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Romanian Episcopate Publishes Bilingual Akathist to St. Herman
The Romanian Orthodox Episcopate published a bilingual Akathist to St. Herman of Alaska ahead of its annual congress, where his relics will also be available for veneration.
MIAMI, FL — The Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America has published a new bilingual edition of the “Akathist to Saint Herman of Alaska and a Brief Life / Acatistul Sfântului Gherman din Alaska și Viața pe Scurt” in English and Romanian. Published in August with the blessing of Abp. Nathaniel of Detroit, the volume was prepared for the 94th Annual Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, taking place September 10–12 in the Miami area.
The new edition includes a Romanian translation and is intended to provide spiritual benefit to members of the Episcopate and Romanian-speaking Orthodox Christians. In his foreword, Abp. Nathaniel connects the publication with the 250th anniversary of American independence and recalls the establishment of Orthodox Christianity in Alaska in 1793, as well as the missionary witness of St. Herman.
Reflecting on St. Herman’s life of prayer, asceticism, and service on Spruce Island, Abp. Nathaniel wrote that his example reminds Christians “that true treasure is in Heaven and not in the passing glories of this earth.” He also encouraged the faithful to contemplate the transformation of the humble Valaam monk into “a living Temple of the Holy Spirit.”
The congress will also provide an opportunity for participants and South Florida faithful to venerate a fragment of St. Herman’s holy relics, which will be brought from the Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) in the Washington, D.C., area. St. Herman, the first Orthodox saint canonized in North America, was glorified on August 9, 1970, the same year the OCA received its Tomos of Autocephaly.
As a special gift, every participant in the 94th Annual Episcopate Congress will receive a complimentary copy of the bilingual Akathist together with a small icon of St. Herman prepared for the occasion. The saint is commemorated particularly on August 9 and December 13, with the new publication highlighting his enduring missionary and spiritual legacy in North America.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Romanian Orthodox young adults gathered in Chicago for the 2026 AROY Conference.
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