Juvenaly of Alaska
Encyclopedia
Hieromartyr
Juvenaly of Alaska, Protomartyr of America, was a member of the first group of Orthodox missionaries
who came from the monastery
of Valaam
to evangelize the native inhabitants of Alaska
. He was martyr
ed while evangelizing among the Yupik Eskimos on the mainland of Alaska in 1796. His feast day is celebrated on July 2, and he is also commemorated with all the saints of Alaska (September 24), and with the first martyrs of the American land (December 12).
d and given the name Juvenaly in memory of St. Juvenal
, fifth century Patriarch of Jerusalem
. After becoming a monk he was successively ordained
deacon
and then priest
, becoming a hieromonk. He lived much of his early monastic life in the area around Lake Ladoga in northern Russia near Finland at the Konyavesky and Valaam Monasteries.
In 1793, a missionary group of eight monastics was organized at the Monastery of Valaam, near Lake Ladoga, to preach the Word of God to the natives of Alaska. This group of missionaries was led by Archimandrite
Joseph (Bolotov), and included four hieromonk
s including Juvenaly and Makary, one hierodeacon
, Steven, and two lay monk
s including Herman
. Their destination was the Russian settlement on Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska, some 8,000 miles away across the length of Asia through Siberia and then the cold Bering Sea of the northern Pacific Ocean. The group arrived on Kodiak Island on September 24, 1794, to an unexpected scene. The settlement was primitive beyond what they were told, and violence was commonplace. The promised church was not there, and the promised supplies for three years were absent.
While Archimandrite Joseph dealt with the leadership issues with Baranov, the leader of the settlement, Hieromonk Juvenaly and the others in their party began their missionary work. Within two years their zeal had brought more than 12,000 Alaskans to the Orthodox Christian faith. They did this not by degrading their former shaman based faith but by showing them that Christianity was the fulfillment of that faith.
As the group continued preaching further away from the settlement on Kodiak, Hieromonk Juvenaly began missionary work on the mainland of Alaska 1796. Here he continued the success of the past two years as he baptized
hundreds of Chugach Sugpiag and Athabaskan Indians. But as his mission continued along northwest toward the Bering Sea, he disappeared. No material evidence of his disappearance has been found, but among the Alaskan people oral tradition relates of his martyr
dom. The tradition is that as he moved into territory inhabited by Eskimos, some Eskimos did not understand some of his gesturing while making the sign of the cross
. Disturbed, a Yupik shaman ordered an attack upon the hieromonk, and he was killed by spears and arrows. Thus, Juvenaly became the first Orthodox martyr in the Americas.
Regarding St. Juvenaly's Alleged Diary: "This mildly uninspiring document, which contradicts both Church and Native traditions about the saint's activities, was summarised in Bancroft's influential History of Alaska and accepted for a century as a major primary source. However, it is now very strongly suspected of being a forgery written by one of Bancroft's assistants." - Lydia T. Black, "The Daily Journal of Reverend Father Juvenal: A Cautionary Tale," Ethnohistory 28(1)33, 1981.
The Death of Hieromonk Juvenaly (DOC) - "The Death of Hieromonk Juvenaly" in Richard Pierce
, ed. Russia in North America: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Russian America, Sitka, Alaska, August 19-22, 1987. Limestone Press, Fairbanks, AK, 1990. 322-357.
Another source states: "He was killed by the natives, and the reason for his death, was partly because the first thing he did after baptizing the natives was to order them to give up polygamy. He had also persuaded the chiefs and other leading men in the tribes there to give him their children so that the latter might be educated on Kodiak. When he set out with the children, the men regretted what they had done, gave chase, caught up with him, and fell upon him."http://www.telusplanet.net/public/dgarneau/B.C.4.htm
Another tradition is found in some versions of the life of the saint: "When Father Juvenaly was attacked by the savages he did not try to defend himself, or run away, which he could easily have done, especially since he had a firearm with him. He let himself be taken without offering any resistance, asking only that those with him should be spared, which was done.
Much later those who had been spared related that when Father Juvenaly was already dead he had risen up and followed his murderers, saying something to them. The savages, supposing him to be still alive, attacked him again and beat him. But as soon as they left him he again stood up and followed them, and this happened several times. Finally, in order to be rid of him, the savages hacked his body to pieces. Only then did this fervent preacher fall silent, a Martyr for the word of God. On the spot where the missionary's remains lay, there at once appeared a column of flame, reaching up to the sky." http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102714, http://www.stots.edu/article.php?id=55
For more sources, see here.
http://www.oca.org/FSTropars.asp?SID=13&ID=102714 (Tone 4)
Kontakion
(Tone 4)
Hieromartyr
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, a hieromartyr is a martyr who was also one of the clergy . In like manner a priest-monk is often called a hieromonk....
Juvenaly of Alaska, Protomartyr of America, was a member of the first group of Orthodox missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who came from the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Valaam
Valaam Monastery
The Valaam Monastery, or Valamo Monastery is a stauropegic Orthodox monastery in Russian Karelia, located on Valaam, the largest island in Lake Ladoga, the largest lake in Europe.-History:...
to evangelize the native inhabitants of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. He was martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed while evangelizing among the Yupik Eskimos on the mainland of Alaska in 1796. His feast day is celebrated on July 2, and he is also commemorated with all the saints of Alaska (September 24), and with the first martyrs of the American land (December 12).
Life
He was born in 1761 in Ekaterinburg, Russia, and was named Jacob Govouchkin. In his monastic life he was tonsureTonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
d and given the name Juvenaly in memory of St. Juvenal
Juvenal of Jerusalem
Saint Juvenal was a bishop of Jerusalem from about 422. In 451, on the see of Jerusalem being recognised as a Patriarchate by the Council of Chalcedon, he became the first Patriarch of Jerusalem, an office he occupied until his death in 458....
, fifth century Patriarch of Jerusalem
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
. After becoming a monk he was successively ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
and then priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, becoming a hieromonk. He lived much of his early monastic life in the area around Lake Ladoga in northern Russia near Finland at the Konyavesky and Valaam Monasteries.
In 1793, a missionary group of eight monastics was organized at the Monastery of Valaam, near Lake Ladoga, to preach the Word of God to the natives of Alaska. This group of missionaries was led by Archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
Joseph (Bolotov), and included four hieromonk
Hieromonk
Hieromonk , also called a Priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholicism....
s including Juvenaly and Makary, one hierodeacon
Hierodeacon
A Hierodeacon , sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a monk who has been ordained a deacon...
, Steven, and two lay monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s including Herman
Herman of Alaska
Saint Herman of Alaska was one of the first Eastern Orthodox missionaries to the New World, and is considered by Orthodox Christians to be the patron saint of the Americas.-Biography:Saint Herman was born in the town of Serpukhov in the Moscow Diocese around 1756...
. Their destination was the Russian settlement on Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska, some 8,000 miles away across the length of Asia through Siberia and then the cold Bering Sea of the northern Pacific Ocean. The group arrived on Kodiak Island on September 24, 1794, to an unexpected scene. The settlement was primitive beyond what they were told, and violence was commonplace. The promised church was not there, and the promised supplies for three years were absent.
While Archimandrite Joseph dealt with the leadership issues with Baranov, the leader of the settlement, Hieromonk Juvenaly and the others in their party began their missionary work. Within two years their zeal had brought more than 12,000 Alaskans to the Orthodox Christian faith. They did this not by degrading their former shaman based faith but by showing them that Christianity was the fulfillment of that faith.
As the group continued preaching further away from the settlement on Kodiak, Hieromonk Juvenaly began missionary work on the mainland of Alaska 1796. Here he continued the success of the past two years as he baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
hundreds of Chugach Sugpiag and Athabaskan Indians. But as his mission continued along northwest toward the Bering Sea, he disappeared. No material evidence of his disappearance has been found, but among the Alaskan people oral tradition relates of his martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
dom. The tradition is that as he moved into territory inhabited by Eskimos, some Eskimos did not understand some of his gesturing while making the sign of the cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
. Disturbed, a Yupik shaman ordered an attack upon the hieromonk, and he was killed by spears and arrows. Thus, Juvenaly became the first Orthodox martyr in the Americas.
Martyrdom
There are other, conflicting accounts of his martyrdom. In an article entitled "The Orthodox Church in America an Historical Survey" (Russian Review, Vol. 31, No. 2. (Apr., 1972), pp. 138–152 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0036-0341%28197204%2931%3A2%3C138%3ATOCIAA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z, http://www.zarubezhje.narod.ru/texts/Grigorieff01.htm), Fr. Dmitry Grigorieff writes: "Father Juvenaly was killed by the natives on the Alaska mainland in 1795. He had urged the people of a village there to send their children to the mission school on Kodiak Island. They agreed, and Father Juvenaly led a group of children to the seashore. On the way he was overtaken and killed by villagers who had changed their mind." (p. 139).Regarding St. Juvenaly's Alleged Diary: "This mildly uninspiring document, which contradicts both Church and Native traditions about the saint's activities, was summarised in Bancroft's influential History of Alaska and accepted for a century as a major primary source. However, it is now very strongly suspected of being a forgery written by one of Bancroft's assistants." - Lydia T. Black, "The Daily Journal of Reverend Father Juvenal: A Cautionary Tale," Ethnohistory 28(1)33, 1981.
The Death of Hieromonk Juvenaly (DOC) - "The Death of Hieromonk Juvenaly" in Richard Pierce
Richard Pierce (historian)
Richard Austin Pierce was an American historian and publisher who specialized in the Russian era of Alaska’s history...
, ed. Russia in North America: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Russian America, Sitka, Alaska, August 19-22, 1987. Limestone Press, Fairbanks, AK, 1990. 322-357.
- This document makes reference to a native companion, travelling with the saint. (see also Russian America: A Biographical Dictionary, ed. Richard A. Pierce, The Limestone Press, 1990).
Another source states: "He was killed by the natives, and the reason for his death, was partly because the first thing he did after baptizing the natives was to order them to give up polygamy. He had also persuaded the chiefs and other leading men in the tribes there to give him their children so that the latter might be educated on Kodiak. When he set out with the children, the men regretted what they had done, gave chase, caught up with him, and fell upon him."http://www.telusplanet.net/public/dgarneau/B.C.4.htm
Another tradition is found in some versions of the life of the saint: "When Father Juvenaly was attacked by the savages he did not try to defend himself, or run away, which he could easily have done, especially since he had a firearm with him. He let himself be taken without offering any resistance, asking only that those with him should be spared, which was done.
Much later those who had been spared related that when Father Juvenaly was already dead he had risen up and followed his murderers, saying something to them. The savages, supposing him to be still alive, attacked him again and beat him. But as soon as they left him he again stood up and followed them, and this happened several times. Finally, in order to be rid of him, the savages hacked his body to pieces. Only then did this fervent preacher fall silent, a Martyr for the word of God. On the spot where the missionary's remains lay, there at once appeared a column of flame, reaching up to the sky." http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102714, http://www.stots.edu/article.php?id=55
For more sources, see here.
From the September 24 Feast Day
TroparionTroparion
A troparion in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or one of a series of stanzas. The word probably derives from a diminutive of the Greek tropos...
http://www.oca.org/FSTropars.asp?SID=13&ID=102714 (Tone 4)
- Today Alaska rejoices and America celebrates,
- For the new world has been sanctified by martyrdom.
- Kodiak echoes with songs of thanksgiving,
- Iliamna and Kenai observe the festival of faith.
- The ApostleApostleAn apostle is a messenger and ambassador.Apostle and apostles may refer to:-Religion:* Apostle , one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, named in the New Testament...
and martyr Juvenaly is glorified, - And Peter the AleutPeter the AleutCungagnaq is venerated as a martyr and saint by some jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was allegedly a native of Kodiak Island , and is said to have received the Christian name of Peter when he was baptized into the Orthodox faith by the monks of St...
is exalted by his voluntary sacrifice, - In their devotion and love for the Lord
- They willingly endured persecution and death for the Truth,
- Now in the Kingdom of HeavenHeavenHeaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
they intercede for our souls!
Kontakion
Kontakion
Kontakion is a form of hymn performed in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The word derives from the Greek word kontax , meaning pole, specifically the pole around which a scroll is wound. The term describes the way in which the words on a scroll unfurl as it is read...
(Tone 4)
- Today Valaam joins Alaska
- In celebrating this joyous feast,
- As her spiritual son Juvenaly
- Embraces the new martyr Peter with love.
- Together they suffered for the LordJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
in America - And united the old world with the new by their voluntary sacrifice.
- Now forever they stand before the King of glory and intercedeIntercessionIntercession is the act of interceding between two parties. In both Christian and Islamic religious usage, it is a prayer to God on behalf of others....
for our souls.
External links
- America's New Saints - Protomartyrs Juvenal and Peter the Aleut from Orthodox America Issue 7, Vol. 1, No. 8. February, 1981.
- St. Juvenaly from the website of the All Saints of North America Russian Orthodox Church in Middlebrook, VA (ROCOR)
- Martyr Juvenal of Alaska from the OCAOCAThe Oca , is a starchy, edible tuber, grown in South America.OCA or Oca may also refer to:* Oca a tributary of the Ebro, Spain, having its source in the comarca of Montes de Oca.In business and politics:...
website - Audio lectures by Fr. Michael OleksaMichael OleksaMichael James Oleksa, Ph.D., is an archpriest in the Orthodox Church in America and a historian of the Orthodox Church in Alaska.Oleksa is a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania and a graduate of Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. He attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where...
:
Additional reading
- "The Death of Hieromonk Juvenaly" by Fr. Michael Oleksa, St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 30:3 (1986), pp. 231–268.
- "The oral tradition about the death of Fr Juvenaly among the native peoples of southwestern Alaska" by Fr. Michael OleksaMichael OleksaMichael James Oleksa, Ph.D., is an archpriest in the Orthodox Church in America and a historian of the Orthodox Church in Alaska.Oleksa is a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania and a graduate of Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. He attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where...
, St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 27:2 (1983), pp. 133–137.