Clicking here goes to information on the icon.Welcome to the St. Luke Web Page.
Search the site.Listen to Father Borichevsky's restored radio programsSee What St. Luke Orthodox Church has planned.Visit and sign our guest book.Contact the St. Luke Orthodox Church Web Development Team.
Find something on the site in a hurry.
St. Lukes Orthodox Church Home PageDonate Now!Shop for Orthodox goods from your Computerchurchdirectory Pages that deal with St. Luke the Evangelist Orthodox Church. What's the news at St. Lukes.View all the previous and current Evangelist newsletters.View the Sunday bulletin.Information about St. Luke Orthodox Church including the Mission and Vision statements. Pages for 'keeping in touch' with God. Information on prayers and prayingView the prayer of the week and all other previos prayers of the week.Need to pray for something? What is the Orthodox Church and how/why do Orthodox Christians worship? What is the Orthodox Church of America?Who were the Saints, and why do we honor them?Find and explore many different liturgical texts we have available, including the Divine LiturgyWhat is Pascha? See what it's like at St. Luke's.How is Orthodoxy playing a role in the present times?Learn what are icons and how are they used in the Orthodox Church today.BellsSee what we have to offer!Current Issues Pages for Organizations of St. Lukes. Christian Education, Youth Group, Music, Church Resource Center, Adult Education, and Junior Olympics.Maintenance, New Building, Strategic Planning, Cell Phone Tower, Inventory, Cemetery/Memorial Book, and Historian.Outreach, Charities, Internet, Evangelist Newsletter, Media, Prison, Sanctity of Life, and Mission.Fellowship, Supply Coordinator, Prayer, Women's Ministry, New Americans, Sunshinem, Flowers, and Vestments. Some stuff Study the bibleSearch the bibleOrthodoxy on the lighter side...Words of Wisdom...If you've got the taste for great Orthodox foods, this is the place to be.Children friendly section of the pageMessages

St. Innocent Apostle to America

An icon of St. Innocent Apostle to America.

The Icon

This icon was done by iconographer, Cheryl Pituch and is part of St. Lukes new set of Icons of the Saints of America.

An icon of St. Innocent Apostle to America.

The Icon

Feast Days - October 6 (glorification) & March 31 (repose)

Born John Veniaminov, this married priest was summoned to minister in North America in 1824. During the 10-year period until 1834, Father John translated the Gospel of St. Matthew, and parts of the Divine Liturgy and Catechism into Aleut, the language of the natives. He created an alphabet based on the Cyrillic letters and wrote a dictionary. Following his wife’s death in 1839, he was tonsured a monk, took the name Innocent and was consecrated the first Bishop of America. He spent the next 22 years as a missionary until, nearly blind, he returned to St. Petersburg. In 1867, he was elected Metropolitan of Moscow and this is how he is depicted in the icon: with the white kamilavka (head dress), episcopal robes and the Gospel he proclaimed. The scroll he carries reads: "As far as I could, I have shown you the way into the Kingdom of Heaven." The Holy Synod of the Church of Russia formally proclaimed him "St. Innocent of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to America" in 1977.

Scene from All American Council 2005.

Relic box of St. Innocent.

Troparion in tone 3

Radiant light of the church,
You illumined the earth by your deeds.
Those who drew near to you in faith, you healed and so glorified God.
Therefore, O holy Father Innocent, we beseech you,
Encompass this land with your prayers,
And protect us from all harm and misdeed.

Kontakion in tone 2

The Trinity delights in you
O Holy Bishop Innocent.
You are divine thunder, a spiritual trumpet,
A planter of the faith and destroyer of heresies.
As you ever stand with the angels,
Entreat without ceasing for us all!

For information concerning the life of St. Innocent Apostle to America please click here