> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://uoj.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Abp. Alexei Visits Chenega for Candlelit Patronal Feast - URL: https://uoj.news/news/abp-alexei-visits-chenega-for-candlelit-patronal-feast/ - Published: 2026-09-28T16:09:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-28T16:09:58.000Z - Description: Abp. Alexei’s visit to Chenega brought generations together in a candlelit celebration of the Nativity of the Theotokos and prayers for a community whose Orthodox faith endured earthquake, tsunami, and rebuilding. - Author: Tobias Straney - Tags: #Category: News, Archpastoral Visit, Archbishop Alexei of Sitka, Alaska, OCA **CHENEGA, AK —** Abp. Alexei of Sitka and Alaska traveled to Chenega for an [archpastoral visit](https://odosa.org/news/the-prayers-still-arise-chenega-welcomes-archbishop-alexei-for-its-patronal-feast?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAcGRvZgFicmlkETFicUVMcDNDS0l5a1UyWHl5c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHichXR5Osf5Yy40uxDUQ8wfTcgClbTpe1HRq4UW-Q4oQsPGYKJ57JJTAG8Ob%5Faem%5FgcBrc%5F0IeNpiAQhpNxVM5g) marked by a candlelit All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy, fellowship with parishioners, and prayers for the community’s departed. The journey from Whittier took five and a half hours through heavy rain and unsettled seas, with the Archbishop traveling aboard a larger ferry alongside Priest Thomas Rivas, Archpriest Thomas Andrew, and Dn. Anthony Lekanof. The visit was made especially significant by the presence of Kristine Van Winkle (Madsen), a former Chenega schoolteacher and survivor of the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake and tsunami. It was her first visit to the new Chenega village site, connecting the community’s history of devastating loss with its present-day life. Community leaders, families, elders, children, and young people from Chenega and neighboring Tatitlek gathered to welcome the Archbishop. [![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/oca-and-rocor-hierarchs-concelebrate-at-old-rite-parish-in-alaska.jpg)On this topicOCA and ROCOR Hierarchs Concelebrate at Old Rite Parish in Alaska](https://uoj.news/news/oca-and-rocor-hierarchs-concelebrate-at-old-rite-parish-in-alaska/) At the center of the weekend was the Nativity of the Theotokos Russian Orthodox Church. For the first time in the history of the new church, its patronal feast was celebrated through the night by candlelight. As the evening progressed, candles illuminated the icons and mosaic floor while the faithful kept Vigil and celebrated the Divine Liturgy, giving particular poignancy to the feast in a community that was destroyed and rebuilt after the 1964 disaster. The visit also included informal time with parishioners, who asked Abp. Alexei questions about the Faith. He explained why the Church continues to read the Psalms and pray for the departed, saying, “We pray because we love them.” He also explained the Cyrillic letters “ХВ” on Paschal bread as “Khristos Voskrese,” prompting laughter when he told the group they now knew some Russian. ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A1888-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A1738-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A1774-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A2258-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A2286-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A2576-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A2733-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A2814-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A2947-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A3063-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A3079-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A3135-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/657A3167-Large.jpg) ![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/09/DSCF9172-Large.jpg) Photos: odosa.org The following morning, Ab. Alexei and the faithful gathered in the rain at the cemetery for a Panikhida for those who had died. At the conclusion of the prayers, a rainbow appeared over Chenega. Throughout the weekend, the community’s hospitality, the presence of young people, and the continued celebration of Orthodox worship offered a visible testimony to a faith that survived the destruction of the old village and continues to unite generations today. Previously, the [UOJ reported](https://uoj.news/news/akhiok-orthodox-parish-celebrates-100-years-under-protection-of-the-theotokos/) that Akhiok Orthodox Parish celebrated 100 years under the protection of the Theotokos.