Akathist to the North American Saints

Kontakion 1

With grateful hearts we sing praises in your honor, 0 All Saints of North America. You gave your lives to the Lord as an offering of love. You are the first fruits of Christ's bountiful harvest here in the New World. As faithful servants of your Master you labored in the Vineyard of His Holy Church. Through your example you have shown us the joy of the Orthodox Way. As we assemble today to honor you we cry:
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

We glorify' the Lord Who has glorified you, 0 sanctified men, women, and children of these North American lands. We stand in awe before your countless miracles revealed to us by Our Father in heaven. Together with the bodiless choirs, we offer to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 holy Father Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and enlightener of North America,
Rejoice, 0 Hierarch Innocent, Alaskan missionary and evangelizer of the Aleuts,
Rejoice, 0 blessed Raphael, first Bishop of Brooklyn and faithful shepherd,
Rejoice, 0 holy Nicholas, confessor and teacher of heavenly theology,
Rejoice, 0 venerable Herman elder and wonderworker of Alaska,
Rejoice, 0 martyrs Juvenal and Peter, martyrs crowned by God,
Rejoice, 0 righteous Jacob, pastor and teacher of your flock,
Rejoice, 0 John and Alexis, defenders of the Orthodox Way,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

0 Holy New Martyrs of North America, we honor your lives by recounting the many sufferings that led to your holy deaths. You were faithful to the Lord to the very end, and have been crowned as faithful witnesses in the Kingdom of Heaven Through your victories we are delivered from the snares of the evil one, so that we might sing: Alleluia!

The Church of North America is renewed and purified through the shedding of your blood, 0 Faithful Witnesses of Christ. Through your sufferings you strengthen and enliven those who follow in your footsteps down the hard and narrow way. Seeing you clothed in white robes and glorified by the Lord of hosts, we sing to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 holy Tikhon, long-suffering confessor and Patriarch of Moscow,
Rejoice, 0 soldiers of Christ, who fought and persevered to the very end,
Rejoice, 0 New Martyrs, who triumphed over the prince of darkness,
Rejoice, 0 Father Alexander, passion-bearer of Moscow!
Rejoice, 0 heavenly patrons of the North American Church,
Rejoice, 0 holy Peter, shining star of the Aleut people,
Rejoice, 0 John, first martyr of the Bolshevik revolution,
Rejoice, 0 holy Juvenal, zealous preacher of Grace,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

As you guided your people to the homeland of God's Kingdom, you proved yourselves defenders of the faith entrusted to you, 0 Confessors and Stewards of the North American Church. Having rightly directed the word of the truth, you preserve us from the injury of false teachings. You gave yourself to imprisonment, sufferings, and death - remaining faithful all the while to the One Who is Faithful and True. As we behold your steadfastness in times of affliction, we sing: Alleluia!

The great adversary and enemy of our souls never ceases his ferocious attacks against the Holy Church. Hating the light of the Father's Radiance that shines from your lives, the children of the evil one condemned you to prolonged captivity and death, 0 long-suffering ones. As your grateful children, we offer to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 Hierarch Tikhon, protector of the sacred treasures of the Church,
Rejoice, 0 valiant preachers of the Wisdom, Word, and Power of God,
Rejoice, 0 holy Nicholas, defender of your people in times of oppression,
Rejoice, 0 Comfort of those persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
Rejoice, 0 inspired teachers of the royal way of Orthodox theology,
Rejoice, 0 Father John, loyal priest and intercessor for the faithful,
Rejoice, 0 divine guardians of the Tradition of the Holy Apostles,
Rejoice, 0 faithful guides leading us on the path of salvation,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

As imitators of the Twelve Apostles, you traveled to the North American continent in order to make disciples of its many peoples. Through your preaching yon gave an Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven. Your teachings have illumined us with The Word of salvation. In this way you labored to the very end, so that we might sing: Alleluia

With love and zeal you tilled the soil of the North American lands with the divine seed of the Gospel. The sowing of Christ's divine word was cultivated in the hearts of your people through your faithful ministry. You uprooted the tares of false teachings and brought forth a great harvest of faith here in the New World. Together with the Holy Apostles we offer to you these words of loving praise:

After His resurrection, the glorified Son of God sent His Twelve Apostles to the ends of the earth in order to declare His name among all nations. In these latter days, the Lord has sent you, as Equals to the Apostles, in order to teach us the commandments of the Gospel. Following in your footsteps, 0 Apostles and Evangelists of North America, we sing to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 Hierarch Tikhon, pioneer of Orthodoxy in North America
Rejoice, 0 Father Innocent, missionary and master of languages,
Rejoice, 0 faithful stewards of the Divine House-hold of the Lord,
Rejoice, 0 guardians of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God,
Rejoice, 0 shepherds, protecting your flock from the enemy,
Rejoice, 0 laborers in the Vineyard of Christ's Holy Church,
Rejoice, 0 Raphael, blessed teacher of Orthodox doctrine,
Rejoice, 0 zealous preachers of Christ's resurrection,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

In obedience to the will of God you left your ancestral homelands, 0 Holy Hierarchs of North America. In order to fulfill your episcopal work you sailed the great oceans and crossed vast continents. With diligence you sought after your scattered flock and guided them to the shelter of the Lord's Church. As Loving Fathers you fed your children with the teachings of the Gospel, so that we might sing: Alleluia!

o Holy Hierarchs of North America, you endured many wants and hardships in order to fulfill your episcopal work here in this new land. Through your lowliness, we have been exalted in Christ. Through your poverty, we have become rich in the Spirit. As models of virtue, we sing to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 holy bishops, intercessors before the throne of Christ,
Rejoice, 0 Father Innocent, evangelizer of the Northern peoples,
Rejoice, 0 Patriarch Tikhon defender of the Apostolic Tradition,
Rejoice, 0 blessed Raphael, teacher of the American peoples,
Rejoice, 0 Confessor Nicholas, spring of heavenly theology,
Rejoice, 0 teachers of the children of the heavenly Father,
Rejoice, 0 divine clarions of the Gospel of grace,
Rejoice, 0 faithful servants of the Holy Trinity,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

Guided by the grace of the Holy Spirit, you crossed the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on your way to the New World in order to fulfill your apostolic witness, 0 Holy Missionaries and Evangelists of North America. Following the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius, you translated the Scriptures and liturgical services into the tongues of the local peoples and established schools for the training of native clergy. All of this you have done, so that we might sing: Alleluia!

Burning with the love of Christ, you traveled across the span of North America in order to nurture and edify the Church which God obtained through the blood of His own Son. As inheritors of your fruitful work, 0 Sanctified Hierarchs and Evangelists, we sing to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 heroic imitators of the chosen Apostles Peter and Paul,
Rejoice, 0 teachers of the first principles of the Gospel of God,
Rejoice, 0 honorable models of righteousness and holiness,
Rejoice, 0 trustworthy guides on the road to eternal life,
Rejoice, 0 noble messengers of the grace of Jesus Christ,
Rejoice, 0 good shepherds of the Church in America,
Rejoice, 0 zealous instructors of Orthodox theology,
Rejoice, 0 humble servants following the will of God,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

Following the example of the Holy Fathers, you dedicated yourselves to many spiritual labors and struggles, 0 blessed monastics and ascetics of the New World. You have revealed to us the fruits of true holiness Your obedience to the will of God has confirmed for us the promises of the Gospel. Your poverty and humility have shone forth as examples for all the inhabitants of North America. Seeing you clothed in glory and exalted with Christ, we sing: Alleluia!

By observing the commandments of the Gospel, you showed the peoples of North America the path to righteousness and holiness, 0 Venerable and God-bearing monastics. Working together with the grace of God, we imitate your meekness and purity of heart, so that we might sing these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 Father Herman, founder of monasticism in the New World,
Rejoice, 0 venerable monastics, fountain of marvelous wonders,
Rejoice, O Champions of Orthodoxy here in the New World,
Rejoice, 0 conversers with the angels and the Theotokos,
Rejoice, 0 treasury of the Orthodox Church in America,
Rejoice, 0 wondrous ascetics, comfort of the afflicted,
Rejoice, 0 well-springs of holiness in North America,
Rejoice, 0 protectors of the poor and dispossessed,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

Forsaking the vanity of this world, 0 blessed ascetics of North America, you became true disciples of the Divine Teacher by acquiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You fought the demons and overcame their power by the power of the sign of the Cross. Through self-denial and abstinence you have shone forth the inward beauty of holiness and righteousness. Emulating your life of repentance, we sing to God: Alleluia!

As living vessels of the grace of Jesus Christ, you sanctify this new land, 0 our venerable fathers and mothers of the North American continent. You offer to God a sacrifice of loving intercession for those who follow your way As we assemble to honor your memory, we sing to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 blessed ones whose names are written in the Book of Life,
Rejoice, 0 valiant soldiers who fought the enemies of Christ,
Rejoice, 0 speedy defenders of those in need of justice,
Rejoice, 0 wondrous partakers of the heavenly manna,
Rejoice, 0 restoration of those fallen into grievous sins,
Rejoice, 0 marvelous fountain of healing for the sick,
Rejoice, 0 divine freedom from the insanity of evil,
Rejoice, 0 passionate lovers of virtue,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

Your blameless way of life is a source of amazement to the angels, 0 you Righteous Ones - known and unknown - of North America. Assisted by the Holy Spirit, you firmly established the Orthodox Faith in this new land. With patience and diligence you built upon a foundation laid long ago with Christ Himself as the cornerstone. Having received from you the riches of faith, we sing to God: Alleluia!

Doing all things for the glory of God and the love of your neighbor, you fulfilled your calling to holiness, 0 Righteous Ones of North America. You accomplished the tasks given to you, according to the measure of grace given to you by the Lord. You fished the great waters of the Alaskan North; you tilled the fertile soils of the Canadian and Midwestern plains; you labored under harsh conditions in the mines and mills; you toiled day and night in factories of the American cities, all so that we might sing to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 faithful who took up your crosses and followed Christ,
Rejoice, 0 honored citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven,
Rejoice, 0 royal priesthood of the New Jerusalem,
Rejoice, 0 holy nation of the Prince of Peace,
Rejoice, 0 chosen vessels of the Holy Spirit,
Rejoice, 0 pillars of Orthodoxy in America,
Rejoice, 0 Eternal City of the living God,
Rejoice, 0 pious teachers of the faith,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

The Wisdom, Word, and Power of God, begotten from His Father before the beginning of time, was incarnate in these latter days from His Holy Mother, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Through the grace of the Spirit, 0 Blessed Ones of North America, you thereby became partakers of the Divine Nature and have been perfected after the image of the One Who is the express image of His Divine Father. Together with you we sing to God: Alleluia!

The King of heaven and earth humbled himself by taking the form of a servant in order to become the least and the last of His brethren. In His never-ending love for man, He poured Himself out fully - so that we might be filled with all the fullness of His grace. Following His example, 0 you Righteous Ones of North America, you served the ones to whom you were sent. You healed the sick, you gave aid to the poor, you sought out the lost, you raised infants, you guided the youth, you cared for the elderly, all so that we might sing to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 holy bishops, gracious adornments of the lands of North America,
Rejoice, 0 hieromartyrs, benefactors of the faithful living in the New World,
Rejoice, 0 fervent evangelists, great preachers of the saving Word of God,
Rejoice, 0 patient confessors, illumination of those living in darkness,
Rejoice, 0 monastics, bright stars of the Northern heavens,
Rejoice, 0 blessed ascetics, wonder of the angelic hosts,
Rejoice, 0 venerable fathers, guides of the fallen,
Rejoice, O holy mothers, life of your children,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

Surrounded by your heavenly glory, 0 Hierarchs, Martyrs, Apostles, Monastics and all righteous men and women of North America, known and unknown, we beseech you - as your spiritual children - to intercede for us before Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. We worship the Lord Who has given you to us as Heavenly Patrons and Guardians for the protection and salvation of our souls and bodies. Together with the Bodiless Hosts, we sing to God: Alleluia!

We celebrate your great works, All Saints of North America. We offer thanks to Christ for the wondrous deeds you have accomplished through Him for the enlightenment of all men, women, and children living in this new land. Together with God’s elect, we sing to you these words of loving praise:
Rejoice, 0 divine exaltation of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific West,
Rejoice, 0 gracious adornments of New England and the Atlantic states,
Rejoice, 0 joyful beacons of the Great Lakes and the Midwestern plains,
Rejoice, 0 heavenly constellation of the Canadian Provinces,
Rejoice, 0 wondrous aurora of Alaska and the Artic North,
Rejoice, 0 shining stars of the North American continent,
Rejoice, 0 brilliant flowers of the Southwestern deserts,
Rejoice, 0 fragrant blossoms of the American South,
Rejoice, All Saints of North America!

0 Holy Luminaries of North America, look down upon us your sinful servants and accept this present supplication. Entreat the Lord Jesus Christ that He will continue to bestow upon us His many mercies. Be a refuge and a protection for us that we might be delivered from all physical and spiritual harm. Continue to guide us into the heavenly Kingdom, so that we might sing: Alleluia!

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