Who was Olga, the Alaska Native drawing devotion as Orthodoxy’s new saint?

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KWETHLUK, Alaska (AP) — “St. Olga of Kwethluk, Matushka of All Alaska,” as she is officially known, was canonized on June 19 as the first female Orthodox saint from North America.

Orthodoxy — the world’s second-largest Christian communion — gained a foothold in the present-day United States with the 18th and 19th century arrival of Russian Orthodox missionaries to what was then the czarist territory of Alaska.

While the Orthodox are a small minority within the Christian population in the state and the nation, Alaska is often considered a holy land for the now-independent Orthodox Church in America.

Who is St. Olga of Kwethluk?

Olga Michael was born in 1916 in Kwethluk, where she resided her entire life with her Yup’ik family and neighbors. The Yup’ik, like the Tlingit, Inupiat and Aleuts, are broadly called Alaska Natives. The town’s name is derived from the Yup’ik term for “dangerous river.”

Her Yup’ik name was Arrsamquq; she was confirmed in the church under the name Olga.

Like other villagers, her life followed the seasonal rhythms of subsistence living, preparing food at “fish camps” for preservation and making clothing from animal skins.

She married Nicolai Michael, who became an Orthodox priest. They had 13 children, five of whom died in childhood, a tragically familiar occurrence at a time when epidemics were common.

Matushka, from the Russian for mother, is a term of respect for Orthodox priest’s wives. “Matushka Olga” fulfilled that role of spiritual mother — counseling women who had suffered abuse or griefs such as miscarriage — and she was widely admired for her compassion and piety, often providing other people with food and handmade clothing.

Matushka Olga was also a midwife, delivering many children.

And when she died of cancer on Nov. 8, 1979, villagers reported that unseasonably warm weather thawed the river ice, enabling people to travel by boat from other villages to her funeral, according to an official church biography.

What does her family say?

“She was the most prominent adult in my life,” recalled Wiz Ruppert, who was raised in Matushka Olga’s home from about three to 13, when her grandmother died. “Without her, I think my life would have been so different.”

Like other family members, Ruppert recalls Olga never raising her voice.

“If I had a hard time waking up, she would nudge me, and if I didn’t wake up, she would gently carry me to a chair where breakfast was ready,” Ruppert recalled.

She recalled the fresh bread her grandmother would make, how she patiently taught her how to prepare freshly caught fish, how she would sew fur boots with sealskin soles for others in the community.

“Those are really hard to work on,” Ruppert recalled. “I would watch her chew the soles so they would be soft enough to sew.”

How did devotion to St. Olga grow?

After her death, devotion to Matushka Olga spread beyond Alaska to Orthodox faithful in distant states and countries. She’s often depicted in unofficial icons framed by northern lights, with the words, “God can create great beauty from complete desolation.”

People began to report encounters with Matushka Olga in sacred dreams and visions, according to the church. One poignant account of a woman who had suffered childhood sexual abuse describes a profoundly healing experience during a prayerful encounter with Olga.

In 2023, the groundswell of devotion eventually prompted the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America to approve her “glorification” as a saint.

What happens next?

Kwethluk, with a population of about 800 and accessible only by boat or small plane, now anticipates receiving pilgrims.

The Diocese of Alaska is in the early stages of working with the village on plans and fundraising for a new church, hospitality center and cultural center.

“We have gotten some pilgrims already, although not in force yet, but we expect them to come regularly after this summer,” said the Rev. Martin Nicolai, a retired priest attached to St. Nicholas Church. “People who venerate her as a saint will want to come and pray beside her relics.”

How are saints formally recognized?

Orthodox have a similar process to Catholics in determining saints.

It begins with grassroots devotion. Eventually petitions reach the highest authority — in Orthodoxy, a synod of bishops; in Catholicism, the pope — to make the determination. Sainthood becomes official with a service of canonization or glorification.

There are multiple Orthodox jurisdictions in the United States and internationally. They generally recognize each other’s saints.

Why is Alaska considered an Orthodox holy land?

Several Orthodox monks and martyrs with ties to Alaska are already recognized as saints by the Orthodox Church in America, the now-independent offspring of the Russian Orthodox Church. Pilgrims come to Alaska to venerate their relics at their shrines.

St. Olga is the third with Alaska Native heritage recognized by the Orthodox Church in America, following the 19th century St. Peter the Aleut and St. Yakov Netsvetov of Alaska, who was of Aleut and Russian heritage. Most of the state’s Orthodox priests, serving about 80 parishes, are Alaska Natives. More than a dozen priests have come from Kwethluk.

How are Orthodox churches organized?

Eastern Orthodox churches trace their roots to the beginning of Christianity. Several are self-governing, with their leaders considered equals, and they share beliefs and sacraments while cooperating in charitable and other activities.

In the United States, organizational lines are rooted in the national backgrounds of various ethnic groups, such as the Orthodox Church in America (with roots in Russian Orthodoxy) and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. But many U.S. churches now have members of varied ancestries, and cooperate through the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops.

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