The orthodox saints of America are a special group of people who are dedicated to the service of God. They include St. John the Baptist, St. Herman, St. John Maximovitch, and St. Peter the Aleut. These people have special boldness before God. It is the intercession of these people that can help you receive mercy and forgiveness.
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St. John the Baptist
Saint John the Baptist was a forerunner of Christ. He was a great prophet and ascetic. He also baptized the Lord. He is a beloved Orthodox saint. He was the son of the Prophet Zacharias, the cousin of the Virgin Mary. He preached repentance and prepared the people for the ministry of Jesus. He was also a prophet who recognized Christ as the Messiah while in his mother’s womb.
He preached repentance and salvation at the age of thirty. When he appeared to the people of Jordan, he prepared them for the coming of the Savior. In church hymnology, he is called the bright morning star, announcing the dawn of grace. This star also illumines the spiritual Sun.
St. Herman
Russian Orthodox monk Herman of Alaska is revered as the patron saint of North America. He travelled to Alaska during the Russian era as a missionary. Native Alaskans and Russian colonists alike admired this gentle missionary. Today, Alaska is home to Russian Orthodox churches, and he is regarded as a patron saint of the continent.
Saint Herman was born in Voronezh, Russia, in 1751. His real name was Yegor Ivanovich Popov. He spent much time with the ascetic Father Varlaam, an elder monk of the Sarov Monastery. During this time, St. Herman experienced a life of solitude and prayer.
St. John Maximovitch
Orthodox Americans are fortunate to have a renowned Orthodox saint. St. John Maximovitch was an extraordinary spiritual perfectionist who inspired the faith of thousands of people from the East and West. He was a shining example of the supernatural love of God and embodied the burning faith of the early Christian saints.
Born in pre-Revolutionary Russia, St. John was a missionary, writer, and wonder worker. He was an influential Orthodox bishop in San Francisco and Shanghai. His life spanned nearly seven decades. The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad officially glorified him on July 2, 1994. The honor of this saint led to his veneration throughout the world.
St. Peter the Aleut
One of the earliest orthodox saints in America, St. Peter the Aleut was a native of Kodiak Island in Alaska. He was called Tchounagnak by the Aleuts, but his Christian name was Peter. Peter worked at a Russian outpost, Fort Ross, in California, until he was arrested in 1816 along with thirteen other Aleuts. He was tortured by Roman Catholic monks who wanted the Aleuts to convert to Christianity. They tortured them by cutting off various joints in their fingers, and even cutting off their hands and feet. Peter bled out and died as a result, but the monks promised to torture another Aleut the next day unless they would convert.
As a young Aleut, Peter prayed for freedom for all the Aleuts in America. When the Aleuts were captured by the Spanish, they tortured them severely. Peter suffered the worst treatment and died as a result. Other Aleuts were subsequently freed and returned to Alaska. Because of his sacrifice, Peter became the first recognized American Saint. His feast day is celebrated on September 24.
St. Nicholas of Zica
The name St. Nicholas derives from the Serbian town of Lelich. The Archimandrite Nikolai, who was born in 1880, received doctoral degrees from two universities and was named Bishop of Zica in 1919. His missionary work included the American continent. In 1941, Nikolai was arrested by the Nazis and sent to Dachau concentration camp, along with the Serbian Patriarch Gavrilo. There, he underwent a variety of tortures. He was eventually released by the US army in 1945.
In 1921, Bishop Nicholas came to the United States and Canada as a missionary. His first task was to establish Serbian Orthodox dioceses in the United States and Canada. Later, he returned to Serbia to care for his flocks.
St. John Kochurov
Saint John Kochurov was one of the first Orthodox priests to come to the United States from Soviet Russia. He was one of many young, educated priests who emigrated in the late 1890s, establishing Orthodox parishes in the Midwest. In 1907, he returned to Russia due to poor health. However, his dedication to the cause of the Faith led him to volunteer in Estonian missionary work, and in 1918, he was assigned as a catechism teacher in Narva, Estonia.
John Kochurov was born in 1871. His father was a priest, and he began his studies at the local seminary in Riazan. He later went on to further his theological education at St. Petersburg. In 1894, he married Alexandra Chernyshova, and in 1895, he was ordained a deacon.
St. Barnabas Nastic
Born in 1914 in Gary, Indiana, St. Barnabas was the son of Serbian immigrants. He studied at the seminary and took monastic vows in 1940. In 1947, he was elected bishop. In 1954, he was accused of being a spy and was placed in solitary confinement. While there, he was heard praying, and he died under suspicious circumstances.
In the United States, there are more than 400 Orthodox saints. The process of sainthood begins locally. A person is considered a saint in the region where he or she was born, lived, and worked. The Orthodox Church has established a website devoted to the lives and ministries of each saint.
During the early years of the Orthodox Church in the United States, St. Barnabas Nastic served in churches in New York City. His work in the city spawned Orthodox parishes in the Northeast United States, including New York City’s St. Nicholas Cathedral on 97th Street. He also went to Moscow to help establish Orthodox churches there.
St. Thekla of Seleucia
Saint Thekla was one of the great women of the Apostolic age. She was born in Iconium, Turkey, in around 28 AD. She was raised in a pagan family, and at the time of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas’ arrival in her town, she had just turned eighteen. Upon hearing St. Paul preach in the local synagogue, she became disillusioned with idolatry and converted to Christianity.
After converting her people, she spent many years preaching the word of God. During this time, she was able to heal the sick through prayer, and many pagans were converted to the Christian faith. Because of her great works, she was named an equal-to-the-apostles saint by the church. She was even able to convert a pagan priest to holy Baptism. She was subsequently venerated by nuns, and her prayerful intercession is invoked during the tonsure of nuns in the Orthodox Church.
The story of St. Thekla of Seleucia reveals how she came to believe in Christ. Her parents were wealthy and betrothed her at a young age, but when she heard the Apostle Paul preach, she decided to follow him instead. After a trial, St. Thekla was condemned to death by fire, but the storm cooled the fire and saved her life.
St. Demetrios
Saint Demetrios is an orthodox saint of the Greek Orthodox Church, whose feast day is on May 14. His church was founded in 1917, and today has about one hundred and fifty parishes throughout the United States. Many members of the Greek Orthodox community consider him to be one of the most important Orthodox saints in America.
In the Greek Orthodox Church, he is revered as the patron of the city of Chicago. The church is in the METROPOLIS OF BOSTON and is part of the Greek Orthodox ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America has given the church a charter.
As a young man, Saint Demetrios was imprisoned, but continued to preach the Gospel. He was visited by a follower named Nestoras, who had a big dream. He wanted to compete in the upcoming gladiator games. The emperor had used the gladiators as a way to fight between Christianity and paganism. The emperor had a special request for the small Christian, and he challenged him to fight the athletic giant Leo.
