The North Star Catholic / February 2015

Catholic Social Services looks ahead to Lenten partnerships

Reflecting on Lent, I contemplate sacrifice and I think about my parents. I think about how they sacrificed daily in order to give me a good foundation. They gave of their time and their resources. They did not solve my problems for me but they gave their time to help me work out challenges on my own. They did not shower me with money but taught me to work and to earn my own way, all the while sacrificing their resources to help fund my education.

Letters to the Editor

The Catholic Anchor welcomes letters to the editor. Here are some letters which appeared in the latest issue of the Catholic Anchor.

Youth minister aims to ignite spiritual fire in Alaska teens

Ricky Shoop doesn’t approach youth ministry with the goal of creating a fun zone or circus-like atmosphere that competes with the limitless forms of entertainment available to youth. Instead he emphasizes the intellectual capacity of teens, and the importance of fielding their most difficult questions with a sincere response. That might mean dropping all his well-laid plans in a moment. “Any teacher who values their prescribed idea or materials for the day over the inquisitive minds of his students will be prideful and ineffective,” Shoop said. “The kids must first be heard, then answered.”

Deacon lays groundwork for expanded Hispanic outreach in Alaska

Catholic outreach to Hispanics in the Anchorage Archdiocese is about to undergo a dramatic shift. Three members of the Congregation of the Mission, popularly known as Vincentians, will soon be serving the growing number of Southcentral Hispanics. Two of them are priests, and their arrival from Columbia will be determined by how quickly they receive their religious workers visas. But Deacon Arnold Hernandez is already in Anchorage, laying the groundwork for the mission by studying the needs and immersing himself in the local Hispanic culture.