Sunday of All Saints of Russia

Last Sunday we celebrated ‘All Saints’ – noting how fitting this celebration is as a manifestation of the fruits of the Holy Spirit Who descended upon the Apostles and entered into the life of the Christian Church beginning at Pentecost. On this second Sunday after Pentecost, the Holy Church commemorates those saints who shone forth in the various local regions where the seeds of Orthodoxy took root. Thus, if we were able to somehow visit the various local Orthodox churches on this day, we would hear the praise and memory of the saints of Greece, of Romania, of Serbia, and whatever region the particular church might honor as its legacy and inheritance.

Today, our Russian Orthodox Church commemorates all the saints of the Russian land. The land of Russia, over the course of more than a thousand years, proved itself to be that good soil which bore much fruit - for many righteous strugglers for God blossomed forth in sanctity there. Such luminaries and Sts Cyril and Methodius, St Sergius of Radonezh, St Seraphim of Sarov, Sts Antony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves, St John of Kronstadt, St Xenia and St Matrona, and many others who have illumined the Russian land like the stars in the sky. And we here in America are blessed to be the inheritors of that faith of our fathers.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ… are you aware of what a rich inheritance we have standing here in this church of St Herman of Alaska today? Are you aware of the incredible culture of sanctity which was developed in some of the great monastic centers in Russia and was transported to this land by the torchbearers of that grace? All of us should hold dear to our hearts the names of Valaam, Pochaev, and Optina. These three great monasteries are our ‘alma maters’… the mothers of our soul.

Valaam is a beautiful place situated among the islands of Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia, north of St Petersburg and practically bordering Finland. It was from the monastery of Valaam that a group of clergy and monastics were sent to Alaska in the late 18th century. Among this group was a simple monk named Herman who, bearing that light and love of Christ, cared for the native peoples of the Alaskan land, winning many converts to Orthodoxy. St Herman is considered to be a patron saint of our American land and our church bears his name and reveres his memory. The legacy of St Herman is precious and is encapsulated in the beautiful image of a man who was so full of grace that he somewhat regained that lost state of Paradise which Adam had enjoyed before the fall. We see St Herman living in peace and joy amid the wilderness, wild animals would eat from his hand, and even the forces of nature (storms and fires) were obedient to his supplications to God.

The monastery of Valaam, like all of Orthodoxy, fell under difficult circumstances during the communist times. The monks were killed or arrested or had to flee. Some found their way to this land… I was blessed to know two of those monks that fled Valaam during those early decades of the 20th century: Bishop Mark of Ladoga who lived in San Francisco and Archimandrite Dimitry (Egoroff) who was in Santa Rosa. These dear souls were truly torchbearers of a culture of sanctity. We loved to hear their stories of old Valaam and there was something simply about the way they spoke, the way they carried themselves, and certainly in the way they served and prayed in church that contained a great treasure being handed down to us from this rich legacy of Valaam.

Pochaev monastery is located in the western part of what is now Ukraine. The majestic citadel of Pochaev is located on a hill overlooking the surrounding countryside of rolling hills and farmland. It was upon this hill that the Mother of God appeared in a column of fire, leaving her footprint embedded on the rock upon which she stood. From this rock flows a spring and the water from this spring has miraculous healing powers. A great monastery was built on this site and was the home to such great saints as St Job of Pochaev and most recently St Amphilocius of Pochaev. It was from Pochaev that Archimandrite Vitaly (Maximenko) and others fled following the Russian Revolution. This displaced St. Job of Pochaev Brotherhood moved from Eastern Europe to Germany and eventually to America, where they joined the Holy Trinity Monastery near Jordanville, New York, and Archbishop Vitaly became its abbot. The St. Job of Pochaev press is still active today and Jordanville monastery and seminary have been important centers for our Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia – giving us many of our priests, bishops and Metropolitans.

And what can one say about Optina monastery and its legacy? Optina, located about four hours southwest of Moscow, was among the most important spiritual centers for Orthodoxy in the last century or more leading up to the revolution. The chain of Elders of Optina provided spiritual guidance and intercessory prayer for thousands and thousands of people. Everyone should acquaint themselves with the lives of the Optina Elders… their biographies are readily available in English and are essential reading for understanding your spiritual roots and being inspired toward the spiritual heights to which God calls us.

That legacy of Optina monastery came right to our doorstep with the presence of Archbishop Andrew of New York, under whose stole one of the last Elders of Optina, Nektary, reposed. Many of us knew and remember fondly Bishop Nektary Konzevich, who grew up making pilgrimages with his family to Elder Nektary of Optina. Bishop Nektary was a humble and noble soul, living his days in our midst as the Bishop of Seattle (or as he used to joke – bishop of Seattle and all the Pacific Ocean). The priestmonks Herman and Seraphim of St Herman of Alaska monastery in Platina were spiritual children of these links to Optina and were supporters and guides to Fr John Ocana and several of the founders of this very church – encouraging them to embrace the fidelity to Orthodoxy and to the heartfelt piety exemplified by this legacy of Optina.

I am taking the time to outline and emphasize these roots of our spiritual inheritance from Valaam, from Pochaev, and from Optina because it is so critically important for us to know where we come from and what meaning and inestimable value this inheritance holds for us!

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ… as the culture around us devolves further and further away from its Christian roots, I am more and more convinced how essential it is for us to know and to immerse ourselves in that culture of sanctity which is our Orthodox inheritance. It is only from that bedrock foundation of Christ, of His transcendent Truth, and of all the means of grace which make up that culture of sanctity found in His Church… it is only from that foundation that we will be able to correctly discern what is good and what is true and to hold fast to that grace-filled and light-bearing love of God. We enter into that culture of sanctity by loving God, by heartfelt prayer and repentance, by living the life of the Church – attending services, observing the fasts and feasts – by acquainting ourselves with the writings and lives of the saints, and by simply and humbly holding fast to the great treasure of our faith.  

May all the holy saints of Russia - our holy forefathers from Valaam, Pochaev, and Optina – may they be our intercessors before the throne of God, may they be our guides and constant companions as we navigate the course of our lives, and may they impart unto each one of us that culture of sanctity which ennobles us and edifies us that we may receive that torch of light that enlightens all with God’s grace and love.