The Historic Canonization of St. Olga of Alaska | The American Spectator

A procession of clergy, villagers, and pilgrims snaked through an Alaskan village to lay St. Olga of Kwethluk in her final resting place.

A scene out of the Church’s history books played out in America this June, as St. Olga was recognized by the Orthodox Christian Church as the first female saint of North America.

This moment was historic for the Church, and many laypeople across the world recognized that — joining in with prayers, services in their own churches, or even watching livestreams of vigils from the small Alaskan village where Olga spent her whole life. 

“St. Olga, whose love and compassion knew no bounds during this present life, now boundlessly shares her love, animated by the love of God, with people throughout the world,” said Metropolitan Tikhon, head of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).

Her Life and Death

Olinka Michael was born in 1916 in the small Alaskan village of Kwethluk. A native Yup’ik woman, her name in her native tongue was Arrsamquq, meaning lowly, hidden, or unadorned.

“It was a name that would prophetically mark her life, for she lived not in boastfulness or acclaim, but in humility, reverence, and love,” says a statement from the OCA.

The Orthodox Christian Church has long had deep roots in the Native American villages of Alaska, since Russian missionaries first began visiting there in the 18th Century. Olga herself is not the first Alaskan saint, as she follows in the footsteps of others like Sts. Herman and Innocent of Alaska.

Olga grew up in the church, eventually marrying Nicolai Michael, the village storekeeper and postmaster. Nicolai would soon become the village priest, and Olga became known as Matushka, or mother, Olga. 

Matushka Olga lived a humble and unpretentious life. As a priest’s wife, she served as the mother not only for her own family, but for the whole community.

A mother to 13 children, Matushka Olga still found time to care for many others, teaching hospitality and generosity to all who knew her through example. She became the village’s midwife and helped to bring into the world hundreds of children. Matushka Olga was also known for her simple wisdom and understanding, which she utilized when she ministered to the abused women in her community.

Yet, her life was not easy, as five of her children never made it to adulthood. In 1978, at the age of 62, Matushka Olga was diagnosed with cancer. Even in this, she held to her trust in God and continued in her ministry to her community.

“As with so many saints, her final chapter became her most luminous,” the OCA commented. “When doctors could do no more, she did not despair … Her illness became a cross, and she bore it without fanfare, entering more deeply into the sufferings of Christ.”

Just one year after her cancer diagnosis, Matushka Olga reposed in the Lord.

Her Miracles and Canonization

The holiness of Matushka Olga was apparent nearly immediately after her death. Though deep in an Alaskan winter, the rivers which led to Kwethluk thawed, allowing loved ones to come from miles around to attend her funeral. As the community gathered to bury Matushka Olga, the ground defrosted, allowing a grave to be dug. Birds gathered overhead.

Memories of her life lived on in the small village Kwethluk in the years that followed. 

“I’ve always thought if there is anyone I’ve known in my lifetime who would be glorified a saint, it would be Matushka Olga,” said Fr. Michael Oleksa, who personally knew Matushka Olga.

As years passed, word of her life began to spread through the Church, and she became beloved to many. Icons appeared and prayers were said. All of this despite no known personal writings, letters, memoirs, or theological texts authored by Matushka Olga, whose sanctity and influence stems instead from her humble life and the lasting legacy of oral tradition.

Many miracles have been associated with Matushka Olga over the years and, just as in her life, those are often associated with childbirth or women afflicted by grief, abuse, or trauma. 

In 2023, Bishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska wrote a letter to the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America. In that letter, he conveyed the wishes of the Alaskan people.

“Her humility, her generosity, her piety, her patience, and her selfless love for God and neighbor were well-known in the Kuskokwim villages during her earthly life,” Bishop Alexei said. “Her care for comforting the suffering and the grieving has also been revealed after her life by grace-filled manifestations to the faithful throughout not only Alaska, but all of North America.”

Just five days later, the synod unanimously determined that Matushka Olga be numbered with the saints.

This June, nearly 1,000 faithful gathered for a weekend of prayer both at St. Olga’s village of Kwethluk and the nearby Anchorage, Alaska.

Dozens of Church hierarchs attended the weekend, as well as many of St. Olga’s descendents who still live in the Alaskan community.

Attendees, some from as far as Romania and Australia, joined the choir in singing hymns in Yup’ik. 

“Today, we sang hymns of a pious Yup’ik woman who lived a life that we can relate to with words that only we can pronounce properly,” one attendee told the Associated Press. “Today, God was closer to all of us.”

A Story for All America

Now, Matushka Olga is officially known as St. Olga of Kwethluk, Matushka of All Alaska. Commonly described as the “Healer of the Abused and Broken,” St. Olga’s story contains much value for modern America. 

A recent study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that approximately 33 percent of American adults had either a mental illness or substance use disorder in 2024. 

This comes as an ever-increasing number of Americans say they are not Christian, with Pew Research reporting that just 62 percent of adults self-identify as Christian in 2024. That is down from 78 percent in 2007. 

A minister to many in very similar situations, St. Olga can be a light to those who have lost their way. 

Through the life of St. Olga, God shows everyone the very real possibility for theosis and holiness for all, even for those in the humblest of circumstances. 

As the Akathist to the Matushka Olga says, “We who endure the icy winds of this age also find shelter in your heavenly intercession.”

Metropolitan Tikhon reflected on this reality and how Christ so beautifully reveals Himself through the lives of His saints.

“[Christ] continues to become incarnate, throughout time and space, in the lives and actions and hearts of his saints,” he said. “Thus, every true saint is the presence of Christ on earth. Each saint’s life is a continuation of his ministry. In the saints, he is truly with us to the end of the age.”

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