HERMAN'S LIFE BEFORE VALAAM
A spiritual mission was organized in 1793 from the
monks of the Valaam Monastery. It was sent to preach
the Word of God to the native inhabitants of
northwestern America, who but ten years before had
begun to come under the sovereignty of Russia. The
Monk Herman was among the members of this Mission.
The Monk Herman came from a family of merchants of
Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow Diocese. His name
before he was tonsured, and his family name are not
known. (The monastic name is given when a monk takes
his vows). He had a great zeal for piety from youth,
and at sixteen he entered monastic life. (This was in
1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756,
although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his
birth.) First he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage
which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the
Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from
St. Petersburg.
MIRACULOUS HEALING OF HERMAN
At the St Sergius Hermitage there occurred the
following incident to Father Herman. On the right side
of his throat under his chin there appeared an abcess.
The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It
became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was
unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman
awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of
this world, but locking his cell he fell before an
lcon of the Queen of Heaven. With fervent tears he
prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He
prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and
with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and
with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued
to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer
exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin
Mary healing him.
When Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his
great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling
had disappeared, even though the abscess had not
broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as
though a reminder of the miracle. Physicians to whom
this healing was described did not believe it, arguing
that it was necessary for the abscess to have either
broken through of its own accord or to have been cut
open. But the words of the physicians were the words
of human experience, for where the grace of God
operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such
occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand
of God's Mercy.
HERMAN'S LIFE AT VALAAM
For five or six years Father Herman continued to live
in the St Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred
to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on
the large islands in the waters of the great Lake
Ladoga. He came to love the Valaam haven with all his
soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior,
the pious Elder Nazary, and all the brethren. He wrote
to Father Nazary later from America, "Your fatherly
goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my
heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian
lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped
out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will
the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I
imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the
great ocean." He praised the Elder Nazary in his
letters as,"the most reverend, and my beloved father."
(Batushka) and the brethren of Valaam he called, "my
beloved and dearest." The place where he lived in
America, deserted Spruce Island, he called "Now
Valaam." And as we can see, he always remained in
spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland', for as
late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life
within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the
successor of Father Nazary, the lgumen Innocent.
Father Varlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a
contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his
tonsure from Father Nazary, wrote thus of the life of
Father Herman.
"Father Herman went through the various obediences
here, and being ‘well disposed toward every thing’ was
in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee
there the work of quarrying marble. The Brothers loved
Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to
the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of
the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazary,
released him to take abode in the wilderness. This
wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from
the cloister: to this day this place has retained the
name 'Herman's.' On holy days, Father Herman returned
to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that
at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing
in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren
from the Canon, 'O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners.
Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,' and tears would fall
like hail from his eyes."
THE FIRST MISSION TO AMERICA
In the second half of the 18th century the borders of
Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years
Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands
which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the
eastern shares of Kamchatka to the western shares of
North America. With the opening of these islands there
was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the
light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. With the
blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave
to the eider Nazary the task of selecting capable
persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy
endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was
Father Herman. The chosen men left Valaam for the
place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members
of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph
(Bolotoff), the Hieromonks, Juvenaly, Makary,
Athanasy, Stephan and Nektary, Hierodeacons, Nektary
and Stephan, and the Monks Josaph, and Herman.)
As a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the
light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among
the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans
accepted Christianity. A school for the education of
newly-baptized children was organized, and a church
was built at the place where the missionaries lived.
But by the inscrutable providence of God the general
progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five
years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Josaph,
who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was
drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific
Ocean been Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The
ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built
in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first
Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The
Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which
periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship
and all hands perished together with Bishop Josaph and
his party.) Before this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenaly
was granted the martyr's crown. The others died one
after another until in the end only Father Herman
remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than
any of his brethren in the apostolic task of
enlightening the Aleutians.
THE NEW VALAAM - SPRUCE ISLAND
In America Father Herman chose as his place of
habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam.
This island is separted by a strait about a mile and a
quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been
built a wooden monastery for the residence of the
members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated
to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was
named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from
which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting
to note that Valaam is also located on an island,
although, this island is in a fresh water lake,
whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean,
although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.)
Spruce Island is not large, and is almost completely
covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small
brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this
picturesque island for the location of his hermitage.
He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands,
and in it he lived his first full summer. For winter
there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which
he lived until his death. The cave was converted by
him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and
a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest
house were built not too distant from his cell. A
garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more
than forty years Father Herman lived here.
FATHER HERMAN'S WAY OF LIFE
Father Herman himself spaded the garden, planted
potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For
winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying
them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water.
It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder
carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it
was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was
used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment
of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with
seaweed for a long distance without any help at all.
By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter
night carrying a large log which normally would be
carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus
worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a
result of his immeasurable labors was used for the
feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for
his students.
His clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He
did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer
skin, which he did not take off for several years at a
time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was
completely worn away, and the leather became glossy.
Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock
(podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa)
full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went
everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the
rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing
weather. In this, Father Herman followed the example
of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed
the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of
others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible
clothes to show their great humility before God, and
their contempt for worldly things.
A small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served
as Father Herman's bed. He used two bricks for a
pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a
shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered
himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove.
This board Father Herman, himself called his blanket,
and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it
was as long as he was tall. "During my stay in the
cell of Father Herman," writes the creole Constantine
Larionov, "I, a sinner, sat on his 'blanket'-and I
consider this the acme of my fortune!" ('creole' is
the name by which the Russians referred to the
children of mixed marriages of native Indians of
Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.)
On the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of
administrators of the American Company and in the
course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them
until midnight. He never spent the night with them,
but regardless of the weather he always returned to
his hermitage. If for some extraordinary reason it was
necessary for him to spend the night away from his
cell, then in the morning the bed which had been
prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder
not having slept at all. The same was true in his
hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he
never rested.
The Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely
tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his
call his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a
small fish or some vegetables.
His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his
vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which
weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to
this day in the chapel.
Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple,
the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, "Yes, Apa led a very
hard life, and no one can imitate his life!" (Apa,
Aleutian word means eider or grandfather, and it is a
name indicative of the great affection in which he was
held).
Our writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder
deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his
labor. "His most important works," says the Bishop
Peter, "were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in
his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside
the cell they heard him singing and celebrating
services to God according to the monastic rule." This
witness of the Bishop is supported by the following
answers of Father Herman, himself, "How do you manage
to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don't you
ever become lonesome?" He answered, "No I am not there
alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy
Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with
people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels."
FATHER HERMAN AND THE NATIVES
The way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives
of America, how he understood his own relations with
them, and how he was concerned for their needs he
expressed himself in one of his letters to the former
administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky.
He wrote,
"Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland
this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet
have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It
requires not only protection, because of its infantile
weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even
for this it does not yet have the ability to make an
appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of
this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known
for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted
into the hands of the Russian government which has now
been given into your own power, therefore I, the most
humble servant of these people, and their nurse
(nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this
petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our
Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be
eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant's tonque we
say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans,
cool the hearts melt- ing away in the fire of sorrow.
Help us to know what consolation means."
The Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded
before the governors in behalf of those who had
transgressed. He defended those who had been offended.
He helped those who were in need with whatever means
he had available. The Aleuts, men, women and children,
often visited him. Some asked for advice, others
complained of oppression, others sought out defense,
and still others desired help. Each one received the
greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. He
discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to
settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned
about reestablishing understanding in families. If he
did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the
Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The
need for such a procedure he explained thus, "it is
better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can
be terrible if they are not separated. There have been
incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a
wife destroyed her husband."
Father Herman especially loved children. He made large
quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies
(krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of
the Elder. Father Herman's love for the Aleuts reached
the point of self-denial.
AN EPIDEMIC STRIKES
A ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island,
and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease,
a fatal illness. It began with a fever, a heavy cold,
and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills;
in three days the victim died. On the island there was
neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread
rapidly through the village, and then throughout the
nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants.
The fatalities were so great that for three days there
was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained
unburied. An eyewitness said, "I cannot imagine
anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which
struck me when I visited an Aleutian 'Kazhim'. This
was a large building, or barracks, with dividing
sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their
families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had
died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others
were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore
at one's soul."
"I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled
a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its
food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It
seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush
the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would
have successfully aroused fear of death in the most
embittered heart." Father Herman, during this terrible
sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying
out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring.
He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them
to penance, or prepared them for death. He never
spared himself.
FATHER HERMAN AS A SPIRITUAL TEACHER
The Elder was concerned in particular for the moral
growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school
was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. He
himself taught them the Law of God and church music.
For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday
and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell.
Here his disciple read the Hours and the various
prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and
Gospel. He also preached to them. His students sang,
and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his
sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The
Elder's talks were captivating, and his listeners were
moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of
one example of the beneficial results of his words.
"Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He
has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a
new occurence which I, who have lived here for twenty
years had never seen before on Kodiak. Recently after
Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who
knows Russian well, came to me. Having heard of the
Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she
became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she
does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with
me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for
solitude, and despite all the hindrances and
difficulties which I put forward before accepting her,
she has now been living near the school for a month
and is not lonesome."
"I, looking on this with great wonder, remembered the
'words of the Savior: that which is hidden from the
wise and learned is revealed to babes." (Matt. 11:25)
This woman lived at the school until the death of the
Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the
children who studied in his school. Father Herman
willed that after his death she was to continue to
live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova.
Yanovsky writes about the character and the eloquence
of the talks of the Elder thus:
"When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I
must say that I was educated in the naval corps
school; that I knew many sciences having read
extensively. But to my regret, the Science of
sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered
the externals - and these only theoretically, not
applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only,
but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker.
Furthermore, I did not admit the divinity and holiness
of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic
works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and
he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he
spoke so convincingly, wisely - and he argued with
such conviction- that it seemed to me that no learning
or worldly wisdom could stand one's ground before his
words. We conversed with him daily until midnight, and
even later, of God's love, of eternity, of the
salvation of souls, and of Christian living. From his
lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By
these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy
Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of
Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted
for all this to Father Herman. He is my true benefactor."
"Several years ago," continues Yanovsky, "Father
Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to
Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was
well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well
versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German,
French, Italian and also some Spanish. But for all
this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of
Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to
the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was
leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were
parting, "Be on guard, if the Lord should take your
wife from you then do not marry a German woman under
any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman,
undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy." The
Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The
warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after
several years the Captain's wife did die, and he
married a German woman. There is no doubt that his
faith weakened or that he left it; for he died
suddenly without penance."
Further on Yanovsky writes, "Once the Elder was
invited aboard a frigate which came from St.
Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly
educated man, who had been sent to America by order of
the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies.
There were more than twenty-five officers with the
Captain, and they also were educated men. In the
company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small
in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these
educated conversationalists were placed in such a
position by his wise talks that they did not know how
to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, 'We
were lost for an answer before him.'
"Father Herman gave them all one general question:
'Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will
each of you wish for your happiness?' Various answers
were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory,
some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful
ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein.
'It is not true,' Father Herman said to them
concerning this, 'that all your various wishes can
bring us to one conclusion - that each of you desires
that which in his own understanding he considers the
best, and which is most worthy of his love?' They all
answered, 'Yes, that is so!' He then continued, 'Would
you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and
surpassing all, and that which by preference is most
worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who
created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to
all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who
is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should
we not then love God above every thing, desire Him
more than anything, and search Him out?'"
All said, "Why, yes! That's self-evident!" Then the
Elder asked, "But do you love God?" They all answered,
"Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?"
"And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty
years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him
completely," Father Herman protested to them. He then
began to demonstrate to them the way in which we
should love God. "if we love someone," he said, "we
always remember them; we try to please them. Day and
night our heart is concerned with the subject. Is that
the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him
often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray
to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?" They had to
admit that they had not! "For our own good, and for
our own fortune," concluded the Elder, "let us at
least promise ourselves that from this very minute we
will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill
His Holy Will!" Without any doubt this conversation
was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the
rest of their lives.
"in general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity,
of salvation of the future life, of our destinies
under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints,
on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything
frivolous. It was so pleasant to hear him that those
who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives,
were so captivated by his talks that often they did
not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with
reluctance;" thus witnesses the creole, Constantine
Larionov.
A DESCRIPTION OF FATHER HERMAN
Yanovsky writes a detailed description of Father
Herman. "I have a vivid memory," he said, "Of all the
features of the Elder's face reflecting goodness; his
pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his
humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He
was short of stature. His face was pale and covered
with wrinkles. His eyes were greyish-blue, full of
sparkle, and on his head there were a few gray hairs.
His voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant."
Yanovsky relates two incidents from his conversations
with the Elder. "Once," he writes, "I read to Father
Herman the ode, 'God,' by Derzhavin. The Elder was
surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it
again. I read it once more, "Is it possible that a
simple, educated man wrote this?" he asked. "Yes, a
learned poet," I answered. "This has been written
under God's inspiration," said the Elder.
THE MARTYRDOM OF PETER
"On another occasion I was relating to him how the
Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts,
and how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept
the Catholic Faith. But this Aleut would not agree
under any circumstances, saying, 'We are Christians.'
The Jesuits protested, 'That's not true; you are
heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to
accept our faith then we will torture all of you.'
Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening;
two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison
with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to
persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept
the Catholic Faith. 'We are Christians,' was the
answer of the Aleuts, 'and we will not change our
Faith.' Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at
first the one while his companion was the witness.
They cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and
then the other joint. And then they cut the first
joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other
joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his
hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and
steadfastly insisted on one thing: "I am a Christian.'
In such suffering, he bled to death. The Jesuit
promised to torture to death his comrades also on the
next day. But that night an order was received from
Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be
released immediately, and sent there under escort.
Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to
Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut.
This was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut
who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards
he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this
incident to the supreme authorities in St. Petersburg.
When I finished my story, Father Herman asked, 'And
how did they call the martyred Aleut?' I answered,
'Peter; I do not remember his family name.' The Elder
stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of
the Cross and pronounced, "Holy newly-martyred Peter,
pray to God for us!"
THE SPIRIT OF FATHER HERMAN’S TEACHING
In order to express the spirit of Father Herman's
teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter
that was written by his own hand.
"The empty years of these desires separate us from our
heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and
our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress;
it is called by the Apostle 'the external (earthy)
man.' (I Cor. 15:47). We who are wanderers in the
journey of this life call to God for aid. We must
divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new
desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus,
through this we will know either an attraction or a
repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to
do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the
sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop
searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not
speaking clearly."
Not desiring anything for himself in life; long ago
when he first came to America having refused, because
of his humility, the dignity of hiero-monk and
archimandrite; and deciding to remain forever a common
monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before
the, powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With
gentle love, and disregarding the person, he
criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy
behalvor, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed
itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble
and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. The
Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet
seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those
complaints, had already written to St. Petersburg of
the necessity of his removal. He explained that it
seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the
administration. But this accusation turned out to be
unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the
admirers of Father Herman.
Once an inspector came to Spruce Island with the
Administrator of the Colony N. and with company
employees to search through Father Herman's call.
This party expected to find property of great value in
Father Herman's call. But when they found nothing of
value, an employee (of the American Company),
Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe,
undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then
Father Herman said to him, "My friend, you have lifted
the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your
life." Some time later people were needed at Fort
Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian
employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was
Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his
head while he slept.
THE TEMPTATIONS OF FATHER HERMAN
Many great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from
evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his
disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father
Herman's cell without the usual prayer he received no
answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The
next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence.
On that occasion Father Herman said to him, "When I
came to this island and settled in this hermitage the
evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful.
They came in the form of a man, and in the form of
animals. I suffered much from them; from various
afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not
speak now to anyone who enters into my presence
without prayer." (It is customary among devout laymen,
as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon
hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go
to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a
prayer before greeting the host).
SUPERNATURAL GIFTS FROM GOD
Herman dedicated himself fully for the Lord's service;
he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of
His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst
of a variety of afflictions and privations Father
Herman spent several decades performing the noblest
deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive
many supernatural gifts from God.
In the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a
little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream
was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook
fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at
its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their
first appearance they rushed up the stream'. His
disciple, Ignaty, said, "it was so that if 'Apa' would
tell me, I would go and get fish in the streaml"
Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they
would gather in great numbers around his call.
Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little
animal can not be approached when it has had its
young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. "Was
not this a miracle that we had seen?" said his
disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding
bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and
animals left; even the garden would not give any sort
of crops even though someone had willingly taken care
of it, Ignaty insisted.
On Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The
inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father
Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the
home where his students lived, and placed it on a
"laida" (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his
prayer he turned to those present and said, "Have no
fear, the water will not go any higher than the place
where this holy icon stands." The words of the Elder
were fullfilled. After this he promised the same aid
from this holy icon in the future through the
intercessions of the Most Immaculate Queen. He
entrusted the icon to his disciple, Sophia; in case of
future floods the icon was to be placed on the
"laida."
At the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote
a letter to a Metropolitan - his name is not known -
which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter
was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the
Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The
Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was
confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time and
just before he departed for St. Petersburg.
Father Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov
from whom he accepted his son from the font (during
the Sacrament of Baptism), "I am sorry for you my dear
'kum.' It's a shame, the change will be unpleasant for
you!" In two years during a change of administration
Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains.
Once the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The
Elder with his disciple, Ignaty, in a thicket of the
forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they
turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of
the hill. The Elder said, "Rest assured, the fire will
not pass this line." On the next day according to the
testimony of Ignaty there was no hope for salvation
(from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind,
reached the place where the moss had been turned over
by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted,
leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond
the line.
The Elder often said that there would be a bishop for
America; this at a time when no one even thought of
it, and there was no hope that there would be a bishop
for America;this was related by the Bishop Peter and
his prophecy was fulfilled in time.
"After my death," said Father Herman, "there will be
an epidemic and many people shall die during it and
the Russians shall unite the Aleuts." And so it
happened; it seems that about a half a year after his
passing there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate
in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some
villages only a few inhabitants remained alive. This
led the administration of the colony to unite the
Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into
seven.
"Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I
will not be forgotten," said Father Herman to his
disciples. "My place of habitation will not remain
empty. A monk like myself who will be escaping from
the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce
Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people."
(This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety.
Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on
Spruce Island for many years; his name was
Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969.
This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking
care of the Chapel under which at first was buried the
Elder Herman. Metropolitan Leonty soon after his
elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox
Church in America made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island,
and the grave of Herman.)
HERMAN'S PROPHECIES FOR THE FUTURE
The creole Constantine, when he was not more than
twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, "My
beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they
are now building, will it ever stand empty?" The
youngster answered, "I do not know, 'Apa." "And
indeed," said Constantine, "I did not understand his
question at that time, even though that whole
conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my
memory." The Elder remained silent for a short time,
and then said, "My child remember, in time in this
place there will be a monastery."
Father Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty
Aiigyaga, "Thirty years shall pass after my death, and
all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but
you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor
when I will be remembered." And indeed after the death
of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were
reminded of him, and they began to gather information
and facts about him; on the basis of which was written
his life. "It is amazing," exclaims Ignaty, "how a man
like us could know all this so long before it
happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew
our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point
where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel
from him!"
"When I die," said the Elder to his disciples, "you
will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury
me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest!
Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board, clasp my hands
over my chest, wrap me in my 'mantia' (the monk's
outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and
place the 'klobuk' on my head. (The 'klobuk' is the
monastic head-dress.) If anyone wishes to bid farewell
to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to
anyone . . ."
THE DEATH OF FATHER HERMAN
The time of the Elder's passing had come. One day he
ordered his disciple, Gerasim, to light a candle
before the icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy
Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and
he said in a loud voice, "Glory to Thee, 0 Lord!" He
then ordered the reading to be halted, and he
announced that the Lord had willed that his life would
now be spared for another week. A week later again by
his orders the candies were lit, and the Acts of the
Holy Apostles were read. Quietly the Elder bowed his
head on the chest of Gerasim; the cell was filled with
a pleasant smelling odor; and his face glowed, and
Father Herman was no more! Thus in blessedness he
died, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man
in the 81st year of his life of great labor, the 25th
day of December, 1837. (According to the Julian
Calendar, the 13th of December 1837, although there
are some records which state he died on the 28th of
November, and was buried on the 26th of December).
Those sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to
announce that the administrator of the colony
Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until
his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin
be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as
soon as possible and would bring a priest with him.
But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a
terrible storm broke. The distance from the Harbor to
Spruce Island is not great - about a two hour journey
- but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather.
Thus it continued for a full month and although the
body lay in state for a full month in the warm house
of his students, his face did not undergo any change
at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his
body. Finally through the efforts of Kuzma
Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived
from the Harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island
alone buried in the ground the remains of the Elder.
Thus the words which Herman uttered before his death
were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and
the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror.
One evening from the village Katani (on Afognak) was
seen above Spruce Island an unusual pillar of light
which reached up to heaven. Astonished by the
miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the
creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife, Anna, said, "it
seems that Father Herman has left us," and they began
to pray. After a time, they were informed that the
Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This
same pillar was seen in various places by others. The
night of his death in another of the settlements on
Afognak was seen a vision; it seemed as though a man
was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds.
The disciples buried their father, and placed above
his grave a wooden memorial marker. The priest on
Kodiak, Peter Kashevarov, says, "I saw it myself, and
I can say that today it seems as though it had never
been touched by time; as though it had been cut this
day."
Having witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified
by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and
the ful- fillment of his predictions, finally having
observed his blessed falling-asleep, "in general all
the local inhabitants" witnesses Bishop Peter, "have
the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy
ascetic, anti are fully convinced thdt he has found
favor in the presence of God."
In 1842, five years after the passing away of the
Elder, Innocent, Archbishop of Kamchatka and the
Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which
was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and
said to himself, "if you, Father Herman, have found
favor in God's presence then may the wind change!" It
seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had
passed, said the Bishop, when the wind became
favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In
thanksgiving for his salvation, Archbishop Innocent
himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over
the grave of the Blessed Elder Herman.
Source-oca.org
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