VENIAMINOV, INNOCENT (JOHN POPOV)

VENIAMINOV, INNOCENT (JOHN POPOV), Metropolitan of Moscow, Alaskan missionary, translator, St. (1798–1879). Born in Siberia, Joh n Popov was educated at the Irkutsk Seminary and awarded a family name made up from that of the newly deceased Bishop Benjamin (i.e., Veniaminov) in recognition of his high academic performance. He arrived as a priest in Alaska (q.v.) in 1824 with his mother, brother, wife, and son; at that time he found that almost the entire Aleut population was baptized. Fr. Joh n Popov-Veniaminov was an extraordinarily multitalented individual who figured in the history of Alaska by scientifically recording flora, fauna, weather, and the tides. He made furniture, built clocks, designed and built churches-including the Mission House and St. Michael’s Cathedral in Sitka.

Both preceding and after his episcopal consecration, he was an advocate for indigenous Christianity in Alaska before the Holy Synod, and was the first resident bishop (1840–1858). He developed an Aleut alphabet and translated a catechism and the Gospel of Matthew with the assistance of Ivan Pankov. He was always an active proponent of education and opened a seminary in Sitka for the training of native clergy.

In terms of California history, he made a trip to Fort Ross (q.v.) in 1836 and visited some Spanish Missions in the San Francisco Bay area. He communicated with the Franciscans in Latin, and eventually built a few barrel organs for the Missions. He kept a brief diary of his daily duties and travels while visiting California. (See Russian America.)

In terms of Russian history, he was made archbishop in 1850 and combined his Alaskan responsibilities with those of Yakutsk in Asia in 1852. In the succeeding years, he worked with Count Nicholas Muraviev for the annexation of the Amur River Basin, which occurred through the Treaty of Argin in 1858. The next year, he paid his last visit to Sitka and installed his new vicar, Bishop Peter (Lysakov). In 1861, after shipwreck, he spent time in Japan with Fr. Nikolai Kasatkin (q.v.). He served as an apostolic inspiration for this priest who would later be canonized the “Enlightener of Japan.” In 1865 Veniaminov was appointed to the Holy Synod of Russia.

In 1867, with the sale of Alaska to the United States by Russia, Innocent made the following recommendations to the Holy Synod:

1. Do not close the American vicariate-even though the number of churches and missions there has been cut in half (i.e., to five).

2. Designate San Francisco rather than New Archangel the residence of the vicar. The climate is incomparably better there, and communications with the colonial churches are just as convenient from there as from New Archangel (if not more so).

3. Subordinate the vicariate to the bishop of St. Petersburg or some other Baltic diocese, for once the colonies have been sold to the American government, communications between the Amur and the colonies will end completely and all communications between the headquarters of the Diocese of Kamchatka and the colonies will have to be through St. Petersburg-which is completely unnatural.

4. Return to Russia the current vicar and all clergy in New Archangel (except churchmen), and appoint a new vicar from among those who know the English language. Likewise, his retinue ought to be composed of those who know English.

5. Allow the bishop to augment his retinue, transfer its members and ordain to the priesthood for our churches converts to Orthodoxy from among American citizens who accept all its institutions and customs.

6. Allow the vicar bishop and all clerics of the Orthodox Church in America (q.v.) to celebrate the Divine Liturgy (q.v.) and other services in English (for which purpose, obviously, the service books must be translated into English).

7. To use English rather than Russian (which must sooner or later be replaced by English) in all instruction in the schools to be established in San Francisco and elsewhere to prepare people for missionary and clerical positions. (The seven points are excerpted from Garrett, St. Innocent, p. 276.)

Ironically, in 1868 Tsar Alexander II appointed him Metropolitan of Moscow, shortly after the archbishop had requested retirement. In 1870 he organized the Imperial Mission Society, served as its first president, and through it remembered his earlier missions in Alaska. During the next thirty years, the Russian Church would surpass the United States government in supporting the education of Native Americans in Alaska. After gradually going blind late in life, Innocent continued to serve the liturgical services and “read” the assigned Gospel lectionary aloud from memory. He died on Holy Saturday, 1879.