St Peter the Aleut: Feast Day Activity
Feast Day September 24th
(also December 12th)
St Peter the Aleut is an Alaskan martyr who was killed in California during the establishment of the Spanish missions in 1815. One Russian source states that many Aleut youth who were down in California were taken prisoner near modern Los Angeles, and the captives were taken to Mission Dolores—that is, modern San Francisco. With threats of torture, the Roman Catholic priests attempted to force the Aleuts to deny their Orthodox faith and to convert to Roman Catholicism. When the Aleuts refused, St Peter was tortured and killed for his faith. He is famously quoted, “I am a Christian!” He is special saint in our family, as he is the patron saint to one of my Godson, and as a native Californian, I feel a special connection to him. We have learned more about St Peter over the years, but this year we wanted to do something to honor his feast day!
Life of St Peter the Aleut:
Saint Peter the Aleut is mentioned in the Life of Saint Herman of Alaska has left the following account:
“On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, and how the Jesuits (actually Franciscans) were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. But the Aleuts would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits argued, ‘That’s not true, you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you to death.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in prisons two to a cell. That evening, the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. Again they tried to persuade two Aleuts in the cell to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ the Aleuts replied, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was a witness. They cut off one of the joints of his feet, and then the other joint. Then they cut the first joint on the fingers of his hands, and then the other joint. Then they cut off his feet, and his hands. The blood flowed, but the martyr endured all and firmly repeated one thing: ‘I am a Christian.’ He died in such suffering, due to a loss of blood. The Jesuit also promised to torture his comrade to death the next day.
“But that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were sent to Monterey with the exception of the dead Aleut. This was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who had escaped torture, and who was the friend of the martyred Aleut. I reported this incident to the authorities in Saint Petersburg. When I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘What was the name of the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter. I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood reverently before an icon, made the Sign of the Cross and said, ‘Holy New Martyr Peter, pray to God for us!’”
We know very little about Saint Peter, except that he was from Kodiak, and was arrested and put to death by the Spaniards in California because he refused to convert to Catholicism. The circumstances of his martyrdom recall the torture of Saint James the Persian (November 27).
Both in his sufferings and in his steadfast confession of the Faith, Saint Peter is the equal of the martyrs of old, and also of the New Martyrs who have shone forth in more recent times. Now he rejoices with them in the heavenly Kingdom, glorifying God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, throughout all ages.
Feast Day Activity
For the feast of St Peter the Aleut, we are going to make a traditional Alaskan treat called Akutaq (pronounced a-goo-duck) which is a Yupik word that means “mix them together”. You may have heard it called “Eskimo Ice Cream” as well! This dish has been made with a variety of ingredients that would be plentiful in Alaska including animal fat from whatever animals were hunted like moose, caribou, fish, seal, whales. Then they would add sweet roots, and forged berries. Mixed together it becomes a healthy tasty treat that would give them lots of strength and healthy nutrients!
This would be a dish that St Peter the Aleut would likely have eaten as it was often sent with hunters on their long journey. So today let’s learn how to make this traditional Alaskan dish using just a few simple ingredients!
What our video as we make this traditional Alaskan dish!
Ingredients:
1 cup lard (or Crisco)
1 cup sugar
2 cups of frozen berries (blueberries, salmon berries, cranberries, etc.)
Wooden bowl
Take the lard and add it to the bowl. Whip it up with your hand for at least three to five minutes until it’s creamy and fluffy.
Pour at least a cup of sugar into the mixture (estimate). And whip it up until the sugar dissolves.
Add the frozen berries to the mixture. And mix it up. Add more berries to the mixture if you want more. The akutaq should have a lot of berries in it. Now the akutaq is ready to eat! Will keep in the fridge for a few days!
If you’re new to creating a Pascha basket, welcome! I’m glad you found this little blogpost. My hope is to share an example of a Traditional Pascha basket, which stems from the Russian tradition, and share what each item symbolizes.