A delegation from St. Herman Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kodiak, Alaska, has arrived in Russia's Irkutsk Region for a month-long pilgrimage and educational visit tracing the historic missionary route of St. Innocent of Alaska.

The group, consisting of one priest and four seminarians, arrived in Irkutsk on July 23 and will spend the coming weeks visiting parishes, monasteries, and church institutions in the Irkutsk and Bratsk dioceses. According to the Irkutsk Diocese, the program also includes meetings with clergy, theology teachers, Orthodox youth organizations, and participation in the international Orthodox youth festival *Bratya* ("Brothers").

St. Herman Orthodox Theological Seminary, based in Kodiak, is the only Orthodox higher education institution in Alaska. It trains priests and church workers for the Orthodox Church in America, including members of Alaska's Indigenous communities who serve in remote villages across the state.

The visit is intended to symbolically retrace the journey of St. Innocent (Ivan Veniaminov), the 19th-century missionary known as the "Apostle of Siberia and America." Born in the Irkutsk Province and educated at the Irkutsk Theological Seminary, St. Innocent traveled from Siberia to the Aleutian Islands in 1823. There, he learned local Indigenous languages, translated liturgical texts and Scripture, built churches, and helped establish Orthodox communities throughout Russian America.

The exchange program was conceived following a visit by Metropolitan Maximilian of Irkutsk and Angarsk to Alaska in the fall of 2025. During that trip, Archbishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska proposed bringing American seminarians to Irkutsk so they could learn about the liturgical, educational, and charitable work of the local diocese.

Soon after arriving in Irkutsk, the delegation visited the Znamensky Monastery, where they prayed before the relics of St. Innocent. They also participated in the Divine Liturgy at St. Michael the Archangel Church and toured several of the city's historic Orthodox churches.

In addition to visits throughout the Irkutsk and Bratsk dioceses, the seminarians are scheduled to travel to Lake Baikal and take part in discussions with clergy, educators, and young Orthodox Christians. Organizers say the primary goal of the visit is to strengthen ties between Orthodox communities in Russia and Alaska while preparing future clergy for missionary service.