Archpriest Michael and Mother Xenia (born Angellan) Oleksa

Archpriest Michael Oleksa (1947-2023) and Mother Xenia (born Angellan) Oleksa (194_-20__)

Michael may be spelt Mikhail, Michel. Xenia may be spelt Ksenia.

Early life of Michael Oleksa

On 16 March, 1947, Michael James Oleksa was born to Michael and Doris Mae Oleksa (born Conrad) in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. He was raised as an Orthodox Christian by his family. He completed his secondary education at Emmaus High School, from which he graduated.

Higher education

After completing his secondary education, Michael entered [Georgetown University], from which he graduated in 1969.

Later in 1969, Michael began studies towards the [Bachelor of Divinity] (B.D.) degree at [Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary] at [Crestwood], [Yonkers], [New York]. He graduated in 1973.

Old Harbour, Alaska

In the summer of 1970, while he was a student, he served as a student-worker (like an "intern") in the village of [Old Harbour] on [Kodiak Island].

In 1971, when he returned to Alaska, he met Xenia Angellan of the village of Kwethluk in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Western Alaska.

About Xenia Angellan

Xenia Angellan had been born to Orthodox Christian parents at Kwethluk, Alaska, and she had been raised as an Orthodox Christian in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska.

Moreover, while she was growing up, Matushka Olga Michael (1916-1979) was still alive and in the village, as was her husband, Priest Nikolai Michael (1912-1984).

Xenia had received her high school education first at Mount Edgecumbe High School (at that time operated by the operated by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)). It was named for the eponymous volcano) on Japonski Island at Sitka, Alaska.

Then, in 1969, [a senior, she attended Sheldon Jackson College on Baranof Island.

Marriage

Michael Oleksa was crowned in marriage with Xenia Angellan.

Ordinations

After their marriage, Michael Oleksa was ordained to the Holy Diaconate.

Then, in 1974, Deacon Michael Oleksa was ordained to the Holy Priesthood at [Saint Jacob’s Church] in [Napaskiak], Alaska.

Pastoral service

Priest Michael and Matushka Xenia Oleksa began their years of pastoral service in the Diocese of Alaska. [Saint Seraphim of Sarov] ([Dillingham]), [Three Saints] ([Old Harbour]), [Saint Innocent Cathedral] ([Anchorage]), [Saint Herman’s] ([Fairbanks]), [Saint Sophia] ([Bethel]), [Saint Michael’s] ([Koliganek]), [Saint Michael’s] ([Sitka]), [Saint Nicholas] ([Juneau]), and [Saint Alexis Chapel] ([Anchorage]). They also served parishes at [Lake Iliamna], [North Naknek], [Eek Kwigillingok], [Kongiganak].

Further education : doctorate

During the course of his pastoral service, Father Michael Oleksa began a course of studies with the [Orthodox Theological Seminary] in Prešov, Slovakia.

In 1988, Father Michael graduated with a doctorate in theology from the seminary. His thesis was focussed on Native Alaskan History During the Alaskan “Russian period”, from 1741 to 1867.

Indigenous matters

Father Michael Oleksa was married to an indigenous Orthodox Christian, and together, they cared pastorally for the parishes of indigenous Orthodox Christians a large part of Alaska. Having studied the missionary methods of the Church of Russia in Siberia and the Far East, and having studied the missionary methods of Saint Innocent (Veniaminov) and of Saint Jakob Netsvetov, Father Michael spoke widely on this subject. He repeated constantly the directive of the Saviour before His Ascension :

  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to 
 Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore, and make disciples of all the 
 nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the 
 Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you ; 
 and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28:18-20).

He was quoted as saying :

 Missiology is the reality in which the church looks at a reality, a culture, a 
 context, (a continent), and then does its best to step inside that beam of light 
 and articulate what it knows and what it brought into that experience, but 
 the two cannot be done simultaneously.  You can either look at the reality 
 from the outside or you can step into that reality and experience it from 
 within.  Missiology is the task of the Church stepping into the beam of light, 
 and come to understand that reality from within and then articulate its own 
 vision as it brought from without.  It is the place where dogmatics and 
 ecclesiology and everything else meet. (I submit to you that missiology is 
 where everything else joins).

Bereavements, 2003

On 21 July, 2003, (Sergeant) Michael Oleksa fell asleep in the Lord at Allentown, Pennsylvania.

On 24 August, 2003, Doris Mae Oleksa (born Conrad) fell asleep in the Lord at Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Saint Olga of Kwethluk

Because of his contact with the Yu’pik people, in his youth, Father Michael had come know and to know about Matushka Olga Michael in Kwethluk. She and her husband, Father Nicholas, were still alive in the village. When, later, Father Michael wrote his “Orthodox Alaska” in 1987, Matushka Olga began to be known very widely (not only in Alaska, but throughout North America, and around the world). In the course of his lectures and talks, Father Michael spoke about both her and her people, how they view all creation, and how this is in harmony with the Orthodox Christian Way.

It is very much because of his drawing attention to this holy woman, whose humility was exemplary, that people came to understand that they could turn to her intercession for help. The wonders that were wrought through her prayers convinced the people at large, and the bishops in particular that she was an exemplary and holy person, and this led to her being recognised officially as being a holy woman, and then included on the annual calendar of saints.

Suspension

Archpriest Michael Oleksa, in his retirement, was suspended from all priestly functions, effective 4 September, 2020. This occurred near the end of the archiepiscopal service of [https://orthodoxwiki.org/David_(Mahaffey)_of_Sitka Bishop David (Mahaffey) of Alaska. On 8 June, 2022, the suspension of Archpriest Michael Oeksa, in his retirement, was lifted. This occurred near the beginning of the archiepiscopal service of Bishop Alexis (Trader) of Alaska.

Repose

On Wednesday, 29 November, 2023, Archpriest Michael Oleksa fell asleep in the Lord in Anchorage, Alaska.

All services were held at Saint Innocent’s Cathedral, 401 Turpin Street, Anchorage, Alaska. On Monday, 4 December, 2023, at 3:00 p.m., the body of Archpriest Michael Oleksa was taken in its coffin to the Cathedral of Saint Innocent. A Panikhida (Memorial Service) was offered at that time, and the Faithful came to pay their respects and to pray.

On Tuesday, 5 December, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., the Funeral Service for the Burial of a Priest was offered in the cathedral. Archbishop Benjamin (Peterson) and Bishop Alexis (Trader) presided. Many priests and deacons assisted them.

Following the funeral obsequies, the coffin containing the body of Archpriest Michael Oleksa was transported to the Saint John Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral Cemetery in Eagle River (near Anchorage) for interment.

Reflections

Recognized as an “Elder” by the Alaska Federation of Natives, a Distinguished Public Servant by the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska, and honoured by the Alaska State Legislature and the National Governors Association, Dr. Oleksa was a storyteller who sought to foster greater understanding across boundaries of race and culture. Father Oleksa was a leader in the development of cross-cultural education in Alaska, an educator of Alaskan teachers, and a student of Alaska Native languages and cultures. He had recently published a book in collaboration with the Association of Alaska School Boards entitled “Another Culture/Another World” that explores the great diversity and common humanity of Alaska’s cultural mosaic.

As reported by Rhonda McBride of “Alaska Public Media”,

 Father Oleksa was a man who was many things to many people – a priest, 
 scholar, teacher, historian, author, and much more.  And the common thread 
 through it all was his ability to weave a great story – a talent that took him all 
 over the state to lecture widely on what he called ‘communicating across 
 cultures’.
 Alaska turned out to be a mother lode of great stories for Oleksa, a 
 Pennsylvania transplant, and I suspect the Kuskokwim River village of 
 Kwethluk is where he first struck gold.
 He was studying for the priesthood when he met his wife Xenia, at a fish 
 camp near Kwethluk.  At 4 feet, 11 inches tall, Xenia may seem small in 
 stature but is a tower of strength – and not to be trifled with.
 Xenia told me he kept winking at her when they first met.
 ‘I thought he was very brazen myself’, she said, with that matter-of-fact touch 
 of dry, Yup’ik humour.  But she must have gotten over her initial annoyance, 
 because they soon married.  Next year, they would have celebrated their 50th 
 anniversary.
 “In Kwethluk, Father Oleksa found himself in the bosom of Yup’ik life, the 
 wellspring of many of his wonderful stories.
 Those who know Father Oleksa probably have their favourites. Mine was 
 about a muskrat hunt he was invited to.
 ‘We came home one afternoon with about a dozen muskrats’, he told me in a 
 2016 interview.
 Oleksa said the muskrats were delivered to his Yup’ik teacher, Annabelle 
 Olick.
 ‘She was delighted. She skinned and gutted these muskrats. Then she set the 
 table with washcloths as well as spoons’, he said. ‘I knew we were having 
 soup, but the washcloths mystified me.  I was soon to find out those were for 
 pukug-ing, a word I had not yet learned’.
 ‘Pukug’ in Yugtun, or the Yup’ik language, is to eat small bits of meat that 
 cling to the bone – which you patiently pick away at with your fingers.
 Annabelle came to check on him and asked if he was done. When he said yes, 
 she didn’t look happy, which made him look around the table and realize that 
 everyone else was still pukug-ing their muskrats.
 ‘And with a lot of extra effort and noise’, said Father Oleksa, as he made loud 
 sucking and slurping sounds to demonstrate. ‘That’s the Yup’ik word, pukug-
 ing – removing the meat from every little bone’. 
 The priest said this was his first lesson in Yup’ik etiquette.
 ‘Waste nothing’, he said. ‘These animals died, sacrificed themselves to feed 
 you. You consume everything as a sign of gratitude and respect, even for the 
 animals, who have died to keep you alive’.
 Father Oleksa loved stories about the spirituality of living off the land, lessons 
 he learned from elders and shared for the benefit of Natives and non-Natives 
 alike.
 When he got his first assignment as a priest in Old Harbor on Kodiak Island, 
 young people in his congregation heard for the word ‘Sugpiaq’ for the first 
 time. Elders knew that it was the name people on Kodiak Island once called 
 themselves. But the people stopped using it, because they had begun to think 
 of themselves as Aleut.
 ‘He wanted to make sure people understood our history, which was something 
 that wasn’t taught or wasn’t spoken about’, Sven Haakanson said. ‘Aleut is a 
 name that the Russians just called everybody from the Aleutians, all the way 
 up to the Prince William Sound’.
 Haakanson grew up in Old Harbour and has known Father Oleksa since he 
 was a small boy.
 For many in his congregation, Oleksa’s use of the word, Sugpiaq, was healing. 
 Haakanson says the priest’s lessons in history made him curious about his 
 own culture, which started him on his journey to become one of the first 
 Alaska Native anthropologists.
 Haakanson flew to Oleksa’s services all the way from Seattle, where he is 
 chairman of the anthropology department at the University of Washington.
 Haakanson’s sister, Phyllis Clough, works at the school in Old Harbor, where 
 the priest also taught – but whether in church or in the classroom, all his 
 lessons were served up with stories that people were hungry to hear.
 ‘He would explain everything, where everyone could understand, because 
 there was a lot of broken English back then’, Clough said. ‘He had a way. His 
 eyes lit up when people would come to church, and he would be so happy’. 
 Father Oleksa, however, wasn’t happy with the way Alaska’s educational 
 system treated Native children. He was passionate about helping educators 
 understand and appreciate Native culture, so they could be more effective in 
 the classroom.
 In the 1980s and 1990s, Father Oleksa became known for his 
 groundbreaking work as a cultural ambassador – telling stories in which he 
 was usually the butt of every joke, as a safe way to talk about difficult 
 subjects.
 One of his books, ‘Conflicting Landscapes’, which he co-wrote with Clifton 
 Bates, a longtime teacher in the Kuskokwim River community of Aniak, was a 
 guide for newly arrived teachers. It had a history of the schooling of Native 
 children, including case studies of mistakes teachers had made that not only 
 disrespected Native children but kept them from reaching their potential.
 Last year, after a teacher bailed out of a commitment to teach in Nanwalek, a 
 tiny Russian Orthodox community on the Kenai Peninsula, Father Oleksa 
 came out of retirement and returned to his true love: the classroom.
 I thought how lucky those kids were to have a regular supply of Father 
 Oleksa’s wonderful stories.
 As people sang at his service in those beautiful Slavonic, multi-part 
 harmonies, I wondered what connection they had to Father Oleksa. Just like 
 me, each had their own story to share about his many random acts of 
 kindness.
 As I was about to leave, Jasmin Gil stopped me on the church steps to tell me 
 her story.
 ‘He was a miracle for me’, said Gil, who said she was just short of having 
 enough money to get into a nurse practitioner program. ‘I didn’t have a way to 
 afford that, so I reached out to Father Oleksa’.
 The priest said yes right away, which helped her secure a spot in the 
 program.
 She broke down in tears, after she said she had hoped he would anoint her 
 next spring at her graduation from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in 
 Baltimore.
 Jasmin’s mother, Tina, spoke at length about how Father Oleksa and his wife, 
 Xenia, would often house and feed people who found themselves homeless, 
 even help pay for their travel back to their home village.
 One of Father Oleksa’s last legacies was his work to canonize the Russian 
 Orthodox church’s first female saint in North America – Matushka Olga, or 
 Mother Olga, the wife of a Kwethluk priest known for her healing love, 
 especially for abused women – a cause also close to Father Oleksa’s heart.
 It is impossible to know all the facets of Father Oleksa, who scattered stories 
 in Alaska like loaves of bread.  But as they say in the Russian Orthodox faith, 
 he will live in ‘memory eternal’.

Writings

• Alaskan Missionary Spirituality (Mahway, New Jersey : Paulist Press, 1987) pp. 3-35.

• Icons and the Cosmos : the Missionary Significance (The World Council of Churches : International Review of Mission, Issue 1 : Witnessing, January, 1983). Vol. LXXII No. 285, pp. 42-123.

• Another Culture / Another World (Juneau, Alaska : Association of Alaska School Boards, 2005). Pamphlet Part 2 Pamphlet Part 3 Pamphlet Part 4

• “Civilizing” Native Alaska : Federal Support of Mission Schools, 1885-1906 (Washington, D.C. : Prepared for the National Education Association, January, 1991).

• ‘Evangelism and Culture’ in “International Review of Mission”. [Authentic Witness Within Each Culture. Section 1; Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, 1996). Vol. 84, no. 335, October, 1995. The World Council of Churches] pp. 387-393.

• Father John Veniaminov and Father Jacob Netsvetov (Digital Typography, www.asna.ca. July, 1975).

• I Didn’t Even Need a Passport ! (Lit Site, Alaska Traditions, February, 2006).

• ‘Giving and Receiving’ in “AGAIN” : The Ancient Christian Faith Today (Fall, 2005), vol. 27, no. 3, p. 34.

• Orthodox Alaska : A Theology of Mission (Crestwood, New York :Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1998)

• Orthodox Missiological Education for the Twenty-First Century : The Book, the Circle, and the Sandals (Maryknoll, New York : Orbis Books, 1996) pp. 83-90.

• Orthodoxy in Alaska : The Spiritual History of the Kodiak Aleut People (Crestwood, New York : St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly, 1981) vol. 25, no. 1.

• Overwhelmed by Joy. 1983. International Review of Mission. Conversion. Vol. LXXII No. 287, July 1983. The World Council of Churches. 415–420.[5]

• Six Alaskan Native Women Leaders : Pre-Statehood Juneau, Alaska : Alaska Department of Education, 1991).

• ‘The Creoles and Their Contributions to the Development of Alaska’ in 1990. In “Russian America : The Forgotten Frontier”, Smith, Barbara Sweetland, and Redmond, J. Barnett (eds.) (Tacoma, Washinton : Washington State Historical Society, 1990) pp. 185- 195.

• ‘The Death of Hieromonk Juvenaly’ in “Russia in North America : Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Russian America”, Sitka, Alaska, 19-22 August, 1987 (Fairbanks, Alaska : Limestone Press, 1990) pp. 322-357.

• ‘The Legacy of St. Vladimir : Byzantium, Russia, America’ in “Papers presented at a Symposium commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary” (Crestwood, New York, 1988) pp, 243-258.

• ‘The Orthodox Church and Orthodox Christian Mission From an Alaskan Perspective’ in “International Review of Mission. Ecclesiology and Mission (I)”, (“The World”, vol. 90, no. 358, July 2001).

• ‘Priest Brings Multicultural Message’ by Christa Sadler in “Chilkat Valley News” (Haines, Alaska : 15 February, 2006).

• “Conflicting Landscapes American Schooling/Alaska Natives”, co-authored with Clifton Bates (Alaska : The Kuskokwim Corporation, 2008). Distributed by Univ. Alaska Press and University Press of Colorado.

Audio presentations :

• Lecture 1 :

- The Diverse Cultures of Siberia and Alaska as New Fields for the Seed of the Gospel- Tape 1

- The Diverse Cultures of Siberia and Alaska as New Fields for the Seed of the Gospel- Tape 2

• Lecture 2 :

- The Exploration of Alaska and the Lay Foundation of the church 1741-1794 – Tape 1

- The Exploration of Alaska and the Lay Foundation of the church 1741-1794 – Tape 2

• Lecture 3 :

- The Monastic Mission to Kodiak and the First Fruits of the Harvest: St. Herman, St. Peter the Aleut, and others – Tape 1

- The Monastic Mission to Kodiak and the First Fruits of the Harvest: St. Herman, St. Peter the Aleut, and others – Tape 2

• Lecture 4 :

- Missionary Expansion Across Alaska: St. Innocent Veniaminov and St. Jacob Netsvetov – Tape 1