Guardian Angel of the Russian Church Abroad

Saint Herman Guardian Angel OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH ABROAD

O most glorious wonder! a new land is sanctified, for the Wonderworker Herman, raised unto the heights, is manifest today. Wondrous is God in His saints, God is with us, know ye, O nations! Learn of Orthodoxy from Herman; by whose prayers, O Christ our God, save our souls.

(From the Service to St. Herman: Sticheron on Lauds, Tone 8, to the Special Melody "O most glorious wonder!")

ON THE EVE of the Jubilee Year of the 50th anniversary of the free Russian Church Abroad, there has occurred, as if by itself, the lightbearing glorification of the first Saint of the American land, who lived like an angel here, where now, under his protection, the center of the Russian Church Abroad is preserved.

But in order that the nations, among whom the sons of the Russian Church have been providentially dispersed over the whole face of the earth, may understand that God is with us as is the truth of Orthodoxy, St. Her man, being even to this day a zealous apostle of true Orthodoxy, has shown at the time of his canonization that he is indeed the Guardian Angel of the Church Abroad, and has gone over the entire earth "ringing the Paschal bell."

Here the reader will find set forth a number of communications, from almost every corner of the earth, relating how the orphans of Russia Abroad -and not only those of Russian blood-have greeted their new Guardian Angel sent by God, before the trials that are coming upon true Orthodox Christians. Lord, give Thy blessing!

Let us begin with a sermon delivered on the day of canonization by a zealous young priest in New Jersey.

By God's mercy we are now commemorating an historic event – the numbering among the saints of our God-bearing Father, St. Herman of Alaska. A canonization opens up for us the path to a broad communion in prayer to ask in the Church's prayers for the intercession of a saint before the Throne of the Almighty.

In this superb moment of prayer and contemplation, the image of the newly-revealed Saint presents itself to us as a burning church candle. For in a melting candle we see a remembrance of the brevity of earthly life, of which the holy Elder constantly reminded people. Too, like drops of melting wax the Saint's soul was cleansed by tears of repentance, by means of which his heart, too, was cleansed of earthly passions. And the light given off by a candle represents the Saint's spiritual burning, for the fire of Divine love burned inextinguishably in his soul, which was warmed by intense prayer and vigil. And it is just such a spiritual attitude that must be kindled in our hearts, an attitude that is reflected in the new Service to St. Herman.

In truth, brethren, this is a marvellous wonder: in our age of apostasy a new star is kindled in the spiritual firmament. By this, hope enters our hearts for our own personal progress in the spiritual life. We have grown used to the thought that saints lived some time long ago, that the Holy Church glorified them at that time, when the whole world itself was closer to Christ, but now there is no hope at all for this... But behold how we, as it were, hear the call of Mother Church: Rejoice, brethren, and be not sad! For out of your midst the Lord has revealed the great righteous one, our holy Father John of Kronstadt, and now the Lord reveals here, on the blessed American land that has given refuge to us wanderers, the first American Orthodox Saint of God, the holy and God-bearing Elder of Alaska, Herman. What joy, what a revelation of God's mercy!

We are called now to preserve the truth entrusted by God's Providence to the Russian Church Abroad. Despite all our difficulties and ailments, let us always remember that we are the one true Church that has not come to terms with Antichrist. In this we have everything! Let us close our ranks in even greater fellow-feeling, let us tear our glance away from worldly vanity, and let us keep vigil and be sober, remembering the Apostle's testament, that "we wrestle against spirits of evil in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having overcome all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6: 12-18).

Holy Father Herman, pray to God for us! Amen.

Rev. Valery Lukianov

HOLY LAND

JERUSALEM: Holy Ascension Convent on the Mount of Olives.

Today, on the day of canonization of our Holy and God-bearing Father Herman, Wonderworker of Alaska, I wish to inform you how we celebrated this. On July 22, at trapeza in the Gethsemene Convent after the services of the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Equal to the Apostles, I asked the Head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Anthony (Grabbe), who had just returned from New York, whether he had brought an icon of St. Herman of Alaska. He replied: "No, I didn't bring one; I thought that you already had one. I brought only the Service to him." Abbess Barbara of Gethsemene said: "We will paint one." This was on Tuesday, and on Thursday at the Mount of Olives I told Archimandrite Dimitry: "I want to order from our icon-painter an icon of St. Herman for Sunday." He said: "She won't be able to finish it; she won't even have time to prepare the board." Then I began to rummage in our file of English magazines: the Orthodox Chronicle of the St. Seraphim Brotherhood in London, and The Orthodox Word and I found an Orthodox Word that opened up to a marvellous little icon in delightful colors, and everything was all right.

Today at the moleben we prayed in front of this icon, which has been placed in a frame. Archimandrite Anthony read the Epistle of Metropolitan Philaret on the canonization of our Holy and God-bearing Father Herman of Alaska. He brought out the icon and placed it on an analogion. Together with him served Archimandrite Dimitry, Archpriest Arkady, Hegoumens Modest and Mefody, and Deacon George. During the whole Liturgy commemorating St. Panteleimon the Healer we felt a breath of grace in expectation of the moleben; I will even say that for the whole day the evident presence of the newly-glorified Saint of the Russian Church Abroad – a Saint for America did not leave us.

September 15-28, 1970

When the fortieth day came of the joining to the choir of saints of St. Herman, we placed an analogion with his icon in the center of the church and celebrated the rite of the giving-away of this feast, just as we do for the great Feasts: the priest censed all around while the troparion was sung, read the prayer to him, and after everyone had venerated the icon, took it to the Altar, held it on high and blessed everyone with it, and told us that we should continue to appeal in prayer to the new Saint of the Russian Church. Now this icon is on the wall at the end of a row of other saints.

Abbess Tamara and Sisters

U.S.A.

LAKEWOOD, N. J.: Church of St. Alexander Nevsky.

We celebrated the feast of canonization with great exaltation. Preparations for the solemnity began on the day when I gave a lecture on the life and miracles of the Saint. The lecture was given in church and attracted quite a few listeners, even from neighboring parishes. This lecture was concluded by the singing by all present of Eternal Memory (three times). From that moment after each Liturgy a litia was served for the repose of the Elder's soul. On the table of remembrance of the dead an icon lamp burned before the Saint's image at all times.

The All-night Vigil on the eve of the feast was preceded by the final litia, and on the very day of canonization, at the end of the Liturgy, the whole choir took its place in the midst of the faithful. I called on the whole church to sing the moleben together, which was done with great elevation and animation, so that it was difficult to refrain from tears. Glory be to God for everything!

Rev. Valery Lukianov

SEA CLIFF, LONG ISLAND: Parish of the Kazan Mother of God.

I was glad to hear of the great solemnity in San Francisco in connection with the canonization of St. Herman in truth a consolation to the suffering and sorrowing souls of the faithful. With us everything, of course, was more modest, but the moleben proceeded with great spiritual elevation, and without a doubt the Saint entered into our life of prayer. I gave a sermon before the moleben and I easily and joyfully recalled everything bound up with the name of St. Herman.

May God's mercy be ever with you.

Archpriest Alexy Ionov

ST. SERAPHIM'S NOVO-DIVEYEVO CONVENT, Spring Valley, N.Y.

Yesterday was the solemnity of the canonization of the great Elder of Valaam. Although we did not have such a solemnity, nonetheless our service was quite special. Being all my life in close contact with Valaam, and having received monastic tonsure from a Valaam elder, I felt the spirit of Valaam, a breath of grace, and could not refrain from tears...

May the Lord and the Protection of the Queen of Heaven, together with the praying host of the blessed Valaam ascetics, preserve you.

Sinful Nun Maria S.

EUROPE

FRANCE: Convent of the Mother of God of Lesna

On July 27 our service was according to the Oktoechos, the Sunday service, together with the service to the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon; but at the polyeleos we brought out the icon of St. Herman. The moleben (after the Liturgy) was to the Lesna Mother of God, our Patroness, and to St. Herman.

I don't know what the response of our aged Valaam monks in Finland was to the canonization of St. Herman. It is sad to think about! To think about ancient, holy Valaam occupied by atheists, and everything defiled! For how long, O Lord, will this be? Or is the end of everything at hand? Forgive me and pray for me.

Hieromonk Nikander
Monk of Valaam

FRANCE, CANNES:

Church of the Archangel Michael.

Already in January, 1970, our parish bulletin contained a notice concerning the designation of a new canonization of a saint for the coming year; his Life and icon were given, and it was advised that his name be written, while he was yet uncanonized, in books of remembrance for the departed.

In our Diocese and in Cannes the first services were deliberately held not on the day of St. Panteleimon the Healer (July 27), but a week later; in Cannes we have a chapel to the Healer and did not wish to join the two services together. For the day of canonization an icon was painted by the iconographer Valentin Tsevtshinsky, a teacher in our parish icon-painting school. At the All-night Vigil the icon stood on the Altar-table and at the polyeleos I brought out the icon, followed by the deacon with censer and candles, and likewise by several candle-bearers, and having placed it on the ambo while the deacon censed it, blessed the faithful with it in the form of a cross, and then placed the icon on an analogion in the center of the church and began the censing and the singing of the Magnification. Mounted iconreproductions were sold to those who wished them. On Sunday the sermon consisted of the life of St. Herman and his significance. And then a moleben, at which all could give their lists of names for remembrance. Both at the All-night Vigil and at the Liturgy and moleben there were many faithful present. Now at every Dismissal and at prayers where the saints are named we unfailingly commemorate, after the Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt, the newly-glorified St. Herman of Alaska.

One important and active Evlogian told me: "You must accept the autocephaly of the American Metropolia if you venerate St. Herman!" He thought that it was the Metropolia that was canonizing him, and not the Church Abroad! According to my information the canonization passed in the Paris Exarchate absolutely unnoticed.

Before the day of canonization, through our Archbishop Anthony of Geneva, all the parishes of our Diocese received reproductions of the Saint's icon in Greek style (with blue eyes), together with the text of the troparion and kontakion. Therefore this day was commemorated in all the parishes of our Diocese. We also have charge of the Toulon parish; there on this day this same icon was brought out and all venerated it.

By the prayers of St. Herman, O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us! Amen.

Priest Igor Doulgov

FRANCE, BORDEAUX: Community of St. Herman of Alaska.

Several months ago there was founded in Bordeaux, with the blessing of Vladika Anthony, Archbishop of Geneva and Western Europe, the "Church Community of our Venerable Father Herman of Alaska," since our church in Bordeaux was taken by force by the equivalent of the American Metropolia in Europe, the anti-canonical and modernist jurisdiction of the "Archbishop of France" (Archbishop George of the Rue Daru in Paris). Several of the faithful of Bordeaux have, however, remained with the Russian Synod Abroad. We have no church, but we publish a small bulletin, Tres sainte Orthodoxie. There is also a French icon of St. Herman. Pray much for us to our common patron St. Herman of Alaska, the symbol of our attachment to the purity of the Orthodox Faith and to the Russian Synod Abroad.

The glorification of a new saint is always the source of abundant blessings. Moreover, St. Herman of Alaska is for us a striking example of what the Orthodox Faith can be when it is fully lived.

Russian, like the great majority of our parishioners who, with the exile, have rekindled the torch of the true Faith in this land of France, St. Herman was also a great missionary in the American land. One of the first fruits of his admirable apostolate was the formation of native Orthodox communities, several of whose members confessed the true Faith even unto martyrdom. Missionaries we also wish to be, and this possibility is offered to us only by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, which has received as its mission, in the blessed words of Metropolitan Anastassy of blessed memory, "to sow the light of Orthodoxy over the entire earth."

And this is why we have taken as our patron saint our venerable Father Herman of Alaska.

Jean Besse

SPAIN, MADRID: Spanish Orthodox Mission.

We are a group of Spanish people who recently have embraced Holy Orthodoxy under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and we have started a Mission in Madrid. We celebrate the Divine Liturgy in Spanish (also in Church Slavonic and Greek when the occasion arises), using our own service books, translated into Spanish by ourselves. We have also many friends who are interested in our Faith. Our Mission has been started by an Orthodox Spanish priest, Father Jaime de Reval. He is a former Episcopalian Minister in Barcelona, fully beloved by the parish he was leading. Converted to Holy Orthodoxy through his studies on the Fathers and the history of the Church, he was received and ordained a priest by the Blessed Archbishop John Maximovitch. He spent some years in France, and later he was transferred to Geneva, where he remained under the jurisdiction of Archbishop Anthony.

We have a lot of problems; most important, we have no suitable place to worship, and we celebrate the Divine Liturgy (every Sunday, anyway) in the small house where Fr. De Reval is presently living...

In our chapel we have a large icon of St. Herman, which is illuminated at all times by a lamp... I am now working on the translation of the Saint's office into Spanish, in order to celebrate it on his feast day.

You have no idea how much we are suffering here due to the pressures of the Greek Church (Athenagoras) in Madrid, which is doing its best to stop our activities. The Spanish people in general do not have any idea about the Orthodox Church except the one given to them by Athenagoras.

May the Lord and His All-Holy Mother, as well as our Fathers among the Saints Osius of Cordoba and Isidorus of Sevilla, Princes of the Ecumenical Councils, bless you.

In Christ, your fully devoted

Jose Guillermo Oncins Hevia
Spanish Orthodox Mission
of the Dormition of the Theotokos
Aug. 26-Sept. 9, 1970

ENGLAND, LONDON: Convent of the Annunciation.

Because of various circumstances our canonization moleben to Saint Herman took place on the Sunday after the Feast of the Dormition, August 17/30, 1970. Archpriest George Cheremetieff gave a sermon at the end of the Liturgy on the life of the Saint, which moved everyone, and then there was a moleben before his icon. All the faithful prayed fervently and with great feeling. Our students were in church, too, having returned from their vacations abroad. It was a comfort for the soul: yet another intercessor in heaven will pray for our world which is sinking in evil. Glory be to God, we have both the icon and the Service to St. Herman.

Devoted in Christ, Sinful Abbess Elizabeth

SOUTH AMERICA

ARGENTINA, BUENOS AIRES.

In Argentina the day of canonization was transferred to a week later, and the moleben had to be celebrated not on the 9th, but on the 16th, of August. In his sermon our priest read, with particular feeling, the description of one miracle by the prayers of St. Herman which occurred to the wife of a lighthouse-keeper in Alaska, Naumova, who was healed by earth from the grave of the holy Elder.

A MIRACULOUS HEALING ON THE DAY OF CANONIZATION

On this very day, August 16 by the new calendar, in the house of Alexander and Maria Baumann, there were guests, and their daughter, 12 year old Elizabeth (Liza), became sick just at the most inopportune time. By five in the afternoon pains appeared in her stomach, and they increased with every hour. The poor mother was torn between the guests and her sick daughter. No medicines did any good. Finally, at eight in the evening, Liza said in tears that she had no more strength to endure it – and generally she is a patient child. At such an hour on Sunday it is difficult to find a doctor, and besides, there were guests...

The mother remembered that she had earth from the grave of St. Herman, sent to her by a friend, and because of the canonization this earth was lying on a table nearby. She prayed fervently to St. Herman and said to her Liza: "Pray hard to St. Herman and put the envelope with earth on the sore place." The girl barely managed to place the envelope with earth on the sore place and turn over on her side, when in an instant she fell sound asleep! To be sure, around 2:30 in the morning the pains returned and again began to increase. The father wasn't home, and without him they didn't want to do anything; and while they waited for him the girl again became unable to endure the pain, and the mother in despair again hastened for help to St. Herman. This time she poured two or three pinches of earth into holy water, following the example of Naumova, and praying fervently gave it to Liza to drink. In about ten minutes the pain completely passed and the girl became well.

The next day they called a doctor all the same, more in order to find out what kind of pains these had been. He diagnosed an attack of appendicitus, but reassured them that the appendix was now in such a condition that there was no danger and one could forget about it.

M. Hoerschelmann

CHILE: Holy Dormition Convent and St. John of Kronstadt Orphanage.

On the day of St. Herman's canonization our Vladika, Archbishop Leonty, had been forbidden by his doctor not only to serve, but even to walk around his room. But Vladika didn't listen to any of the doctor's warnings and went with us on Saturday night to the All-night Vigil, which was celebrated very festively. The icon which had been sent us was brought out in the evening and the Magnification triumphantly sung. Later Vladika told me that it makes no difference what the doctors say, but one has to serve! "St. Herman will help us." Vladika prayed for the health of Archimandrite Veniamin and the many Russian parishioners who couldn't be in church because of the Hong Kong Flu.

On the next day, Sunday, there was a solemn Liturgy and there were many people. Vladika couldn't give a sermon, since even his responses during the Liturgy were scarcely audible. And a moleben was served. This day passed for us very warmly and prayerfully, all the more in that it was bound up with the heavenly Healer St. Panteleimon. In the Orphanage we have 28 girls, and about a hundred children in school; all of them know about St. Herman, because they were told to pray to him.

Now we are in very tense times in Chile. God knows what will happen! Holy Father Herman, pray to God for us!

Mother Iuliania

Another incident, also in South America, occurred a week before the canonization of St. Herman.

ST. HERMAN – SPEEDY HELPER

A young man was given the Life of St. Herman to read by his mother. who reminded him while doing so that at the canonization of a saint miracles by his prayers increase. Many sorrows had fallen to the lot of this family of late; and the last blow was the serious illness of the father, the family's solel provider. The young man, his son, had recently married and was expecting an addition to his family, so that he was in no condition to support his par ents and his brother and sister of school age. There was no way out; help was needed, something had to be done but how, what?

At this point the young man just at the right time received an icon of St. Herman. This was on Thursday, July 30. At night he prayed long and fervently before the image of St. Herman, begging him to help his father to find a different kind of work when he recovered so that he could quit his present difficult work, and in general to help in the hopeless situation of his family.

On Saturday early in the morning a friend and co-worker called him excitedly on the telephone: "Do you remember how three of us bought a lottery ticket recently?" "Oh, yes, that's right; I forgot all about it and don't even know the number." "Well, now know that we won three million pesos, one million apiece – 800,000 to take home." And the average income of a worker is from fifty to seventy thousand a month!

Here there was intertwined yet a second miracle, not of a material nature. The young wife, who is self-indulgent, not only obediently agreed to give almost all the money to her father in law, but herself offered to do this, and in addition joyfully bought gifts for his whole family.

This money made it possible to pay off debts and borrowed money, and for the father thus not to work beyond his strength as before. It doesn't need to be said that the whole family revived and warmly thanks God and His wondrous Saint for such evident and speedy help.

M. V. Ioasafov

AUSTRALIA

SYDNEY: Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand.

On the day of canonization of St. Herman, His Eminence Archbishop Savva, despite his ill health, served after the Divine Liturgy a moleben to St. Herman in the Cathedral Church in Croydon (Sydney). In Brisbane and Melbourne the Most Reverend Vicars of the Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand, Bishops Constantine and Theodosius, likewise served molebens to St. Herman on that day in the cathedral churches of those cities, and by special order of the Archbishop, in all other churches of the Archdiocese molebens were served by the reverend clergy with a large attendance of the faithful. Before the molebens there were delivered sermons on the canonization of St. Herman and on his life.

The Church Sisterhood at the Cathedral Church in Croydon, with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Savva, decided to consider their heav enly patron from this time forth to be St. Herman, Wonderworker of Alaska.

In Croydon, besides a general library, there is a Theological Library, in which all materials concerning the life and canonization of St. Herman will be collected.

Secretary of the Archdiocesan Administration
Priest Victor Bulakhov

A long time ago we heard of the proposed canonization of the Alaskan Missionary, Monk Herman; and then we received an Ukase from the Archdiocesan Administration concerning the order of Divine services during the canonization – but we had no icon. What to do? Then one of the nuns, who had come to us with the blessing of the late Vladika John of Shanghai, cut a portrait of the Elder out of a magazine, made a halo, and a frame of appropriate size was found. We gave it to Batushka in the Altar, he blessed it, and at the time of the All-night Vigil, during the singing of "Praise ye the name of the Lord," he brought it, covered, out of the Altar and placed it on an analogion. Then Batushka took the covering off the icon and began to sing the Magnification, and then on the cliros we too sang: We glorify thee, our holy Father Herman, and we honor thy holy memory, instructor of monks and converser with angels.

In the book, Ascetics of the 19th and 20th Centuries (by Poselyanin), there is a description of the ascetic labors of Father Herman, which is most interesting reading. How modest and humble he was, refusing even advancement in the Church's ranks – he was offered to be hieromonk and even archimandrite, and he refused out of humility. Quietly, unnoticed, at a distance from his fellow-countrymen, he gave himself over to serving the unfortunate, outcast Aleuts. My soul trembled over his ascetic labors when I read it at trapeza to the sisters. We have fifteen nuns in all; our convent is still quite young.

Abbess Elena and Sisters

ST. HERMAN – GUARDIAN OF CHILDREN

FAIRFIELD, N.S.W.

Joy came to our house just in time, when we were all very upset over my grandson Andrusha (Andrew). In general he hasn't been very enthusiastic about going to school, and lately every morning I've taken him in tears; he wept and said that he was very frightened in school, so frightened that he was ready to run away from school.

One day I saw a dream: Some monk came into our house, went to the corner where the icons are, and sang the Paschal canon, and then turning to me said loudly: "Christ is risen!" I answered him: "In truth He is risen!" and led my grandson by the hand and made him say "Christ is risen" to the monk. Andrusha said it and the monk answered "In truth He is risen," and stroked him on the head. And I woke up and thought all the while: why does he greet us like that when it isn't Pascha, and why does he not give a blessing? And what kind of saint or batushka is he? Thus I thought for the whole day after waking up.

That same day, having taken Andrusha at 9:30 to school and given him over to the teacher, I went to the bank and on other errands for the children – while Andrusha ran away from school. And the school isn't very close to us, and more important, the streets are dangerous; and he never goes anywhere alone. Of course there was panic at school. His father was called away from work. We phoned and looked everywhere and were terribly worried. But, glory be to God, his father found him after a great deal of searching in all directions around the school. Andrusha, his head hanging down, was walking with his suitcase, This event distressed us all very much – and not only us, but all our friends too, for he is a modest child. We asked him, but he only wept and said: "I don't know why I'm frightened. I just took my suitcase and left. I wasn't running away, and I knew that I would be punished for it..."

And then, just at this time, what joy!... All this day I had been thinking: who could it be that I saw in my dream? And going out to look at the mailbox, I found in it a letter from Abbess Ariadna with a little icon of St. Herman, and I received the answer to the question that had been troubling me. It was St. Herman I had seen in my dream, just as on the icon I received from Abbess Ariadna. With the icon there was a leaflet (see pp. 200-204): on the first page Spruce Island, and inside it told about the miraculous feast of the American native hunters on one small fish, and about how the Aleuts who came to Spruce Island had heard the singing of a choir of angels when the Saint was praying in the chapel. Of course, Andrusha and I with great joy kissed the little icon, gently poured water over it out of a teaspoon into a dish, and Andrew drank this holy water

Glory be to God, from that time on he has gone to school quietly, and not once has he remembered his fear... Together, he and I morning and evening pray in front of the little icon, and he always has to ask to be blessed with the icon and kiss it, and then he peacefully goes to school. Now, glory be to God, he goes happily.

Antonina A. Vajin

CANADA

EDMONTON:

Cathedral Church of St. Vladimir.

Unfortunately I could not come to San Francisco for the canonization of St. Herman, since I was occupied with Diocesan matters. But on the day of canonization, even though I was in Edmonton, spiritually I felt exceptionally well. In our church I delivered a sermon and read the Saint's Life. In all churches of the Diocese molebens were served to St. Herman.

At the moleben in the Cathedral there was in attendance a very religious man who lives here; and when he saw the icon of the Saint, he immediately recognized in it the monk who had appeared to him during sleep on April 12 | 25, 1966. It was St. Herman that he had seen then, but until the day of canonization he did not know who it was. This was soon after Pascha, on the Monday of the Week of the Myrrh-bearing Women.

He says that the Saint was short in stature, in his Mantle and with a klobuk on his head. He was very likeable. The man met him at the door, and when he asked the Saint what he wanted, he felt within himself a feeling of special reverence, as if before someone worthy.

St. Herman asked him if he would like to go to the drawing up of the Testament of Metropolitan Anastassy, for there were going to be several bishops there. But at that time Metropolitan Anastassy had already reposed. This man asked the monk how far it was and how long it would take to go there. To this St. Herman replied: "Twenty minutes," and, uncertain, he added, vacillating, "and another five minutes." At St. Herman's question whether he would like to go to the drawing up of the Testament of Metropolitan Anastassy, he saw and felt great meekness and humility in the face and in the voice of the Saint. And the dream ended.

With my blessing and love in Christ,

Bishop Savva

There would be no point in attempting to interpret this dream, yet one cannot but be struck by the mention of Metropolitan Anastassy (whose name in Greek means "Resurrection"), Chief Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad from 1935 to 1964, from the lips of St. Herman, in a dream revealed on the day of his canonization. It should be noted also, that a document bearing the title of the "Testament of Metropolitan Anastassy" does indeed exist, having been written by the great hierarch himself in anticipation of his approaching repose, and setting forth for his brother bishops his deepest feelings and wishes concerning the future of the Russian Church Abroad and the eventual restoration of peace to the much-troubled Russian Orthodox Church. For the "drawing up" of this Testament in acti.e., its execution"several bishops" must indeed be present at the much-desired Council that will one day bring peace to Russian Orthodoxy.

Perhaps St. Herman, the Guardian Angel of the Russian Church Outside of Russia, chose in advance this means to draw the attention of the Orthodox faithful to this document in the year of his canonization. The "Testament of Metropolitan Anastassy" concludes as follows:

"As my testament to my dear brethren, my co-pastors and concelebrants in Christ, I desire them to stand on the rock of Holy and saving Orthodoxy, to cherish the Apostolic traditions, to preserve brotherly unity, peace and love among themselves, and to show to him whom God wll indicate to steer after me the ship of the Church Abroad the same trust and the obedience of mutual love that they have always shown to my humility.

"May the 34th Apostolic Canon serve as the cornerstone of their mutual relations, for in it is profoundly and clearly expressed the spirit of the Church's governance by means of mutual counsel.

"As for the Moscow Patriarchate and her hierarchs, inasmuch as they are in an intimate, active and well-wishing union with the Soviet power which openly confesses its complete godlessness and strives to implant atheism in the entire Russian people, with them the Church Abroad, preserving its purity, must not have any communion whatever, whether canonically, in prayer, or even in ordinary everyday contact, at the same time giving each of them over to the final judgement of the Sobor of the future free Russian Church.

"Glory be to our God unto the ages of ages!"

Humble Metropolitan Anastassy