The day before St. Olga’s glorification in Kwethluk, a group of 50 pilgrims boarded a fleet of eight skiffs on the shores of Bethel’s north boat harbor.
Volunteer boat captains from both communities hauled suitcases and backpacks on board. The visitors snapped on life vests and settled in for the 15-mile voyage up the Kuskokwim to Kwethluk.
Ana Hoffman, a volunteer from Bethel’s St. Sophia parish, said that 200 pilgrims registered to attend the glorification, many from across the lower 48, Canada, and beyond.
“I think we'll get this group moved in one trip, and then again this evening. We should have another caravan of boats heading out about 8 [p.m.], and then again tomorrow,” Hoffman explained.
For many, it’s the last leg in a long pilgrimage, one far from the road system. But as his Eminence Archbishop Alexei Trader, head of the Orthodox Diocese of Sitka and Alaska, said in an interview earlier this year, such pilgrimages aren’t supposed to be easy. Historically speaking, a pilgrimage is a journey that should be “arduous for the body, for the soul — that’s going to lead to transformation.”
Nevertheless, it’s taken a unique logistical lift on the part of the diocese and the community of Kwethluk to welcome the high volume of people in the historic event.
Fr. Vasily Fisher is the head of the St. Nicolas Russian Orthodox Church in Kwethluk.
“Approaching the glorification, there were a lot of last minute preparations that we were falling behind in,” Fisher said. “But asking [for] her intercession, St. Olga's help — a lot of help came in.”
Among the preparations was a new wooden dock for clergy to safely exit and enter boats. A wooden walkway around the perimeter of the church was also rebuilt for the procession of pilgrims and clergy, who circled the church carrying St. Olga’s coffin.
“It was greatly in disrepair before, and the last nail was put in just as the first group of pilgrims were arriving,” Fisher said.
The event also hinged on the support of the Ke’acik & Aapalluk Memorial School, which housed the pilgrims in its gymnasium and classrooms, becoming a pop-up hostel for the two-night event.
In the kitchen, community volunteers prepared a spread of salmon, whitefish, moose, spaghetti, and cakes, with some help from pilgrims.
Volunteer Anna Epchook is the Elder informer for the church and helped coordinate the pilgrim meals.
“When I heard so much people coming in, I was having a hard time sleeping, not knowing if we'll have a lot of support,” Epchook explained.
Epchook said that at first they were given an estimate of 175 mouths to feed. But as glorification day neared, that number kept growing.
“As days got closer, we were like, 'are we gonna have a lot of help?' Sure enough, we do, and I appreciate it very much,” Epchook said.
Celebrations concluded with a yuraq performance from local dancers. The pilgrims then embarked on boats back to Bethel, many catching that evening's flight out of town.
With the big glorification behind the community, Vasily said that things have begun to feel settled again. But in terms of pilgrimages, it’s just the beginning.
Vasily said that the Orthodox diocese hopes to host an annual pilgrimage to St. Olga’s relics in Kwethluk. It would be similar to that of St. Herman in Kodiak, where each August dozens of Orthodox faithful journey to his reliquary on the island.
Fisher said that no annual date has been set yet, but he expects it to be sometime in July or August, when Orthodox saints are honored after the Easter holiday.
For the annual pilgrimage, the diocese plans to keep up with infrastructure.
“It is the hope and desire of our higher local people here at Kwethluk that a new church building is planned to be built, God willing a cathedral,” Fisher said.
The cathedral would house St. Olga’s relics and be named after her.
Vasily said that blueprints of the cathedral have been made, but still remain unofficial. They are consistent with the church image St. Olga is holding in her icon, unveiled during her glorification service. It features a tall conical steeple and a subdued exterior. A hostel to house pilgrims and a Yup’ik cultural center are also in the plans.
Vasily said that it’s too early to give a timeline on the construction — it will likely be years in the making. He said that fundraising efforts for the cathedral have already begun in Kwethuk, with additional funding planned to come through the Orthodox Diocese of Sitka and Alaska. Until then, Vasily said that the village still plans to host pilgrims. He said that a few are already scheduled to arrive in the coming months, where they’ll be hosted by families in town as they visit St. Olga’s relics.
They’ll be trickling in as part of what Fisher expects to be a continuously trekked trail to Kwethluk, expanding the pilgrimage to St. Olga’s relics beyond her glorification.
