Innocent of Alaska facts for kids

Saint Innocent of Alaska
Enlightener of Alaska and Siberia
Born	6 September [O.S. 26 August] 1797 Anginskoye, Irkutsk Oblast
Died	12 April [O.S. 31 March] 1879; Age 81 Moscow
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodoxy Episcopal Church (USA)
Canonized	October 6 [O.S. 23 September] 1977, Moscow by Patriarch Pimen I, Russian Orthodox Church
Major shrine	Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra
Feast	13 April (as of the 21st century where the Julian calendar is in use) [O.S. 31 March] (repose) 6 October (Glorification) March 30 (Episcopal USA)
Attributes	Vested as a bishop, with a moderately-long black beard, holding a Gospel Book or scroll

Saint Innocent of Alaska was a very important Russian Orthodox missionary and leader. He lived from 1797 to 1879. He is also known as Saint Innocent Metropolitan of Moscow.

He was the first Orthodox bishop and archbishop in the Americas. Later, he became the Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia. He is remembered for his amazing work in Alaska and the Russian Far East. He was a great scholar, linguist, and leader. He was also very dedicated to his work.

As a missionary, he traveled with his wife and family. He learned many languages of the native people in Alaska. He wrote some of the first books about them. These included dictionaries and grammars for their languages. He even created writing systems for them. He also translated parts of the Bible into these languages. His books started being published in 1840.

Early Life and Education

Saint Innocent was born Ivan Evseyevich Popov. His birthday was August 26, 1797. He was born in a village called Anginskoye in Russia. His father died when Ivan was six years old. He then lived with his uncle.

In 1807, at age 10, Ivan went to the Irkutsk Theological Seminary. The school's leader changed his name to Veniaminov. This was to honor a bishop named Veniamin.

In 1817, he married Catherine, a local priest's daughter. On May 18 of that year, Ivan Veniaminov became a deacon. He served at the Church of the Annunciation in Irkutsk.

After finishing his studies in 1818, Veniaminov became a teacher. He taught at a parish school. On May 18, 1821, he became a priest. In Russian, he was known as Father Ioann.

Missionary Work in Alaska

In early 1823, Father Ioann volunteered for a mission. He was sent to the island of Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. He left Irkutsk on May 7, 1823. His mother, brother, wife, and infant son went with him. Their journey was long and hard. They arrived in Unalaska on July 29, 1824.

Father Ioann and his family built an earthen hut. Then, he started learning the local languages. He taught his new neighbors how to build using Russian methods. Together, they built the Holy Ascension Church. It was finished in July of the next year.

St. Innocent as Metropolitan of Moscow.

Father Ioann's church covered Unalaska and nearby islands. These included the Fox and Pribilof islands. The native people there had become Christians. But they still kept some old beliefs. Father Ioann often traveled between islands. He used a canoe and faced stormy seas.

He learned six local dialects very quickly. He created an alphabet for the Unangan dialect of Aleut. He used Cyrillic letters for it. In 1828, he translated parts of the Bible into this dialect. In 1829, he traveled to the Bering Sea coast. He preached to the people living there.

In 1834, Father Ioann moved to Sitka Island. The town was called Novoarkhangelsk, now Sitka. He focused on the Tlingit people. He studied their language and customs. He wrote important books from his studies. These included Notes on the Kolushchan and Kodiak Tongues and Other Dialects of the Russo-American Territories.

Later Ministry and Leadership

In 1838, Father Ioann traveled to St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Kiev. He reported on his work and asked for more church support in Russian America. While he was there, he learned his wife had died. He wanted to return home.

Church leaders suggested he become a monk. At first, he didn't want to. But on November 29, 1840, he became a monk. He took the name Innocent. This was to honor Saint Innocent, the first bishop of Irkutsk. He was then made an Archimandrite.

A portrait of Bishop Innocent.

On December 15, 1840, Innocent became the Bishop of Kamchatka and Kuril Islands in Russia. He also became bishop of the Aleutian Islands in Russian America. His main church was in Novoarkhangelsk (Sitka). He returned there in September 1841. For nine years, he managed his diocese. He also made many long missionary trips.

On April 21, 1850, Bishop Innocent became an Archbishop. In 1852, the Yakut area joined his diocese. In September 1853, Archbishop Innocent moved to Yakutsk. He traveled often throughout his larger diocese. He worked hard to translate scriptures and service books. He translated them into the Yakut (Sakha) language.

In April 1865, Archbishop Innocent joined the Holy Governing Synod. This was a very important group in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Metropolitan of Moscow

On November 19, 1867, he became the Metropolitan of Moscow. This is a very high position. He took over after his friend, Saint Filaret, passed away.

As metropolitan, he made many changes. He fixed errors in church texts. He also raised money to help poor priests. He even started a retirement home for clergy.

Death and Legacy

The relics of Saint Innocent of Alaska. These are kept at the Trinity-Sergius Monastery in Sergiyev Posad, Russia.

Innocent passed away on March 31, 1879. He was buried on April 5, 1879. His burial place was at Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, near Moscow.

Sainthood

On October 6, 1977, the Russian Orthodox Church made Innocent a saint. They gave him the title "Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to America." This means he helped bring light and faith to the people of Alaska.

The Orthodox Church celebrates Innocent's feast day three times a year:

• March 31 (April 13 in the modern calendar) - the day he passed away.
• October 6 - the day he became a saint.
• October 18 - a day honoring Moscow's church leaders.

Innocent is highly respected. He is seen as Equal-to-apostles, like the first apostles of Jesus. The Episcopal Church (USA) also honors him. They celebrate his feast day on March 30.

Images for kids

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  Saint Innocent of Alaska

See also

In Spanish: Inocencio de Alaska para niños