Building community in Southeast Alaska

When Sr. Jean Rhoads, D.C. and Liz Loeffler began their June 2026 trip to Juneau, Haines, Klawock, Ketchikan, and Sitka, they went to seek opportunities for the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau to engage youth, young adult, and Alaska Native Catholics. 

“We wanted to identify ways to support our youth and young adults,” said Loeffler, archdiocesan director of Catholic schools and faith formation. What they found were people eager to help promote a retreat weekend for the Catholic youth of Southeast Alaska, and to sow the seeds to grow the bonds of community throughout the region. Sr. Jean, director of Native ministry for the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau, and Loeffler met with pastors, deacons, catechists, youth ministers, directors of faith formation, parents, young adults, and youth across Southeast Alaska. 

Planning is in the early stages, but the plan is to have a retreat in Juneau and a retreat in Anchorage in the near future. Attendees will pray, reflect, attend adoration, participate in fun activities, and do service together. 

Sr. Jean and Liz.

A grant from Catholic Extension is the primary support of their effort. Additional help from parishes and locals will prove essential in enhancing these retreats. Assistance with transportation, rosaries, food and snacks, and letters of support from parishs that attendees will read at retreat, is appreciated and will go a long way in making the retreat special. 

“The goal is to help excite Southeast Catholics about their faith and grow in community and fellowship. The young adults in Southeast are really excited about the retreat and envision connecting Southeast with the broader community,” said Sr. Jean. They imagined different ways they could maintain community throughout the year, from online meetings to gathering at different parishes. 

Sr. Jean and Loeffler join parishioners of St. John by the Sea in Klawock for fellowship.

One challenge faced by Catholics in Southeast Alaska is travel between communities. Outside Juneau’s two parishes, the Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Paul the Apostle, no parish in Southeast Alaska is connected by road to any other. If Catholics in Southeast want to gather, they need to fly or take a ferry. Rather than a quick twenty-minute trip, these trips can sometimes take all day, traveling for hours by water, or taking expensive flights to reach another Southeast community. Nevertheless, Sr. Jean and Loeffler said they found a number of people eager to take up the challenge of connecting Southeast parishes.   

Sr. Jean said, “By the time I was back in Juneau, I met with the director of religious education at St. Paul’s, Kimberly Watt, and a couple who are starting a young adult group.” Sr. Jean met with Watt and three young adults from St. Paul the Apostle parish in Juneau. Loeffler, who talked with Watt on the phone, said, “It was like an answer to our prayer. The young adults were very receptive.” Likewise, in Sitka and Klawock, Sr. Jean and Loeffler said they found a promising number of Alaska Native Catholics who could attend the retreat.

Both Sr. Jean and Loeffler enjoyed their time in Southeast. Though they had a busy itinerary, they were able to meet and connect with many people. 

“Everyone is welcoming in Southeast,” Loeffler said. “I wanted to move and work from there. The best thing that happened was the new connections we formed with the priests and people. The people are grateful you’re there.”

Even though they are beginning to work out plans, they say they are excited for the possibility to assist Southeast locals in continuing to build community.

“The joy in our faith should be contagious,” said Loeffler. 

Community begins with relationship, and relationship begins with recognizing need and making sacrifice to meet that need. Consider ways to support this upcoming retreat and keep the retreat and the people of Southeast in prayer as Sr. Jean and Loeffler work out the details with the local young adults who are eager to sacrifice and inspire the youth of Southeast.

“We want them to share their joy in living the faith,” said Sr. Jean. 

If you are inspired to offer support, please reach out to Sr. Jean Rhoads at jrhoads@aoaj.org and Liz Loeffler at lloeffler@aoaj.org.

All pictures courtesy of Sr. Jean Rhoads, D.C., and Liz Loeffler.