American Saints for Tomorrow

As Orthodox Christians we read the daily calendar and learn about the great saints of old. Martyrs and confessors by the thousands inspire us to live courageous lives for Christ. These names can feel ‘far off’ when we read them in the daily synaxarion. Some don’t even know we have American Saints that can inspire us.

Today is the commemoration of two great American Saints. Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco and Saint Juvenal the Protomartyr of America both offer us inspiration today. Both were sent by the Church to minister to ethnic Orthodox but didn’t limit their outreach to Russians.

Both Saints understood that Americans needed Orthodoxy too. Both brought the hope and faith in Christ to those ‘outside’ the Church. Without these holy men, American Orthodoxy might have remained a ‘west coast’ religion for foreigners.

As we honor our great nation’s independence this weekend and in the coming days, I pray we can allow the lives of these saints to inspire us to bring hope and faith to our neighbors and friends. Orthodox Christianity can no longer be the ‘best kept secret’ in America. Orthodoxy must become the faith of America.