Blessed Mother Olga of Alaska Knitted Mittens

Blessed Mother Olga of Alaska knitted mittens

The Blessed Mother Olga of Alaska was orignally named Arrsamquq when she was born into the Yupik tribe in 1916. She passed away in 1979.

Arrsamquq, also named Michael, was a humble women with a compassionate heart. What was she known for? She knitted mittens.

Writing in the January 2024 issue of The Christian Century,  Meagan Saliashvili of Religion New Service tells us what Arrsamquq became known for. Blessed Mother Olga of Alaska…

“…knitted mittens and sewed leather and fur boots for her rural Alaskan community and often gave away her family’s few possessions to help others in need. She assisted pregnant women through childbirth and shared their joy and grief.”

She knitted mittens. Charlotte Riggle adds…

“When she noticed that a child was lacking adequate clothing, she would give the child her own children’s clothes.”

She knitted mittens. This reminds me of the little apocalypse in Matthew 25, when the Son of Man says,

 “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me….Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

She knitted mittens. And thereby opened the gates to the Kingdom of God.

The Blessed Mother Olga of Alaska, it is now reported in the news, has become the first female Orthodox Christian saint from North America.

She knitted mittens.

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For Patheos, Ted Peters posts articles and notices in the field of Public Theology. He  is a Lutheran pastor and emeritus professor at the Graduate Theological Union. He co-edits the journal, Theology and Science, with Robert John Russell on behalf of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, in Berkeley, California, USA. His single volume systematic theology, God—The World’s Future, is now in the 3^rd edition. He has also authored God as Trinity plus Sin: Radical Evil in Soul and Society as well as Sin Boldly: Justifying Faith for Fragile and Broken Souls. See his website: TedsTimelyTake.com.

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