Rugăciune către Sfântul Yakov Netsvetov, Luminătorul Alaskăi

The\nAkathist Hymn\nTo\nSt. Yakov\n\n\nApproved for use in the Diocese of Alaska, and\nprinted with the blessings of\nHis Grace, the Right Reverend NIKOLAI,\nApril 2003.\n\n1\nPriest: Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of\nages.\nChoir: Amen. O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of\nTruth who art everywhere present and fillest all things. Trea-\nsury of Blessings, and Giver of Life. Come and abide in us, and\ncleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.\nReader: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.\n(3x)\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and\never and unto ages of ages. Amen.\nO Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our\nsins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our\ninfirmities, for Thy name’s sake.\nLord, have mercy. (3x)\nGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and\never and unto ages of ages. Amen.\nOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy King-\ndom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this\nday our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive\nthose who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but\ndeliver us from the evil one.\nPriest: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory: of\nthe Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and\nunto ages of ages.\nChoir: Amen\n\n2\nGod Is the Lord\nDeacon: (In the 2nd Tone:) God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to\nus: Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord. O give thanks to the\nLord for He is good; His mercy endures forever.\nChoir: God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us: Blessed is\nHe that comes in the name of the Lord.\nDeacon: All nations surrounded me, but in the Name of the Lord I\ndestroyed them.\nChoir: God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us: Blessed is\nHe that comes in the name of the Lord.\nDeacon: I shall not die but live and recount the works of the Lord.\nChoir: God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us: Blessed is\nHe that comes in the name of the Lord.\nDeacon: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cor-\nnerstone; this is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes.\nChoir: God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us: Blessed is\nHe that comes in the name of the Lord.\nTROPARION TONE 2\nEnlightener and Baptizer of the Native peoples of Alaska,\nAdornment of the Orthodox Church in Atka, Russian Mission and\nSitka,\nTrue example of Christian piety, love and unity,\nO holy righteous Father Yakov, teacher and pastor,\nPray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.\n\n3\nFIRST KONTAKION\nO Holy Father Yakov whose children number more than the stars\nin the northern sky,\nWhose life and teachings have become a ladder reaching from\nearth to heaven:\nHaving wrestled with temptation and fought the good fight,\nyou have become our valiant intercessor before the Lord our\nGod.\nPray to Him for us who venerate your sacred memory\nand who strive to continue your holy work as the New Israel in\nthe New World of America,\nThat we may sing with love and joy to you, the messenger of\nreconciliation and peace:\nRejoice O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nFIRST IKOS\nBorn on the Island dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr George, O Father\nYakov, you have become a warrior for Christ, vanquishing every tempta-\ntion that arose within your heart and soul, bringing peace to a land where\nonly violence had reigned, reconciling hostile tribes by preaching to them\nthe Gospel of peace and forgiveness. You became a father of many na-\ntions as you baptized and enlightened thousands of people who had never\nknown Jesus Christ, pastoring your scattered flock in the Aleutian Is-\nlands, the Yukon Delta and at New Archangel. In your humility, devotion,\npiety and perseverance, you have become the image of the perfect evan-\ngelist to us who stand before your holy icon and offer these praises to you:\nRejoice! First flower of the Alaskan wilderness!\nRejoice! First son of the Aleut nation called to the Holy Priest-\nhood!\nRejoice! Joy of the Pribilof Islands!\nRejoice! Father of Atka and the Aleutian Archipelago!\nRejoice! Candle illuminating the Arctic night!\nRejoice! Light, kindling the flame of the Christian Faith in the\nnorth!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\n\n4\nSECOND KONTAKION\nFrom your youth, O blessed Yakov, your parents guided you on the path\nof salvation. Your childhood among your mother’s Aleut kinsmen pre-\npared you well for your future missionary labors. Fluent in their ancient\nlanguage, you also offered prayers to God in your father’s Slavic tongue.\nAt an early age you joined the Aleut and Russian faithful, gathered in the\nchapel of St. George, singing: Alleluia\nSECOND IKOS\nSetting sail for Kamchatka, you continued across the frozen tundra of\nSiberia to the shores of Lake Baikal, to enroll at the seminary in glorious\nIrkutsk. You mastered theology in the city of St. Innocent, Enlightener of\nSiberia’s Native Peoples, and studied his respectful approach to their\nlanguages and cultural traditions. Returning to Russian America with your\nyoung bride, Anna Simeonova, you began your evangelical work at Atka,\nwhere today you are remembered with love:\nRejoice! Father of the Atkan church and its benefactor!\nRejoice! Baptizer of Aleut children and people!\nRejoice! Teacher of the Orthodox Faith in Russian America!\nRejoice! Beautiful adornment of the land of your ancestors!\nRejoice! Heroic missionary to the Peoples of the North!\nRejoice! Humble architect of the Orthodox Church in the Aleu-\ntian Islands!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nTHIRD KONTAKION\nLearning of the labors of your friend and mentor St. Innocent, you de-\nvoted yourself to mastering his Aleut translation of the Gospel of St. Mat-\nthew. Adapting the text to the Atkan dialect, you proclaimed the Good\nNews to your flock who sang: Alleluia!\nTHIRD IKOS\nFollowing the example of St. Innocent, the future Metropolitan of Mos-\ncow, you established a school at Atka where children could learn to read\nin both Aleut and Russian. You translated Sacred Scripture and deepened\n\n5\ntheir knowledge of God and His creation by your dedicated instruction.\nEnlightened by your teaching at church and in school, the people of Atka\npraise you with these words of thanksgiving:\nRejoice! Apostle to the New World!\nRejoice! Son of both Russia and America!\nRejoice! Faithful servant of Jesus Christ!\nRejoice! Adopted son of the Theotokos!\nRejoice! Your teaching endures as our spiritual legacy!\nRejoice! Your example inspires our evangelical labors!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nFOURTH KONTAKION\nRecognizing your talents and devotion, the Holy Synod enlarged your\ndistrict to include the Kurile Islands, far to the west. Sailing across the\nBering Straits to evangelize the Native people there, you celebrated Di-\nvine Services aboard ship and in your tent-church, singing: Alleluia!\nFOURTH IKOS\nO blessed Father Yakov! You endured the hazards of travel in the north\nthroughout your entire life. Like the Holy Apostle Paul, you experienced\nstorms at sea as well as temptation and persecution on land. You were\nconstantly ill, bedridden for many days, unable to stand or to walk. You\nperservered through many hardships to bring the Light of Christ to your\nflock in remote villages and settlements, by the power of the glorified and\nresurrected Lord, you continued your apostolic ministry in Alaska, where\nyou are remembered today in songs of praise:\nRejoice! You suffered many temptations and fears!\nRejoice! You triumphed over them by the Grace of God!\nRejoice! You sailed tempestuous seas like the Holy Apostles!\nRejoice! You received the power of the Holy Spirit as they did on\nPentecost!\nRejoice! Long Suffering servant of the Lord!\nRejoice! Patient pastor and humble teacher!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\n\n6\nFIFTH KONTAKION\nReturning again to your home at Atka, you offered thanks to God for your\nsafe journey. Warmed by the love of your flock and your family, you\nrenewed your dedication to the service of the Lord, constructing a holy\nchurch and writing the icons for it yourself as the temple was dedicated in\nthe name of St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia, you sang thankfully to God:\nAlleluia!\nFIFTH IKOS\nYour life, O holy Father, was filled with disappointment, hardship and\ntragedy. Your wife Anna became ill and died at the hospital in Sitka. Your\nhouse at Atka burned and your nephew Vasily, whom you loved as a son,\nalso suddenly died, leaving you homeless and alone. Your desire was to\nenter monastic life, but there was no one to replace you. You obediently\nremained in the Aleutians for twenty years, where today you are remem-\nbered with gratitude:\nRejoice! You accepted and endured all things as decreed by the\nLord!\nRejoice! You loved Him with all your mind, soul and heart!\nRejoice! You persevered in times of tribulation and need!\nRejoice! You triumphed over temptation, depression and fear!\nRejoice! Lamp, illuminating the household of Faith!\nRejoice! Light glowing with love and humility!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nSIXTH KONTAKION\nTraveling throughout the Aleutians by kayak, you erected your tent-church\nin camps, temporary settlements and villages, preaching, teaching, en-\ncouraging, and confirming your spiritual children in the Orthodox Faith.\nThey were amazed at your energy and dedication and loved you as their\nfaithful guide and father, praising God with the song: Alleluia!\nSIXTH IKOS\nHaving established the True Faith in your native land, you were trans-\nferred to another region and entrusted with an even greater task. St.\n\n7\nInnocent, as your bishop, appointed you to the new mission station on the\nYukon River, where you began the evangelization of the Y up’ik Eskimos.\nYou studied their language and began the work of enlightening them with\nthe help of many Aleuts who had settled among them. Throughout west-\nern Alaska the Yup’ik people celebrate your memory with these words:\nRejoice! Enlightener of the Yukon Delta!\nRejoice! Joy of the Aleut and Eskimo nations!\nRejoice! Educator and guide to the Peoples of the North!\nRejoice! Instructor and teacher of children and elders!\nRejoice! Baptizer of the Yukon and Kuskokwim!\nRejoice! Sanctifier of the forests, lakes and tundra!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlighener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nSEVENTH KONTAKION\nYou founded the parish of the Elevation of the Holy Cross and built the\nfirst Christian temple on the banks of the Yukon. Writing many icons for\nthe church yourself, you glorified God for the fervent faith of your spiritual\nchildren whom you taught to sing: Alleluia!\nSEVENTH IKOS\nThe Athabaskan Indians, whose homeland lies in the heartland of Alaska,\nheard of your mission work among their Eskimo neighbors and invited\nyou to visit them. Paddling upstream, you reached their settlement at\nShageluk in three days, and preached the Word of God to them. You\ncounted over a hundred canoes, kayaks and boats converging on the\nriver, where you baptized more than three hundred souls. Their descen-\ndents today glorify you:\nRejoice! Heroic missionary to the Indian peoples!\nRejoice! Herald of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation!\nRejoice! You brought the divine message of love to warring\nenemies!\nRejoice! You united them to Christ and to each other as they\naccepted the Orthodox Faith!\nRejoice! They requested Holy Baptism in the Shageluk River!\n\n8\nRejoice! They received the Heavenly Bread and the Cup of Life\nfrom your hands!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nEIGHTH KONTAKION\nUnited in truth and in love, the Athabaskan peoples embraced the Ortho-\ndox Faith and ended centuries of inter-tribal strife and violence. You be-\ncame blessed as a child of God, preaching the Gospel of Peace and rec-\nonciling former enemies who exclaimed in wonder and joy: Alleluia!\nEIGHTH IKOS\nTraveling across the frozen tundra by dog sled, you struggled to visit the\nEskimo settlements in the delta region. You discovered the site of St.\nJuvenaly’s martyrdom and asked his intercessions for your apostolic la-\nbors. Your missionary endeavors required you to risk your health and\nsafety as you persevered for nearly twenty more years on the shores of\nthe Bering Sea, where we celebrate your memory in song:\nRejoice! Evangelist illuminating the northern sky!\nRejoice! Missionary to distant lands and peoples!\nRejoice! Physician of souls and bodies!\nRejoice! Archpriest, true shepherd and humble pastor!\nRejoice! Missionary of reconciliation!\nRejoice! Preacher of the Good News of eternal salvation!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nNINTH KONTAKION\nIll-stricken with fever and bodily weakness, with no one to care for you,\nbedridden for weeks, unable to stand or walk, you remained steadfast in\nfaith, persevering in hope, constant in prayer. Rising from your bed you\nmanaged to celebrate the divine services of Holy Week and Pascha. Trans-\nformed and renewed by the joy of the Resurrection, you cried out to God:\nAlleluia!\n\n9\nNINTH IKOS\nSt. Innocent, your bishop, appreciated your talents and dedication, con-\nferred and consulted with you about the progress of the mission in Alaska\nand recognized your accomplishments. Others were jealous or ignorant\nof your true character and unjustly attacked you. Knowing of your re-\nmarkable humility and patience, we sing with love to you:\nRejoice! Y ou prayed for those who criticized and slandered you!\nRejoice! You followed the Lord’s command and example and\nforgave them all!\nRejoice! You blessed those who cursed you!\nRejoice! You did good to those who attacked and offended you!\nRejoice! Perfect image of Christian charity!\nRejoice! Icon of Christ and His faithful servant!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nTENTH KONTAKION\nAs formerly at Atka, the Eskimo children at the Yukon mission attended\nyour school, where they learned to read the Holy Scriptures and sing\nsacred hymns in their own language. Celebrating the Liturgy in Slavonic,\nGreek and Yup’ik, you taught all to praise God also in Hebrew: Alleluia!\nTENTH IKOS\nFor nearly forty years you dwelt in the Alaskan wilderness, serving Jesus\nChrist as a modern apostle. You brought healing to the sick as an elder of\nthe Church, fulfilling the instructions of your apostolic namesake, James.\nBecause of your missionary labors and the miraculous cures that accom-\npanied your ministry, accept these hymns of thanksgiving from our unwor-\nthy lips:\nRejoice! Physician of bodies and healer of souls!\nRejoice! Teacher of pastors and guide of the Faithful!\nRejoice! You were inspired by the joy of the Resurrection!\nRejoice! You ascended the ladder that reaches to Heaven!\nRejoice! You endured evil attacks and forgave all your foes!\nRejoice! In forgiving your enemies you were forgiven your sins!\n\n10\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nELEVENTH KONTAKION\nHaving founded and nurtured the parish on the Yukon, you trained local\nleaders to succeed you and continue your holy work. Some became sing-\ners, others readers, and still others priests, who sang with the angels:\nAlleluia!\nELEVENTH IKOS\nSummoned to Sitka to answer unjust accusations against you, you left the\nland of the Eskimo people and entered the territory of the Tlingit. You\nspent the last years of your earthly life serving them in their chapel and\npreaching the Word of God to them. Today, they join us in singing these\npraises to you:\nRejoice! Apostle to all Alaska!\nRejoice! Father of the Native Peoples!\nRejoice! Teacher and guide by your words and example!\nRejoice! Your heroic life inspires us all!\nRejoice! True son of St. Herman and St. Innocent!\nRejoice! Faithful and humble servant of our Lord Jesus Christ!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nTWELFTH KONTAKION\nWhile in Sitka, you located the grave site of your beloved wife and erected\na fitting memorial to her. You lived in the All-Colonial School during your\nfinal years, offering your knowledge and wisdom to another generation of\nfuture missionaries. With simplicity and humility, you prepared new labor-\ners for the plentiful harvest. Through them we have become your spiritual\nchildren, and praise God for your faithful ministry in Alaska, singing:\nAlleluia!\nTWELFTH IKOS\nO Holy Father Yakov, you fell asleep in the Lord and were buried in a\nplace of honor, at the doors of the Tlingit chapel you had served. The\n\n11\nAleuts, Russians, Creoles, Athabascan, as well as the Yup’ik and Tlingit\nnations today celebrate your memory:\nRejoice! Spiritual Father of many nations!\nRejoice! Humble pastor and preacher of peace!\nRejoice! The seas, forests, mountains and tundra sing your\npraises!\nRejoice! Heaven and earth celebrate your apostolic accomplish-\nments!\nRejoice! Our intercessor, guide and healer!\nRejoice! Our example and inspiration!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nTHIRTEENTH KONTAKION\nBeyond Alaska you were forgotten for more than a hundred years, but\nyour spiritual children kept the memory of your heroic apostolic ministry\nalive in their hearts. Today you are glorified by the Orthodox Church in\nAmerica as a modern Apostle. Pray, O Holy Father Yakov, that inspired\nby your dedication, patience, humility and Paschal joy, we may worthily\ncontinue the sacred work to which you dedicated your entire life, that\ntogether with you, in the Kingdom of Heaven we may join the angelic\nchoir, singing: Alleluia!\n(Three times; followed by first Ikos and first Kontakion)\nFIRST IKOS\nBorn on the Island dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr George, O Father\nYakov, you have become a warrior for Christ, vanquishing every tempta-\ntion that arose within your heart and soul, bringing peace to a land where\nonly violence had reigned, reconciling hostile tribes by preaching to them\nthe Gospel of peace and forgiveness. You became a father of many na-\ntions as you baptized and enlightened thousands of people who had never\nknown Jesus Christ, pastoring your scattered flock in the Aleutian Is-\nlands, the Yukon Delta and at New Archangel. In your humility, devotion,\npiety and perseverance, you have become the image of the perfect evan-\ngelist to us who stand before your holy icon and offer these praises to you:\n\n12\nRejoice! First flower of the Alaskan wilderness!\nRejoice! First son of the Aleut nation called to the Holy Priest-\nhood!\nRejoice! Joy of the Pribilof Islands!\nRejoice! Father of Atka and the Aleutian Archipelago!\nRejoice! Candle illuminating the Arctic night!\nRejoice! Light, kindling the flame of the Christian Faith in the\nnorth!\nRejoice! O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\nFIRST KONTAKION\nO Holy Father Yakov whose children number more than the stars\nin the northern sky,\nWhose life and teachings have become a ladder reaching from\nearth to heaven:\nHaving wrestled with temptation and fought the good fight,\nyou have become our valiant intercessor before the Lord our\nGod.\nPray to Him for us who venerate your sacred memory\nand who strive to continue your holy work as the New Israel in\nthe New World of America,\nThat we may sing with love and joy to you, the messenger of\nreconciliation and peace:\nRejoice O Holy Father Yakov,\nBaptizer and Enlightener of the Native Peoples of Alaska!\n\n13\nDeacon: Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy.\nDeacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by\nThy grace.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy\nDeacon: Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed and\nglorious Lady Theotokos and ever Virgin Mary with all the saints, let us\ncommend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.\nChoir: To Thee, O Lord.\nPriest: For blessed is Thy name, and glorified is Thy kingdom: of the\nFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto\nages of ages.\nChoir: Amen.\nDeacon: Let us attend. Wisdom! Let us attend.\nThe Prokeimenon in the 4th tone:\nLet Thy priests be clothed with righteousness and let Thy saints shout for\njoy!\nChoir: Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness and let Thy\nsaints shout for joy!\nDeacon: The Lord remember David and all his afflictions.\nChoir: Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness and let Thy\nsaints shout for joy!\nDeacon: Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness\n\n14\nChoir: and let Thy saints shout for joy!\nDeacon: Let us pray to the Lord.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy.\nPriest: For holy art Thou, O our God, who restest in the saints, and\nunto Thee we send up glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the\nHoly Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.\nChoir: Amen.\nDeacon: Let every breath praise the Lord!\nChoir: Let every breath praise the Lord!\nDeacon: Praise God in His sanctuary! Praise Him in His mighty firma-\nment!\nChoir: Let every breath praise the Lord!\nDeacon: Let every breath\nChoir: Praise the Lord!\nDeacon: And that we may be accounted worthy of hearing the Holy\nGospel, let us pray to the Lord God.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy. (3x)\n Deacon: Wisdom, arise. Let us hear the Holy Gospel!\nPriest: Peace be unto all!\nChoir: And to your spirit.\nPriest: The reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.\n\n15\nChoir: Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!\nDeacon: Let us attend!\n(John 10:9-16)\n“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in\nand out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to\nkill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may\nhave it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd\ngives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one\nwho does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep\nand flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling\nflees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the\ngood shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As\nthe Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life\nfor the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also\nI must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and\none shepherd.”\n Choir: Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!\nClergy: O Righteous Father Yakov, pray unto God for us!\nChoir: O Righteous Father Yakov, pray unto God for us!\nClergy: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,\nChoir: now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.\nIt is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever blessed, and most\npure and the Mother of our God; More honorable than the cheru-\nbim, and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, with-\nout defilement thou gavest birth to God the Word. True Theotokos\nwe magnify thee.\n\n16\nDeacon: Have mercy on us, O God, according to Thy great goodness,\nwe pray Thee, hearken and have mercy.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy. (3x)\nDeacon: Furthermore we pray for His Beatitude, our Metropolitan\nHERMAN, and His Grace our Bishop NIKOLAI, for priests, deacons,\nand all other clergy and for all our brethren in Christ.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy. (3x)\n Deacon: Furthermore we pray for the President of our country, for all\ncivil authorities, and for our armed forces everywhere.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy. (3x)\n Deacon: Furthermore we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation,\nand visitation for the servant(s) of God NN , and for the pardon and\nremission of their sins.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy. (3x)\nDeacon: Furthermore we pray to Thee, O Lord our God, that the voice\nof our petition and prayer be heard; have mercy upon Thy servant(s) NN,\nin Thy grace and goodness, and fulfill all their supplications, and pardon\nthem their transgressions both voluntary and involuntary; that their peti-\ntions and alms be acceptable before the throne of Thy majesty, and pro-\ntect them from all visible and invisible enemies, from all attacks, misfor-\ntune and sorrow, and save them from illness, and grant them health and\nlength of days: we pray Thee, O Lord, hearken and have mercy.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy. (3x)\n\n17\nDeacon: Look down, O Master Lover of mankind with Thy merciful eye\nupon Thy servant (s) NN and hearken to our prayers offered in faith, for\nThou Thyself hast said: What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray,\nbelieve that ye receive them, and ye shall have them, and again: Ask, and\nit shall be given you, therefore, though unworthy, but trusting upon Thy\nmercy, we ask: grant Thy grace, to Thy servant (s) NN, and fulfill all (his,\nher, their) good desires, preserve (him, her, them) in peace and tranquility;\nin health and length of days all (his, her, their) life, we pray Thee, hearken\nquickly and graciously have mercy.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy. (3x)\nDeacon: Furthermore we pray for all the people here present, awaiting\nfrom Thee great and bountiful mercies, for all the brethren and for all\nChristians.\nChoir: Lord, have mercy. (3x)\nPriest: Hear us, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth,\nand to those who are far off upon the sea; and show mercy, show mercy,\nO Master, upon us sinners, and be merciful unto us. For Thou art a\nmerciful God Who lovest mankind, and unto Thee we send up glory, to\nthe Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto\nages of ages.\nChoir: Amen.\n\n18\nPRAYER\nDeacon: Let us pray to our Righteous Father Yakov!\nChoir: O Righteous Father Y akov, pray unto God for us!\nO Holy Father Yakov, Son of Russia and America! Apostle to the Native\nPeoples of Alaska and their glory! We fall down before your holy icon,\nasking your prayers for us, your spiritual children. As the Lord commanded\nHis Disciples to go forth to teach and baptize, so you have come to this\ncountry, bringing the Good News of salvation. As the Lord promised that\nthe Peacemakers would be blessed, so you have found eternal favor with\nHim as the Missionary of reconciliation and forgiveness. Your life was\nfilled with disappointments, sadness and hardship, yet you persevered in\nthis beautiful yet dangerous land, baptizing, preaching, teaching, translat-\ning and celebrating divine services to the glory of God. We are amazed at\nyour humility and inspired by your dedication. Help us to emulate your\nself-effacing, self-sacrificial life. Intercede for us before the Throne of the\nMost High God, that He grant us to follow your path of peace, joy and\nlove, forgiving and blessing those who trespass against us. Share with us,\nO Holy Father, the radiant power of the Resurrection, which so marvel-\nously inspired and transfigured you each year, and help us to be mission-\naries of the eternal light which shone forth from the Tomb of Our Lord\nJesus Christ. Let the everlasting joy of Pascha enlighten and guide our\nlives on earth, that we may join with you in the eternal love, joy and peace\nwhich are the Kingdom of Christ, into Whom we have been baptized in\nthe Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in essence\nand undivided.\nChoir: Amen.\n\n19\nDeacon: Wisdom!\nPriest: Most Holy Theotokos, save us.\nChoir: More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious be-\nyond compare than the Seraphim, without defilement thou gavest\nbirth to God the Word, true Theotokos we magnify thee!\nPriest: Glory to Thee, O Christ our God and our hope, glory to\nThee!\nChoir: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,\nnow and ever, and unto ages of ages, Amen. Lord, have mercy.\nLord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Father (Master) Bless.\nPriest: May Christ our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure\nMother, the Birth-giver of God, through the prayers of our father among\nthe saints, Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts,\nTikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, Enlightener of North America, the Confes-\nsor, John of Shanghai and San Francisco, the Wonderworker, Nikolai of\nSouth Canaan, Bishop of Zhicha, Raphael Bishop of Brooklyn, the holy\nHieromartyrs, Juvenal of Iliamna, Alexander and John, Peter the Aleut,\nMartyr of San Francisco, the Venerable Herman of Alaska and all America,\nthe Wonderworker, the holy and Righteous Forebears of God Joachim\nand Ann, the holy and Righteous Alexis of Wilkes-Barre and Minneapo-\nlis, and Yakov, enlightener of the native peoples of Alaska, and all the\nsaints, have mercy on us and save us, for He is a Good God and lovest\nMankind.\nChoir: His Beatitude the Most Blessed HERMAN, Archbishop of\nWashington, Metropolitan of all America and Canada; His Grace\nthe Right Reverend NIKOLAI, Bishop of Sitka, Anchorage, and\nAlaska; the President and government of this country; the breth-\nren of this Holy Temple and all Orthodox Christians; O Lord pre-\nserve for many years.