All Saints of America

"The earth rejoices and the heavens are glad,

O venerable Saints of America,

praising your labors and lives,

your spiritual fortitude and purity of heart.

By driving away a multitude of demons

and enlightening many people

with the light of the Orthodox Faith

you have confirmed our land.


Rejoice, O mountains of Pennsylvania,

Leap for joy, O waters of the Great Lakes,

Rise up, O fertile plains of Canada,

for the elect of Christ who dwelt in you are glorified,

men and women who left their homes for a new land.

With faith, hope and patience as their armor,

they courageously fought the good fight.

Comforted by the beauty of the Orthodox Faith,

they labored in mines and mills, they tilled the land,

they braved the challenges of the great cities,

enduring many hardships and sufferings.

Never failing to worship God in spirit and truth,

and unyielding in devotion to His most pure Mother,

they erected many temples to His glory.

Come, O assembly of the Orthodox,

and with love let us praise the holy women, men and children,

those known to us and those known only to God,

and let us cry out to them:

Rejoice, All Saints of North America,

and pray to God for us."

Yesterday, we celebrated the feast day of All Saints of North America. From legendary saints like St. John Maximovitch and St. Herman of Alaska to the mundane and benign St. Olga of Kwethluk, we celebrate saints who lived and were made holy in the lands of North America, from the jungles of Mexico, to the coastline of California, to the cold tundras of Alaska & Canada, to the bustling cities of Boston and New York.

All Saints of North America, pray for us!