Editor's Picks
The family: A complex mystery of sacrifice, love and joy
By Father Pat TraversVicar General, Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau On the Feast of the Holy Family last December, Pope Francis asked Catholics throughout the world to celebrate a year of reflection…
Lighting the path through Lumen Christi’s campus ministry
By Brian A. RossPrincipal, Lumen Christi Catholic High School Last August, despite the challenges of COVID-19, Lumen Christi Catholic High School opened its doors to in person learning for 92…
A journey back to the Catholic faith helped lead Deacon Ron Mathews to his vocation
By Dominique JohnsonThe North Star Catholic Born and raised in Sitka, Deacon Ron Mathews received the sacraments at St. Gregory Nazianzen Parish, where he now serves. However, his journey to the diaconate was not straightforward. “I really thought that I was more being allowed, by God, to be a deacon. I didn’t really think I’d…
Parish profile: St. Joseph, Cordova
By Father Michael Kim, KMSThe North Star Catholic Cordova is located on the shore of Orca Inlet in Prince William Sound and is the home of St. Joseph parish. The parish was established in the summer of 1908, and the first church was dedicated to St. Joseph that fall. The original church was built on…
Parish profile: St. Patrick, Anchorage
By Father Leo WalshThe North Star Catholic In 1971, Archbishop Ryan recognized a need for a new parish to serve the Catholic faithful on the east side of Anchorage. Without a facility, parishioners of St. Anthony Church came together to form this new parish community. The fledgling community met for several years in the gym…
Bringing safe environment issues to light through awareness and training
In the past thirty years, many of us have been exposed to Public Service Announcements (PSAs). Some of a certain age can remember PSAs from the 1960s and 1970s, especially related to campaigns against smoking, preventing forest fires and bringing awareness to care of the earth through littering prevention efforts. The message was to improve…
Catholic Community Service, serving Southeast seniors with compassion
As the sun rises on spring and Alaskans begin to regain a sense of normalcy in a post-pandemic life, now is the time to check in with aging neighbors and friends. Catholic Community Service (CCS) has the great honor to perform corporal works of mercy on behalf of the Catholic Church in Southeast Alaska. Catholic…
Ask Father Leo: Didn’t the apostles have other responsibilities?
Dear Fr. Leo: In the gospels, when Jesus called his apostles, they each just got up and followed him. What about the other responsibilities they had? Isn’t that abandonment? What about their other day to day life accountabilities? – S. Dear S:Yes, they did leave everything to follow him and yes, it is abandonment –…
Growing spiritually during Lent
How’s your Lent going? About this time of the season, we’re either well into a rhythm of observance, or we feel the time slipping by and think we’re not “doing” enough.
On the way
I got lost once, and I was scared. It was night. It was dark. It was clear with no moon. I was alone. I was driving across the desert in Arizona on my way from one interstate highway to another. The trusted GPS on my phone told me to go right. I turned right. It…
Sister Frances Vista, D.C. serving with the heart of a missionary
By Dominique JohnsonThe North Star Catholic Sister Frances Vista, D.C., recalls having an interest in religious life when she was 13 years old, living in the Philippines. “I saw a group of sisters wearing habits walking in a little town in the Philippines. I thought, wow, look at them; they look so happy,” Sister Frances…
During a pandemic, local engaged couples still seek the sacrament of marriage
By Annette AllevaThe North Star Catholic COVID-19 dashed many dreams, taxed our souls, took our lives. No one in the world has been left unaffected. Those planning to wed in the Catholic Church, preparing to commit to a lifetime with one they love, hit a huge bump in the road at the start of their…