’s 13th All-American Council in Orlando, FL July 21-26, 2002.
His Grace, Bishop Nikolai of Sitka and Anchorage said the pilgrimage will open on Wednesday, August 7 at 6:30 p.m. with the singing of the Akathistos Hymn to Saint Herman at Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Kodiak, in which the relics of Saint Herman are enshrined. Following the service, the faithful are invited to a tea hosted by Bishop Nikolai in the cathedral hall.
On Thursday, August 8 at 8:00 a.m., pilgrims will depart for Spruce Island—weather permitting—where the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the Chapel of Saints Sergius and Herman of Valaam. A picnic at Monk’s Lagoon will follow. The All-Night Vigil for the Eve of the Feast of Saint Herman will be celebrated at 6:00 p.m.
The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, August 9, the Feast of Saint Herman, Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Kodiak. A banquet will follow at Kodiak High School.
On Saturday, August 10, pilgrims will enjoy free time in Kodiak. An afternoon BBQ will be held either at Saint Herman Seminary or the cathedral, followed by the Vigil at 6:30 p.m.
The pilgrimage will conclude with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Holy Resurrection Cathedral on Sunday, August 11 at 9:00 a.m. A BBQ will follow on the cathedral grounds.
Saint Herman of Alaska was one of eight Orthodox missionaries who arrived in Kodiak in 1794. For many years he resided on Spruce Island, where he was buried after his death in the early 1800s. His relics were enshrined in Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Kodiak, in 1970 in conjunction with his canonization by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America.
Further information and updates on the pilgrimage may be found at www.alaskanchurch.org, the official web site of the Diocese of Alaska.