St Jacob Orthodox Church – Christ's Church sojourning in Central Oregon

October 3, 2025October 2, 2025

Matushka Olga full service: Vespers, Matins, Liturgy

We will be celebrating the first annual celebration of the newly-canonized St. Olga later this month: October 27th. The OCA has published her service both in a readers format, for a simple reading of the service without singing, and also pointed to be sung. Those are available on the OCA liturgical resources page for the American saints.

In order to more clearly convey the message of the hymns in the particular set of the Church tones use in our parish, I have taken those services and edited them. Feel free to use this full service to St. Olga, including Vespers and Matins. With these, you can serve the full cycle of services in honor or our gentle beacon of peace, St. Olga of Alaska.

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025

Homily on the Glorification of St. Olga of Alaska

This is a transcription of the sermon given by Archbishop Alexei, Bishop of Sitka and the Diocese of Alaska at the primatial Divine Liturgy for Saint Olga’s glorification on June 20th, 2025 at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, in Kwethluk, Alaska.

“Today, the Holy Church in Alaska joins the choirs of heaven, glorifying our beloved matushka. Yes, today heaven rejoices; today the earth listens. The land does not shout, but it listens. For the stillness deeper than words, it listens. The tundra listens. The rivers pause. Even the summer sky grows still. A saint has appeared.

June 5, 2025May 26, 2025

Most Importantly: St. Jacob Understands the People

St. Jacob of Alaska was also an astute observer of the native people: their habits, their customs, and sometimes even their disposition towards the gospel. Every once in a while, his journals have an aside to explain points of interest—the dangers of navigation and shipping in Alaskan waters, the entryway of native houses in different regions, and such—in some of which, he speaks about the people’s receptivity to the gospel:

“In matters of religion, I found the Kuriles to be devout or, as one may say, ready to be devout. However, presumably because of very rare approaches to them on behalf of the Christian Religion, they have no proper understanding either of the Christian faith or of their obligations as Christians.”

June 2, 2025May 26, 2025

How is St. Jacob an example for us today?

Importance of Family — Our town or region may not compare to 1800s Alaska, but there are plenty of lessons to be learned from St. Jacob that can be applied to any situation. Though little is made of it, St. Jacob’s relationship with his family seems to be key. He sailed to his first parish in Atka, his own mother’s villiage, with his wife and father. This simple fact challenges our modern, individualistic and independent thinking.

May 29, 2025May 26, 2025

A Baseless Accusation against St. Jacob

A decade later, in 1849, after faithful service in the Yukon region, St. Jacob asked for an assistant. As Fr. Michael Oleksa says it, he was sent an “unhappy misfit”, Hieromonk Filaret, sent against his will to Alaska. He ended up attacking St. Jacob with a pistol and later an ax, and needing to be bound hand and foot and locked up.

The next assistant arrived two years later, and was even worse, if that can be imagined. Hieromonk Gavriil was quite literally insane and leveled accusations against St. Jacob. “The new bishop from European Russia took Gabriel’s accusations against Saint Jacob and his coworker Lukin seriously, knowing neither the Creole missionaries and their careers or the insane source of the reports.” “In Sitka, the bishop immediately recognized the venerable missionary and scholar to be incapable of the crimes the crazy Gabriel, now deceased, had accused him of committing.”

It should make sense, but even a saint is not immune to accusation. “In this world you will have trouble, but I give you my peace.”