All-American Saints: Eastern Orthodox Saints as Models of American Cultural Engagement

Drawing upon Orthodox hymns, vitae, and historical interpretations, I explore the ways in which many of the Eastern Orthodox saints of North America, most notably Herman, Innocent, Tikhon, and Raphael, embody an ideal of active Orthodox Christian engagement with cultural and ethnic diversity. While generally characterized as self-isolated in its relationship to American culture, the Orthodox Churches in the United States have consistently canonized missionary saints noteworthy for their tolerant multicultural approach to cultural and ethnic diversity both outside and within Orthodoxy. These saints provide a potent means of Orthodox self-reflection on the place and role of Eastern Orthodoxy in contemporary American life.