Met. Tikhon Offers Reflection for Feast Day of St. Herman of Alaska
His Beatitude emphasizes St. Herman's holy radiance in the midst of the Nativity season as a Star that guides us to the Manger.
DEC. 13, 2025 — His Beatitude Met. Tikhon of All America and Canada recently posted a brief but powerful reflection on his Facebook account describing St. Herman's role for us Orthodox Christians leading into the Feast of Nativity.
"In this cold and dark season before the Nativity," he began, "we celebrate the memory of one of our great northern saints: the monk who went to Valaam seeking the tradition of the holy Fathers, the missionary who went to Alaska seeking souls for Christ. As we prepare to welcome our Lord and God and Savior into the cold cave of Bethlehem—and, indeed, into the dark and chilly cave of our hearts, where the blackness of sin and the clamminess of despair make their reign—let us be guided toward salvation by the teaching and example of this great North Star of the Church of Christ. If we sincerely set out to follow the kindly guiding light radiating from St. Herman, the brightness of his holiness will surely lead us to Christ our true God, just as surely as the star once led the Magi to the place where the young Child lay."
Previously, UOJ reported that Met. Tikhon celebrated the patronal feast at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, DC.
