Parish History

Our 
Mission Church

          St. Herman’s Orthodox Church in Fairbanks, Alaska, is part of the Orthodox Diocese of Alaska, a diocese of the Orthodox Church of America (OCA). The parish is diverse, including Alaska Natives, Yupik, Aleut, Americans, Ukrainians, Romanians, Russians, Eastern Europeans, and numerous converts and members of the U.S. Army and Air Force. Services are performed in English, with occasional services in Yupik, Russian, and Greek.

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          St. Herman, the church’s patron saint, was one of the first Orthodox monks to come to Kodiak Island, Alaska, in 1794. Among the initial group of missionaries, he was the only one to complete the mission. St. Herman was known for using holy water blessed on the feast of Theophany to cure the ill, performing miracles, and possessing prophetic insight. His love, teachings, lifestyle, and holiness won countless people to Christ during his time and continue to inspire today.

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          St. Herman’s Orthodox Church was founded in 1976 as the inaugural missionary church of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) in Fairbanks. The first Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Archpriest Nicholas Harris at St. Matthews Episcopal Church in the early 1970s, with many faithful in attendance. Land for the church was donated by one of the original organizers. However, for several years, the faithful of St. Herman’s met informally for reader services in private homes before moving into a chapel at Alaskaland, now known as Pioneer Park. During this time, priests from Anchorage and Kodiak traveled to Fairbanks several times a year to hold services.

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          In the 1980s, key individuals who helped support and grow the church included Mary Kay Barsdate, Steve and Juliana Dahl, Bill and Irene Lucas, Dr. John and Jane Sellin, and Gary and Sherry Hale. In September 1983, Archpriest Michael Oleksa became the first resident priest assigned to St. Herman’s Orthodox Church. He began serving the parish after accepting a temporary faculty position at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, which soon became permanent. The community initially worshiped in the garage attached to Fr. Michael’s residence. During the next four years, the parish grew from an average attendance of 30 adults to nearly double that number.

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          In 1986, Charles Rohrbacher, an iconographer from Juneau, created a collapsible iconostasis for the State Historical Museum. After the exhibit, the iconostasis was donated to St. Herman’s parish. After years of moving between temporary locations, St. Herman’s Church settled into its current home on Goldstream Road in 1992. A structure was built to serve as both the church and fellowship hall, with plans for a future church building. With a completed building, the church was officially designated as a parish in 1998, elevating it from mission status.

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          After Fr. Michael Oleksa left the Fairbanks area, the parish was served intermittently by traveling priests from Anchorage, including Fr. Michael Trefon, Fr. John Peck, Fr. Michael Boch, and Fr. Isaac Farha. In 2001, Patrick Pletnikoff was ordained to the Subdiaconate by Bishop Nikolai and continues to serve the parish. In 2014, Fr. Andrew and his family moved to Fairbanks to serve as the rector of St. Herman’s Orthodox Church, where he continues to serve today.

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          Since 2020, it is not uncommon for the church to be filled with 100 or more people during a regular Sunday Liturgy, with many parishioners being families with young children. To accommodate the growing congregation, the parish has plans to expand the current building while fundraising to construct a new Cathedral on the property. The new Cathedral design has the blessing of Bishop Alexei of the Alaska Diocese. The parish is actively seeking support to finance the ongoing and future projects.