On the weekend of August 22-23, 2015, His Grace, Bishop David of Sitka traveled to Newhalen, AK on the north shore of Iliamna Lake to consecrate the recently completed Holy Transfiguration Church.
“Construction of the new church, which began around the year 2000, was completed this summer,” said Bishop David. “It replaces a much smaller church that had been built in the 1970s but had become too small and was in need of extensive renovations.”
Concelebrating with Bishop David were Archpriest David Askoak, Rector, Archpriest Alexie Askoak, New Stuyahok, AK; Archpriest Michael Trefon, Nondalton, AK; Priest Michael Nicolai, Dillingham, AK; and Deacon John Kudrin, Anchorage, AK.
“Upon my arrival at the Iliamna Airport, an eagle escorted our car to the church,” Bishop David noted. “This was taken by everyone who saw it to be a sign of an added blessing from God on the new church!”
Originally a Yup’ik village called Noghelin, after the Newhalen River—“Newhalen” is an Anglicized version of the original name—the village was established in the late 1800s because of the bountiful fish and game in the area. The population now includes Alutiqs and Athabascans as well as Yup’ik, most of whom pursue subsistence hunting and fishing.
