Session 5: The Church Comes to America
The purpose of this session is to introduce the students to the origins of Orthodox Christianity in North America through the lives of the Alaskan saints (St. Herman, St. Innocent, St. Yakov).
Objectives: By the end of this session participants will be able to . . .
- Name Alaska as the place through which the Church came to North America. Recount the major events of at least one Alaskan saint
- Associate the lives and efforts of the Alaskan saints with the Church’s missionary approach in North America.
(Scriptural, Liturgical, Lives of Saints, etc):
Lives of St. Herman, St. Innocent, and St. Yakov (There is a good version of the life of St. Innocent on the OCA website at: https://www.oca.org/Feasts‑and‑Saints/OCA/#all‑saints.Otherwise, see Portraits of America Saints compiled and edited by Father George A. Gray and Jan V. Bear available from the Diocese of the West, 650 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026.
Teachers and teens may also wish to read the biography of St. Innocent, written by Paul Garrett, St. Innocent: Apostle to America available at St. Vladimir’s Seminary Bookstore (800) 204-BOOK.
Materials:- copies of the lives of Alaskan Saints (pp. 1-10; 21-30; 31-40; 41-46 ) from Portraits of American Saints by Fr. George Gray
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Procedure:
A: Younger Children
1. Opening prayer
2. Opening discussion: Begin by asking students if they know anything about Alaska? [It’s cold, one of the fifty states, etc.] You may want to have a map of the United States and show where Alaska is or show a short video presentation about it. Have a world map available to trace the journey of the missionaries from Lake Ladoga (north of St. Petersburg) across Russia and Siberia to Alaska. Most public libraries have good presentations that include not just wildlife but also various ethnic native traditions.
Continue by explaining that Orthodox Christianity first came to America over 200 years ago through Alaska.
3. Read the Life of St. Herman.
4. Discuss the following questions (write down their answers on chalkboard-type surface):- Name as many things that as you can that Saint Herman did in Alaska.
- How did doing these things tell people about the Good News?
- What challenges, or problems did he face?
- How did he react to these challenges?
- What words would you use to describe or personify St. Herman?
Activity: Coat of Arms
Ask participants if they had ever heard or seen a coat of arms. Explain that families, institutions, and even countries have had coats of arms to symbolize who they are and what they stand for. Show some examples of the types of things that go on a coat of arms. Explain that a coat of arms can have anywhere from one to five different symbols on them.
Pass out large paper shields for participants to create a coat of arms for St. Herman.
Participants can use pictures in magazines or draw on pieces of paper for their Have participants create a coat of arms for St. Herman. Refer to the story icon of St. Herman if participants need ideas.
When they are finished have volunteers explain their results to the rest of the group. Display their completed projects in a visible area.
Conclusion
Conclude by saying, “St. Herman and all the Alaskan saints show us the perfect example of how the Church will grow in North America. First, we need to know what God has done for us. We need to know how God continues to help us in our lives through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit Second, we need to see that God has done all this not only for us but also for every person we meet. Third, we want to share the Good News with everyone, because of our love for God and each person. Last, we must be willing to try and help them in anyway that they need.
And...
Say, “Last time you all received letters for your parents and/or grandparents to share their history in the Church.” Remind students to bring in their parents’ questionnaires next time if they forgot it this time. Continue, “Before we meet again, ask as many people as you can how they became an Orthodox Christian. Were their parents Orthodox? Did their ancestors come from a country that had a lot of Orthodox people? Write down their answers on a piece of paper. Next time we will gather all our answers and see how many different places throughout the world the people in our parish/community came from.”
Closing prayer
B & C: Pre-teens and Teens
Follow steps 1-2 as above.
3. Split into groups of 2 or 3. Distribute copies of the lives of St. Herman, St. Innocent, and St. Yakov.
Each group is to read the life of their saint and answer the questions on the Sharing the Good News in Alaska worksheet.
4. Coats of Arms
After participants have completed the questions on the worksheet they will make a presentation to the other groups about their saint. When all the groups have shared their results each group goes back and creates a coat of arms for the Church in Alaska. They are to make sure that there is at least one panel for each of the Alaskan saints they discussed. The coat of arms should also include a motto.
5. See conclusion above.