Michael Oleksa
Encyclopedia
Michael James Oleksa, Ph.D., is an archpriest
in the Orthodox Church in America
and a historian of the Orthodox Church in Alaska
.
Oleksa is a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania
and a graduate of Emmaus High School
in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
. He attended Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C.
, where he graduated in 1969. He then went on to do graduate work at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
in Crestwood, New York.
He went to Alaska in 1970 from St. Vladimir's at the invitation of Old Harbor
, an Alutiiq
village on Kodiak Island
. He served as an Orthodox priest in more than a dozen Alaska native villages over the next few decades. He earned his doctoral degree in 1988 from the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Prešov
, Slovakia
, focusing on native Alaskan history during the period of Russian imperial ownership (1741–1867).
He is the author of a number of books and articles pertaining to native life in Alaska, particularly regarding the life of the Orthodox Church there. He also produced a four-part series for PBS
called Communicating Across Cultures. He also teaches at the University of Alaska
and Alaska Pacific University
.
Archpriest
An archpriest is a priest with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.In the 16th and 17th centuries, during...
in the Orthodox Church in America
Orthodox Church in America
The Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...
and a historian of the Orthodox Church in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Oleksa is a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
and a graduate of Emmaus High School
Emmaus High School
Emmaus High School is a public high school located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12 in Pennsylvania's East Penn School District in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located five miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Emmaus was 11,313 at the 2000 census...
. He attended Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where he graduated in 1969. He then went on to do graduate work at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary is an Orthodox Christian seminary in Crestwood, New York, in the United States. Although it is under the omophorion of the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in America, it is a pan-Orthodox institution, providing theological education to students...
in Crestwood, New York.
He went to Alaska in 1970 from St. Vladimir's at the invitation of Old Harbor
Old Harbor, Alaska
Old Harbor is a city in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 237.-Geography:...
, an Alutiiq
Alutiiq
The Alutiiq , also called Pacific Yupik or Sugpiaq, are a southern coastal people of the Native peoples of Alaska. Their language is called Sugstun, and it is one of Eskimo languages, belonging to the Yup’ik branch of these languages. They are not to be confused with the Aleuts, who live further...
village on Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
. He served as an Orthodox priest in more than a dozen Alaska native villages over the next few decades. He earned his doctoral degree in 1988 from the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Prešov
Prešov
Prešov Historically, the city has been known in German as Eperies , Eperjes in Hungarian, Fragopolis in Latin, Preszów in Polish, Peryeshis in Romany, Пряшев in Russian and Пряшів in Rusyn and Ukrainian.-Characteristics:The city is a showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, focusing on native Alaskan history during the period of Russian imperial ownership (1741–1867).
He is the author of a number of books and articles pertaining to native life in Alaska, particularly regarding the life of the Orthodox Church there. He also produced a four-part series for PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
called Communicating Across Cultures. He also teaches at the University of Alaska
University of Alaska System
The University of Alaska is a land-grant university founded in 1917 in Fairbanks in the State of Alaska. However, its largest campus by number of students was established in the much-more populous Anchorage area....
and Alaska Pacific University
Alaska Pacific University
Alaska Pacific University is a small liberal arts college located in Anchorage, Alaska, that emphasizes experiential and active learning...
.