Commemoration of Our Venerable Father, Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America.1
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9 AUGUST: GLORIFICATION OF VENERABLE HERMAN OF ALASKA The 9th Day of August Afterfeast of Transfiguration; Commemoration of our Venerable Father, Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America.1 Evening Service After the Introductory Psalm, “Blessèd is the man...,” the first Antiphon. Note: If this day falls on the Sunday After, 10 stikhera: 3 of the Resurrection, then 3 of the Feast, followed by 4 of St. Herman. Otherwise: At “Lord, I call…,” 8 stikhera. 3 stikhera of the Feast, in Tone 2: To the melody, “When from the tree….” Let us come together and faithfully celebrate / The all-radiant and divine transfiguration of Christ, / And being transformed by a glorious transformation / Let us spiritually ascend the lofty heights of the virtues with the disciples of Christ, / That, being taught with them the revelation of the awesome mysteries, /// We may ever glorify the Lord and Savior [of all]. Rejoice and be glad, O honored Church of the faithful, / As we now celebrate this most honorable and radiant festival; / For the Master of all Who is now transfigured, / Illumines the disfigurement of man with the brilliance of His ineffable splendor /// Far surpassing the radiant brilliance of the sun. The God and Creator of all, / Who, in His abundant loving kindness assumed the form of [a man], / Now saves us, His servants, from the ancient darkness; / The brightness of His visage revealing the glory of the Godhead in His flesh, / As the disciples, being filled with fear and trembling /// Fall prostrate worshipping the Master of all! And 5 stikhera of the saint 3 in Tone 8: (the composition of Fr. Vladimir) Thine evangelic light shines forth as a brilliant star / Kindled in thy youthful heart / By the burning fervor of thy faith in Christ. / 1 This is a revision into RLE© of the original service composed in 1970 by Fr. Vladimir Borichevsky for the occasion of the canonization of St. Herman of Alaska by the Orthodox Church in America, making reference to Fr. George Benigsen’s translation into Church Slavonic. Another service for this same occasion was composed by Fr. Herman (Podmoshensky), Fr. Serepahim (Rose) and Fr. Lawrence (Campbell) for the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and is presented in full on December 13. 1 9 AUGUST: GLORIFICATION OF VENERABLE HERMAN OF ALASKA And beholding it we, the faithful, say, / Grant mercy, O Lord, to all Thy people /// Through the prayers of our blessèd father Herman [of Alaska]. Thou didst accept the labor of a novice in Valaam with humble joy, / O venerable father Herman, / And putting thy hand to the plow Thou didst furrow a straight and true path / From [the lands of] Russia to the Aleutian shores. / And we who follow after Christ along this way /// Praise and glorify our Lord and Savior together with thee. Thy long and arduous journey / Across the arctic wilderness / Brought thee to the safe harbor on the [Island of] Kodiak, / The field of thy holy labor in America. / And as the least of an apostolic company / Thou didst firmly plant the Cross of Christ / Deep in the hearts of an ancient people. / And together with them we now cry aloud to thee: / O [our] ven’rable father Herman, /// Pray to Christ, the King of glory, that our souls may be saved. And 2 in Tone 6: To the usual melody (the composition of Fr. Herman Podmoshensky) Having now come together / Let us glorify the wondrous saint / Who, being born on earth attained the heavens, / Who brought over the light of Christ by words and deeds / To the ends of the universe, / To an unenlightened people weighed down by the coldness of idolatry, /// By whose prayers may Christ God save our souls. Rejoice, O monastery of Valaam, the dwelling place of God, / For thou hast raised up wondrous [warrior] of Christ, / Who like a candle upon a candle stand hath shone upon the islands of Alaska, / A land new and unknown, / And hath brought an unbelieving people to the Orthodox faith. / With them let us glorify God /// Who is wondrous in His saints. RLE SDA 8/2015 WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO READER ISAAC LAMBERTSEN.. 2 9 AUGUST: GLORIFICATION OF VENERABLE HERMAN OF ALASKA Glory..., in Tone 6: O venerable dweller of Spruce Island, Thou didst learn the great precepts of the angelic way / From a disciple of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, / Laboring long to keep pure the image of God in thee through fasting and prayer, / Thou didst ascend the heights and attained the likeness of God / So that the flesh might indeed serve the spirit. / Truly didst thou instruct thy disciples in word and in deed, / And abiding now in the heavenly mansions / Where thou dost gaze upon the Holy Trinity, /// Intercede for those who with faith and love honor thee. Now and ever…, of the Feast, in Tone 2: O God, Who in Thy goodness / Hast sanctified with Thy light all the inhabited earth, / Thou wast transfigured upon a high mountain / Showing Thy might to Thy disciples, / For Thou dost redeem the world from transgression. / Therefore, we cry aloud to Thee: /// O Lord of compassion, save our souls. Or Dogmatic Theotokion in the Tone of the Week if a Resurrection service. The Entrance and the Prokeimenon of the day. Three Readings: The Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon (3:1-9): 3:1The souls of the righteous are in the hand hath He tried them and received them as a of God, and there shall no torment touch burnt offering. 7And in the time of their them. 2In the sight of the unwise they visitation they shall shine, and run to and seemed to die: and their departure is fro like sparks among the stubble. 8They taken for misery, 3and their going from shall judge the nations, and have dominion us to be utter destruction: but they are in over the people, and their Lord shall reign peace. 4For though they be punished in forever. 9They that put their trust in Him the sight of men, yet is their hope full of shall understand the truth: and such as be immortality. 5And having been a little faithful in love shall abide with Him: for chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: grace and mercy is to His saints, and He for God proved them, and found them hath care for His elect. worthy for Himself. 6As gold in the furnace RLE SDA 8/2015 WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO READER ISAAC LAMBERTSEN.. 3 9 AUGUST: GLORIFICATION OF VENERABLE HERMAN OF ALASKA The Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon (5:15-6:3): 5:15…The righteous live for evermore; the clouds, as from a well drawn bow, and their reward also is with the Lord, and they shall fly to the mark. 22And hailstones the care of them is with the most High. full of wrath shall be cast out as a stone 16Therefore shall they receive a glorious bow, and the water of the sea shall rage kingdom and a beautiful crown from the against them, and the floods shall cruelly Lord’s hand; for with His right hand shall drown them. 23Yea, a mighty wind shall He cover them, and with His arm shall He stand up against them, and like a storm protect them. 17He shall take to him His shall blow them away; thus iniquity shall zeal for complete armor and make the lay waste the whole earth, and ill dealing creation His weapon for revenge upon his shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty. enemies. 18He shall put on righteousness 6:1Hear therefore, O ye kings, and under- as a breastplate and indifferent judgment stand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends instead of a helmet. 19He shall take of the earth. 2Give ear, ye that rule the holiness for an invincible shield. 20His people, and glory in the multitude of severe wrath shall he sharpen for a sword, nations. 3For power is given to you of the and the creation shall fight with him Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, against the unwise. 21Then shall the right Who shall try your works, and search out aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from your counsels. The Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon (4:7-15): 4:7 The righteous man, though he die early obscures that which is good, and roving yet shall he be at rest. 8For old age is not desire perverts the innocent mind. 13Being honored for length of time, nor is it so perfected in a short time, he fulfilled measured by number of years; 9but long years; 14for his soul was pleasing to wisdom is gray hair for men, and a the Lord, therefore He took him quickly blameless life is ripe old age. 10There was from the midst of wickedness. 15Yet this one who pleased God and was so belovèd of the peoples saw and did not understand, Him, that while living among sinners he was neither did they take such a thing to heart, taken up. 11He was caught up lest evil that God’s grace and mercy are upon His change his understanding or guile deceive holy ones, and He hath care for His elect. his soul. 12For the fascination of wickedness At the Litya, this stikheron, in Tone 4: (except on the Sunday After — see below) On this day of festivity and joy / Let us remember the many good deeds of our spiritual elder, / The ven’rable father Herman of Alaska. / For he brought the evangelic light to our land; / 4 9 AUGUST: GLORIFICATION OF VENERABLE HERMAN OF ALASKA He enlightened those who sat in darkness; / He established [for us] the monastic way; / He tamed ferocious beasts and repelled the evil one; / He conversed with the [bodiless powers] and lived the life of an angel; / He fed the hungry, nursed the sick and defended the oppressed; / He prophesied his coming glorification.