Mitred Archpriest Jacob and Matushka Barbara Korchinsky

Mitred Archpriest Jacob (Iakov) Korchinsky (Missionary) (Martyr) (1861-1941)

and

Matushka Barbara (Varvara) Korchinsky (Missionary) (Confessor) (1866-19__)

Jacob may be spelt Iakov, Iakub, Iakovos, Jakob, James.

Barbara may be spelt Varvara.

Korchinsky may be spelt Kortchinsky.

Early life of Jacob Kosminovich Korchinsky

On 30 April/13 May, 1861, Jacob Kosminovich (Kuzmich) Korchinsky was born into a faithful Orthodox Christian family near the city Smela (Smila), in the Dnieper Upland, in what is now the Cherkasy County of the (at that time) Kiev Province in the Russian Empire. Although some have suggested that Jacob was born into a family of landed gentry, and raised in Elisavetgrad (now Kirovohrad), research indicates rather that he grew up in a peasant family. He was raised in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church.

He was baptised with the name of the Apostle James (Jacob), son of Zebedee, because he was born on that Feast-day.

It was in the Cherkasy County that he would have received his primary and secondary education.

Higher education

His 4-year post-secondary schooling in Elizavetgrad seems to have been in the Aleksandryjsky district, where he acquired the qualifications to teach. It is that school board which assigned him, after graduation, to teach in the village of Gurovka (Horlivka) in the Yekaterinoslav Governorate, now the Donetsk Province. He taught in the diocesan schools there from 1881 to 1887.

Marriage, 1886

In 1886, Jacob married Barbara (Varvara) Yakovleva. Details about her life are at present minimal and scarce. It is known that she seems to have suffered from quite fragile health, at least for a time.

Whilst he was working there, Archbishop Nikanor (Brovkovich) of Kherson and Odessa recognised that he was an excellent teacher.

Diaconal ordination, 1887

In response to a resolution of Archbishop Nikanor (Brovkovich), Bishop Memnon (Vishnevsky) of Elisavetgrad ordained Jacob Korchinsky to the Holy Diaconate on 8 November, 1887.

Diaconal service

In November, 1887, Bishop Memnon (Vishnevsky) assigned Deacon Jacob to serve at Saint Michael's Church in Elisavetgrad.

In 1893 and 1894, he was given awards for his teaching ability.

Whilst he was a deacon and still teaching, Deacon Jacob Korchinsky enrolled at the Odessa Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1895.

Missionary in Alaska, 1895

In 1895, Deacon Jacob Korchinsky was invited to teach in the missions in Alaska in the northwest part of North America by Bishop Nikolai (Ziorov) of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska.

Having received the blessing, the young deacon and his wife set off by sea for North America. They arrived in New York City ; and in September, he was given the assignment to serve in Alaska.

First, however, he was examined by a committee (including Bishop Nicholas) in various theological areas in accord with courses taught in the theological seminaries.

Bishop Nikolai (Ziorov)

Presbyteral ordination, 1896

On 25 March, 1896, Deacon Jacob Korchinsky was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) in Sitka, Alaska.

Pastoral service

At the time of his ordination, Priest Jacob Korchinsky began his missionary work in Alaska. At first, he was assigned to Holy Protection Church at Saint Michael's Redoubt (that is, Sitka).

On 2 May, 1897, Bishop Nikolai (Ziorov) assigned him to be the Dean of the Kvikhpakh Mission (Kwikpak, Qwikpak) in the Yukon River Delta, near the Bering Sea. He and his matushka served this region from the Temple of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the village of Ikogmut (now known as "Russian Mission"). In fact, the Kvikhpakh region extended north to the Arctic at that time. The territory would have included places as distant as Nome and Fairbanks, which since then have established Orthodox Christian communities. The founder of this mission, based from this village, Ikogmut, was the holy Archpriest Jacob Netsvetov.

Sitka, about 1897

On 30 October, 1898, Father Jacob was awarded the gold pectoral cross for bringing more than 250 indigenous Alaskans into the Orthodox Christian Church. By this time, under the influence of the government of the USA, there were already Protestant missionaries at work, proselytising in all the regions where the Orthodox Christian missions had been active since 1794.

In early 1900, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) spent 3 months with the Korchinsky family in the missionary areas round about Ikogmut and other places. Afterwards, the Priest Jacob Korchinsky wrote an article “The Journey of Bishop Tikhon, Bishop of the Aleutians and North America, to the Far North of America in 1900”, which was published in the “Russian American Orthodox Messenger” (sometimes shortened to “American Orthodox Messenger”). It was reprinted in the “Moscow Journal”, Nos. 7 and 8, 2002.

Vladyka Tikhon (Belavin) made the first-ever archpastoral visit to the Ikogmut village in the 55-year history of the Kvikhpakh Mission. Of course, travel was so difficult that any attempt at such a visit often met insurmountable obstacles. However, with God's help, Vladyka Tikhon was able leave Sitka and to arrive at the Ikogmut village, the centre of this mission. He had been carried by a small ship up the Yukon River. As the ship approached the village, at the beginning of the 7th hour, the captain was asked permission to fly the Russian flag on the ship as a sign of the presence of the bishop there. The captain kindly permitted this (this was, of course USA territory), and the flag was hoisted. At the bishop's approach, the the people on the shore rang the bell, and they also began to salute with the Russian flag. The people gladly ran to meet their archpastor, who, having disregarded all dangers, was beginning the first archpastoral visit to this remote land.

In the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Temple in Ikogmut, the bishop was met by 2 priests : the rector of the Kvikhpakh Mission and its district, and the rector of the Kuskokwim Mission. The Kuskokwim Mission was situated on the Kuskokwim River, some distance to the south of the Yukon River. The Kuskokwim River rises in south-central Alaska, and empties into the Bering Sea about 50 miles (80 km) to the south of the Yukon River's exit. The first priest, Father Jacob Korchinsky, delivered a short speech of approximately the following content :

 Your Grace, gracious Archpastor and Father, half a century has elapsed since the first Bloodless 
 Sacrifice was offered in the Holy Temple of the Holy Cross, and during this half-century, not one of the 
 archpastors could make it here.  We are humbled before you, our archpastor, as our most-blessed father. 
 You are cherished because for the salvation of your children, you have come to our spiritual squalor and 
 embraced the difficult feat of visiting this distant land.  The greatest part of its population is 
 'sitting in darkness and the shadow of death' [Psalm 106:10].  We have reverence for your faith, 
 which disregards all the obstacles and enemies, both visible and invisible.  With all our heart, we thank 
 you for the mercy shown to us and we earnestly pray : enlighten us, and instruct us, the weak, in all 
 truth.  
 Cover us with your love for all that is lacking in us, and bless us with your archpastoral blessing for all
 that is good.  May your light, holy master, so shine before us, that, seeing your good deeds, we may glorify 
 our Heavenly Father not only with our lips, but also with our hearts and our lives. 
 Blessed is he who is blessed in the Name of the Lord. 

After the welcome had been completed, Vladyka Tikhon had difficulty to speak (emotions). However, he managed to give a short, but effective word. He promised the congregation of his constant prayers and then he blessed everyone. After this, the "Many Years" was proclaimed for the Sovereign Emperor and the entire Royal House, the Most Holy Synod and for His Grace, Tikhon, Bishop of the Aleutians and North America. Then Vladyka deigned to proclaim the "Many Years" for the clergy and parishioners of the Temple. The Temple in the village of Ikogmut, dedicated to the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-giving Cross of the Lord, was built in 1895 in the Greek style and, it seems, it is the only Temple in Alaska with an open and high dome. Vladyka was pleased with the external and internal appearance, and the condition of the Temple. A room for Vladyka had been prepared in the rector's house. Until late at night, people came to receive a blessing from their archpastor.

Elevation of the Holy Cross Temple, Russian Mission

Vladyka Tikhon then served the first ever Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in this village. This service was followed by a panikhida (memorial service) for all the faithful servants of Christ who had laboured in this missionary field during the previous 125 years. The students of Father Jacob were presented to Bishop Tikhon, who examined their knowledge, and about whom he commented that they “sang harmoniously and sincerely”.

After this, Bishop Tikhon was taken by Father Jacob and others in a leather boat ("baidarka") to visit communities of the Kvikhpakh Mission along the Yukon River and its tributaries. As they travelled, they were often accompanied by throngs of other boats. They stopped in every village, where they visited chapels and homes, and they offered prayers. They also took the opportunity to distribute books, icons, and Crosses, and to teach something more about the Orthodox Christian Faith. Sometimes they had to make a portage and carry the boats. They all felt strengthened and encouraged by their participation in this missionary and pastoral visit.

The next archpastoral visit came in 1905, when Bishop Nicholas (Pustynsky) arrived by river-boat on the Yukon River on a missionary journey that began in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory in Canada. This visit to the Yukon Territory in Canada had come as a consequence of his earlier report to Bishop Tikhon about the fact of the "gold-rush" in the Klondike, and the presence at that time of many Russians, Greeks, and Slavs in Dawson City. By the time that Bishop Innocent had been able to visit these places, almost all the Orthodox Christian persons there had already departed for other places, or they had become completely secularised and disinterested in the visitor.

Father Jacob studied and described in great detail the places where he served, and he wrote about the ascetical labours of his predecessor missionaries. This was set forth in his article 'J Korchinsky : Priest of the Kvikhpakh Exaltation of the Holy Cross Mission on the Yukon River' in the “Russian American Orthodox Messenger”, No. 13, 1899. He soon became a regular contributor to the “Messenger”. In the archives of the Saint Herman Theological Seminary on Kodiak Island may be found the parish lists of all his parishioners and notes about their confession and communion of the Holy Mysteries. The surnames and names of the parishioners are neatly written in the calligraphic handwriting of Father Jacob.

Missionary in Canada, 1900

On 1 September, 1900, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) blessed the request for the transfer of Father Jacob and Matushka (Mother) Barbara Korchinsky to Canada. Father Jacob was transferred and assigned to serve in and around Edmonton, in what is now known as Alberta. He was the first resident priest to serve in Canada.

This choice by Bishop Tikhon was not accidental. He had seen the hard labours and missionary work of Father Jacob in the Yukon River region. Moreover, the young priest was from the Kiev region, and it was easy for him to find a common language and understanding with the immigrants to Alberta, who were arriving from the regions of Galicia and Bukovina.

After having sailed south from Alaska to San Francisco, California, Father Jacob and Matushka Barbara travelled by railway north to Vancouver, British Columbia, and then east to Calgary in the Northwest Territories, and finally north to Strathcona (now the south side of the City of Edmonton). They arrived on 26 November, 1900.

First Temple, Holy Trinity Church, Stary Wostok

Saint Jakob's Russo Orthodox Church, Mundare

During his short time there, he was the founding priest of Holy Trinity Church in Stary Wostok, where he began his assignment. He was also the founding priest of Saint Barbara’s Church in Edmonton, of Saint Mary’s Romanian Church in Boian, and of others as well, including the Ascension Church near Rabbit Hill-Nisku, at Calmar. At that time, all these communities (and most of the others in Western Canada) were in the Northwest Territories. These particular parishes are, since 1905, in the Province of Alberta.

Bishop (Saint) Tikhon (Belavin)

Saint Barbara’s Church in Edmonton had its beginnings on Jasper Avenue in a store-front near the building which was later constructed and known as W W Sales Hardware (later W W Arcade Hardware).

Edmonton, Jasper Avenue

Services were advertised at this first Saint Barbara’s Chapel for the convenience of those who travelled there from the rural places.

By 1901, Father Korchinsky had found and purchased a half-block of land at the southwest corner of 96th Street and 100th Avenue, about a block to the east of the chapel. This purchase from the nearby Northwest Mounted Police, on the property where the current cathedral stands today, included a frame house (on 96th Street, south of Jasper Avenue) and several other lots surrounding the house. Under Father Korchinsky's leadership, the parish had come to own a substantial piece of property, which proved to be useful in the future. The name of the parish was certainly determined with respect for Matushka Barbara, and in sincere honour of the Great Virgin Martyr Barbara. The Korchinskys lived in this same house, and they set apart a portion in which they and the parishioners could worship. Even though her health may have been fragile, Matushka Barbara may be said to have done her best. Truly, an active and productive missionary priest is hardly likely to be able to be so unless his wife is a stable co-worker, and strongly supportive. Such a purchase from his own money for the sake of the mission became characteristic of his activities throughout his life. He spared nothing for the sake of feeding the rational sheep of Christ, and spreading the Gospel of Christ.

First home of Saint Barbara's parish, Edmonton

During these early years, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) visited twice (in 1901, and again in 1904).

Bishop Job (Smakouz) described the first visit, based on writings of Father Jacob :

 [...] On 18 August, Father Jacob, at the head of the church clergy and active parishioners, met his 
 Bishop at the Leduc railway station, 5 miles (8 km) from which was the Orthodox community of 
 Ruthenians (Rusyns). Since the community did not yet have its own temple, everyone went to the farm of the 
 Galician Rusyn Pyotr Dublyanka, where a Sunday service was planned. The baggage with bishops' and deacon’s 
 vestments was delayed along the way.  In this regard, Vladyka blessed the rector of the community, 
 Father James, to serve the All-Night Vigil.  Since the farm was far from others and many farmers were 
 at that time in the field, 30 people attended the service.  The next day, 19 August (1 September), 'the 
 whole present Russian population, without distinction of confession', came to the bishop’s service, 
 namely the Uniates and even the Roman Catholics.  Vladyka, having only a panagia and a mitre with 
 him for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, blessed to prepare for him the one and only priestly 
 vestment of Father Jacob Korchinsky. 'By extraordinary coincidence, just above the altar was the icon 
 of St. Nicholas, depicted in the same vestment'. After the Liturgy, newcomers to Canada from Western 
 Russia thanked Vladyka 'for sending them a priest who preaches in a language that they understand'. In 
 addition, with the help of Father Jacob, the question of the construction of the temple and its 
 name, as well as the difficult question of choosing a place for its construction, was resolved. One of 
 the Rusyns allocated for this purpose two acres (1 acre = 0.405 ha) of their land. Immediately on this 
 holy work was given the Bishop’s blessing with the prayerful well-wishes of God's help. Vladyka also 
 made the first feasible donation from his personal funds. A plot allocated by the provincial 
 government was set aside for the cemetery. 
 
 Through Edmonton, Vladyka, accompanied by Father Jacob, headed for the Ruthenian settlement with the 
 name Vostok.  Here, the Priest Jacob in traditional fashion met the bishop on the threshold of the 
 newly-built church in honour of the Holy Trinity.  On 24 August (6 September), in the morning they left 
 for Beaver Creek, located 12 miles (19 km) to the west to consecrate the chapel.
 
 On the way, a miracle happened to save the travellers from possible injuries and even death in an 
 unfortunate incident.  When Vladyka, along with the Priest Jacob Korchinsky were seated on a simple 
 peasant cart, they were already a mile from Beaver Creek, when suddenly something broke off in the 
 harness and the horses rushed in a furious leap along bumps, potholes and ditches. Vladyka was thrown 
 to the ground. In this case, one leg fell under the wheel of the wagon. With a sharp movement, he 
 managed to pull it from the boot just at the moment when the wheel ran over the boot. But the other leg, 
 on which the saint fell, suffered greatly. Stretched ligaments inflicted a lot of suffering on Vladyka 
 during walking and standing.  Even in this state, barely stepping on the sore foot, the saint continued 
 his path and archpastoral labours. 
 
 On 25 August (7 September), on the recommendation of Father Jacob, an exam was arranged for the 
 psalmist I Soroka, who was also appointed to Canada at the same time as the teacher of the parish 
 school.  The examinee successfully passed the bishop's test and received a blessing for paedagogical 
 work.  
 
 On the same day, at 7 p.m., with the blessing of Bishop Tikhon, Father Jacob began the All-Night Vigil 
 on Sunday and the Feast of the Presentation of the Vladimir Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary in memory 
 of the salvation of Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane in 1395. The next day, the throne and the 
 church, built just eight months after the arrival of Father Jacob with the psalmist, were consecrated 
 by the Bishop. 
 
 'In the annals of the Canadian Orthodox Mission, it will be inscribed with indelible letters that on 
 26 August (8 September) 1901, His Grace, Tikhon, Bishop of the Aleutians and North
 America, consecrated the first Orthodox church in Canada' (Ibid., No. 19 , p. 404), – Father Jacob wrote 
 in his note about the Vladyka’s trip to Canada in the diocesan 'American Orthodox Messenger'. 
 
 In the consecrated church, Vladyka served the first Divine Liturgy, assisted by the first and only 
 then-Orthodox missionary in Canada, Priest Jacob Korchinsky.  At the invitation, evening and morning 
 services were attended by a local Anglican priest who was closely following the first-ever Orthodox 
 continuous service. 
 
 At 3 p.m., Bishop Tikhon opened a meeting of the local St. Tikhon Orthodox Brotherhood, which was 
 founded on the initiative of Father Jacob on 12 (25) August, two weeks before the solemn sanctification 
 of the church in honour of Heavenly Patron of Bishop Tikhon, Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, the Recluse. The 
 brothers set themselves religious educational goals : helping the church, school, reading room, each 
 other in misfortunes, fraternal unity in the spirit of the Orthodox Faith and piety. By this time, the 
 group consisted of 17 people. Upon entry, it was necessary to make a contribution in the amount of 
 $1.00 and then pay 25 cents monthly. Fellowship members who donated $25.00 each became an honourable 
 member.  They also had their own emblem – an icon in the form of an asterisk with an eight-pointed cross 
 in the middle – since 'the place on which the temple was laid was formerly called 'Star' and only then it 
 was renamed to the 'Wostok' (east).   
 
 The next day, 27 August (9 September), Bishop Tikhon consecrated the church in the name of 
 St. Nicholas of Mira, Lycia, the Miracle Worker, in the farming village of Bukovina [now called "Wostok"], six miles to the east, 
 in the prayer service of Father Jacob. 
 
 On the same day, at 19 o’clock in the evening, Father Jacob accompanied Saint Tikhon on his return 
 trip from the east to Edmonton. The road was not easy, the trip was accompanied by many trials. To all 
 the inconveniences of the path was added heavy rain, from which no umbrellas could protect the 
 travellers travelling in the open carriage. The wagon nearly capsised several times. 
 
 Late at night, the travellers arrived at the Edna-Star farming colony, then called the Nebyliv colony 
 (named after the Galician-Carpathian village, from which one of the very first Rusyns, Ivan Pylypiv, 
 (28 September, 1859-10 October, 1936), arrived in Canada  with his family, and spent the night in a 
 hotel). 
 
 The next day, Father Jacob Korchinsky, accompanying the Saint, had to drive another 24 miles in the 
 pouring rain to the nearest hotel in Fort Saskatchewan. 
 
 Father Jacob Korchinsky narrates interesting details : 'It is hard to imagine what kind of trip it was 
 [...] For almost six hours the rain poured without ceasing, and, as if angry, it whipped in the face 
 thanks to the nasty wind.  All the clothing and linen were soaked through, and we froze from the cold 
 and damp.  Having arrived at the hotel, they thought they could dry, but they only managed to change 
 clothes and wash away the dirt that had stuck to them on the way [...].  They galloped further, although 
 through the mud, but, fortunately, without rain, and finally reached Edmonton by 8 o’clock in the evening 
 and stopped at the hotel. 
 
 On 29 August (11 September), the Canadians led their spiritually brave Archpastor to the station, whence 
 he departed by train to Seattle.  Having arrived there two days later, Vladyka, as the article in the 
 'Russian American Orthodox Messenger' reported, with difficulty reached the carriage, due to numerous 
 bruises and injuries.  But the bishop with his 'usual complacency endured the suffering' and with a smile 
 recalled the 'delights of the Canadian roads' ('Long-suffering Journey' in the "Russian American Orthodox 
 Messenger", 1901, No. 18, p. 388). 
 
 The outcome of the twelve-day trip of His Grace Bishop Tikhon to Canada and the work of Priest Jacob 
 Korchinsky was the consecration of two churches in the Vostok and Bukovina farms and one chapel in 
 Beaver Creek for Orthodox Ruthenians, as well as the decision to build a church near the Leduc railway 
 station in Rabbit Hill for Galicians – immigrants from the Yaroslav district in Austria-Hungary. 
 'The joy of the parishioners there brought to them by the arrival of the Archpastor is clear : now 
 they – the poor, abandoned in cold Canada – have their parish life right, and the whole price of this 
 greatest comfort can be fully understood by someone who has been torn from his native land and has not 
 had a source of spiritual comfort, my church', as the Priest V Alexandrov summed up this trip ('The 
 Journey of His Grace, Tikhon, Bishop of the Aleutians and North America, by the diocese) in the "Russian 
 American Orthodox Messenger", 1901, No. 20, p. 422). 
 
 In addition, the arrival of Vladyka rallied all the Orthodox Christians living here – Bukovinians and 
 Galicians who returned from the Latin Union to the fold of their native Orthodox Church.  He inspired 
 the talented priest Jacob Korchinsky and his matushka Varvara to continue working, while patiently 
 carrying the priestly cross. The priest and his parishioners saw in Bishop Tikhon their good Shepherd, 
 always ready to come to their aid in any good deed, not only with a wise word, but also with personal, 
 active participation. 
 
 Father Jacob Korchinsky also founded the first Orthodox parish in Edmonton, for the services of which 
 he acquired a two-story house, where he arranged a chapel, consecrated by him on 18 May, 1902 in the 
 name of the Holy Great-Martyr Barbara. 

After the first visit, Vladyka (Saint) Tikhon ordered icons, relics and other necessities for several Temples across the Canadian prairies, and one of these relics was of the Great Virgin-Martyr Barbara.

It was during 1902 and 1903 that Saint Tikhon strove to find a way to incorporate the bishop as a means to provide corporate status for the many Temples and communities being developed in Canada. Father Jacob was very much involved in this process. This incorporation was proved to be impossible in the Ottawa parliament, because the Québec-dominated Senate blocked the passage of the Bill of Incorporation in 1902 (there was prejudice against both the "foreignness" of Vladyka Tikhon, and against the Orthodox Church). Thus, incorporation was possible only in the then Northwest Territories (in the present provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan). The corporate status was also crucial in the struggle to retain the Church of the Transfiguration in Star, as Bishop Tikhon had been advised by the legal firm "Short and Cross". The legal dispute about the ownership of this particular Temple between the Orthodox Church and the Uniats of the Roman Catholic Church was very prolonged. This particular dispute was resolved in Bishop Tikhon's favour only when the matter was taken to the Privy Council in London, England.

It was because of Vladyka Tikhon's success in at least the more local form of incorporation that there was an adequate foundation available for the corporate existence of the Bishop of Canada and the parishes that he would bless into existence.

The establishment of Saint Barbara’s Church is considered by the Greek Orthodox of Edmonton (Saint George’s Church) as being the beginning of their community as well, since Greek-speakers at first attended this house-church. In 1900, Father Jacob visited the Dormition of the Theotokos Church in Shandro, Alberta, where he baptised 33 children in a single day. One can get the sense, from reading about Father Korchinsky’s life, that this sort of event was rather commonplace for him. It was certainly commonplace for the other clergy who worked in this region thereafter. In 1901, Father Jacob was again given recognition for building a Temple whilst doing missionary work in Canada.

As Bishop Job (Smakouz) commented, "He also kept a liturgical diary, in which he noted the important events of his ministry. Part of the diary dedicated to the first year of his service in Canada has been preserved in the archives of The Orthodox Church in America".

Return to Europe, 1902

On 1 January, 1902, Father Jacob Korchinsky requested that he be relieved of duties in Canada and the Aleutian Diocese because of his wife's illness, and that he be allowed to return to Russia. He was blessed to do this, and he was transferred to the Kherson-Odessa Diocese, then in the southern Ukrainian part of the Russian Empire. There, Father Jacob was appointed to be rector of the Holy Resurrection Church in Bereznegova on the Black Sea coast. It is now in the Nikolaev Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He also resumed his teaching duties there for the next 5 years, and during this time he received many teaching and service awards.

In 1906, Father Jacob was appointed to be rector of the Protection Church in the Kherson prison.

After 2 years of serving in the prison church, Father Jacob reapplied to return to North America.

Return to North America, 1908

After 6 years of service in Russia, in 1908, Father Jacob, with the blessing of the Most Holy Synod, returned to North America and he served in the parish of Saint Archangel Michael in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, USA.

In his report of 26 November, 1906 to the Holy Synod, the then Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) wrote about Father Korchinsky :

 ‘He did much to convert the heathen to the Christian Faith and returned many Uniates to the 
 Orthodox Church.  He set the foundation for parish life in many places, built churches and 
 assisted the unfortunate with his acquired medical knowledge’. 

Whilst he was in Pennsylvania, Father Jacob was awarded the gold pectoral Cross by an Imperial Decree.

During this period of time in the USA, in parallel with his priestly activity, Father Jacob received a medical education. He graduated from a medical institute. This was required by the conditions of his missionary service when he visited the poor remote settlements of American Indigenous peoples. Of course, even before that, he was providing assistance, but he then decided to acquire the professional knowledge of a physician.

On 25 March, 1911, the Korchinskys were relocated to Newark, New Jersey, where Father Jacob was appointed to be the rector of the Church of Saint Michael, and also the visiting priest to parishes in Erie, and Carnegie in Pennsylvania, and Youngstown in Ohio. He was the first resident priest of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in South River, New Jersey. During his years in this area, Father Jacob Korchinsky also served as the Dean of Pennsylvania.

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, South River, New Jersey

The Mitred Archpriest Michael Protopopov is of the opinion that Father Jacob Korchinsky was

 ‘one of the jewels of the Russian Mission in America, one of those super-priests who covered 
 vast territories and founded numerous churches’.  

Father Jacob was not alone, as indicated by the use of the plural in this comment. There were other very hard-working missionaries besides him. They did what they did, and were enabled to do so, because of their personal love for Jesus Christ.

Father Jacob was a member of the trustee board and the first manager of the Russian Émigré Society in New York City. He was a trustee of the Orthodox Orphanage of North America (at Saint Tikhon's Monastery). He also served as a member of the Imperial Russian Palestine Society. At the suggestion of Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky), he was elected to be vice-president and honourary member of the Russian Emigrant Society of North America.

Father Jacob also founded some Temples in the USA. Amongst them was the Nativity of Christ Church in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1915.

Mexico, adoption

In the midst of all these activities, there was an undocumented period of time before 1915, during which Father Jacob travelled to Mexico and served in Mexico City. During this period, it happened that as he was visiting and serving foster homes, he was given the infant girl Dominica (born 18 January, 1913), from a poor family of Spanish origin.

He adopted the child, and she lived first with him, and then in his family. She, herself, later had children who lived in Odessa and in parts of what is now Russia. Father Jacob and Matushka Barbara's granddaughter wrote about her mother and her grandparents in a recent article in “Faith”, a Russian religious periodical, dated May, 2006.

In 1915, the Priest Jacob Korchinsky was elevated to the dignity of archpriest.

Mission in Hawaii, 1915

Then, also in 1915, the Russian Orthodox community in Hawaii (with the support of the Episcopal Bishop Henry B Restarick), sent an official request to the Holy Governing Synod in Saint Petersburg for a priest. At this time, Hawaii was a Territory of the USA (after having been annexed in 1898).

Honolulu, 1915

On 30 September, 1915, the Archpriest Jacob Korchinsky was dispatched (with the blessing of Archbishop Evdokim (Meschersky) of the Aleutians) to shepherd the large population of Orthodox Russian faithful in Hawaii. Upon arrival there, he established permanent liturgical services in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Quickly, he developed a community of more than 250 people. Since there was no Orthodox Temple in Honolulu, Father Jacob accepted the offered help of the Episcopal Church, and their bishop provided him with a place in which he could hold services. In his report addressed to Archbishop Evdokim (Meschersky), he said :

 On 29 November (1915), in the Hawaiian Islands, I, unworthy, was able to serve the first Orthodox 
 Divine Liturgy in the Episcopal Church, which belongs to the Cathedral of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, 
 kindly provided to the Orthodox for the services by the Most Reverend Bishop.  In addition, the priest 
 enlisted the support of influential non-Orthodox donors who were ready to contribute to the construction 
 of an Orthodox church.   

On the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, 25 December/7 January, 1916, the Archpriest Jacob Korchinsky celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral in Honolulu. Thus, Orthodoxy was re-established in Hawaii.

It would, however, fall to others to continue this pastoral work. The Orthodox Christian Faith had been present in the Hawaiian Islands from 1815, while there was a monarchical government that had friendly relations with the Russian Empire. However, when the Republic of Hawaii was established in 1893, American Protestant missionaries were free to proselytise, and they were well-funded for their purposes. The activities of Father Jacob had been preceded in 1910 with the establishment of a chapel which offered Reader's Services, and that had led to the 1915 invitation.

Whilst he was in Honolulu (wrote Father Michael Protopopov), Father Korchinsky happened to meet a group of Russian Latvians who were sailing from Australia to Egypt via Honolulu and the newly-opened Panama Canal. They told him that there were Russians in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia

Australia].  Not long afterwards, Father Korchinsky read in the “Messenger” (the official publication of the Russian Mission in America) in January, 1916 : 
 In Australia, there live thousands of Russian people, who are spiritually ministered to by a 
 Greek priest who visits once a year.  His services are conducted unwillingly and without a 
 sense of piety, even though he receives a large amount of money for his services.  It has also 
 been reported that a self-styled ‘priest’ has arrived in Australia from North America who has 
 exploited the unsuspecting Russians with excessive fees for baptisms and weddings, so much so, 
 that they complained to the police and the ‘priest’ was arrested.  

Father Korchinsky then wrote to the Russian Consul-General in Melbourne, who responded by asking him to come to Australia immediately.

With the blessing to do so, the Archpriest Jacob (Korchinsky) departed by ship in early February, 1915, for Australia.

Following the departure of Father Jacob Korchinsky to Australia in 1916, he was replaced by the Archpriest John Dorosh in that same year. Father Dorosh remained in Hawaii until his departure in the 1920s.

Mission in Australia, 1916

Father Jacob Korchinsky arrived in Melbourne, Australia, in March, 1916. In the months that followed, he visited 750 families and 500 isolated persons. He also baptised 16 children.

Melbourne, Australia

However, in part because of the climate, and the fact that he was suffering from fatigue, he found that he had contracted malaria.

By July, he found it necessary to return to Russia. He wrote the following to his bishop, Archbishop Evdokim (Meschersky) :

 We have elected a committee to oversee Church life, but my illness brought on by the excessive 
 heat, has caused me to take to my bed and has deprived me of being of any further use. [...] I 
 most respectfully plead that Your Grace not forsake the Russian Orthodox in Australia and 
 especially their next generation of youngsters.  I beg that Your Grace may raise the question 
 of the Church in Australia at the forthcoming All-Russian General Council and if it be 
 appropriate to appoint me as the permanent priest for Australia.

The result was that the Most Holy Synod placed Australia under the omophorion of the Bishop of Tokyo, Japan.

Father Korchinsky, however, was in need of money. He had spent all his own funds on his missionary work. In addition, his wife and 3-year-old daughter had remained in America, and he wished to be reunited with them. He was given the blessing, and money, but then World War I intervened.

Father Jacob sailed to Vladivostok through the Philippine Islands and Japan, and he visited Orthodox parishes in these countries on the way. Six months later, he finally reached Petrograd (the newer, "less German-sounding" name for Saint Petersburg).

Return to Odessa, 1917

Father Korchinsky was assigned to be a chaplain for the 50th Engineering Battalion at the 109th military hospital in Odessa, and he served there from December, 1916, to August, 1917.

Father Protopopov wrote :

 Upon being demobilised from military service, Father Korchinsky was again faced with the 
 problem of having nothing to live on.  On 29 August 1917, he again wrote to the Holy Synod 
 asking that he be assigned a pension, as he was so poor that he needed to live in a rural 
 village where the folk fed him out of compassion.  A second resolution was made by the Holy 
 Synod for a pension to be granted to Father Korchinsky, but no documentary evidence is 
 available to confirm a pension ever having been paid.  Nor is it known if he returned to his 
 family in Pennsylvania.  

Somehow, Father Korchinsky’s family did, in fact, make it back to Russia. His granddaughter attests that between 1916 and 1917, Father Korchinsky returned to his home in Odessa, and that his adopted daughter was then about 3 or 4 years old.

 Jacob Korchinsky was not my mother’s father, he was her adoptive father. In the years 1912-1916, he 
 was rector of an Orthodox church inMexico City, the capital of Mexico. (No information was found on 
 the service of Father Jacob in Mexico - Ed.) There they gave him a girl to bring up, from a poor 
 family of Spanish descent. In the years 1916-1917, the grandfather returned to his homeland, to 
 Odessa, together with the girl (mother was then 3-4 years old). To save the child from persecution, to 
 educate, he finds adoptive parents who officially adopt my mother. In fact, she considered Korchinsky 
 her father, and grew up in the family of V M Filatov, a well-known ophthalmologist.  Academician 
 Filatov was a great friend of Korchinsky, more than once saved him from repression, arrests […]. 

Petrograd, 1918

Entry of the Red Army to Odessa, 1918

In Odessa, Father Jacob Korchinsky remained throughout the Bolshevik Revolution and the terror that followed. It is not thus far well documented what he may have endured during the following 2 decades, although it is quite certain that he must have had some painful times. However, according to the research of Bishop Job (Smakouz), after the Revolution and until 1935, Father Jacob (as indicated in the documents of the interrogation) served in various parishes of the Odessa and Nikolaev dioceses. He was given various ecclesiastical awards, including the right to wear the mitre. After that, he became an "unassigned priest", meaning he was in retirement.

The Mitred Archpriest Jacob Korchinsky was arrested on 23 June, 1941, the second day of the Great Patriotic War (World War II).

Saint Jacob Korchinsky

Arrest and interrogation, 1941

Following are the details as found in the research of Bishop Job (Smakouz) in documents which became available only in 2006 :

 The materials of the investigation, begun in April 1941, illustrate the cruel, soulless, repressive 
 mechanism of the NKVD organs, the bloody trail of whose criminal acts against the clergy and laity 
 lasted from the beginning of the 1917 revolution.  Many thousands of Christ's confessors had already 
 given their lives by then in prisons and camps of the 'Gulag'. 
 
 The 80-year-old elderly archpriest perfectly understood what end awaited him. 
 The answers of the interrogated priest are concise and honest. In his testimony, he categorically 
 denied his participation in the "anti-state conspiracy" as part of the "anti-Soviet group".  
 As can be seen from the interrogation materials, Fr. Jacob came to the apartment of his faith brothers 
 for prayer together, as at that time almost all the churches in pre-war Odessa were closed. But the 
 investigator Sergeant Kozhuhar, after numerous nightly interrogations, falsely summarized the same 
 accusation, passing from protocol to protocol : 'The anti-Soviet group, which included Korchinsky, 
 gathered in the apartment of Petrishchev and Kovalchuk, using religious prejudices, carried out 
 counter-revolutionary activities, propagandizing the restoration of the USSR bourgeois system. 
 While maintaining contact with counter-revolutionary activities with Petrishchev and Kovalchuk, 
 Korchinsky shared their counter-revolutionary views, and, like them, expressed his convictions against 
 the system existing in the USSR.  
 However, the recorded words about what Father Jacob said indicate the opposite : 'In the process of 
 conversations that took place on this subject, Petrishchev expressed regret over the closure and 
 destruction of churches.  He sharply spoke out against those who, as believers, signed up to close the 
 church, that they were afraid to openly say that they were believers.  He said that if those believers 
 who were afraid to openly declare that they were believers would not sign up to close the church, then 
 the believers would be in the majority and the Soviet authorities would not close the churches.  I 
 fully shared the arguments and reasonings of Petrishchev and am their supporter'. 
 
 It was exclusively about faith and believers, about the closure of churches, but not at all 'the 
 restoration of the bourgeois system'.  Despite the fact that Father Jacob denied the allegations, the 
 investigator stubbornly repeated his wording, calling him a state criminal. 
 There were four nightly interrogations, which lasted two or more hours.  Obviously, the confessor was 
 beaten, as was customary in the NKVD. 
 The final sentence was pronounced on 19 July. 
 Sentence 
 in the name of the Ukrainian SSR 
 1941, July, 19th day 
 The judicial commission consisting of : 
 the chairman - Postolov, 
 people's assessors - Frampol, Zhukova, 
 with the participation of the prosecutor - Berkovich and lawyers - Shub, Shteyberg, Dolotova, 
 sentenced 
 1.	Petrishchev Konstantin Markovich 
 2.	Kovalchuk Sigismund Ivanovich 
 3.	Korchinsky Yakov Kuzmich 
 4.	Tsukanov Andrey Ilyich 
 5.	Chernetiev Petr Lazarevich 
 according to Art. 55-10, part II and 55-11, to the death penalty, with the confiscation of property in 
 favour of the state. 
 Two days later, the lawyer of the accused sent a petition to the Supreme Court of the Ukrainian SSR to 
 commute the sentence. The court reacted only three months later, when the confessors were no longer 
 alive. They were shot on the same day, 19 July, 1941. On this day, according to the Orthodox calendar, 
 a whole host of martyrs of the 3rd-4th centuries is commemorated. 
 The confiscated 'property' of the Holy Martyr Jacob included : 14 religious books, a pectoral cross, a 
 prayer-rope, a bronze icon and one five-ruble gold coin of the royal coinage. But the godless 
 tormentors could not take from the Confessor the most important thing – the fiery faith in Christ the 
 Saviour, which he strengthened with martyrdom.  

Repose, 1941

On 19 July, 1941, not long after his arrest, just as very many of his fellow priests, the Mitred Archpriest Jacob Korchinsky was executed in the Odessa region. He was 80 years old. This particular detail is derived from the letter of Father Jacob's granddaughter.

It is not known at the present time just where and when Matushka Barbara reposed, nor under what circumstances. Suffice it to be understood that she seems to have been a strong woman interiorly, despite the fragility of her health at one time.

Sanctity

After the fall of Communism, on 18 August, 1993, the Archpriest Jacob Korchinsky was rehabilitated posthumously.

It seems that the usual investigations are proceeding regarding his possible glorification. The Church, in order to do so, tries to make certain that he did, in fact, suffer the execution and tortures because he was an Orthodox Christian and a priest of the Orthodox Church. Little seems to be written about the details of the life of Matushka Barbara, but it is most likely that she, as well, suffered in some fashion at the hands of communists because of her faith in Christ.

However, in the database of the Saint Tikhon Humanitarian Orthodox University for the New-Martyrs and Confessors of Russia (it contains more than 30,000 names), the Priest Jacob (Iakov) Korchinsky is not listed for some reason.

Bishop Job (Smakouz) reminds us about what the future Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) had written in 1906 about Father Jacob and his effective missionary zeal.

Feast-day

Although the Archpriest Jacob Korchinsky has not been officially glorified, many regard his martyrdom for the sake of Christ to be qualification in itself (not neglecting his life of self-denying missionary service along with his wife).

Were he to be officially glorified, he would be commemorated on the date of his death, 19 July, or on another appropriate date as determined by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Tropar Tone 2

O Holy Hieromartyr, Father Jacob,

you took up the Cross and followed Christ.

As a missionary, you traversed vast territories,

and you gave all for the sake of spreading the Gospel of Christ.

You passed your life as a priest in self-denying labours,

and you were unwavering in the True Faith to your last breath.

We give glory to God who loved and strengthened you,

and who has glorified you in His Heavenly Kingdom.

Kontak Tone 5

O Holy Hieromartyr, Father Jacob,

you disregarded all dangers, obstacles and adversities ;

and through faith, you were steadfast in suffering.

you bore good fruit for Christ in your endurance,

and you nourished the Church with the bounty of your words and deeds.

You shepherded those whom the Lord entrusted to you,

and you drew many to the living waters of the Orthodox Faith.

Intercede with Christ our God on behalf of us all.

Reflections

It is clear from the life of the Hieromartyr Jacob Korchinsky that he was a diligent sower of seeds of the Gospel of Christ (see Matthew 13:1-23). In every place he served, there grew good fruit, often despite adverse circumstances.

Bishop Job (Smakouz) rightly considered that the outstanding characteristic of Father Jacob is the fact that wherever he went during his lifetime, he was concerned with preaching the Gospel of Christ and with serving Christ. He was always a missionary for Christ. He further commented that the geography of his service covered very remote territories in Alaska and Canada, besides more populated areas of the USA and Hawaii, Australia and places within the Russian Empire and its successor the Soviet Union. Bishop Job considered him to be like the apostles, and like iron.

Everywhere, he used many of his own personal resources, sometimes to their complete depletion, in order to nurture Orthodox Christian communities :

 He transformed his personal home into the first Temple in Edmonton ; and when a typical wooden Temple
 was built later, he bought all the icons painted in Russia for the iconostas at his own expense.  To 
 provide the necessary medical care, he studied medicine, received a medical education.  This was 
 especially necessary in distant places of his service, such as Alaska, Ruthenian farming communities 
 in Alberta, Mexico and Australia, travelling by land and sea.  Together with his matushka, he adopted 
 a Mexican orphan girl. 

Vladyka Job likened Father Jacob to Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) : young, full of energy, talented and zealous, not afraid of difficulties, simple and accessible, open for communication with the flock, not sparing their own time and health for the flock.

There are 2 Temples in Alberta which keep alive the memory of the Mitred Archpriest Jacob and Matushka Barbara Korchinsky. The first is the Cathedral Church of Saint Barbara in Edmonton, Alberta, established in 1900. The second is the Temple of Saint Jakob near Mundare, Alberta, established in 1901. This couple was involved in the establishment of both Temples and their communities.

Bishop Job (Smakouz) acknowledges that there are some parishioners who miraculously resolved difficulties with documents and visas, and some who obtained Canadian citizenship after they entered the name of Father Jacob in their personal memorial books, and took part in a panikhida for him. Vladyka Job himself said that he had personally felt the help of Father Jacob's prayers during a pilgrimage to the shrines of Alaska. Further, he sees the prayerful support of Father Jacob in the continuing strength of the rural parishes associated with the early missionary days, and also with the co-operation that does exist amongst the Orthodox Christian people, despite their jurisdictional distinctions.

With regard to a question about the possible glorification of the Mitred Archpriest Jacob Korchinsky, Bishop Job (Smakouz) commented :

 To consider the inclusion of the name of the victim for the Faith during the years of persecution of 
 the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church in the Council, it is necessary to study and 
 to submit a lot of materials to the Synodal Commission.  At present, the most important and difficult 
 task is to obtain a full copy of the archive-investigative file from the SBU archive in the Odessa 
 region with an electronic transcript.  In electronic decryption, we have only a few sheets of this 
 case.  There is another difficulty : far from their homeland, Father Jacob and Matushka Barbara served
 for nearly 20 years, including 2 years in Canada.  But from 1917 until the day of his martyrdom, he 
 served within the Odessa Diocese, and he suffered for the Faith of Christ in it.  It is easier for the 
 representatives of that diocese to study on the spot all the circumstances of the last years of his 
 service, suffering and investigation, and accordingly, to put forward the question of his 
 glorification in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP). 
 
 The Patriarchal parishes in Canada, the United States, the Alaskan diocese and The Orthodox Church in America, 
 the Australian Diocese of the Russian Church Outside Russia can join this process, provide 
 materials relating to the period of his service abroad.  We should also find the place of his 
 execution and the common grave of all those killed in the camp, in which the remains of Father Jacob 
 can rest, to establish a Holy Cross over it.  A lot of work.  
 
 From the materials transferred to me by the Abbess Seraphima (Shevchik) of the Archangel Michael Monastery
 in Odessa, it is clear that Father Jacob was not in any schism, he did not renounce the holy 
 dignity, he did not betray any of the parishioners.  At the interrogations of the investigation, the 
 priest answered truthfully.  Although, due to circumstances, he did not perform divine services, he 
 kept his pectoral priestly Cross, utensils and some liturgical books [...]. Yes, and why did he have to 
 hide something or fear death at the hands of the atheists - after all, he, an eighty-year-old elder, 
 had already lived his life and approached his natural sunset [...].
 
 In the meantime, we are acting in respect to the veneration of Father Jacob in accordance with the 
 document 'Proposals to the Church, the state and society regarding the perpetuation of the memory of 
 the new martyrs and those who suffered during the years of persecution'.  The task now is to make the 
 memory of the works and the last days of the life of Father Jacob known to as many believers as 
 possible.  To do this, constant prayers are made for him at each liturgy, special services are held on 
 the memorable days of his life and in the history of Orthodoxy in Canada, materials are published in 
 the media and liturgical texts are prepared in his honour.  It would be great if a monograph about him 
 appeared, if one of the students of the Theological Schools would write a thesis about him.  

It is not simply we who determine who is especially holy. The Lord reveals to us who is holy. It is He who gives indications about a person to whom He has given the blessing to intercede for us and for the world. In fact, there are very many persons throughout the world who are locally recognised as being holy persons, but whose names have not been added to more official calendars. There are also persons who are recognised by the Faithful as being holy, but whose names have not in any way official been recognised. Fundamentally, it may be said that everyone who is admitted by the Lord into the Kingdom of Heaven by definition becomes holy, by being fully in the Presence of the Lord, "before His Face", as members of the Body of Christ, and in harmony with the Lord's direction : “Be holy, for I am holy” (3 Moses 11:44,45; 19:2 ; 1 Peter 1:16). We in this life are given to know those particular persons whose intercession has been blessed by the Lord to be effective for our health and salvation.

Writings

There was recently published (in Russian) the article by Father Jacob Korchinsky : 'First Journey of His Grace Tikhon, Bishop of Aleutians and North America, to the Far North of America in 1900' in the "Moscow Journal", No. 07, July, 2002.

Writings about Father Jacob Korchinsky :

There is a notable homily with regard to Father Jacob printed in the "Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate", No. 10, 1979.

References

Popov, Alexey, “The American Period of the Life and Work of Saint Tikhon of Moscow 1898-1907” (Satis, 2019) ISBN : 5041715254, 9785041715250.

Orthodox-canada.com biography by Bishop Job (Smakouz)

Pravlife.org biography by Bishop Job (Smakouz)

Protopopov, Michael A, “The Russian Orthodox Presence in Australia” (doctoral dissertation, Australian Catholic University Research Services in Fitzroy, Victoria, 2005)

Protopopov, M A, “A Russian Presence : A History of the Russian Church in Australia” (Piscataway, NJ : Georgias Press LLC, 2005)

“The Russian Mission in North America”

Tarasar, Constance J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America” (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE.

The Orthodox Church in Canada Chronology 1890-1988.

Additional information :

Afonsky, Bishop Gregory, “A History of the Orthodox Church in Alaska” (Kodiak, AK : St Herman of Alaska Seminary, 1977).

Kamenskii, Fr. Anatolii, “The Tlingit Indians of Alaska [1906]” (Fairbanks, AK : University of Alaska Press, 1985), translation from Russian by Sergei Kan with an Introduction and Supplementary Material (The Rasmuson Library Historical Translation Series, vol. II, University of Alaska Press in Fairbanks, AK).

Oleksa, Michael, “Alaskan Missionary Spirituality” (Crestwood, NY : SVS Press, 2010). ISBN : 9780881413403.

Oleksa, Michael, “Orthodox Alaska: A Theology of Mission” (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1998). ISBN : 0881410926

Smith, Barbara, “Orthodoxy and Native Americans : The Alaskan Mission” (Crestwood, NY : SVS Press, 1980)

"Formulyarnyj Spisok", 1907 (Father Jacob's official service record, in Russian)

Father Jacob Korchinsky : Missionary and Martyr — Historical investigation

Reference to the Mexican adoption (in Russian)

The Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska

Orthodoxwiki article about Alaska

Saint Herman of Alaska

Saint Tikhon (Belavin)

Saint Jacob Netsvetov of Alaska

Bishop Job (Smakouz)

(Mahaffey), Bishop David, ‘Pilgrimage in Alaska : On spiritual ties with Ukraine’ in “Orthodoxy in Ukraine” (2014)

Saint Herman of Alaska Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kodiak, Alaska

“Orthodoxy in America, Part One : From the Russian Mission in Alaska to the OCA”

Russian Wikipedia article about the Diocese of Alaska

[Video about the Orthodox Faith in Alaska

Video : Journey into Orthodox Alaska

“Russian Orthodoxy in Alaska and Canada”

Interview of Bishop Job (Smakouz) by Sergey Geruk

Archpastoral Epistle on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Consecration of St. Barbara’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Edmonton : 1 August, 2010

The Country Churches of the Prairies, 1897-1906

Saint Barbara Temple, Edmonton, Alberta

Holy Trinity Temple, Stary Wostok, Alberta

Nativity of the Holy Theotokos Temple, Kysylew (Beaver Creek), Alberta

Saint Nicholas Temple, Wostok-Bukovina, Alberta

Saint Mary Romanian Temple, Boian, Alberta

Holy Trinity Temple, Smoky Lake, Alberta

Holy Ascension Temple, Star, Alberta

Saint Jakob Temple, Mundare, Alberta

Holy Ascension Temple, Nisku, Alberta

Edmonton Greek Orthodox history

Evidence of service in Alberta

Evidence of service in Saints Peter and Paul Church, South River, New Jersey

Orthodoxwiki article about Orthodoxy in Hawaii

Russian Wikipedia article about Orthodoxy in Hawaii

Wikipedia article: Missionaries in Hawaii

Lake Michigan Rusyns

Saint Michael's parish history

OrthodoxWiki article about The Orthodox Church in America

Wikipedia article about The Orthodox Church in America

A History and Introduction of The Orthodox Church in America

“First Hierarch of the ROCOR on ROCOR Website”