Originating in Jerusalem in the first century A.D., the Orthodox Church spread to Antioch, Alexandria, Rome and Constantinople in the early Roman Empire through the efforts of the apostles of Christ and the bishops, missionaries and saints who followed them.   Orthodoxy dominated the Eastern Roman Empire until the fall of Byzantium in 1453, and continued to grow and thrive in many countries thereafter.  Beginning in 1054 A.D. the western (Roman Catholic) branch of Christianity began to separate from the Orthodox Faith.  

The Orthodox Church today consists of over a dozen branches with a total of over 300 million members.  If you have heard of the Greek Orthodox Church, or the Russian, Antiochian or Serbian, you have already heard of the Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church has no single leader and its branches are autocephalous (self-governing).  All Orthodox churches are theologically unified.

Since the 1960s, Orthodoxy has cultivated increased dialogue with other branches of Christendom, including Roman Catholics, Anglicans and evangelical churches.

From a different direction

Orthodoxy is the only major branch of Christianity to enter North America along its West Coast.  Russian missionaries in Alaska such as St. Jacob of Alaska, St. Herman, St. Innocent, and St. John of San Francisco introduced Orthodoxy starting in 1794.  

Orthodoxy had a sometimes tumultuous introduction to North America.  St. Peter the Aleut suffered for the faith and won the crown of martyrdom in 1815 in California. 

Meanwhile on the East Coast, the arrival of immigrants from Greece, Russia and other eastern Mediterranean lands brought Orthodox communities to the large cities.  Their parent churches in their homelands sent bishops to help organize their parish life. 

This led sometimes to more than one Orthodox bishop in the same city, an anomaly amplified by the disruptions of communist domination of eastern Europe until 1989 and which persists in some places to the present day.

St. Jacob’s and The Orthodox Church in America (OCA)

St. Jacob of Alaska Parish was founded in 1994 and is a mission of the New England Archdiocese, part of the Orthodox Church in America.  The OCA was granted autocephaly in 1970 and now includes over 700 parishes in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The OCA is in canonical communion with the larger and better known branches of Orthodoxy throughout North America and the world.  Its current senior spiritual leader is His Beatitude  Metropolitan +TIKHON, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. His Grace Benedict is Bishop of Hartford and New England

The rector of St. Jacob’s is  Archpriest Fr. Mark Korban.  

VISIT THE OCA WEBSITE

St Jacob of Alaska Mission began in September, 1994, as a mission outreach of Holy Trinity Church, Springfield, VT.  Recognizing the lack of an Orthodox presence in central Vermont and its capital, Montpelier, Metropolitan Theodosius gave the blessing for services in the area. 

Fr Mark Sherman began holding Friday evening Great Vespers services, followed by Orthodox instruction, at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier.  Attendees included Orthodox Christians from American, Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, and Coptic traditions, as well as non-Orthodox interested in the Faith.  In October, 1995, Fr Mark was granted release from Holy Trinity in Springfield to serve and develop the mission.  At this time, Mission status was granted by Metropolitan Theodosius who by the grace of God assigned newly canonized Priest St. Jacob Netsvetov as our Patron.  The Montpelier Church was the first under the patronage of St Jacob, who was the first American-born Orthodox priest. 

For the next six years, the Mission met in leased, second-floor space at 50 State St in downtown Montpelier.  From this time, St Jacob of Alaska Mission began to celebrate a full cycle of services including Vespers each day.  At the first Patronal Feast Celebration on Sunday, September 22, 1996, Ray Hudson, an authority on Aleut history, spoke on the life of St Jacob Netsvetov.  It was a great blessing on the weekend of March 1-2, 1997, to receive our first Archpastoral visit of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius.  His Beatitude urged us to continue as a community first of all in prayer.  His Beatitude’s visitation made our establishment as a mission complete.

The mission’s first Divine Liturgy was held on Saturday, December 17, 1994.  Fr Mark celebrated with the priest from Holy Dormition Greek Orthodox Church in Burlington, VT, and eight people were received into the Church through the Sacraments of Holy Chrismation and Holy Communion.

In 2001, after much prayer and consideration, St.  Jacob of Alaska Mission purchased its present facility in Northfield Falls, VT, from the United Methodist Church.  Called “the Falls Church,” the building forms the central point of the small Vermont village of Northfield Falls.  The first Divine Liturgy was served in Northfield Falls on July 1, 2001.   

The church building has undergone extensive renovation since its purchase including a major repair to the bell tower, roofing, remodeling of the dining room and bathroom, new heating and electrical systems.   The interior of the church has undergone a gradual transformation with a new iconostasis, icon murals, lighting, choir stands, furnishings and carpeting.  The circular stained glass window from the structure’s former days was preserved by being moved to the interior west wall, where it is now internally illuminated on special days. Outdoors a handicap ramp has been added, as well as new doors and the planting of gardens and trees.

In the spring of 2007 our second pastor Fr. Caleb Abetti arrived.   He served the parish until 2013. 

Fr. Mark Korban began his service at the parish in the spring of 2013. 

St. Jacob of Alaska Mission continues to serve Montpelier, Burlington, and Central Vermont with worship services in the Orthodox tradition, outreach and charitable work, and by seeking to understand and implement the teachings of Jesus Christ.