Kwethluk, Alaska, November 12, 2025
St. Olga’s reliquary. Photo: Facebook
The first official feast day of the newly glorified St. Olga of Alaska was celebrated on Sunday, November 9.
The Holy Synod of the OCA canonized St. Olga on November 8, 2023. Her relics were uncovered in November 2024, and on June 19 of this year, Met. Tikhon led the rite of canonization at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Kwethluk, Alaska.
In addition to the OCA, St. Olga has been formally added to the liturgical calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, and her veneration is spreading throughout the rest of the Orthodox world.
The feast of St. Olga was festively celebrated in her native village of Kwethluk, in the St. Nicholas Church where her relics rest for veneration. The services were led by Archpriest Daniel Charles, the diocesan chancellor, who traveled to the remote visit for the occasion, concelebrated by several other diocesan clergy.
The service was livestreamed over several videos on Facebook by Marisa Pulido Nick. The video below includes the end of the Divine Liturgy and prayers before the holy relics of St. Olga:
In his homily, Fr. Daniel emphasized that the first thing we must do is love God above all else, as did Matushka Olga.
She was given to us by God, “that we can come to pray to her to ask her intercessions before God. That is what we need, each and every day, is to pray. To ask God for strength, that we may have a vision, to seek our salvation,” the chancellor preached.
St. Olga was just a simple matushka, he said, but she gave everything to God and had a heart for others.
Fr. Daniel also encouraged that when we’re distracted, we should stop and say the Jesus Prayer.
Another clip shows Fr. Daniel offering prayers on bended knee before the open relics of St. Olga:
“Incense is incense. But this was different. The smell, when they opened it, it hit me. Very strong sweet smell!” writes Marisa.
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