Košice, Slovakia, October 28, 2026
Photo: Diocese of Košice and Michalovce
Veneration of America’s newest saint is spreading quickly throughout the Orthodox Church.
Orthodox faithful of Košice, Slovakia, marked the commemoration of the righteous Matushka Olga Michael (+1979), canonized in 2023, an apostle of God’s mercy and healing power, with the Divine Liturgy before her relics, the Diocese of Košice and Michalovce reports.
The service was celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Juraj and the clergy of the cathedral.
The relics are there thanks to a visit in the fall of 2025, when Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America, visited Archbishop Juraj and His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of Prešov, the primate of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, gifting a portion of St. Olga’s relics.
Photo: Diocese of Košice and Michalovce “The life story of Matushka Olga is a story of daily faithfulness to Christ in the most ordinary and everyday situations,” Archbishop Juraj said in his homily.
“That’s exactly why veneration of this simple Aleut woman is spreading all over the world. Looking at Matushka Olga, we find with relief that the holiness the Church speaks of is attainable for every one of us who strives to live according to the Gospel. The Lord glorified His faithful servant with the gift of comforting the brokenhearted and proclaiming God’s healing closeness to them, not only during her life but especially after her blessed repose. May Matushka Olga be an example and a mighty intercessor for us on our personal path to the Lord,” the Archbishop of Michalovce and Košice added over the saint’s relics.
During the Divine Liturgy, special petitions were offered for the healing of all who have encountered any form of abuse in their lives.
The celebration also recalled the encouragement St. Olga gave to an abused woman: “God can create beauty from complete desolation.”
Follow OrthoChristian on Facebook, Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, and MeWe!
