Karen Schmidt, a member of St. Nicholas Parish in Portland, OR, was present at the Glorification of St. Olga in Anchorage this past weekend. We asked her to share what she took away from that time:
St. Olga has been beloved by our family since our conversion to Orthodoxy, and so it was a great privilege for us to attend her glorification in Anchorage.
The services were magnificent with so many priests, bishops, archbishops, and Metropolitan Tikon; St Olga’s icon and relics, the large choir, and hundreds of pilgrims. I thought: if this is the beauty and glory that we see on earth, what is it like in Heaven? I will remember this glorification the rest of my life.
And yet, what impressed me the most was the presence I felt of St Olga, herself. Her Yup’ik name, Arrsamquq, means “beloved of God in her lowliness” and aptly describes her. From her humility, God’s love flowed through her to those in need, in her compassion, gentleness, generosity, quiet faithfulness, hidden prayer, few words and many good deeds.
St. Olga is the opposite of the culture of the world which values power, wealth, praise, and fame. In the words of Archbishop Alexei, “She was not mighty in the way the world measures might. But she was mighty in love, mighty in kindness, and mighty in the warmth that she carried within. And for this, God has glorified her—not with gold or power, but with the greatest honor of all: to be called a saint among His people.” (From Akathist to St. Olga of Alaska and A Brief Life)
Since returning, St. Olga has been on the forefront of my mind. Now I know what it means that we experience God in his saints. It seems to me that the timing of her glorification is not a mistake - she is a saint for our time now, and we need to pay attention.
Pray for us, St. Olga, that we, in Christ, may become humble and loving like you.
All photos provided by Karen Schmidt. Used with permission.
