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Adopt a Seminarian St. Innocent of Alaska Missionary Prayer Society Spiritual Travel |
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ADOPT A SEMINARIAN > Seminarians & Their Sponsors
Subdeacon Irenaious Anderson Birth Date: 5-30-63 Wife: Dionysia (7-3-63) Irenaious and Dyanysia first felt called to Alaska after their priest in Warrenville asked Irenaious to coordinate a program on the saints of Alaska. This brought him to study the history of Orthodoxy in Alaska and the state since 1867. After reading an article by Mary Ann Khoury in The Word (May and June, 2004), they made contact with her and discussed any possibility of their help to her with the Outreach Alaska program. They also contacted OCMC to become a long term catechist in Alaska. They were definitely being called. He is a teacher and Dionysia started the Christian Education Program at Holy Transfiguration Mission - now a church - in Warrenville, Ill. OCMC said it would not be possible for them to be a missionary in AK but recommended they contact Father Chad Hatfield, Dean of St. Herman Theological Seminary in Kodiak. After contacting Fr. Chad, Irenaious came to St. Herman Theological Seminary during Bright Week, 2005. During his time there, Fr. Chad encouraged him to attend seminary and see where God would lead him from there. He returned to Warrenville and talked with Dionysia about this opportunity. After the shock wore off, they sold their home in 60 days and returned with their family to Kodiak. The church gave support for them to make this trip. Now Irenaious is in his second year of seminary studies. She is teaching at the Kodiak High School - English as a second language. Most of her students are from the Phillipines and El Salvador. She has studied the Tlingit culture of Southeastern Alaska. It is very likely that he will be sent to Ketchikan and the Southeastern area of Alaska. Challenges for this family have been to come from a very structured life to a very fluid setting - never knowing what may happen. Dionysia misses her family. They are immigrant Polish in Chicago and she did everything with the family. The boys have adapted the best. They are doing well in Catholic school. Nthan will graduate in May 2007 and thinks he may go to Faribanks for college. David is on the little league Baseball Team and will be in football this fall. He feels he did well in classes last year but was not challenged. He had attended Trinity Evangalical School in Deerfield, Ill and has learned to serve Hierarchical services. He came from an all convert parish - so they learned a lot in their walk to Orthocoxy. This family will be most appreciative of their Adopt A Seminarian sponsor. Currently they have the income from Dionysia's job and some help from their home parish.
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