Title to Historic Church Lands returned to Alaska
In an historic vote at its regular Fall Session, the Metropolitan Council of the OrthodoxChurch in America, gathered in Syosset, New York, voted unanimously to return to the ownership of the Orthodox Christians in Alaska, title to all real estate the national church headquartered there has held in trust since 1867.
According to the Treaty of Cession, which placed Alaska under US rule, ownership the land and buildings was to be retained by the Orthodox Christians who worshipped there, but the legal title was deeded to the bishop, in trust for them. In 1870, when the church's headquarters relocated to San Francisco, the deeds went south as well, and in 1904, the archbishop's see moved to New York City, where the title has remained--until today.
Archpriest Michael Oleksa proposed that title to all Alaska Church lands be returned at the Spring session of the Church's national board of trustees, but some legal objections arose. Citing that it was the legal and fiduciary responsibility of the Council to know exactly what lands were involved, Judge Ray Lanier insisted that a complete listing of the holdings and their potential value be presented first, and Father Oleksa's motion was tabled.
Professor Lanier then spent an exhausting week in Anchorage, studying the records compiled by Grayce Oakley, the diocesan lands secretary, who had spent over four years compiling, cataloging and becoming thoroughly familiar with all the deeds and their histories. This enabled the church then to act with proper diligence and care in voting to return title to all the holdings to Alaska, a decision suggested as early as 1923 in a letter Judge James Wickersham wrote in response to an appeal drafted by Father Andrew P. Kashevarov, the founder of the Alaska Territorial (now State) Historical Library and Museum. Now 87 years later, the Orthodox Church in America has at last followed the Judge's wise counsel and all Alaskans can join the Church in thanking Ms. Oakley for her dedication and commitment to preserving this heritage for future generations.
