Kwethluk, Alaska, June 20, 2025
Photo: russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
During the All-Night Vigil at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Kwethluk, Alaska, last night, Matushka Olga of Alaska was liturgically glorified among the saints.
St. Olga is the first female saint of North America. She was canonized by decision of the OCA Holy Synod in November 2023. In February 2024, a mission parish dedicated her opened in Edmonton, Canada.
November 8, 2024 marked the 45th anniversary of her repose, and on November 16, her relics were solemnly uncovered in Kwethluk.
St. Olga's relics
And last night her precious relics were in the center of the church as the All-Night Vigil for her glorification was celebrated.
The Diocese of Alaska worked tirelessly leading up to the celebration, preparing the remote village of Kwethluk to receive hundreds of pilgrims, including hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and faithful.
Present at the Vigil from the Orthodox Church in America were His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada, the local hierarch His Grace Bishop Alexei of Sitka, Their Eminences Michael of New York and Daniel of Chicago, and Their Graces Gerasim of Fort Worth, Andrei of Cleveland, and Nikodhim of the Albanian Archdiocese.
The OCA hierarchs were also joined by His Grace Bishop James of Sonora from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
The service was livestreamed in several videos by the Diocese of Alaska. In the first, Abp. Michael read out Bp. Alexei’s formal request to canonize St. Olga and the Holy Synod’s decision:
A stream of clergy and faithful then entered the church for the All-Night Vigil.
In the second video, St. Olga of Kwethluk was commemorated in the list of saints during the Litya in Vespers, celebrated by Bp. Alexei:
In the third video, the magnification to St. Olga was sung for the first time, marking her official glorification among the saints:
Fr. Thomas Rivas, the secretary of the Diocese of Alaska, also published a short video of the magnification during Matins:
Her magnification reads:
We magnify, we magnify thee, O holy and righteous Mother Olga, and we honor thy holy memory, O healer of those in afflictions and loving intercessor before the merciful God.
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