Saint
in our Midst
 St.
TIKHON, Patriarch of Moscow, Confessor and Enlightener of
North America, was born near Pskov, Russia in 1865. From
1898 to 1907 he served as Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska
(the Diocese was renamed "Aleutians and North America"
in 1900). He was only 33 years of age when he arrived to
take up his duties. A formidable task lay before him: the
diocese was tremendously large, encompassing the United
States, Canada and Alaska; it was composed of at least ten
different nationalities. While there were homogeneous pockets
of particular settlers, such as Ruthenians, there were also
mixed communities, for example, St. Spiridon's Church at
Seattle, which included Russian, Greeks, Arabs, Slavs, Galicians,
Americans and others. He traveled extensively across America,
working tirelessly for the good of the Church. In his time
a monastery was begun at South Canaan Pennsylvania named
for St. Tikhon of Voronezh (Zadonsk).
His first visit to
Canada came in the summer of 1901, and he would come again
in 1904, presiding over services, staying in parishioner’s
homes and checking parish records, meeting with clergy and
handling practical problems of parish life. He  consecrated
three churches in 1901. In 1903, he incorporated in the
person of the Bishop the Russo-Greek Catholic Orthodox Church
in the North West Territories. In 1904 he visited again
to settle problems caused by non-canonical Orthodox initiatives
that were on the rise in Canada, consecrating churches and
strengthening his flock. He presented several gramotas (documents
of commendation) to individuals and to parish organizations
that are still found on the walls of rural churches in Alberta.
Click
to read "An Ordinance to incorporate the
Bishop of the Russo. Greek Catholic Orthodox Church
and the Parishes and Missions of the said Church"
[Assented to June 13, 1903]
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Elevated to the rank
of Archbishop in 1905, he returned to Russia two years later,
serving at Yaroslav and Vilno. During the stormy period
of the Russian Revolution and the Civil War, the Patriarchate
was reintroduced, which had stood vacant since the reforms
of Peter the Great. On November 18, 1917, Archbishop TIKHON
was chosen as the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. He
served as steadfast defender against political abuse and
terror in regard to both the Church and the Russian people,
while at the same time appealing for obedience to the legitimate
decrees of the Soviet state. He reposed in 1925 and was
canonized in 1989.
Inaugural
Address of Bishop TIKHON
of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, 15/27 January
1899
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