On Monday, May 24, a group of seminarians unexpectedly visited Ouzinkie, Alaska. Ouzinkie is a village on Spruce Island, the same island that St. Herman lived and reposed on. It was a beautiful day and the first time some of us had seen the attractive village of Ouzinkie at ground level. We had a prayer service in the small church of the Nativity and then a picnic on the beach.
Usually the St. Herman's Seminary community visits Spruce Island and St. Herman's grave once during the spring and has a Divine Liturgy there. Our dean and one seminarian had been at Ouzinkie for Pentecost and they were able to reach Monk's Lagoon today for the Day of the Holy Spirit. But the rest of us, coming from Kodiak, were unable to land safely at the Lagoon today because of the surf. So after some deliberation we went to Ouzinkie instead, which is at the other end of Spruce island. There we did a prayer service with akathist in the church and then had our lunch and headed back. We felt the Holy Spirit arranged things so that we went to Ouzinkie.
We were grateful to Andy and Tatiana Berestoff who provided transportation on their fishing boat. There were 8 adults and 18 children in our group. The waters were somewhat choppy on the way over, but for the return weather conditions were warmer and sunnier, and the water calmer.
Ouzinkie has a boardwalk from the boat dock to the church that is just a beautiful scenic walk, framed by grassy hillside and shady trees. The church is beautiful!
This came on the heels of a memorable weekend trip to Port Lions. Several of us from the seminary community joined a large group form St. Innocent Academy in making the trip for Pentecost. The Academy provided the singing for the services and also put on meals and performances for the community. After the vespers service with kneeling prayers, we did a prayer for the renovation of the church. We then had lunch during which the Alutiiq Dancers from Port Lions entertained us with their graceful dances. And then we got busy removing everything from the church building in preparation for renovations now going on.
Glory to God!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
The fruit of the Spirit is peace
"Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). "Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:5-7).
Probably it was the tension over the upcoming healthcare vote that led me to post the above on facebook: the words, though, address every situation, not just the healthcare bill. The fruit of the Spirit is peace. Clearly it is the will of God that we should not be troubled about anything. "Let not your hearts be troubled" was what Jesus said; "Be anxious for nothing" were Paul's words.
But about the disquiet occasioned by the healthcare bill. From what I can discern many were on edge because they thought this bill would somehow take away our freedom. As absurd as it may seem, comparisons were made to Stalinism and Nazi Germany. One big issue seemed to be the new requirement that people purchase health insurance.
But it occurred to me this is nothing new at all: we've been required to buy car insurance for decades (unless you didn't own a car), and no one ever thought anything of that. And families with low income will receive a subsidy to help them buy the insurance.
Unjust? UnAmerican? Unconstitutional? There is, in fact, a strong element of justice about it. Before, if you didn't buy health insurance because you were healthy, and then if you did get sick, everyone else had to carry the burden of paying for your care. And that's one of the main things that made the current system untenable, that messed it up. Now, everyone will have to at least do a little bit to carry their own weight, but graduated according to one's ability to pay.
In many ways this new law will create freedom, not take it away. People will be free to change jobs. You will be free to keep your house if you get sick, and not have to sell it, because now your medical insurance policy can't be dropped by your insurance company.
I think the concerns about abortion were originally reasonable but they were addressed in the Senate version by the segregation of funds. Other protections were added to the law, and at the end Obama agreed to make the executive order that sealed the deal. But even without those protections, I think anyone who really wanted an abortion was already getting one, so the new law would have changed nothing.
With the last minute changes, even Bart Stupak signed on. Yet someone shouted "Baby killer!" at Stupak. In the end it was clear that there was nothing that could have been done to satisfy those who opposed the bill because of abortion, or who were using abortion as a way to kill the bill.
David Gushee noted that "There are two deeply pro-life measures in the bill ... Establishment and funding of programs to support vulnerable pregnant women and thus prevent abortion from the demand side [and] Increase of the adoption tax credit and a provision to make it refundable so that lower income families can access the tax credit."
When you think of the many bad things that are corrected by this law, and how many people it will help, we should rejoice.
Probably it was the tension over the upcoming healthcare vote that led me to post the above on facebook: the words, though, address every situation, not just the healthcare bill. The fruit of the Spirit is peace. Clearly it is the will of God that we should not be troubled about anything. "Let not your hearts be troubled" was what Jesus said; "Be anxious for nothing" were Paul's words.
But about the disquiet occasioned by the healthcare bill. From what I can discern many were on edge because they thought this bill would somehow take away our freedom. As absurd as it may seem, comparisons were made to Stalinism and Nazi Germany. One big issue seemed to be the new requirement that people purchase health insurance.
But it occurred to me this is nothing new at all: we've been required to buy car insurance for decades (unless you didn't own a car), and no one ever thought anything of that. And families with low income will receive a subsidy to help them buy the insurance.
Unjust? UnAmerican? Unconstitutional? There is, in fact, a strong element of justice about it. Before, if you didn't buy health insurance because you were healthy, and then if you did get sick, everyone else had to carry the burden of paying for your care. And that's one of the main things that made the current system untenable, that messed it up. Now, everyone will have to at least do a little bit to carry their own weight, but graduated according to one's ability to pay.
In many ways this new law will create freedom, not take it away. People will be free to change jobs. You will be free to keep your house if you get sick, and not have to sell it, because now your medical insurance policy can't be dropped by your insurance company.
I think the concerns about abortion were originally reasonable but they were addressed in the Senate version by the segregation of funds. Other protections were added to the law, and at the end Obama agreed to make the executive order that sealed the deal. But even without those protections, I think anyone who really wanted an abortion was already getting one, so the new law would have changed nothing.
With the last minute changes, even Bart Stupak signed on. Yet someone shouted "Baby killer!" at Stupak. In the end it was clear that there was nothing that could have been done to satisfy those who opposed the bill because of abortion, or who were using abortion as a way to kill the bill.
David Gushee noted that "There are two deeply pro-life measures in the bill ... Establishment and funding of programs to support vulnerable pregnant women and thus prevent abortion from the demand side [and] Increase of the adoption tax credit and a provision to make it refundable so that lower income families can access the tax credit."
When you think of the many bad things that are corrected by this law, and how many people it will help, we should rejoice.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
One cannot love the unborn if one does not love the born
"He who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen" (First Letter of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian; 1 John 4:20).
By the same principle, he who does not love the sick born person whom he has seen, cannot love the unborn fetus whom he has not seen. This is clear from what St. John the Apostle has written.
And what does that love consist of? What does love for the sick consist of? It's clear from the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) that it consists not in preaching to them, but in providing care for them. For love is shown "not in words or talk" by "in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).
The point is that he who does not believe adequate, quality health care should be provided to all born people, for the preservation of their health and life, will not be taken seriously, and will not be believed, when he professes to be concerned for the welfare and lives of the unborn.
For how can a person sincerely love the unborn whom he has not seen, when he fails to manifest love, concern, and care for the born whom he has seen?
We who want people to listen and to take us seriously when we speak of the sanctity of life and when we express our belief that the lives of the unborn are precious and should be preserved, need to show that we are sincere, by vigorously advocating that full, quality healthcare be available to all people, regardless of their ability to pay. Otherwise our purported concern for the unborn will not have the ring of truth.
And that will have consequences not only for the unborn, but for even more important things: our Christian faith itself will also be mocked as insincere.
If we wish to give people a reason to take our message of Christ and his Cross seriously by showing concern for the lives of the unborn, we are destined to fail, and our message to be rejected, if we do not, at the same time, speak out about the need to preserve the health and lives of the born by providing adequate and quality health care for all, particularly at a time when this issue is being discussed and debated in our society.
By the same principle, he who does not love the sick born person whom he has seen, cannot love the unborn fetus whom he has not seen. This is clear from what St. John the Apostle has written.
And what does that love consist of? What does love for the sick consist of? It's clear from the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) that it consists not in preaching to them, but in providing care for them. For love is shown "not in words or talk" by "in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).
The point is that he who does not believe adequate, quality health care should be provided to all born people, for the preservation of their health and life, will not be taken seriously, and will not be believed, when he professes to be concerned for the welfare and lives of the unborn.
For how can a person sincerely love the unborn whom he has not seen, when he fails to manifest love, concern, and care for the born whom he has seen?
We who want people to listen and to take us seriously when we speak of the sanctity of life and when we express our belief that the lives of the unborn are precious and should be preserved, need to show that we are sincere, by vigorously advocating that full, quality healthcare be available to all people, regardless of their ability to pay. Otherwise our purported concern for the unborn will not have the ring of truth.
And that will have consequences not only for the unborn, but for even more important things: our Christian faith itself will also be mocked as insincere.
If we wish to give people a reason to take our message of Christ and his Cross seriously by showing concern for the lives of the unborn, we are destined to fail, and our message to be rejected, if we do not, at the same time, speak out about the need to preserve the health and lives of the born by providing adequate and quality health care for all, particularly at a time when this issue is being discussed and debated in our society.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Affordable Healthcare for America Act
The Affordable Healthcare for America Act took a big step forward in the US Congress. This appears a "watershed moment" in American history, in that final passage now seems very likely, after further revision.
Gandhi said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." He did not say that animals are more important than humans, but only that animal care is a revealing index of national greatness.
While it is hard to fault that statement, surely an even more potent index of a nation's greatness is how well it cares for the health of its human citizenry. Greatness requires goodness, and goodness is not compatible with leaving meany of the nation's sick without adequate care.
The passage of this legislation would save the lives of many and improve the lives of many others. Those who voted for the bill performed an act of moral courage. Its enactment into law would be an act of courage, wisdom, and justice on America's part. The bill embodies the teaching of our Lord in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Without this or similar legislation, we have a system under which the nation, in effect, sees its ailing fellow-citizen lying injured and half-dead by the roadside, yet does not offer help, but "passes by on the other side."
Ironically many of those who opposed the bill helped assure its passage by amending it to further restrict abortion, while many who opposed such restrictions voted to enact them into law, by voting in favor of the bill. The devil often works by dividing; on this feast of St. Michael and the Bodiless Powers, those good angels must have been inspiring many to work together for the cause of goodness.
The act includes provisions to encourage better national health and eating habits and better preventative medicine. If Americans practiced these things, it's likely that the annual national health bill would be drastically reduced, perhaps halved. Reducing alcoholism, smoking, food-related diseases like obesity, diabetes, and often cancer, cutting meat consumption by 50%, eating more fruits and vegetables and adopting an exercise routine could have that result.
(also posted in the Facebook group Progressive Orthodox Christianity)
Gandhi said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." He did not say that animals are more important than humans, but only that animal care is a revealing index of national greatness.
While it is hard to fault that statement, surely an even more potent index of a nation's greatness is how well it cares for the health of its human citizenry. Greatness requires goodness, and goodness is not compatible with leaving meany of the nation's sick without adequate care.
The passage of this legislation would save the lives of many and improve the lives of many others. Those who voted for the bill performed an act of moral courage. Its enactment into law would be an act of courage, wisdom, and justice on America's part. The bill embodies the teaching of our Lord in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Without this or similar legislation, we have a system under which the nation, in effect, sees its ailing fellow-citizen lying injured and half-dead by the roadside, yet does not offer help, but "passes by on the other side."
Ironically many of those who opposed the bill helped assure its passage by amending it to further restrict abortion, while many who opposed such restrictions voted to enact them into law, by voting in favor of the bill. The devil often works by dividing; on this feast of St. Michael and the Bodiless Powers, those good angels must have been inspiring many to work together for the cause of goodness.
The act includes provisions to encourage better national health and eating habits and better preventative medicine. If Americans practiced these things, it's likely that the annual national health bill would be drastically reduced, perhaps halved. Reducing alcoholism, smoking, food-related diseases like obesity, diabetes, and often cancer, cutting meat consumption by 50%, eating more fruits and vegetables and adopting an exercise routine could have that result.
(also posted in the Facebook group Progressive Orthodox Christianity)
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Vastness of Alaska
I'm gradually gaining an idea of the vastness of this state from what the students from different parts of Alaska tell me. It's big enough that there is great variation in climate and geography. I've seen or heard of tundra, of rivers, of valleys, of mountains, of glaciers, of floods, of forest.
"Tundra" suggests like a frozen waste, but in the summer, at least, it's a green grassy place that's nice to be in. A student told me how he and his family travelled for two hours to get to the tundra, just to enjoy being in it and having a picnic there. Also, I've tried "tundra tea," made from a grass that grows there, and said to have medicinal qualities.
The distances make travel expensive. For some of the seminarians, a visit home would cost $800 to $1000 for the round trip. For a family of five, that runs up quite a bill.
Each year the Orthodox Diocese of Alaska holds regional conferences, where clergy and laity from an area gather and have workshops dealing with music and other church topics. I'm considering attending the one in the Yukon River area this summer. It will be in either Pilot Station or Marshall, AK. This year, one married student, with his family, and the one single student attending the seminary, were from Pilot, as they call it.
To get there, I would fly from Kodiak to Anchorage by jet or turboprop, then to the hub town of Bethel by the same, and from there to Pilot or Marshall by small plane. Thus it would be a three-leg journey. If I were travelling from the island village of Port Lions, there would be in addition a flight by small plane to get to the hub town of Kodiak, making that a four-leg journey.
"Tundra" suggests like a frozen waste, but in the summer, at least, it's a green grassy place that's nice to be in. A student told me how he and his family travelled for two hours to get to the tundra, just to enjoy being in it and having a picnic there. Also, I've tried "tundra tea," made from a grass that grows there, and said to have medicinal qualities.
The distances make travel expensive. For some of the seminarians, a visit home would cost $800 to $1000 for the round trip. For a family of five, that runs up quite a bill.
Each year the Orthodox Diocese of Alaska holds regional conferences, where clergy and laity from an area gather and have workshops dealing with music and other church topics. I'm considering attending the one in the Yukon River area this summer. It will be in either Pilot Station or Marshall, AK. This year, one married student, with his family, and the one single student attending the seminary, were from Pilot, as they call it.
To get there, I would fly from Kodiak to Anchorage by jet or turboprop, then to the hub town of Bethel by the same, and from there to Pilot or Marshall by small plane. Thus it would be a three-leg journey. If I were travelling from the island village of Port Lions, there would be in addition a flight by small plane to get to the hub town of Kodiak, making that a four-leg journey.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Eagles
Visiting the town dump is part of really getting to know a town. We had to take some stuff to the dump as part of cleaning up for the graduation. Yes, even this lovely town has its dump. It seems to be very well managed. Batteries and hazardous liquids are handled properly. Fridges are bled of their freon safely. What's left is densely composted and used to build a trash hill in a landfill.
The oddest thing is the eagles. There are lots of American bald eagles around Kodiak. A photo in the local paper that showed at least two dozen of them sitting on stacks of crab pots. Sometimes you see a half dozen or more flying near the seminary, and one Sunday as we were leaving church, I saw one perched atop the cross on Holy Resurrection Cathedral, the oldest Orthodox parish in North America.
But the biggest flock I've seen up close is at the dump. And they seem tame. Two of them sat on a fence as we drove by, not 15 feet away, and they didn't even seem to notice us, much less fly away. Further off, sitting on the growing mound of compacted waste, was a mixed flock of 40 or 50 large birds -- eagles along with what I took to be crows and ravens. They are there to scavenge bits of food in the waste, as the city garbage trucks dump their waste here as well. (Yes, Kodiak is a "city"; so too is nearby Port Lions, pop. ca. 250.)
We humans go to great lengths to prepare our food just so. In the animal world, you find an assortment of odd (to us) dietary preferences, ranging from the bottom feeders, to the chimps that imitate us in the way they consume bananas. To each, their preference is the perfect delicacy. There are species that will only eat one thing, like the giant pandas that require bamboo and never tire of it, while pigs and chickens will eat most anything. Mosquitos drink blood, cows eat grass, turtles devour jellyfish. Sharks, tigers, and eagles attack live prey, while some birds eat only seeds. The majestic eagles are not proud: they are happy to scavenge at a dump. All this confirms what we know, that God provides for each.
And while he grants us the gift of good food enjoyed in the company of friends, his saints, with their modest requirements, seem to take a lesson from the beasts: that we need not be picky or proud about what we eat.
The oddest thing is the eagles. There are lots of American bald eagles around Kodiak. A photo in the local paper that showed at least two dozen of them sitting on stacks of crab pots. Sometimes you see a half dozen or more flying near the seminary, and one Sunday as we were leaving church, I saw one perched atop the cross on Holy Resurrection Cathedral, the oldest Orthodox parish in North America.
But the biggest flock I've seen up close is at the dump. And they seem tame. Two of them sat on a fence as we drove by, not 15 feet away, and they didn't even seem to notice us, much less fly away. Further off, sitting on the growing mound of compacted waste, was a mixed flock of 40 or 50 large birds -- eagles along with what I took to be crows and ravens. They are there to scavenge bits of food in the waste, as the city garbage trucks dump their waste here as well. (Yes, Kodiak is a "city"; so too is nearby Port Lions, pop. ca. 250.)
We humans go to great lengths to prepare our food just so. In the animal world, you find an assortment of odd (to us) dietary preferences, ranging from the bottom feeders, to the chimps that imitate us in the way they consume bananas. To each, their preference is the perfect delicacy. There are species that will only eat one thing, like the giant pandas that require bamboo and never tire of it, while pigs and chickens will eat most anything. Mosquitos drink blood, cows eat grass, turtles devour jellyfish. Sharks, tigers, and eagles attack live prey, while some birds eat only seeds. The majestic eagles are not proud: they are happy to scavenge at a dump. All this confirms what we know, that God provides for each.
And while he grants us the gift of good food enjoyed in the company of friends, his saints, with their modest requirements, seem to take a lesson from the beasts: that we need not be picky or proud about what we eat.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Climate of Kodiak and points north
I have to confess that, growing up and living in the lower 48, I was pretty ignorant of Alaska. I thought of it mostly as a big, snowy icebox. Now that I live in Kodiak, I can see that perception was way off base, at least regarding Kodiak but also, to some extent, other areas as well.
Just finished living through my first winter here. My impression is that the temperature stayed in the 20s and 30s almost all winter long. It was milder than many a winter I've spent in PA or CT or OH or IL. Yet more than one person in Kodiak has told me this was the coldest winter in years. The water surrounding the island moderates the temperature and keeps it from dipping very low. Now and then I checked the temperature in interior and more northerly parts of AK (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Bethel, Nome, Barrow, Juneau) via Yahoo weather, and found it was often 20+ degrees colder in those places than here. And in the summer, it is very pleasantly cooler here than in the lower 48. I haven't spent a full summer here, but I know what's it's like to walk through the woods on Spruce Island on gently cool or warm days, or to go picnicking and salmonberry picking in nearby Fort Abercrombie Park.
Then there's the greenness of the place. They speak of Kodiak as "Alaska's emerald isle" and you might think it's boosterism, but I've seen the green hillsides and in summer they do shimmer. Here's this paean from an 1890s visitor: “I feel as if I wanted to go back, to Kodiak. Almost as if I could return there to live. So secluded, so remote, so peaceful; such a mingling of the domestic, the pastoral, the sylvan, with the wild and the rugged; such emerald heights, such flowery vales, such blue arms and recesses of the sea, and such a vast green solitude stretching away to the west, and to the north and to the south. Bewitching Kodiak! The spell of thy summer freshness and placidity is still upon me” (John Burroughs, Alaska: The Harriman Expedition, 1899.)
And I'm told that the largest cabbages anywhere have been grown in AK. How could that be? Ninety degree days with 18+ hours of sunlight. And that there are some fertile areas with many different vegetables farmed, and dairy cattle.
And along with it, the extremely cold and long winter in some areas, to be sure. But not in Kodiak, anyway.
These observations are admittedly from a newbie here. (Alaskan oldtimers who may read this, be patient!)
Just finished living through my first winter here. My impression is that the temperature stayed in the 20s and 30s almost all winter long. It was milder than many a winter I've spent in PA or CT or OH or IL. Yet more than one person in Kodiak has told me this was the coldest winter in years. The water surrounding the island moderates the temperature and keeps it from dipping very low. Now and then I checked the temperature in interior and more northerly parts of AK (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Bethel, Nome, Barrow, Juneau) via Yahoo weather, and found it was often 20+ degrees colder in those places than here. And in the summer, it is very pleasantly cooler here than in the lower 48. I haven't spent a full summer here, but I know what's it's like to walk through the woods on Spruce Island on gently cool or warm days, or to go picnicking and salmonberry picking in nearby Fort Abercrombie Park.
Then there's the greenness of the place. They speak of Kodiak as "Alaska's emerald isle" and you might think it's boosterism, but I've seen the green hillsides and in summer they do shimmer. Here's this paean from an 1890s visitor: “I feel as if I wanted to go back, to Kodiak. Almost as if I could return there to live. So secluded, so remote, so peaceful; such a mingling of the domestic, the pastoral, the sylvan, with the wild and the rugged; such emerald heights, such flowery vales, such blue arms and recesses of the sea, and such a vast green solitude stretching away to the west, and to the north and to the south. Bewitching Kodiak! The spell of thy summer freshness and placidity is still upon me” (John Burroughs, Alaska: The Harriman Expedition, 1899.)
And I'm told that the largest cabbages anywhere have been grown in AK. How could that be? Ninety degree days with 18+ hours of sunlight. And that there are some fertile areas with many different vegetables farmed, and dairy cattle.
And along with it, the extremely cold and long winter in some areas, to be sure. But not in Kodiak, anyway.
These observations are admittedly from a newbie here. (Alaskan oldtimers who may read this, be patient!)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter 2009
Dear all,
I hope you all had a good Easter. I'm sure you did. I had Palm Sunday this week, in snowy / sunny Port Lions, AK. It's a 12 minute plane ride from Kodiak, flying through the passes between the snowy mountains.
This time was by far the scariest flight yet. Usually when we get up in the air, the pilot looks to the west, and if he can see through the pass, he flies that way - otherwise we fly around Kodiak Island along the coast, a considerably longer route. This time, Jimmy, our young Yup'ik pilot from the Kuskokwim River area, headed the plane through the passes but we ran into a brief snow squall and as the plane twisted and turned around in the valleys, it seemed as though you could reach out and touch the pine trees on the snowy mountains -- which I was quite afraid we might hit. But I guess Jimmy knew what he was doing - these planes have GPS so the pilots have a map right in front of them showing where they are at all times. Probably we didn't get closer than 200 feet, or more, from the mountainsides. Suddenly we emerged from the squall and the mountains, with water below us, and we were flying across the Kizhuyak Bay.
I spent part of Saturday visiting parishioners in their homes. It's easy to do that in a village of 250 people. Port Lions is a very nice village, with great scenic views, but a number of empty houses, because the number of jobs in the town is limited. There are no stores, but there is a post office, a clinic, a library, two schools, a Native building, a firehouse, and a water treatment plant. (I asked, why would PL need a water treatment plant, doesn't it get pure mountain water? And I was told that "beavers pee in it, etc" and that there are certain diseases you could get if the water wasn't purified.)
As you walk around the streets, kids and adults sail past on quads or 4-wheel ATVs, all wearing helmets. It's a convenient way to get around town. Others drive pickup trucks or regular cars.
Port Lions came into being in 1964, when the village of Afognak, AK was wiped out by earthquake, and due to changes in the contour of the land at Afognak, it was deemed unwise to rebuild that town. (Afognak was on Afognak Island, a large island just north of Kodiak Island.) The people migrated to what is now Port Lions. About half the townspeople of PL are Native Americans (Aleuts) who seem to be culturally much the same as other Americans. In many cases I would not have guessed that a person was a Native American (or as they say up here, "Alaskan Native" or simply "Native"). The Alaskan Natives do not have reservations, but have about 85 Native Corporations which own significant amounts of land, engage in businesses, and are, by and large, very successful. A great many of those I have met have Swedish or Russian names. (Most Alaskan Natives have three given names: a "church name" that is the name of an Orthodox saint; an American name, and a Native name. This is hard to master, with so many children around. I try to learn the church name first. I love them the best. Here at the seminary we have a Methodius, a Perpetua, a Procopius -- nicknamed Koby, and an Ishmael).
I listened to some of the people who remembered Afognak talking about their childhood there - and how they played out of doors, amidst and around the trees and houses, and made their own games up - an experience they noted was very different from that of most kids today, who are glued to the internet. On Good Friday in 1964 most of them had just finished having supper and were getting ready to go see the movie "King of Kings" - a movie was a big thing in Afognak - when the earthquake struck - it was the most powerful earthquake in recent North American history and lasted 4 minutes.
Afognak Island sounds like it was (and remains) a paradaisical isle, largely unspoiled land, like Kodiak. Between Afognak Island and Kodiak Island is a water channel called whale passage, because whales use it a lot to get. There is an island called Whale Island right there. They tell me you can often see pods of whales right off Port Lions.
A number of parishioners make their living by hosting tourists who come for hunting, sportfishing, or nature viewing. One of the women was telling me how she loves going out on the boat with her husband when the waters are calm, and just watching the animal and marine life.
Unfortunately, because of the economy, a lot of these people aren't getting much business right now. Hopefully that will improve as the economy picks up.
This weekend I learned that in Alaska the largest cabbages anywhere have been grown. How is this possible? 90-degree summer days combined with 20-21 hours of sun. Carrots, potatoes, and corn are also grown here, and tomatoes are grown in greenhouses, and cattle are raised.
Happy Easter to all
Peace, love, and joy
I hope you all had a good Easter. I'm sure you did. I had Palm Sunday this week, in snowy / sunny Port Lions, AK. It's a 12 minute plane ride from Kodiak, flying through the passes between the snowy mountains.
This time was by far the scariest flight yet. Usually when we get up in the air, the pilot looks to the west, and if he can see through the pass, he flies that way - otherwise we fly around Kodiak Island along the coast, a considerably longer route. This time, Jimmy, our young Yup'ik pilot from the Kuskokwim River area, headed the plane through the passes but we ran into a brief snow squall and as the plane twisted and turned around in the valleys, it seemed as though you could reach out and touch the pine trees on the snowy mountains -- which I was quite afraid we might hit. But I guess Jimmy knew what he was doing - these planes have GPS so the pilots have a map right in front of them showing where they are at all times. Probably we didn't get closer than 200 feet, or more, from the mountainsides. Suddenly we emerged from the squall and the mountains, with water below us, and we were flying across the Kizhuyak Bay.
I spent part of Saturday visiting parishioners in their homes. It's easy to do that in a village of 250 people. Port Lions is a very nice village, with great scenic views, but a number of empty houses, because the number of jobs in the town is limited. There are no stores, but there is a post office, a clinic, a library, two schools, a Native building, a firehouse, and a water treatment plant. (I asked, why would PL need a water treatment plant, doesn't it get pure mountain water? And I was told that "beavers pee in it, etc" and that there are certain diseases you could get if the water wasn't purified.)
As you walk around the streets, kids and adults sail past on quads or 4-wheel ATVs, all wearing helmets. It's a convenient way to get around town. Others drive pickup trucks or regular cars.
Port Lions came into being in 1964, when the village of Afognak, AK was wiped out by earthquake, and due to changes in the contour of the land at Afognak, it was deemed unwise to rebuild that town. (Afognak was on Afognak Island, a large island just north of Kodiak Island.) The people migrated to what is now Port Lions. About half the townspeople of PL are Native Americans (Aleuts) who seem to be culturally much the same as other Americans. In many cases I would not have guessed that a person was a Native American (or as they say up here, "Alaskan Native" or simply "Native"). The Alaskan Natives do not have reservations, but have about 85 Native Corporations which own significant amounts of land, engage in businesses, and are, by and large, very successful. A great many of those I have met have Swedish or Russian names. (Most Alaskan Natives have three given names: a "church name" that is the name of an Orthodox saint; an American name, and a Native name. This is hard to master, with so many children around. I try to learn the church name first. I love them the best. Here at the seminary we have a Methodius, a Perpetua, a Procopius -- nicknamed Koby, and an Ishmael).
I listened to some of the people who remembered Afognak talking about their childhood there - and how they played out of doors, amidst and around the trees and houses, and made their own games up - an experience they noted was very different from that of most kids today, who are glued to the internet. On Good Friday in 1964 most of them had just finished having supper and were getting ready to go see the movie "King of Kings" - a movie was a big thing in Afognak - when the earthquake struck - it was the most powerful earthquake in recent North American history and lasted 4 minutes.
Afognak Island sounds like it was (and remains) a paradaisical isle, largely unspoiled land, like Kodiak. Between Afognak Island and Kodiak Island is a water channel called whale passage, because whales use it a lot to get. There is an island called Whale Island right there. They tell me you can often see pods of whales right off Port Lions.
A number of parishioners make their living by hosting tourists who come for hunting, sportfishing, or nature viewing. One of the women was telling me how she loves going out on the boat with her husband when the waters are calm, and just watching the animal and marine life.
Unfortunately, because of the economy, a lot of these people aren't getting much business right now. Hopefully that will improve as the economy picks up.
This weekend I learned that in Alaska the largest cabbages anywhere have been grown. How is this possible? 90-degree summer days combined with 20-21 hours of sun. Carrots, potatoes, and corn are also grown here, and tomatoes are grown in greenhouses, and cattle are raised.
Happy Easter to all
Peace, love, and joy
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas 2009/2010
Dear friends,
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Greetings to all of you at this joyous season of Christ's birth. I hope you've all had, or are having, a blessed and joyful celebration.
I hope all of you are well and have had many blessings during this past year.
It's been a good semester here. Since arriving in Alaska on August 6, I've gotten settled in a bit. I got used to the routine of class preparation. The students and their families are wonderful folks. St. Herman's Seminary has 10 seminarians at present. All but one of them are married and are here with their families, including about 22 children who love being here and are almost always playing around the grounds.
Kodiak is a beautiful place. And so far what people said has about the climate has proven correct: it has seemed milder here than in New England or NE Pennsylvania. The water keeps it relatively warm. Not far to the north, mainland Alaska is typically 20-25 degrees colder. Right now we are in the grip of a cold spell which will stay a while. The temp is predicted to hover around 23 degrees this week. But in Anchorage, about 250 miles to the north, it's hovering at minus -2.
I've visited Port Lions, AK three times now -- every few weeks -- and that's a beautiful place too. It's about 15 miles west of here. You reach it by boat or by plane. The 10 to 12 minute plane ride, when there has been a dusting of snow, is just stunningly beautiful, especially when the weather is perfect and we fly between the mountains, instead of around the island of Kodiak hugging the shore. Most of the time the ride in the small plane is just as smooth as that in a big jet. At Port Lions I've been officiating at services in the parish church. Port Lions was founded in 1964 when the village of Afognak, just north of here, was destroyed by earthquake and tidal waves. I've met some of the people who lived through that earthquake. Interestingly it was at Afognak that villagers saw the pillar of light rising into heaven when St. Herman of Alaska departed this life. That sighting is recorded in the life of St. Herman. St. Herman lived on Spruce Island which lies between Kodiak and Afognak. I've even met some folks whose great-grandparents witnessed that light.
One of the highlights of the fall was three days of lectures by Fr. Michael Oleksa, who talked about the need for cultural sensitivity -- or as he put, the need to discern and enter into some else's "beam of light" and to listen to their "story." Their story is their life and their history. Their beam of light is how they look at things and understand things and do things. Also as part of the lectures, he told many amusing -- or sometimes saddening -- stories, or anecdotes. It was very enlightening. Fr Michael, who teaches at the Univ. of Alaska, has written books on mission theology and on cultural sensitivity. He himself is of Polish background; his wife Xenia is a native Alaskan.
All of the seminarians, by the way, are Alaskan natives. Probably few of them are of full-blooded native; most have some Russian or Swedish blood. To me they seem -- in many ways, at least -- to be culturally much like other Americans living here and there in the 50 states.
During this past semester I took part in a weekly one-hour class on the Yupik language. One Yup'ik word is: Quyana! (it sounds like the 1st 2 letters in KYLE plus the last 4 in DONNA - thus KY-ONNA!! with a strong accent on the middle syllable). It means "Thank you!" An Aleut word you might know is "quyak" (kayak). The main native groups in Alaskan are the Yup'ik, the Aleut, the Alutiiq, the Tlingit, and the Athabascan.
You never know what Jesus is going to ask you to do to serve Him. This fall I was asked to attend basketball games at the local high school and middle school! The reason: the St. Herman's students have a basketball team for recreation purposes and they play against other local teams. I was asked to take turns attending these games along with other priests from the seminary faculty in order to help ensure that the atmosphere stays cool and doesn't get too competitive.
So that's a little bit about what I've been doing up here.
There is actually too much to tell. I could write a book about it, but there isn't time to do that. Yes, I too have my "story" to tell -- as do you also -- and I'm often rememering you, with each of your "stories".
I think of the words of my teacher, Fr. Alexander Schmemann -- "to love is to remember." He connected that with theology -- that in the memory of God all are remembered, with each moment of their lives, and that in that great Calling to Mind, they live, eternally.
While my memory is not so powerful as God's, I want all of you to know that I often remember you, with much love, and I hope you are praying for me and for all who are up here.
Yours in Christ,
Fr Juvenaly
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Greetings to all of you at this joyous season of Christ's birth. I hope you've all had, or are having, a blessed and joyful celebration.
I hope all of you are well and have had many blessings during this past year.
It's been a good semester here. Since arriving in Alaska on August 6, I've gotten settled in a bit. I got used to the routine of class preparation. The students and their families are wonderful folks. St. Herman's Seminary has 10 seminarians at present. All but one of them are married and are here with their families, including about 22 children who love being here and are almost always playing around the grounds.
Kodiak is a beautiful place. And so far what people said has about the climate has proven correct: it has seemed milder here than in New England or NE Pennsylvania. The water keeps it relatively warm. Not far to the north, mainland Alaska is typically 20-25 degrees colder. Right now we are in the grip of a cold spell which will stay a while. The temp is predicted to hover around 23 degrees this week. But in Anchorage, about 250 miles to the north, it's hovering at minus -2.
I've visited Port Lions, AK three times now -- every few weeks -- and that's a beautiful place too. It's about 15 miles west of here. You reach it by boat or by plane. The 10 to 12 minute plane ride, when there has been a dusting of snow, is just stunningly beautiful, especially when the weather is perfect and we fly between the mountains, instead of around the island of Kodiak hugging the shore. Most of the time the ride in the small plane is just as smooth as that in a big jet. At Port Lions I've been officiating at services in the parish church. Port Lions was founded in 1964 when the village of Afognak, just north of here, was destroyed by earthquake and tidal waves. I've met some of the people who lived through that earthquake. Interestingly it was at Afognak that villagers saw the pillar of light rising into heaven when St. Herman of Alaska departed this life. That sighting is recorded in the life of St. Herman. St. Herman lived on Spruce Island which lies between Kodiak and Afognak. I've even met some folks whose great-grandparents witnessed that light.
One of the highlights of the fall was three days of lectures by Fr. Michael Oleksa, who talked about the need for cultural sensitivity -- or as he put, the need to discern and enter into some else's "beam of light" and to listen to their "story." Their story is their life and their history. Their beam of light is how they look at things and understand things and do things. Also as part of the lectures, he told many amusing -- or sometimes saddening -- stories, or anecdotes. It was very enlightening. Fr Michael, who teaches at the Univ. of Alaska, has written books on mission theology and on cultural sensitivity. He himself is of Polish background; his wife Xenia is a native Alaskan.
All of the seminarians, by the way, are Alaskan natives. Probably few of them are of full-blooded native; most have some Russian or Swedish blood. To me they seem -- in many ways, at least -- to be culturally much like other Americans living here and there in the 50 states.
During this past semester I took part in a weekly one-hour class on the Yupik language. One Yup'ik word is: Quyana! (it sounds like the 1st 2 letters in KYLE plus the last 4 in DONNA - thus KY-ONNA!! with a strong accent on the middle syllable). It means "Thank you!" An Aleut word you might know is "quyak" (kayak). The main native groups in Alaskan are the Yup'ik, the Aleut, the Alutiiq, the Tlingit, and the Athabascan.
You never know what Jesus is going to ask you to do to serve Him. This fall I was asked to attend basketball games at the local high school and middle school! The reason: the St. Herman's students have a basketball team for recreation purposes and they play against other local teams. I was asked to take turns attending these games along with other priests from the seminary faculty in order to help ensure that the atmosphere stays cool and doesn't get too competitive.
So that's a little bit about what I've been doing up here.
There is actually too much to tell. I could write a book about it, but there isn't time to do that. Yes, I too have my "story" to tell -- as do you also -- and I'm often rememering you, with each of your "stories".
I think of the words of my teacher, Fr. Alexander Schmemann -- "to love is to remember." He connected that with theology -- that in the memory of God all are remembered, with each moment of their lives, and that in that great Calling to Mind, they live, eternally.
While my memory is not so powerful as God's, I want all of you to know that I often remember you, with much love, and I hope you are praying for me and for all who are up here.
Yours in Christ,
Fr Juvenaly
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Aleut Orthodox Priest and Fisherman
November 2008
This is a story I wrote for the St Hermans' Seminary newsletter. It tells you something about Church life here in Alaska, which can be quite different from that in other places.
Alumnus Serves the Parishes of the Prince William Sound
The mission of St. Herman's Seminary is to prepare clergy and church workers to serve the Diocese of Alaska. One alumnus of the seminary now engaged in that service, is Father Alexei Knagin. Fr. Alexei, a member of the Alutiiq tribe, is the first native priest ever to be ordained who came from Kodiak Island, where St. Herman did much of his work, where the seminary in his name is located, and where St. Peter the Aleut was born.
Fr. Alexei's original home was the village of Afognak on Afognak Island, just north of Kodiak. When much of Afognak village was destroyed in the 1964 earthquake, the inhabitants were forced to relocate to Kodiak Island, where they settled at what is now Port Lions. It was from the Nativity of the Theotokos Church there, that Fr. Alexei came to St. Herman's Seminary, seeking to receive the education and training needed to equip him to serve God's people as a priest in Alaska.
As a young priest, Fr. Alexei was assigned to Holy Resurrection Church in Kodiak, while also serving the spiritual needs of the Alutiiq villages on Kodiak. Later he was designated a "missionary priest for the state of Alaska," serving communities in Nikolsky, Atka, Unalaska, King Cove, and Akutan. Then, as now, he also labored at fishing in Alaska's waters, to provide food for his family and supplement his income. To this day, he serves village parishes of Kodiak for three months each summer, while also working at fishing.
Fr. Alexei received a directive from Bishop Nikolai to move from his beloved home parish and to relocate, with his family, to St. Michael the Archangel Church at Cordova, some 270 miles to the northeast. Based there, he also serves parishes at Tatitlek, Valdez, and Chenega. These four localities ring the shores of the Prince William Sound.
Fr. Alexei is at Cordova for most Sundays of the year. He visits the other three communities about once a month. A typical monthly circuit might begin with his departure from Cordova on a Friday or Saturday. He might travel 60 miles to Tatitlek, arriving on Saturday. There he would celebrate Saturday vespers and Sunday Divine Liturgy. A 20-mile boat trek on Sunday would then bring him to Valdez on Sunday afternoon, where he would serve vespers the same evening and liturgy on Monday morning. Fr. Alexei would then make an 80-mile voyage to Chenega, where he would celebrate vespers on Monday evening and Divine Liturgy on Tuesday morning. An 85-mile crossing would then bring him back to Cordova. This schedule would rotate so that from time to time each parish would have Divine Liturgy on Sunday. His exact schedule of visits depends on what feast is to take place, where he is, and the weather.
Each community has its own special conditions, challenges, and progress. At Cordova, a cornerstone was planted recently for a new church of St. Michael to replace the decaying old building. The materials are paid for by the people and corporations. Contractors who are friends Fr. Alexei has made over the years, are doing the excavation and construction free of charge, while the parishioners and Fr. Alexei himself do some of the work.
At Tatitlek, a typical Sunday or even a weekday will see about 30 people attending services. At Valdez 15 to 20 souls meet at the Baptist Church for Vespers and Liturgy. Plans call for building a new church by 2010. At Chenega, some 30 parishioners worship in a brand new church.
In each of these communities, all are appreciative of having a priest, even if only once a month.
In his work, Fr. Alexei stresses the importance of educating the people -- adults first, then children -- about all aspects of our faith. He uses every opportunity to catechize, and works on getting church schools organized. He carries the work of evangelization also to outsiders, speaking to the Protestant clergy at their weekly gathering at Cordova Baptist Church. Finding them receptive, he has taught them about the sign of the Cross and other things.
For his pastoral journeys across the Prince William Sound, Fr. Alexei had a speedboat with a cabin constructed, as the cost of flying would be prohibitive. The boat is equipped like a house-boat, so that when visiting his various villages he can sleep right on board, for convenience.
In good weather his speed is 25-30 knots; in choppy seas this drops to 12-15 knots, doubling his travel time. The waters are cold, and very often storms come up. Should his boat overturn, he would likely lose his life, unless he were to be saved by a miracle. He has adorned his boat with icons of Christ and the Theotokos in the cabin, and around the sides icons of the Alaskan saints are built right into the hull. He prays as his boat plies the waters, carrying him on his mission for Christ.
Our supporters and benefactors donate having in view the goal of helping to educate our future priests. To draw inspiration for the seminary's ongoing work, it's helpful to look at the work of our alumni, and to study the good works of clergy such as Fr. Alexei Knagin and many others, as they serve the people of the diocese as laborer in Christ's vineyard.
(Since writing the above story, I've gotten to know Fr. Alexei a bit better, and his family too. One person spoke of Father's expert knowledge of the sea, calling him "the finest waterman I know." Fr. Alexei also travels by jet, by small propeller plane, by ferry, and by car in his frequent travels around Alaska).
This is a story I wrote for the St Hermans' Seminary newsletter. It tells you something about Church life here in Alaska, which can be quite different from that in other places.
Alumnus Serves the Parishes of the Prince William Sound
The mission of St. Herman's Seminary is to prepare clergy and church workers to serve the Diocese of Alaska. One alumnus of the seminary now engaged in that service, is Father Alexei Knagin. Fr. Alexei, a member of the Alutiiq tribe, is the first native priest ever to be ordained who came from Kodiak Island, where St. Herman did much of his work, where the seminary in his name is located, and where St. Peter the Aleut was born.
Fr. Alexei's original home was the village of Afognak on Afognak Island, just north of Kodiak. When much of Afognak village was destroyed in the 1964 earthquake, the inhabitants were forced to relocate to Kodiak Island, where they settled at what is now Port Lions. It was from the Nativity of the Theotokos Church there, that Fr. Alexei came to St. Herman's Seminary, seeking to receive the education and training needed to equip him to serve God's people as a priest in Alaska.
As a young priest, Fr. Alexei was assigned to Holy Resurrection Church in Kodiak, while also serving the spiritual needs of the Alutiiq villages on Kodiak. Later he was designated a "missionary priest for the state of Alaska," serving communities in Nikolsky, Atka, Unalaska, King Cove, and Akutan. Then, as now, he also labored at fishing in Alaska's waters, to provide food for his family and supplement his income. To this day, he serves village parishes of Kodiak for three months each summer, while also working at fishing.
Fr. Alexei received a directive from Bishop Nikolai to move from his beloved home parish and to relocate, with his family, to St. Michael the Archangel Church at Cordova, some 270 miles to the northeast. Based there, he also serves parishes at Tatitlek, Valdez, and Chenega. These four localities ring the shores of the Prince William Sound.
Fr. Alexei is at Cordova for most Sundays of the year. He visits the other three communities about once a month. A typical monthly circuit might begin with his departure from Cordova on a Friday or Saturday. He might travel 60 miles to Tatitlek, arriving on Saturday. There he would celebrate Saturday vespers and Sunday Divine Liturgy. A 20-mile boat trek on Sunday would then bring him to Valdez on Sunday afternoon, where he would serve vespers the same evening and liturgy on Monday morning. Fr. Alexei would then make an 80-mile voyage to Chenega, where he would celebrate vespers on Monday evening and Divine Liturgy on Tuesday morning. An 85-mile crossing would then bring him back to Cordova. This schedule would rotate so that from time to time each parish would have Divine Liturgy on Sunday. His exact schedule of visits depends on what feast is to take place, where he is, and the weather.
Each community has its own special conditions, challenges, and progress. At Cordova, a cornerstone was planted recently for a new church of St. Michael to replace the decaying old building. The materials are paid for by the people and corporations. Contractors who are friends Fr. Alexei has made over the years, are doing the excavation and construction free of charge, while the parishioners and Fr. Alexei himself do some of the work.
At Tatitlek, a typical Sunday or even a weekday will see about 30 people attending services. At Valdez 15 to 20 souls meet at the Baptist Church for Vespers and Liturgy. Plans call for building a new church by 2010. At Chenega, some 30 parishioners worship in a brand new church.
In each of these communities, all are appreciative of having a priest, even if only once a month.
In his work, Fr. Alexei stresses the importance of educating the people -- adults first, then children -- about all aspects of our faith. He uses every opportunity to catechize, and works on getting church schools organized. He carries the work of evangelization also to outsiders, speaking to the Protestant clergy at their weekly gathering at Cordova Baptist Church. Finding them receptive, he has taught them about the sign of the Cross and other things.
For his pastoral journeys across the Prince William Sound, Fr. Alexei had a speedboat with a cabin constructed, as the cost of flying would be prohibitive. The boat is equipped like a house-boat, so that when visiting his various villages he can sleep right on board, for convenience.
In good weather his speed is 25-30 knots; in choppy seas this drops to 12-15 knots, doubling his travel time. The waters are cold, and very often storms come up. Should his boat overturn, he would likely lose his life, unless he were to be saved by a miracle. He has adorned his boat with icons of Christ and the Theotokos in the cabin, and around the sides icons of the Alaskan saints are built right into the hull. He prays as his boat plies the waters, carrying him on his mission for Christ.
Our supporters and benefactors donate having in view the goal of helping to educate our future priests. To draw inspiration for the seminary's ongoing work, it's helpful to look at the work of our alumni, and to study the good works of clergy such as Fr. Alexei Knagin and many others, as they serve the people of the diocese as laborer in Christ's vineyard.
(Since writing the above story, I've gotten to know Fr. Alexei a bit better, and his family too. One person spoke of Father's expert knowledge of the sea, calling him "the finest waterman I know." Fr. Alexei also travels by jet, by small propeller plane, by ferry, and by car in his frequent travels around Alaska).
Monday, August 18, 2008
One week in Kodiak
August 18 2008
Things are settling down here as I prepare for the beginning of classes. Yesterday, Sunday, was a wonderful sunny day, but otherwise it has rained every day since the previous Sunday. But it is usually a gentle rain or a mist, not a hard rain. I am told this is typical Kodiak weather. The one sunny day made up for the rest.
On a walk I saw the high school, the middle school, the hospital, a couple of lakes, and the St. Innocent School which is just down the road. Just as I passed the St. Innocent School, the bell was rung for vespers, so I stayed. The school has about 20-25 kids of high school age, most of them from "outside," that is, not from Alaska. I've also been to Wal-mart, Costsavers, and Safeway, which are two miles away. Most things you want to buy here, you get at Wal-Mart. Kodiak has some very nice restaurants, most of them offering locally caught seafood. There are McDonalds and Chinese restaurants and I saw a "Mexican-Hispanic Folk Center." Filipinos comprise about 40% of the population.
On another walk (I try to walk 30 minutes a day but often don't achieve that) just 2 blocks away I saw an old cemetery with maybe 150 graves. It's a small lot but between houses on a residential street. I've learned since that it's a military cemetery from the Fort Kodiak army post. I stepped inside the gate to look around the grassy graveyard. The stones are mostly small ones dating from the period about 1830 through 1908. I also saw a number of wooden crosses, Orthodox and other, some of them falling over. On various stones, I read, "Killed by Indians on Woody Island," "Native of Scotland," "Burned to death," "Native of Perry, Maine," and one stone marked the grave of a civil war veteran who died in 1868.
On Monday afternoon, the eve of the feast of Transfiguration, I remembered there would be a blessing of fruit the next day at the end of the services. I headed to a supermarket-sized convenience store in the nearby downtown area, Alaska Food for Less. I'd been told they in fact offer "food for more" and that Safeway has better buys on food. But in AK a lot of things are costly no matter where you buy them. Alaska Food for Less, I've since learned was until recently called "AC" (Alaska Commercial) and has been in business since the early days of American sovereignty. I selected enough fruit to fill a small basket -- 3 apples, 2 plums, a peach, 2 bananas, 1 orange, 1 apricot. The cost: $9.82 plus $.59 tax, or $10.41. The fruit prices ranged from $2-$4 / lb, with apricots $5/lb. Bananas were the best buy, at $1.28/lb, or about $.40 for a medium sized banana. Salmon berries do grow here -- these berries have the appearance of salmon-colored raspberries. Some people, I've heard, had gone salmonberry picking , and on the feast of Transfiguration some of the baskets brought for blessing contained only this local fruit.
Later I was told that when St. Innocent of Alaska was translating the Scriptures into the Alaskan native languages, there was no word in those languages for fruit, a common biblical word (on the other hand, the same languages have many different words for snow). While few fruits may grow here in Alaska, agriculture is conducted here -- I noticed in the store many packets of vegetable seeds, optimized for Alaska's relatively short growing season.
Things are settling down here as I prepare for the beginning of classes. Yesterday, Sunday, was a wonderful sunny day, but otherwise it has rained every day since the previous Sunday. But it is usually a gentle rain or a mist, not a hard rain. I am told this is typical Kodiak weather. The one sunny day made up for the rest.
On a walk I saw the high school, the middle school, the hospital, a couple of lakes, and the St. Innocent School which is just down the road. Just as I passed the St. Innocent School, the bell was rung for vespers, so I stayed. The school has about 20-25 kids of high school age, most of them from "outside," that is, not from Alaska. I've also been to Wal-mart, Costsavers, and Safeway, which are two miles away. Most things you want to buy here, you get at Wal-Mart. Kodiak has some very nice restaurants, most of them offering locally caught seafood. There are McDonalds and Chinese restaurants and I saw a "Mexican-Hispanic Folk Center." Filipinos comprise about 40% of the population.
On another walk (I try to walk 30 minutes a day but often don't achieve that) just 2 blocks away I saw an old cemetery with maybe 150 graves. It's a small lot but between houses on a residential street. I've learned since that it's a military cemetery from the Fort Kodiak army post. I stepped inside the gate to look around the grassy graveyard. The stones are mostly small ones dating from the period about 1830 through 1908. I also saw a number of wooden crosses, Orthodox and other, some of them falling over. On various stones, I read, "Killed by Indians on Woody Island," "Native of Scotland," "Burned to death," "Native of Perry, Maine," and one stone marked the grave of a civil war veteran who died in 1868.
On Monday afternoon, the eve of the feast of Transfiguration, I remembered there would be a blessing of fruit the next day at the end of the services. I headed to a supermarket-sized convenience store in the nearby downtown area, Alaska Food for Less. I'd been told they in fact offer "food for more" and that Safeway has better buys on food. But in AK a lot of things are costly no matter where you buy them. Alaska Food for Less, I've since learned was until recently called "AC" (Alaska Commercial) and has been in business since the early days of American sovereignty. I selected enough fruit to fill a small basket -- 3 apples, 2 plums, a peach, 2 bananas, 1 orange, 1 apricot. The cost: $9.82 plus $.59 tax, or $10.41. The fruit prices ranged from $2-$4 / lb, with apricots $5/lb. Bananas were the best buy, at $1.28/lb, or about $.40 for a medium sized banana. Salmon berries do grow here -- these berries have the appearance of salmon-colored raspberries. Some people, I've heard, had gone salmonberry picking , and on the feast of Transfiguration some of the baskets brought for blessing contained only this local fruit.
Later I was told that when St. Innocent of Alaska was translating the Scriptures into the Alaskan native languages, there was no word in those languages for fruit, a common biblical word (on the other hand, the same languages have many different words for snow). While few fruits may grow here in Alaska, agriculture is conducted here -- I noticed in the store many packets of vegetable seeds, optimized for Alaska's relatively short growing season.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Arrival in Kodiak
August 11, 2008
First of all, I want to thank everyone for your prayers for our safe trip and that things will go well here. Please continue those.
Now, for some news. It's hard to believe that I have only been in AK for 5 days -- so much has happened since then.
The mountains of AK were beautiful as we flew into Anchorage. The city is surrounded by them and the whole state (the small part I have seen) seems to be full of mountains.
We arrived in Anchorage on August 6 -- the feast of Transfiguration -- but in Alaska, August 6 in church will not be observed until August 19, since the Diocese of AK is on the old calendar. So, up here there are still 2-3 more days before the Dormition Fast begins.
On Aug. 7 we went to St. Innocent's Cathedral in Anchorage. What a beautiful temple! I have seen few, if any, that were the equal of it. I attended a meeting of Metropolitan Herman and Bishop Benjamin Benjamin with the clergy. Bishop Benjamin is the administrator of the diocese and the metropolitan is the locum tenens, or temporary overseer. We had lunch in the parish hall of the cathedral. We then visited St. Tikhon's parish, the "A" Street Orthodox Museum in Anchorage, and the St. Alexis Mission. St. Tikhon's is an attractive new church. St Alexis is a mission parish presently meeting in an attractively furnished storefront in a new shopping mall. It's amazing how a plain new building can be beautified by the presence of a few good icons.
At 6 pm there was an akathist to St Herman at the cathedral, attended by many. The time in Anchorage was a chance to meet some old friends from St Tikhon's, including Fr Christopher Stanton, his matushka Mary Sarah, and their 3 small children, whom I had not met before; also Fr Daniel Andrejuk.
On Friday, the 8th, we flew to Kodiak, an hour's flight. Here I saw Fr Innocent Dresdow and met Fr John Dunlop, the dean of St Herman's Seminary, where I will be teaching. We visited the Alutiiq Museum and I walked around and got acquainted a bit with Kodiak. It is a place of rare beauty. While in Anchorage, one priest from western AK told me he thought Kodiak was the most beautiful place in AK (although he added that there are a lot of beautiful places in AK) and several people confirmed that it is called the "Alaska's Emerald Isle." About half of the island is a national wildlife preserve. Kodiak is the 2nd largest island in the US. The views from most places in the town are stunning. Right beside the town is a very steep hill that rises about 400 feet - perhaps at a 75 degree angle. houses are perched on the hillside; I don't know how they managed to build them. The hill is very green with thick brush, and is dotted with fir trees as well as houses perched on it.
At 6 pm we had a vigil service for the feast St Herman. This was held in Holy Resurrection Cathedral, which is a block from the seminary. This cathedral is the oldest Orthodox parish in North America, although the church building is about the 4th one, earlier ones having been lost one way or another. It was a beautiful vigil service.
The next morning we got on boats and made the 1-hour trip to Spruce Island. The day was beautiful, as were Monk's Lagoon and the island. The island has the beauty of a cathedral -- old growth forests are filled with great moss-covered trees covered. Colorful wildflowers are here and there.
The temperatures are comfortable. People confirmed that in winter Kodiak stays wamer than Pennsylvania or New England (seldom dropping below 20 degrees) while in summer it is cooler (naturally, being so far north). Another side of that nice climate is that it rains here a lot - 95 inches a year, and a lot of days are cloudy. But this weekend it was wonderfully sunny.
We walked about a third of a mile through the forest and came to the chapel built over the place where St. Herman lived. Here the Divine Liturgy was served. Bishop Benjamin served along with Serbian Bishop Maxim. Some nuns and some monks who live on Spruce Island and answer to Bishop Maxim were present, as were many people from the cathedral and seminary and also a group from the St Innocent School in Kodiak, I'm guessing 175 in all. The liturgy was 85-90% English, with the rest being in Yupik, Slavonic, and Serbian, with dabs of Arabic, Greek, and Romanian. We also saw the spring, and the hut where Hieromonk Gerasim (+1969) lived. The native peoples seem so reverent.
The day was just beautiful, the forest so peaceful. The beach has black sand and round, smooth and flat black stones. After liturgy there was a picnic on the beach and under the trees near the beach. The conditions (sun, temperature, etc) were perfect. Then another boat ride back. On the trip back I talked with a man who was originally from Greece, and had been a merchant mariner in the Caribbean, but about 20 years ago, someone invited him to Kodiak and he was so taken with the place he decided to stay there, and he has been there since. His wife (also from Greece) is also there, and she likes Kodiak yet not as much as he does (she misses Greece). For that reason he said they "might leave now" (This reminded me of a story in the Desert Fathers and so I told him the story. It is about a small group of monks living in the desert. Every single day, they get together and talk, and they say, "Tomorrow, we will leave and go away from here." But they never leave!)
While on the boat we watched puffins and saw an eagle and a sea otter. It was comfortably cool. It was about 60 degrees, and the sun was warm. I did not see orca whales or dolphins, but they say they are often there and sometimes swim along with the boats as they go to Spruce Island.
We returned to the church - it's just 3 blocks from the harbor, which is filled with all manner and size of fishing boats - there is a cannery in town which consists of a ship, the Star of Kodiak, that was brought in and permanently docked here to serve in that capacity. At church they had a meal of soup and bread and pies. Then, upstairs in church, we had vespers for the Resurrection.
Sunday morning liturgy was presided by Bishops Benjamin and Maxim. Met. Herman was present all weekend, but did not serve much, because of his sciatica. A bit later, there was a banquet in a nearby church. All the clergy had to stand up and introduce themselves, so I described myself as "the newest resident of Kodiak." This afternoon (Sunday) there will be an akathist before St. Herman's relics at Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Kodiak. For those of you who don't know, St. Herman was a miracle worker during his life and remains so to this day. He also strove to protect the natives from the depredations of the Russian commercials interests who tried to enslave them.
Today His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Bishop Benjamin, Archdeacon Alexei, Peter Ilchik, and Martin Paluch are leaving or have left. I am staying in an apartment at the seminary.
Now, I am faced with preparing for 4 courses - 3 in liturgics and 1 in canon law. I am very apprehensive about that, so I ask everyone to pray for me, that I will do a good job with these courses. In addition, I will be dean of students / chaplain and I will also travel (probably by small plane) once or twice a month to serve at a parish in a place called Port Lions.
That brings me up to date now. Again thank you all for your love and your emails, and please continue your prayers!
In Christ's love
Fr Juvenaly
[The above was a letter sent to friends five days after arrival in Kodiak]
First of all, I want to thank everyone for your prayers for our safe trip and that things will go well here. Please continue those.
Now, for some news. It's hard to believe that I have only been in AK for 5 days -- so much has happened since then.
The mountains of AK were beautiful as we flew into Anchorage. The city is surrounded by them and the whole state (the small part I have seen) seems to be full of mountains.
We arrived in Anchorage on August 6 -- the feast of Transfiguration -- but in Alaska, August 6 in church will not be observed until August 19, since the Diocese of AK is on the old calendar. So, up here there are still 2-3 more days before the Dormition Fast begins.
On Aug. 7 we went to St. Innocent's Cathedral in Anchorage. What a beautiful temple! I have seen few, if any, that were the equal of it. I attended a meeting of Metropolitan Herman and Bishop Benjamin Benjamin with the clergy. Bishop Benjamin is the administrator of the diocese and the metropolitan is the locum tenens, or temporary overseer. We had lunch in the parish hall of the cathedral. We then visited St. Tikhon's parish, the "A" Street Orthodox Museum in Anchorage, and the St. Alexis Mission. St. Tikhon's is an attractive new church. St Alexis is a mission parish presently meeting in an attractively furnished storefront in a new shopping mall. It's amazing how a plain new building can be beautified by the presence of a few good icons.
At 6 pm there was an akathist to St Herman at the cathedral, attended by many. The time in Anchorage was a chance to meet some old friends from St Tikhon's, including Fr Christopher Stanton, his matushka Mary Sarah, and their 3 small children, whom I had not met before; also Fr Daniel Andrejuk.
On Friday, the 8th, we flew to Kodiak, an hour's flight. Here I saw Fr Innocent Dresdow and met Fr John Dunlop, the dean of St Herman's Seminary, where I will be teaching. We visited the Alutiiq Museum and I walked around and got acquainted a bit with Kodiak. It is a place of rare beauty. While in Anchorage, one priest from western AK told me he thought Kodiak was the most beautiful place in AK (although he added that there are a lot of beautiful places in AK) and several people confirmed that it is called the "Alaska's Emerald Isle." About half of the island is a national wildlife preserve. Kodiak is the 2nd largest island in the US. The views from most places in the town are stunning. Right beside the town is a very steep hill that rises about 400 feet - perhaps at a 75 degree angle. houses are perched on the hillside; I don't know how they managed to build them. The hill is very green with thick brush, and is dotted with fir trees as well as houses perched on it.
At 6 pm we had a vigil service for the feast St Herman. This was held in Holy Resurrection Cathedral, which is a block from the seminary. This cathedral is the oldest Orthodox parish in North America, although the church building is about the 4th one, earlier ones having been lost one way or another. It was a beautiful vigil service.
The next morning we got on boats and made the 1-hour trip to Spruce Island. The day was beautiful, as were Monk's Lagoon and the island. The island has the beauty of a cathedral -- old growth forests are filled with great moss-covered trees covered. Colorful wildflowers are here and there.
The temperatures are comfortable. People confirmed that in winter Kodiak stays wamer than Pennsylvania or New England (seldom dropping below 20 degrees) while in summer it is cooler (naturally, being so far north). Another side of that nice climate is that it rains here a lot - 95 inches a year, and a lot of days are cloudy. But this weekend it was wonderfully sunny.
We walked about a third of a mile through the forest and came to the chapel built over the place where St. Herman lived. Here the Divine Liturgy was served. Bishop Benjamin served along with Serbian Bishop Maxim. Some nuns and some monks who live on Spruce Island and answer to Bishop Maxim were present, as were many people from the cathedral and seminary and also a group from the St Innocent School in Kodiak, I'm guessing 175 in all. The liturgy was 85-90% English, with the rest being in Yupik, Slavonic, and Serbian, with dabs of Arabic, Greek, and Romanian. We also saw the spring, and the hut where Hieromonk Gerasim (+1969) lived. The native peoples seem so reverent.
The day was just beautiful, the forest so peaceful. The beach has black sand and round, smooth and flat black stones. After liturgy there was a picnic on the beach and under the trees near the beach. The conditions (sun, temperature, etc) were perfect. Then another boat ride back. On the trip back I talked with a man who was originally from Greece, and had been a merchant mariner in the Caribbean, but about 20 years ago, someone invited him to Kodiak and he was so taken with the place he decided to stay there, and he has been there since. His wife (also from Greece) is also there, and she likes Kodiak yet not as much as he does (she misses Greece). For that reason he said they "might leave now" (This reminded me of a story in the Desert Fathers and so I told him the story. It is about a small group of monks living in the desert. Every single day, they get together and talk, and they say, "Tomorrow, we will leave and go away from here." But they never leave!)
While on the boat we watched puffins and saw an eagle and a sea otter. It was comfortably cool. It was about 60 degrees, and the sun was warm. I did not see orca whales or dolphins, but they say they are often there and sometimes swim along with the boats as they go to Spruce Island.
We returned to the church - it's just 3 blocks from the harbor, which is filled with all manner and size of fishing boats - there is a cannery in town which consists of a ship, the Star of Kodiak, that was brought in and permanently docked here to serve in that capacity. At church they had a meal of soup and bread and pies. Then, upstairs in church, we had vespers for the Resurrection.
Sunday morning liturgy was presided by Bishops Benjamin and Maxim. Met. Herman was present all weekend, but did not serve much, because of his sciatica. A bit later, there was a banquet in a nearby church. All the clergy had to stand up and introduce themselves, so I described myself as "the newest resident of Kodiak." This afternoon (Sunday) there will be an akathist before St. Herman's relics at Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Kodiak. For those of you who don't know, St. Herman was a miracle worker during his life and remains so to this day. He also strove to protect the natives from the depredations of the Russian commercials interests who tried to enslave them.
Today His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Bishop Benjamin, Archdeacon Alexei, Peter Ilchik, and Martin Paluch are leaving or have left. I am staying in an apartment at the seminary.
Now, I am faced with preparing for 4 courses - 3 in liturgics and 1 in canon law. I am very apprehensive about that, so I ask everyone to pray for me, that I will do a good job with these courses. In addition, I will be dean of students / chaplain and I will also travel (probably by small plane) once or twice a month to serve at a parish in a place called Port Lions.
That brings me up to date now. Again thank you all for your love and your emails, and please continue your prayers!
In Christ's love
Fr Juvenaly
[The above was a letter sent to friends five days after arrival in Kodiak]
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Why the title "Pillar Mountain Prospect"?
Kodiak, Alaska is my new home. Pillar Mountain lies alongside Kodiak city and overlooks it. From the prospect on top of Pillar Mountain, the Orthodox Christian Saints Herman and Juvenaly, along with Hieromonk Ioasaph, looked out and decided who would go where to conduct evangelical mission work, spreading the salvific good news of Christ. I picked this title, then, as an inspirational title for the blog.
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