CatholicAnchor.org On Feb. 2, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz marks his 24th year as a bishop. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 3, 1940, the 73-year-old prelate has been a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate since his first profession of vows on August 15, 1961. He was ordained to the priesthood in…
CatholicAnchor.org Alaska is caught in the international blight of human trafficking, a vicious form of modern day slavery. And the problem is more prevalent than most people realize, said Heidi Carson, who serves as victim’s assistance coordinator for the Archdiocese of Anchorage and works full-time at Covenant House Alaska, which provides shelter and other services…
CatholicAnchor.org Catholic education has a long history across the world, including in Alaska where students from varied background and faith traditions have received spiritual and academic guidance for several generations. In the Anchorage Archdiocese, families can choose from one of five Catholic schools. But what about non-Catholics? Like most Catholic schools across the nation,…
CatholicAnchor.org The Dominican friars at Holy Family Cathedral are dearly beloved by the parishioners who they have served over the past four decades. It’s a mission that has shaped Catholicism in Alaska and one that continues to impact the city of Anchorage. This year marks the 40th year since the first Dominicans from the…
CatholicAnchor.org Supporters of a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use in Alaska submitted 46,000 signatures to state election officials on Jan. 8 with hopes of forcing a statewide vote on the issue in August. The group needs 30,000 signatures to be certified for the measure to move forward. The push for liberalizing marijuana…
CatholicAnchor.org Alaska’s Commissioner of Health and Social Services defended the state’s new regulation that requires abortion practitioners to explain why they thought an abortion was “medically necessary” before they receive compensation for the procedure from Alaska’s public funds. As in other states, Alaska is subject to the long-standing federal law — the Hyde Amendment —…
CatholicAnchor.org The Catholic Church opposes all direct abortions but does not condemn procedures which may result, indirectly, in the loss of the unborn child as a “secondary effect.” There are, for example, rare cases when a pregnancy can be life threatening, such as the case when a mother is suffering from an ectopic pregnancy…
CatholicAnchor.org The ancient pilgrim path, the Camino de Santiago, is the backdrop of a new film coming to Anchorage this month that traces the sacred pilgrimage route (The Camino) westward across Spain to the city of Santiago de Compostela where the bones of the apostle Saint James are said to be buried. Millions of pilgrims…
CatholicAnchor.org A group of 75 pro-life advocates braved the chill and freezing rain to pray at the 14th annual Ecumenical Memorial Prayer Service on January 18th at Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery. Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz opened the ceremony with prayer, reflecting upon Pope Francis’s recent statement about a “throwaway society” that thoughtlessly discards anything undesirable…
CatholicAnchor.org Jesuit priest Father Normand Amedée Pepin, an acclaimed composer and organist who served the Fairbanks Diocese for more than 30 years, died Jan. 4 in Weston, Mass. Born in Norwood, Massachusetts in 1933, Father Pepin grew up an avid hockey player and served as an altar boy. According to his obituary, in the…