Troparion in Tone 4
O righteous Father Jacob,
Adornment of Atka and the Yukon Delta,
You offered yourself as a living sacrifice,
To bring light to a searching people.
Offspring of Russian America,
Flower of brotherly unity,
Healer of sickness and terror of demons,
O Holy Father Jacob,
Pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved.
Kontakion
in Tone 3
O Holy Father Jacob,
Teacher of the knowledge of God,
You revealed your love for your people,
Taking up your cross and following Christ,
Enduring hardships like the Apostle Paul.
Pray on our behalf to Christ our God
To grant us great mercy.
II Corinthians 12:09
And He said unto me, "My grace is
sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me. -
Our righteous Father Jacob, Enlightener
of the Peoples of Alaska. was born of pious parents in 1802 on Atka
Island, Alaska. His father, Yegor Vasil'evich Netsvetov was a
Russian from Tobolsk. His mother, Maria Alekscevna, was an Aleut from
Atka island. Yegor and Maria had four children who survived infancy;
Jacob was the first born, followed by Osip (Joseph), Elena, and Antony.
Yegor and Maria were devoted to their children and, though of meager
means, did all they could to provide them with the education which would
help them in this life as well as in the life to come. Osip and Antony
were eventually able to study at the St. Petersburg Naval Academy in
Russia, becoming a naval officer and a ship-builder, respectively. Their
sister, Elena, married a successful and respected clerk for the
Russian-American Company. But Jacob yearned for a different kind of
success, a success that the world might consider failure for "the
righteous live forever, their reward is with the Lord" (Wis. Solomon
05:15). And so, when the family moved to Irkutsk in 1823, Jacob enrolled
in the Irkutsk Theological Seminary and placed all his hope in Christ by
seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 06:33).
Jacob was tonsured as a Subdeacon on October 1,
1825. He married a Russian woman (perhaps also a Creole) named Anna
Simeonovna, and in 1826 graduated from the Seminary with certificates in
history and theology. On October 31, 1826, he was ordained to the Holy
Diaconate and assigned to serve the altar of the Holy Trinity-St. Peter
Church in Irkutsk.
Two years later, on March 4, 1828, Archbishop
Michael, who had earlier ordained
Father John Veniaminov (St.
Innocent), elevated the godly deacon Jacob to
the Holy Priesthood. This, however, was no ordinary ordination. As if he
were a new Patrick, hearing the mystical call of his distant flock,
Father Jacob yearned to return to his native Alaska. And the all-good
God, who
"satisfies the longing soul
and fills the hungry soul with goodness" (Psalms 107:09)
heard the prayer of his servant. Archbishop
Michael provided Father Jacob with two antimensia: one for the new
Church which would be dedicated to the glory of God in honor of St.
Nicholas the Wonderworker in Atka, and one to be used for missionary
activity. On May 1, 1828 a molieben for travelers was served, and Father
Jacob, his father, Yegor, (now tonsured as reader for the Atka Church),
and his matushka, Anna, set out for Alaska.
Who can tell of the perils and trials
associated with such a journey? Travel in those days was never
easy, either overland or over the waves of the sea. Nevertheless, aided
by prayer and confidence in God's providence, the Netsvetov family
arrived safely in Atka over a year later, on June 15, 1829.
The new assignment for the newly-ordained
Father Jacob would also prove to be quite a challenge. The Atka "parish"
comprised a territory stretching for nearly 2,000 miles and included
Amchitka, Attu, Copper, Bering, and the Kurile Islands. But this did not
deter the godly young priest, for when he was clothed in the garments of
the priesthood, he was found to be "clad with zeal as a cloak" (Is.
59:17), and so he threw himself wholly into his sacred ministry. His
deep love for God and for his flock was evident in everything that he
did. Both in Atka and in the distant villages and settlements which he
visited, Father Jacob offered himself as a "living sacrifice" (Rom. 12:
1). Having "no worry about his life" (Mt. 6:25 ff.), the holy one
endured manifold tortures of cold, wet, wind, illness, hunger and
exhaustion, for to him life was Christ (Philip. 1:21). Showing himself
as a "rule of faith," his example brought his people to a deep
commitment to their own salvation. Being fully bi-lingual and
bi-cultural, Father Jacob was uniquely blessed by God to care for the
souls of his fellow Alaskans.
When he arrived in Atka, the Church of St.
Nicholas had not yet been built. So, with his own hands Father Jacob
constructed a large tent (Acts 18:3) in which he conducted the services.
For Father Jacob the services of the Church were life: life for his
people and life for himself It was in the worship of God that he found
both strength and joy. Later he would transport this tent with him on
his missionary journeys, and like Moses in the wilderness, the grace of
God was found wherever this tent was taken (Num. 4:1 ff; 10:17 ff).
When his first six months had ended towards the
end of 1829, Father Jacob recorded that he had baptized 16, chrismated
442, married 53 couples, and buried 8.
Once the church was constructed, Father Jacob
turned his attention to the building of a school in which the children
would learn to read and write both Russian and Unangan Aleut. The
Russian American Company provided some of the support initially, with
the students providing the remainder. This continued until 1841, when it
was re-organized as a parish school and ties with the company ceased.
Father Jacob proved to be a talented educator and translator whose
students became distinguished Aleut leaders in the next generation.
Father Netsvetov led an active physical and
intellectual life, hunting and gathering for his own subsistence needs,
preparing specimens of fish and marine animals for the natural history
museums of Moscow and St. Petersburg, corresponding with
St. Innocent Veniaminov
on matters of linguistics and translations. He labored over the creation
of an adequate alphabet for the Unangan-Aleut Language,
and the translation of the Holy Scriptures and other appropriate
literature into that language.
St. Innocent praised the young pastor for his
holiness of life, his teaching, and for continuing this work of
translating which he, himself, had begun earlier among the native
peoples. After fifteen years of service, Father Jacob was awarded the
Nabedrennik, Kamilavka, and Gold Cross. Later, he would be made
Archpriest and receive the Order of St. Anna.
These ecclesiastical awards do not tell of the
personal sufferings of this warrior for Christ. In March of 1836, his
precious wife, Anna, died of cancer; his home burned to the ground in
July of 1836; and his dear father, Yegor, died of an undetermined
illness in 1837. Who can utter the depth of sorrow felt by this
God-pleaser?
Yet he lifted up his voice with that ancient
sufferer and cried,
"shall we indeed accept good
from God and shall we not accept adversity? In all this he did not
sin with his lips" (Job 02: 10).
In his journal Father Jacob attributed all to
"the Will of Him whose Providence and Will are inscrutable and whose
actions toward men are incomprehensible." He patiently endured hardships
and sufferings like the Holy Apostle Paul. He saw in these misfortunes
not a victory by the hater of men's souls (i.e. the devil) but a call
from God to even greater spiritual struggles. With this in mind, Father
Jacob petitioned his ruling bishop to return to Irkutsk in order to
enter the monastic life. A year later, word reached him that permission
was granted contingent upon the arrival of a replacement. None ever
came.
Instead, Bishop Innocent soon came to Atka and
asked Father Jacob to accompany him on a voyage by ship to Kamchatka.
Who can know the heavenly discourse enjoyed by these two lovers of
Christ as they traveled over the waves? This, however, is clear, the
holy archpastor was able to accomplish three things in Father Netsvetov
firstly, he applied the healing salve of the Spirit with words of
comfort; secondly, he dissuaded Father Jacob from entering the
monastery; and thirdly, he revealed to the godly priest the true plan of
the Savior for his life, that he "might preach (Christ) among the
Gentiles" (Gal. 1:16) deep in the Alaskan interior. Father Jacob
continued to serve his far-flung flock of the Atka parish until December
30, 1844. A new zeal had taken hold of him, and it was then that St.
Innocent appointed him to head the new Kvikhpak Mission in order to
bring the light of Christ to the people of the Yukon. Here, aided by two
young Creole assistants, Innokentii Shayashnikov and Konstantin Lukin,
together with his young nephew, Vasilii Netsvetov, Father Jacob
"settled" in the wilderness of Alaska.
He learned new languages, embraced new peoples
and cultures, devised another alphabet, built another church and
Orthodox community, and for the next twenty years, until his health and
eye-sight failed, continued to be an evangelical beacon of the grace of
God in southwestern Alaska.
Establishing his headquarters in the Yup'ik
Eskimo village of Ikogmiute (today's 'Russian Mission') he traveled to
native settlements hundreds of miles up and down Alaska's longest river
(the Yukon) as well as the Kuskokwim River region. At the insistence of
Indian leaders, he traveled as far as the middle of the Innoko River
baptizing hundreds of Indians from various, and often formerly hostile,
tribes.
"Behold how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Psalms
133:01).
He built the first Christian temple in this
region, and dedicated it to the
Feast of the
Elevation of the Holy Cross. Here Father
Jacob, in spite of failing health, joyfully celebrated the Church's
cycle of services, including all of the services prescribed for
Holy Week
and
Pascha.
Finally, in 1863, the evil one, who
"walks about like a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 05:08),
sought one last time to get the better of the
righteous one. So the devil, the father of lies, an. 08:44), inspired an
assistant of Father Jacob to level spurious and slanderous charges
against his master. This resulted in a summons to Sitka, issued by
Bishop Peter. The godly pastor was quickly cleared of all charges, but
due to his ever-worsening health, he remained in Sitka for his final
year serving a Tlingit chapel.
He died on July 26, 1864 at the age of 60 and
was buried on the 3rd day at the entry of the chapel. During his final
missionary travels in the Kuskokwim/Yukon delta region, he had baptized
1,320 people - distinguishing himself as the evangelizer of the Yup'ik
Eskimo and Athabascan Indian peoples.
This brief history has recounted the basic
chronology of the saint's life and labors, but we must not neglect to
relate his other deeds, that the light be not
"hidden under a
bushel" (Matthew 05:15).
In 1841, Father Jacob encountered a group of
women from his flock in Amlia who had fallen victim to certain demonic
influences and teachings. Blaming himself for the seduction and fall of
his spiritual children by the evil one, he informed the leader among
them that he was going to pay them a visit. Upon arriving, he found one
of the women paralyzed, semi-conscious and unable to speak. He ordered
that she be removed to another house apart, and on the next day when
this was accomplished, he lit the lampada before the icons of the
beautiful corner, vested himself in his priestly epitrachil (stole),
sprinkled holy water throughout the room, and began the first prayers of
exorcism. He then left.
During the night he was notified that the woman
had begun to speak but incoherently. He came immediately to her and
performed a second exorcism. This time, she sprang out of her bed and
stood next to the saint, joined her prayer to his, and accompanied them
with prostrations. When the prayers were finished, Father Jacob again
sprinkled her with holy water and gave her the precious cross to kiss.
She regained full consciousness, a state of health and true reason --
that is, even the false teachings of the evil spirits had no more part
in her.
Once in November of 1845, Father Jacob was
preaching in the village of Kalskag, where the local chief was also the
head shaman. He spoke for all of the villagers and resisted the Word of
God forcefully. But the saint, calm and full of the Holy Spirit,
continued to sow the seeds of right belief and piety. After many hours,
the chief fell silent and finally came to believe. The villagers, in
solidarity with their leader, also joyously expressed their belief in
the Triune God and sought Holy Baptism.
Father Jacob was a physician of bodies as well
as souls. He often cared for the sick among his flock even to his own
detriment. During the winter of 1850-1851 the saint was himself ravaged
with illness. Yet he cared for the sick and dispensed medicine to them
every day.
Father Jacob's preaching often brought together
in the Holy Faith tribes who were traditional enemies. One example from
his journal reads: "Beginning in the morning, upon my invitation, all
the Kol'chane and Ingalit from the Yukon and the local ones gathered at
my place and I preached the word of God, concluding at noon. Everyone
listened to the preaching with attention and without discussion or
dissent, and in the end they all expressed faith and their wish to
accept Holy Baptism, both the Kol'chane and the Ingalit (formerly
traditional enemies).
I made a count by families and in groups, and
then in the afternoon began the baptismal service. First I baptized 50
Kol'chane and Ingalit men, the latter from the Yukon and Innoko. It was
already evening when I completed the service. March 21, 1853." So it was
that this apostolic man, this new Job, conducted himself during his
earthly course. There are many other deeds and wonders which he
performed, many known and many more known only to God. Few missionaries
in history have had to endure the hardships which Father Jacob faced,
yet he did so with patience and humility. His life of faith and piety
are the legacy which he leaves to us, his spiritual children in America,
and indeed to all Christians throughout the world.
May God grant us the grace,
through the prayers of our holy Father Jacob, to be worthy of his
sacrifice. Amen. +
The above text of the life of
Saint Jacob was issued by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox
Church in America, during its Spring Session, March 1994.
