Letter from Russian Priest asking the Alaska Consistory for a Church and Bell for Hoonah

This letter was initially written in Russian in 1897 and was recently translated by Sergei Kan into English in 2021 for Huna Heritage Foundation in collaboration with Father Simeon.

The people of Hoonah have been loyal and enthusiastic followers of the Russian Orthodox faith. They have even donated land which they protect from locals and other church denominations while they patiently wait for a Russian Orthodox church to be built. Numerous previous informal requests have been made to address this need and the Hoonah followers have been led to believe at least verbally that one would be built. Time had passed and the congregation had repeatedly asked their local priest if there has been any decision made on their request for a church. In frustration the local priest pleads in a letter to the Dean of the district to please build a church in Hoonah. It takes time but eventually a church will be built in 1929.