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Using his gift of languages and music, Bp. Vladimir produced musical arrangements for his translations into English of the liturgical texts that the San Francisco cathedral choir sang during the church services. The liturgical services thus attracted many people, resulting in the need for a larger cathedral in San Francisco.
Initial entry
Upon his return to Russia, Fr. Vladimir was raised to the rank of [[igumen]] in 1884 and then appointed to the faculty of the Kholm Seminary on [[June 9]], 1886. A year later on [[August 13]], 1887, he was raised to [[archimandrite]] and appointed inspector of the Khom Seminary. On [[December 20]], 1887, Fr. Vladimir was consecrated to the episcopacy in St Petersburg, Russia, with his first assignment as the ruling hierarch of the Diocese of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. Bp. Vladimir arrived in San Francisco in March 1888 accompanied by eighteen students and five coworkers of Bp. Vladimir from the Kholm Seminary, who all were eager to help in the work of the mission. With Bp. Vladimir’s arrival the diocese once again had a ruling hierarch who was resident in North America. The previous ruling bishop, Bp. Nestor (Zass), was not replaced after is death at sea in 1882.
As the decade ended, Bp. Vladimir became cognizant of the strains that had developed among the Slavic emigrants who were members of the [[Unia]] from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In late 1890, he met with a group from Minneapolis, Minnesota led by Fr. Alexis Toth, the future St. [[Alexis of Wilkes-Barre]]. On [[March 25]], 1891, Fr. Alexis and his parish were received back into the Orthodox Church by Bp. Vladimir, starting the movement that was to continued for several decades. In his search for Orthodox communities to lead back to Orthodoxy Bp. Vladimir traveled widely, crossing the continent three times in his efforts.
