Canonization As a Mirror of Inter-Church Divisions and Reconciliations In 1867, Bishop Paul of Novoarkhangelsk put together a record of the feats and miracles of Venerable Herman of Alaska. In 1894, Valaam Monastery published a book about Venerable Herman. In the 1930’s, Archimandrite Gerasim (Shmaltz) settled on Spruce Island, Alaska. Due to the 1935 reconciliation within the Russian diaspora church, the hierarchs of the North American Metropolia became part of the ROCOR Council of Bishops. When Bishop Alexis of Alaska was in Belgrade at the 1937 Council of Bishops, he announced that his flock “ha[d] been dreaming about Elder Herman’s glorification for a long time” (Aliaskinskaia eparkhiia,” Tserkovnaiia Zhizn’, 8 [1939] 124.).The 1939 ROCOR Council of Bishops assigned Bishop Alexis to make preparations for the canonization. When, at the Seventh All-American Council in 1946, the hierarchs of the North American Metropolitan District withdrew from the ROCOR Council of Bishops, Archimandrite Gerasim (Shmaltz) did not leave the North American Metropolia, while also remaining close to the ROCOR. Following his advice, Gleb Podmoshensky and Eugene Rose created the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood within the ROCOR. At the meeting of the Synod of March 21, 1969, Archbishop Anthony of San Francisco raised the question of the veneration of Father Herman of Alaska, and a decision was made to conduct a survey of all of the ROCOR hierarchs regarding their attitude toward his glorification. That same year, Fr. Gerasim uncovered Elder Herman’s remains. Simultaneous preparations for Father Herman’s glorification were taking place in the North American Metropolia, as well. On April 10, 1970, the Moscow Patriarchate granted autocephaly to the North American Metropolia, and on August 9 of that year, the glorification of Father Herman by the then (already) Orthodox Church in America took place in Kodiak’s Holy Resurrection Cathedral. The Russian Church Abroad canonized Father Herman on the same day in the Holy Virgin Joy of All Who Sorrow Cathedral in San Francisco. Relevant Link "And Seven Years Latter I became Orthodox" - Fr. Leo on St. Herman of Alaska |
