Marshall, Alaska, May 14, 2026
His Eminence Archbishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska has issued a pastoral letter supporting efforts to close a liquor store in Marshall, Alaska, responding to concerns raised by community residents.
In the letter dated April 30/May 13, and addressed to Holy Apostle James parish, Abp. Alexei frames alcoholism as both a spiritual and community crisis. “Our Lord calls all who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him and find rest. But through the temptation of drunkenness, the evil one offers a false rest,” he writes. “He promises comfort, but gives sorrow. He promises forgetfulness, but deepens the wound. He promises freedom, but brings slavery.”
The Archbishop emphasizes that the Church’s position comes from compassion rather than condemnation. “Therefore, we speak today not against our brothers and sisters who struggle, but for them. Those wounded by alcohol are not strangers. They are beloved children of God. They are our relatives, our neighbors, our friends, our own flesh and blood.”
Drawing on Orthodox Church teaching, Abp. Alexei states that “the Fathers teach that wine, rightly used, is a gift of God, but drunkenness is slavery.” He cites St. Basil’s teaching that drunkenness is “hostility toward God,” and St. John Chrysostom’s description of it as “voluntary madness.”
The letter addresses the broader impact of alcoholism on Alaska Native communities. “Our Native elders taught strength, self-control, care for the family, reverence for the old ones, and responsibility before God. But alcohol has taken what it never had the right to take: peace from homes, strength from men, safety from women, innocence from children, dignity from elders, and hope from souls.”
Abp. Alexei frames the issue as one requiring moral courage from the community. “If there is a legal and honorable way to close this store, then the Christian conscience cannot remain silent. To act is not to condemn the fallen; it is to help lift them up. To speak is not hatred; it is mercy. Silence, when our people are being harmed, is not peace. It is abandonment.”
He calls on residents to “be brave” and describes opposition to the liquor store as “love with courage.” The Archbishop concludes by urging unity: “Stand together. Pray together. Speak together. Act together. Say with one heart: ‘Our homes are worth defending. Our children are worth protecting. Our elders are worth honoring. Our souls are worth saving. The peace of our village is not for sale.’”
The pastoral letter accompanies a community petition seeking closure of the Marshall liquor store.
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