New All Saints of North America Icon to Debut at OCA's 21st All-American Council
Commissioned by Metropolitan Tikhon, the icon honors the saints of North America and will be unveiled in Phoenix this July
SPRINGFIELD, VA — A newly commissioned icon of All Saints of North America will be formally unveiled and blessed at the 21st All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America, scheduled for July 14–18, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona.
The icon, created by master iconographer Anton Daineko, was commissioned following a call for proposals issued by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon in January 2024. Submissions were received from iconographers across the globe, and after careful review, Mr. Daineko—an instructor at the Icon School of St. Tikhon’s Art Institute in South Canaan, Pennsylvania—was selected for the project.
Completed earlier this year, the icon includes all saints of North America listed in the OCA’s Diptychs, including the recently canonized Righteous Olga of Kwethluk. At the heart of the composition, in accordance with Metropolitan Tikhon’s vision, Christ is enthroned in glory, flanked by the Theotokos and St. John the Baptist in the traditional deësis arrangement.
As is customary for synaxis icons of regional saints, a significant local church features prominently in the background. For this icon, Metropolitan Tikhon requested the inclusion of the historic Church of the Ascension in Unalaska, Alaska—a temple built by Saint Innocent of Alaska himself.
The icon has been housed at the Chancery in Springfield, Virginia, awaiting its formal debut. At the Council, His Beatitude will bless the icon, after which it will be available for veneration by the assembled clergy and faithful throughout the weeklong gathering.
Following the Council, the icon is expected to return to the OCA Chancery until the next All-American Council. The unveiling marks a significant moment in the liturgical and spiritual life of the Church, uniting the faithful in the veneration of North America’s holy men and women who have shone forth in righteousness.
