Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia, October 17, 2018
Pht: flight-report.com Ten candidates were proposed yesterday for the renaming of South Sakhalin Airport on the far eastern Russian island of Sakhalin. Among the nominees was St. Innocent (Veniamin) of Moscow, the Equal to the Apostles and Enlightener of North America, reports Interfax-Religion.
St. Innocent was proposed as the future airport patron by Archpriest Viktor Gorbach, a member of the Public Chamber of the Sakhalin Region, during a meeting of the organizing committee for the renaming of the South Sakhalin Airport.
Documents with the proposals will be sent to the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for consideration.
St. Innocent, the Metropolitan of Moscow, is glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church as an Equal-to-the-Apostles. In the 20th century, he baptized thousands of people, built churches, and founded and taught in schools. He created the alphabet for the Aleutian language and translated the New Testament using it. He stopped a smallpox epidemic by conducting mass vaccinations, and visited the Yakuts and Tungus, in places where ordinary priests never stopped.
St. Innocent was the first bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurils, Sakhalin, the Amur Region, and North America. In 1861, the saint visited the village of Due on northern Sakhalin, where a memorial cross and chapel in honor of his visit have been erected.
On December 10, 1997, a street in South Sakhalin was renamed St. Innocent Boulevard in connection with the 300th anniversary of the opening of the Kuril Islands by Russian sailors.
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Phot: saintinnocentchurch.com After he was ordained to the priesthood, he spent a year as a parish priest in Irkutsk, and then volunteered to go into missionary work in Alaska, though many other clergy were afraid to do so, because they had heard it was a wild country filled with dangerous savages. His wife broke into tears when she heard the news of this mission, but was unable to dissuade him, so at age 26, he and his family traveled over 2,000 miles, taking over a year to complete this arduous journey, and arrived finally in the Aleutian Islands in 1824.
He built a church with his own hands, traveled to remote areas by kayak, dog sled, even reindeer. He learned six dialects of the native language and developed the first written alphabet for the native Aleuts. He translated the Bible and other sacred books into their language. Years later, he also translated scriptural books into other Alaskan native languages. He also studied all aspects of the local area, and wrote ethnographic, geographical and linguistic works for which he later was elected an honorary member of the Russian Geographical Society and Moscow Royal University.
He returned to Russia to seek more resources and support for the Alaska mission, where, after his wife died, he took monastic vows and the name Innocent, after Bishop Innocent of Irkutsk. He was later consecrated Bishop, and was assigned to the new see of Kamchatka-kurils and the Aleutian Islands, to which he returned, tirelessly building churches, guiding priests, seeking to bring the Gospel and the Holy Orthodox Church to native peoples of Alaska. He encouraged the use of English, and the use of indigenous clergy.
He was later made Archbishop, and later, having returned to Russia, ultimately became Metropolitan of Moscow, where he continued his missionary zeal, establishing and guiding an Orthodox Missionary Society. He is perhaps especially remembered for his zeal to bring the gospel to the world. The apostolic preaching of Metropolitan Innocent spread to a vast territory including Alaska and Chukotka, the Aleutian, Kurils and Commander Islands, eastern Siberia, the Amur region, Kamchatka and the Far East. Metropolitan Innocent brought the light of Christian faith to the Aleutians, Koloshes, Kurils, Eskimo, Kenai, Chugaches, Kamchadals, Oliutores, Negidales, Mongols, Samogirs, Golds, Gulyaks, Koryaks, Tungus, Chukcha, Yakutians, and Kitians.
The preaching of the gospel was a primary achievement in the life of Metropolitan Innocent and occupied a special place in his apostolic service. The metropolitan had a great homiletic gift and was a remarkable preacher. He never missed an opportunity to preach and talk to people and tirelessly instructed his clergy to do the same.
Holy St. Innocent, pray to God for us.
Our Father among the saints, St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of Siberia & America, is commemorated on March 31.
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