My name is Fr. John Reeves. I am the rector of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in State College, Pennsylvania. In Summer 2010, I will be on sabbatical, following the same route taken by St. Herman of Alaska, the Wonderworker.
Together with Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, I am grateful to the Lilly Endowment for the grant that is making this sabbatical possible.
If you asked me why I chose to approximate the route of St. Herman’s journey to America, I can only answer that it appealed to me. A sabbatical for renewal could be spent doing many different things, as diverse and equally rewarding as this one portends. But this does fit my particular personality. It is a road not usually travelled, roads that I like very much.
The 1793-94 mission of St. Herman and his companions to Alaska left from Valaam Monastery on Lake Ladoga, which is near the current Finnish border. They traveled eastward by post road from Moscow to Irkutsk before sailing down the Lena River, in this case northward, for over 1,000 miles in Siberia to Yakutsk. From there they still faced a formidable overland journey to the sea of Okhotsk and another 1,500 miles by ship to the Aleutians.
As I said, I will approximate the route of his journey. I won’t be able to sail down the Lena because my travel time does not allow me the luxury of waiting until I might find a barge or a hydrofoil going my way. I won’t go to the fishing village of Okhotsk, since the road conditions in that part of the world have not changed appreciatively since St Herman’s day. At least as far as I can tell, they haven’t.
Part of the approximation involves the means of transport, as well. I will use automobile, train, and even planes as necessary. But I plan to reach Irkutsk and Yakutsk and ultimately Russia’s eastern shore before crossing the Pacific and reaching Kodiak in time for St. Herman’s Pilgrimage on August 9.
This trek can be divided into several parts. The first three parts and their dates are listed below:
- Leave-taking from Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, State College, PA (May 23):
My last Sunday with the folks was our parish “Hram” or Feast Day, Pentecost Sunday. We always celebrate our feast with a picnic in the park which lasts at least as long as we have prayed that morning. This year was no exception: tons of food, loads of people, a lot of fellowship, even a few tears, and many calls for and promises of prayer (and even fasting) for me. - Transition (May 25-June 4): Matushka Linda and I took the train to New York and overnighted at my son’s before catching a Finnair flight non-stop to Helsinki. Why Helsinki? Did St. Herman ever go to Helsinki? No. I had never been to Helsinki, either. But there was more to it than this. Finland is part of world Orthodoxy, an Orthodoxy which originally came to this part of the world because Finland at one time was part of the Russian Empire. However, the Orthodoxy in Finland cannot be labelled Russian. Now, an indigenous, autonomous Finnish Church holds services mostly in the Finnish language of her people.
Part of Orthodox Finland’s treasure is its monastery, (New) Valamo. New Valamo is so named because it was the literal successor to the original “old” Valaam Monastery on Lake Ladoga. Its monks were able to flee in advance of the Soviets during the 1940’s when “Old Valaam” was captured, its buildings desecrated, and its use turned secular until the fall of communism in the 1990’s.So, part of my transition will be to go to “New” Valamo and pray. Until 20 years ago, or so, this was the only functioning remnant, or successor, to that older monastery in Russia where St. Herman underwent monastic formation and answered the call to go forth to North America, to Alaska, as a missionary in 1793. - European Russia (June 4-June 29): Most of this time will be spent framing my mind and soul not only at the original Valaam Monastery, but also in the environs of western Russia: Kizhi, the open air museum of historic wooden churches and buildings; Tikhvin Monastery where the wondering-work Tikhvin icon has only recently been returned to its traditional, spiritual home; Novgorod, that ancient capital, predating Moscow; St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Each stop has spiritual treasure as well as architectural and historic significance. In each of these places, it will be more important to me to come to know the holy people who dwelt there in the centuries preceeding as well following that of St. Herman and his companions. None of us is formed in a vacuum, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or historically.
Journey with me by means of this blog, if you wish. Pray for me, if you will. Post an occasional reply, if you choose. Encourage me along the way.
- Fr. John