The Alaska daily empire., 1917-01-11

| Recently the tooth anniversary or the arrival of the first ordained Rus, sian priest at Sitka, was celebrated at that place. The following brief historical sketch of the history of Alaska and the part played by the Russian Church in that history, has been prepared by Father A. P, Kashcvaroff for The Empire.
 Pursuant to the opinion of Bar, anoff, confirmed by the governing office in Russia, and according tO the history of Tekhemeniev Baran. off transferred the colonial seat of government from Kodiak 10 New Archanelsky. (siuSaJ. in 1SO6 From that year all Russians living at Ko, diak had no consolation of witness, ing the celebration of church ser, vices by ordained priests. Father ILavroff, one of the wards of the Company appointed a few years before this for New ArChangelsky, remained at Kamchatka. DeCrepit old men, the remnants of the first mission, Herman, Joasaph, and Ath. anasius, lived at Kodiak or in near, by places. They did not have the courage to take the voyage to New ArchangelsRy on ships and especially to an unknown place-so distant from their homes.
 In the absence Of an ordained priest in New Archangelsky all church services possible without the assistance Of an ecclesiastical person, such as baptisms, burial, etc., were performed by Belliayeff, an employee of the Company. Baranoff, by the earnest request of all the colonists, in recognition of Belliayeff's faith. | full services and zeal earnestly peti- toned his chief bureau to recOm- mend him to the Holy Synod of Rus. sia for ordination, but the latter did not see fit to grant this request.
 New Father Arrives
 At last in 1916, raJner Alexis Soko- loff was sent to the colonies. He arrived at Sitka in October, 1916. 1 He brought with him a handsome icon of St. Michael, the Archangel, the patron Saint of SitKa and the new colonies This was a gift from the head office in st. Petersburg Immediately the chapel then in use was converted into a church. The iconostas was put together from the remnants of the rich collection of church material sent to Sitka on the ship Neya, which was wrecked on Edgecomb Point in 1913.
 And amongst them," wrote Bar anoff, the icon of St. Michael rad lated above all"
 The euCharistic vessels for the church were made by local mechan- ics from Spanish silver. The vest. ments for the altar and the priests were sewn from material brought from China Then the church ser vice began for the first time chantcd by an ordained priest. "Glory be to Cod" wrote Baranoff in the same letter, Another church is erctei in America, and by my efforts"
 Historical Sketch
 In brief the history Of the first church and mission Is as follows:
 Enighten Natives
 Realizing the necessity of Gnlight- ening the natives of Alaska in the truths of the Christian religion, Shel- ihoff and Golikoff petitioned the gov ernment to appoint an ecclesiastical representative with assistants for the Aleutian Islands. They were also asked to be allowed the privilege of sending worthy natives to the theological seminary at Irkutsk, who, l upon graduation could be ordained priests. In the same petition they asked for permission to build a new church in the colonies, assuming all ] the expense for the construction of 1 the buildings, furnishing the same | with yestments and necessary equip. ment, the support of the clergy and 1 the education of the same. On June . 30, 1793, Empress Katherine Second, | by an Imperial Ukaz, commanded . that this petition be granted and en- trusted the fulfillment of this Godly act to Metropolitan Gabriel, of st. Petersburg, then a member of the Holy Synod.
 Archimandrite Joasaph was ap. pointed as the head of the mission aries and later consecrated Bishop of Kodiak. He was accompanied to the colonies by three monk priests, Makarius, and Athanasius, .wo monk deacons, Stephen and Nee .arlus and two lay brothers, Herman and Joasaph
 Try To Convert Natives Regular attempts were made by aymen to convert the natives to he faith of Christ, but these at. ', empts were crude and these good nen themselves acknowledged the ask beyond their strength, yet they ( were not without some success. Glo- I off in 1759 baptised several Aleuts C 'n the Island of Oumak, and Greg. 'ry Shelihoff in 17S4 baptised forty Y Kodiak Aleuts. i
 Missionaries Arrive a With the arrival of the first mis. a ion rios hnodnd hv Arrhimaudrifa i