Russians living in Alaska speak Russian or English?
I was wondering if people of Alaska, Russian or America, who practice Russian Orthodox, practice their religion in English or Russian language? Is the Russian Orthodox community mostly Russians? In that case are the services done in Russian? Or is the community more diverse and Americans attend the services too? So my question is: are the services mostly done in Russian or English?
Does Russian Orthodoxy take Exorcism as seriously as the Roman Catholics? are they afraid of demons?
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I live in the capital of Alaska and most of the older Russian people speak Russian among themselves while the younger people mostly use English. However, at church the services are usually always held in the Russian language because all of the Russians (both the younger and older population) can understand Russian perfectly while only the younger population can really call themselves fluent in English. The older people, especially grandmas and grandpas, haven’t picked up English as well.
I haven’t seen too many Americans, if any (other than me), occasionally attending the services.
Depends on the church. I would think the majority of them would be done in english but there must be a few in russian somewhere.
The St. Innocent Mission of Alaska, Roanoke Valley has all it’s services in English, even the traveling ones. How ever if it’s anything similar to the Eastern Rite church I attended growing up, the high holy days may still be in Russian for at least one service on the day. Many people in the USA are of Russian descent and some are recently from former Soviet countries. The part of "Russia" closest to Alaska is actually Siberia and the Evenk Eveny, or Sakha and they have their own languages which are not Russian (never call them Tungus-its rude and degrading). Many Americans are Russian Orthodox. A friend I attended high school with was from a completely Italian Family by ethnicity-but her father was a Russian Orthodox Priest.
Services aren’t done in Russian but in Church Slavonic. I’ve heard in Alaska the majority of parishes use Church Slavonic mixed (more or less) with English and a bit of native indian languages.
The Russian Orthodox church in Alaska is mostly native (Yupik Eskimo, Aleut, Tlingit, and many others). Many Alaska Natives have Russian names, mostly from ancestors with Russian godparents. The services are in Church Slavonic (related to Russian), English, and native languages. Alaska Natives are Americans (since 1867) and white Americans are welcome as well.
Here’s a reprint of a LA Times article about Orthodoxy in Alaska:
http://www.outreachalaska.org/tatitlek.html
First the Russian Orthodox community’s largest group is Alaskan Aboriignals- like the Athabaskan inuit and allutian peoples.
Next the Russian there is about an equal mix of Russian immagrants and nth generation Americans from the lower 48 and converts. The language of the service is mostly English with some parts in Slavonic- notibly the trasagnion lords prayer and some lord have mercies unles you are at Saint Tikhon’s where it is all Russian.