Fr Rafail’s Talk – 31st October 2010, St. John the Baptist Monastery – Essex

Am primit şi o traducere în engleză a cuvântului (părintele a ţinut omilia în limba greacă) de la prietenii din Nepsis, traducerea a fost realizată de Rebecca Sava, de asemenea îi mulţumim.

+++
Fr Rafail’s Talk – 31st October 2010, St. John the Baptist Monastery – Essex

I noticed when I first came here again that we are many here together but we never know when it will be the last time that we are all here together. We are together and I find all brothers and sisters here, but everyone ages and is older, many have passed away ever since last time, elders left, 9 years ago father Eiriniaos left and father Symeon left also.

Saint Herman of Alaska – Commemorated on August 9

Saint Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America

Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America. A spiritual mission was organized in 1793, made up of monks of the Valaam Monastery. They were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who only ten years before had come under the sovereignty of Russia. St Herman was among the members of this Mission.

St Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow Diocese. His name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. (The monastic name is given when a monk takes his vows). He had a great zeal for piety from youth, and at sixteen he entered monastic life. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) First he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from St Petersburg.