In September 2024, the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of Sitka and Alaska hosted a pilgrimage to Unalaska in honor of the 200th anniversary of the arrival of St Innocent of Alaska and Moscow’s arrival there as a missionary in 1824.
The pilgrimage celebrations were led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada, who was invited by the local hierarch His Grace Bishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska.
During the meal following the Divine services, Bp. Alexei addressed the congregation about the significance of their native heritage. He emphasized how St. Innocent respected local languages in teaching Orthodoxy to the Unangax people. “There’s something very sacred about the culture itself. There’s something very sacred that St. Innokenty experienced,” Bp. Alexei said. “Just the love and the concern that he had for the priests, the love and concern that he had for the people. He told his priests: ‘Now make sure when you teach, teach in Unangan, don’t teach in Russia…”
This approach, rooted in Apostolic tradition, reflects the Orthodox view that all cultures, traditions, languages, and individuals are sacred gifts from God, Vladyka said.
“Where is it safe to always sing in Unangan?” Bp. Alexei asked. “In the Orthodox Church.”
“Where is it safe to always be able to sing in Slavonic the way your grandparents and great grandparents have? It’s the holy Orthodox Church. Where is it that we feel the most complete? … We’re never alone in the Orthodox Church.”
“Orthodoxy is the best thing that ever happened to this island. It’s the best thing that ever happened to Alaska. It’s the best thing that ever happened to this world,” His Grace emphasized.
Watch Bp. Alexei’s full speech: