Orthodox Diocese of Sitka and Alaska Launches Mission Renewal in Southeast Villages

Photo: odosa.org

SITKA — With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Alexei, the Orthodox Diocese of Sitka and Alaska (ODOSA) has announced a renewed missionary initiative aimed at restoring pastoral care and sacramental life to Orthodox communities in Southeast Alaska. Guided by the Saint Innokenty Orthodox Mission Advisory Council (SIOMAC), the diocese will sponsor two mission trips in 2025 to the villages of Angoon and Hoonah.

Led by Fr. Herman Belt and Fr. Maxim Gibson, the missions will bring the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Mysteries, and pastoral support to villages that have lacked regular priestly presence for years. The effort is inspired by the enduring legacy of Saint Innokenty of Moscow and Saint Yakov Netsvetov, the great missionary saints of Alaska.

The initiative sets forth four core goals:

• Liturgical Revival: To serve the Divine Services regularly in underserved villages, with a target of four visits annually.
• Pastoral Care: To offer confession, catechesis, and spiritual encouragement to the faithful.
• Church Restoration: To repair sacred temples, including Saint Nicholas Church in Hoonah and Saint John the Forerunner Church in Angoon.
• Culturally Rooted Media: To develop Orthodox media that speaks authentically to Native Alaskan communities and their spiritual heritage.

“This is more than a mission trip – it is a pilgrimage of love,” said ODOSA leadership in a release. “... This mission seeks to reignite the spiritual life of Southeast Alaska, where the light may have grown dim, but has not gone out.”

Archbishop Alexei hailed the effort as a beginning and prayed that it will become a “long and fruitful renewal of Orthodox presence in Southeast Alaska."

To support or sponsor a mission trip, donors are encouraged to select “missions” from the diocesan giving portal.

“Let us not abandon the work entrusted to us by the Lord, even if it be laborious and slow, for the harvest is His.”

- St. Innokenty of Alaska

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