Herman of Alaska
Approx. 1756 — November 15, 1837 · Feast day: July 27
Herman of Alaska crossed the Pacific in 1794 as one of ten monks sent by Catherine the Great, and spent 43 years defending native Alaskans from the exploitation of the Russian-American Company. He never received priestly ordination yet led the mission, built a hermitage called 'New Valaam' on Spruce Island, and in 1970 became the first canonized American saint.