The Bethel airport buzzed with activity on June 18 as Orthodox pilgrims from around the world prepared for the last leg of their journey to the nearby community of Kwethluk to witness the canonization of the first-ever Yup’ik saint, St. Olga.
Matushka Olga Michael, a local midwife and healer who died in 1979, will also officially become the first female Orthodox saint in North America.
Ana Hoffman, who leads the choir at the Orthodox church in Bethel, greeted pilgrims at a table at the airport piled high with official badges for the ceremony, which is known as a glorification.
"It's really inspirational to see the number of people that are making the pilgrimage here, the desire to be in Alaska, to be in the presence of the glorification, and it makes me feel proud as an orthodox, as an Alaska Native person," Hoffman said.
The two-day event, which kicks off on June 19, is the culmination of years of planning by the Orthodox Church in America and the community of Kwethluk. The influx of pilgrims and visitors from nearby villages on the Kuskokwim River could be unprecedented for the community of roughly 800 people.
Fr. Thomas Rivas is playing a key role in the event as secretary to the head of the Orthodox church in Alaska. He said that this moment is exciting, but it’s a logistical challenge getting people to the community.
"We've never boated 200 people from lower 48 to bush Alaska, but we're going to see how it goes. And by the prayers of St. Olga, we'll be successful," Rivas said.
From the airport, the pilgrims and clergy made their way to Bethel’s boat harbor, where they hopped aboard an odd assortment of river skiffs for the 15-mile journey upriver to Kwethluk.
A saint has not been glorified in Alaska since 1970, when the Orthodox church officially named St. Herman of Alaska.
This weekend, the St. Innocent Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Anchorage will host another two-day glorification ceremony for St. Olga as well.
