Editing Herman of Alaska (section)

==Sainthood==
[[File:Sts. Sergius and Herman of Valaam Chapel.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Saints [[Sergius of Valaam|Sergius]] and [[Herman of Valaam]] Chapel, built in 1898 over the site where Herman was buried on [[Spruce Island]] in December 1836. Located near Monk's Lagoon, in the immediate vicinity of St. Herman's hermitage.]]

On March 11, 1969, the bishops of the [[Orthodox Church in America]] (OCA) formally declared their intention to canonize Herman, "as a sublime example of the Holy Life, for our spiritual benefit, inspiration, comfort, and the confirmation of our Faith."<ref>"Address of the Great Council."</ref> On August 9, 1970, Metropolitan [[Ireney (Bekish)]] of the OCA along with Archbishop [[Paul (Olmari)]] of Finland and other hierarchs and clergy presided over the canonization service,<ref>"Hierarchs and Clergy."</ref> which was held at Holy Resurrection Cathedral on Kodiak Island.<ref>Korsun, pp. 184–185.</ref> His relics were transferred from his grave underneath the [[Sts. Sergius and Herman of Valaam Chapel]] (i.e., the Saints [[Sergius of Valaam|Sergius]] and [[Herman of Valaam]] Chapel), on Spruce Island, to the Holy Resurrection Cathedral.

On the same date, the bishops of the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia]] (ROCOR) also canonized Herman at the [[Holy Virgin Cathedral]] ("Joy of All Who Sorrow") in San Francisco. At the [[all-night vigil]], the [[canon (hymnography)|canon]] to Herman was read for the first time by Gleb Podmoshensky, one of the founding brothers of the St. Herman of Alaska Serbian Orthodox Brotherhood in 1963. He, [[Seraphim Rose|Eugene (Seraphim) Rose]], and Lawrence Campbell gathered material for the Synod of Bishops in order to support the glorification of Herman, and also helped compose the liturgical service in his honor.<ref>Korsun, pp. 179–184.</ref>

There are several feast days throughout the year on which Saint Herman of Alaska is commemorated. Since there are two different calendars currently in use among various Orthodox churches, two dates are listed: the first date is the date on both the [[Revised Julian calendar|Revised Julian Calendar]] and the traditional [[Julian Calendar]], the second date, after the slash, is the same day on the date on the more contemporary [[Gregorian calendar|Gregorian Calendar]] date for the [[Julian calendar|Julian Calendar]] date.

*'''July 27/August 9—Glorification:''' This is the anniversary of the joint-glorification ([[canonization]]) of Herman of Alaska as a saint in 1970.
*'''November 15/28—Repose:''' This is the anniversary of the actual death of Herman.
*'''December 13/26—Repose:''' Due to an error in record keeping, this was originally thought to be the day of Herman's death, and because of the long-established tradition of celebrating his memory on this day, it has remained a feast day. It is more likely that this is the day he was buried. For those Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian Calendar, this day falls on December 26 of the Gregorian Calendar.
*'''Second Sunday after Pentecost:''', as one of the saints commemorated on the Synaxis of the Saints of North America—this is a [[moveable feast]] of the [[ecclesiastical year]], and the date of its observance will change from year to year.<ref>"Second Sunday after Pentecost"</ref>

The major portion of his relics are preserved at Holy Resurrection Cathedral in [[Kodiak, Alaska]], His burial site at the Sts. Sergius and Herman Chapel, Spruce Island, Alaska is an important [[pilgrim]]age site. The devout will often take soil from his grave and water from the spring named in his honour.

A portion of his relics are enshrined at the [[Ignatius of Antioch|St. Ignatius]] Chapel at the [[Antiochan Village]] in [[Pennsylvania]],<ref>"Antiochian Village"</ref> a conference and retreat center of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]]. He is regarded as one of their patron saints.

In 1963, with the blessing of [[John of Shanghai and San Francisco|John Maximovitch]], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, a community of Orthodox booksellers and publishers called the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood was formed to publish Orthodox missionary information in English.

One of the founders was Father [[Seraphim Rose]]. The Brotherhood did much to advance the cause of Herman's glorification as a saint. [[Saint Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] in Kodiak, Alaska is named in his honor, as are numerous [[parish church]]es throughout the world.

On Tuesday, August 4, 1970, the [[91st United States Congress|91st]] [[Congress of the United States]] acknowledged the glorification of Herman of Alaska with a speech in the [[United States Senate|Senate]], and his biography was formally entered into the [[Congressional Record]].<ref>Congressional Record</ref>

In 1993, [[Patriarch of Moscow|Patriarch]] [[Alexis II of Moscow|Alexis II]] visited Kodiak to venerate the relics of Saint Herman. He left as a gift an ornate ''[[lampada]]'' (oil lamp) which burns constantly over the [[reliquary]]. Pilgrims from all over the world are [[anointing|anointed]] with [[Chrism|holy oil]] from this ''lampada''.

In 2022, Herman was officially added to the [[Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church)|Episcopal Church liturgical calendar]] with a feast day on 15 November.<ref>{{Cite web |title=General Convention Virtual Binder |url=https://www.vbinder.net/resolutions/24?house=HD&lang=en |access-date=2022-07-22 |website=www.vbinder.net |archive-date=2022-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913143652/https://www.vbinder.net/resolutions/24?house=HD&lang=en |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Finnish Orthodox Church|Finnish Orthodox]] [[Espoo Orthodox Church|Espoo Church]] in Tapiola, Espoo, is dedicated to St. Herman of Alaska.