St-Nikolai
Biography of St. Nikolai - Orthodox Apostle to Japan
Ivan Kasatkin (St-Nikolai’s original name), was born on August 1st, 1836 in the village of Berezovsk (Eastern Russia) to Russian Orthodox parents. His father served as deacon. At the age of five he lost his dear mother. After completing the religious school, and afterwards the religious seminary, Ivan Kasatkin entered the Saint-Peterburg spiritual academy at the age of 21. Three years later, he took monastic vows with the chosen name Nikolai, and was given the priesthood also, thus taking the form of priestmonk.
At that time, the church was seeking for someone willing to go to Japan. Upon the ordination of Father Nikolai, he volunteered for this mission, and so they assigned him as head of the consular church in the city of Khakodate, Japan.
The preaching of the Gospel in Japan at first seemed completely impossible. In Father Nikolai's own words: "the Japanese of that time looked upon foreigners as beasts, and on Christianity as a villainous church, to which it was possible only for idiots and frauds to belong". Eight years passed in this way, in studying the country, the people, their language and manners and customs, in which he would have to preach. Up until 1868 the flock of Father Nikolai only numbered about twelve Japanese. At the end of 1869 priestmonk Nikolai made a report to the Synod in Peterburg about the result of his work. This resolution was adopted: "to form for the preaching of the Word of God among the pagan Japanese a special Russian Spiritual Mission". Father Nikolai was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite and assigned as head of this Mission. Having returned to Japan, he transferred the Khakodate flock to priestmonk Anatolii, and himself shifted the centre of the Mission to Tokyo.
In 1871 there began in the country a persecution of Christians; many were subjected to being chased about. Only in the year 1873 did the persecution diminish somewhat, and it became possible to freely preach Christianity. In this year archimandrite Nikolai set about the construction in Tokyo of a church and school for fifty men, and later also a religious school, which in 1878 was transformed into a seminary. In 1874, there arrived at Tokyo His Grace Paul, Bishop of Kamchatka, to ordain as priests candidates from the local population recommended by archimandrite Nikolai. During this time at the Mission in Tokyo, there operated four schools -- catechetical, seminary, women's, church readers. And in Khakodate there were two schools: boys and girls. In the second half of 1877 the Mission began regularly to publish the journal "Church Messenger". By the year 1878 there already numbered in Japan 4115 Christians, and there existed a number of Christian communities. Divine-services and teaching in the native language, and the publication of books of religio-moral content -- these were the means which permitted the Mission to attain in a short while such fruitful results.
Archimandrite Nikolai was ordained bishop on March 30th, 1880 in the Trinity Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Returning to Japan, he began with still greater fervor to continue his apostolic work: he completed construction on the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tokyo, he set about the translation of the Divine-service books, and he composed into the Japanese language a special Orthodox theological dictionary.
Great hardship befell the the saint and his flock at the time of the Russo-Japanese War. But he remained steadfast and served the Lord faithfully and tirelessly during these difficult years, and thus was deemed worthy of elevation to the dignity of archbishop.
By the year 1911, half a century had passed from the time when the young priestmonk Nikolai had first tread on Japanese soil. But by this time in 266 communities of the Japanese Orthodox Church there were 33017 Christians, 1 archbishop, 1 bishop, 35 priests, 6 deacons, 14 teachers of singing, and 116 preacher-catechists. It was truly God’s grace working through His submissive and faithful servant.
On February 1912, at the age of 76, the Enlightener of Japan Arch-Bishop Nikolai departed peacefully to the Lord. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church passed resolution on April 10th, 1970 concerning the glorification of the Sainted-Bishop into the ranks of the "RavnoApostoli" (i.e. “Equal-to-the-Apostles"), since in Japan the saint was long honored as a great righteous one and prayerful intercessor before the Lord.
Let us pray to the Lord to give us that same zeal and love in serving God’s people, that we may live according to the Lord’s glorious plan for each one of us.
