Missionary Journal: St. Jacob's Christmas
December 25, 1847
On the Feast Day of the Nativity of Christ, I, sinful and unworthy one, performed the Divine service in my home, insofar as I was able to serve. I was hoping to celebrate the service in the field church and for this purpose the tent had been erected just in case the cold should become bearable. But this did not happen, the cold is ferocious, it was impossible to undertake the service there, especially as my state of health is so poor that even at home I am barely able to keep on my feet and I am unable to stand for any length of time at all. For this reason I joined in the Holy Mysteries those who had prepared themselves for communion, 11 persons total, by means of pre-sanctified gifts [reserved Communion--EJ]. Performed the Hours and the appropriate Te Deum. The Faithful in attendance were very numerous both at the midnight service and at the later services, so many were there that there was no room to stand and many turned away.
--St. Jacob Netsvetov of Alaska, Missionary Priest on the Yukon Delta
On the Feast Day of the Nativity of Christ, I, sinful and unworthy one, performed the Divine service in my home, insofar as I was able to serve. I was hoping to celebrate the service in the field church and for this purpose the tent had been erected just in case the cold should become bearable. But this did not happen, the cold is ferocious, it was impossible to undertake the service there, especially as my state of health is so poor that even at home I am barely able to keep on my feet and I am unable to stand for any length of time at all. For this reason I joined in the Holy Mysteries those who had prepared themselves for communion, 11 persons total, by means of pre-sanctified gifts [reserved Communion--EJ]. Performed the Hours and the appropriate Te Deum. The Faithful in attendance were very numerous both at the midnight service and at the later services, so many were there that there was no room to stand and many turned away.
--St. Jacob Netsvetov of Alaska, Missionary Priest on the Yukon Delta
posted by Eric John at 11:07 PM
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For more works of St. Jacob Netsvetov in the original Aleut and Yup'ik languages, there is an Internet resource about Alaskan Orthodoxy: http://www.asna.ca/alaska
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