Fort Ross, California, October 6, 2025
Photo: domoca.org
Hierarchs and faithful from the Orthodox Church in America, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and the Russian Orthodox Church gathered at Fort Ross on Saturday, October 4, to mark the 100th anniversary of the annual pilgrimage tradition at the historic site.
The celebration began on Friday, October 3, with a conference at St. Seraphim Cathedral in Santa Rosa focusing on Orthodoxy in California and the canonization of St. Peter the Aleut. The All Night Vigil was celebrated that evening at St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Santa Rosa.
On Saturday, pilgrims traveled to Fort Ross for the Divine Liturgy, which was concelebrated by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada (OCA); His Eminence Metropolitan Nikolai of New York and Eastern America, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad (ROCOR); His Eminence Metropolitan Maximillian of Irkutsk (ROC); His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco (ROCOR); His Eminence Archbishop Daniel of Chicago and the Midwest (OCA); His Grace Bishop Vasily of San Francisco (OCA); His Grace Bishop Theodosy of Seattle (ROCOR); and His Bishop James of Sonora (ROCOR), reports the OCA’s Diocese of the Midwest.
Photo: domoca.org
Retired Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco (OCA) was also in attendance. Clergy and faithful from both jurisdictions came from across the country to participate in the historic celebration.
Following the Divine Liturgy, a procession was held to the cemetery on the historic grounds, followed by a memorial service and lunch at the fort.
History of Fort Ross and Orthodox worship
The Ross Colony was established in 1812 by the Russian American Company, which was based in Alaska. Fort Ross became home to the first Orthodox church in North America outside of Alaska. The chapel, known as Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Chapel, was built in 1822.
After the chapel’s construction, a cantor offered simple reader’s services. In 1836, Fr. John Veniaminov, the future St. Innocent of Alaska and Moscow, traveled 1,100 miles from Alaska to Fort Ross as part of his pastoral duties and became one of the first Orthodox priests to celebrate Divine Liturgy outside of Alaska.
After Fort Ross was sold in 1841, no divine services were held at the chapel until St. Sebastian (Dabović) visited in 1897, followed by St. Tikhon (later Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) in 1905, when the Russian Orthodox Church organized a pilgrimage to Fort Ross for a service and picnic.
Photo: domoca.org
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed the chapel. After years of fundraising to rebuild, the first pilgrimage was held on July 4, 1925, establishing the annual tradition. Archpriest Vladimir Sakovich, who organized the first pilgrimage, is remembered for his efforts in establishing this tradition. His granddaughter, Maria Sakovich, served as keynote speaker at the October 3 conference.
Liturgical services have been held at the chapel every year since 1925 except when fire destroyed it in 1970. During the reconstruction period, pilgrims held services outside the chapel until it was rebuilt in 1972.
Fort Ross was the site of the first Orthodox Baptisms, Weddings, and catechumens in the contiguous United States. Five saints have connections to Fort Ross: St. Peter the Aleut, who lived at Fort Ross in 1815 and was martyred at San Gabriel Mission near Los Angeles after refusing to be rebaptized by Catholic priests; St. Innocent, who visited in 1836 and celebrated services, Baptisms, Weddings, Confessions, and funerals; St. Sebastian of Jackson and San Francisco, who visited in 1897; St. Tikhon, who came in 1905 as head of the Orthodox Diocese in North America; and St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, who visited around 1962.
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