News & upcoming events

CatholicAnchor.org
Married couples to renew vows

On Feb. 14 – World Marriage Day – married couples are invited to join Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz for a special celebration of marriage at Holy Cross Church in Anchorage. The evening, hosted by Alaska Worldwide Marriage Encounter, begins at 5:30 p.m. with a special Mass and renewal of wedding vows. A reception dinner will follow, along with the announcement of Alaska’s longest married couple. Reservations must be made by Feb. 10. For more information or to RSVP call (907) 248-5616 or email billandsherry@gci.net.

Holy Rosary Academy open house

Holy Rosary Academy, a k-12th grade Catholic school in Anchorage, will be hosting two open house events for interested families on Feb. 11 and April 22. The evenings will run 6-9 p.m. and include tours of the school, a chance to meet the faculty and see the classrooms and curriculum. The events will also include a chance to meet with Principal Catherine Neumayr and visit with parents of current students. For more information, call the school at 276-5822.

Lenten day of prayer

A Lenten day of prayer will be hosted by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas on Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The service, facilitated by Father Dan Hebert, will take place at St. Patrick Church in Anchorage, followed by lunch. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP by March 4 and a $10 donation is suggested.

For more information, contact Debbie Vea at 278-500l or email vea@alaska.com.

Rosary group meets in Palmer

St. Michael Church in Palmer is home to a weekly rosary prayer group. The gathering takes place every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the parish’s Blessed Sacrament Chapel. For more information, contact the church at 745-3229.

Italian dinner fundraiser for WYD

On Saturday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m., all are invited to a seven-course Italian dinner at St. Benedict Church. Tickets are $30 a person. Proceeds will help youth of the parish travel to World Youth Day (WYD), the triennial international youth gathering with the pope. The next WYD is in Poland from July 22 to August 16. To make dinner reservations, call 273-1552 or email rmcmorrow@stbenedictsak.com.

Feb. 13-15 program for marriages

From Friday, Feb. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 15, Retrouvaille of Alaska will host a weekend program for married couples whose relationship is suffering or who are separated, divorced or considering divorce. Retrouvaille is a peer ministry that helps couples “re-light the spark of love, companionship and joy” once shared and save their marriage. For information or to register, call 800-470-2230, or send email to 6001@retrouvaille.org. Also, visit HelpOurMarriage.com.

Pastoral plan in works for Asian & Pacific Island Catholics

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has begun a project to develop a broad national pastoral plan for Asian and Pacific Island Catholics. Changes in immigration law after 1965 introduced higher numbers of migrants from around the world, and the U.S. Catholic Church has seen a dramatic rise in Asian migration.

The bishops are spearheading a nationwide assessment of the pastoral needs of these groups. To this end a survey has been translated into 14 languages and recently launched online at nsapicus.com.

In the spring, researchers will follow up with focus groups and interviews with key leaders.

The aim is not to assess what is right or wrong but to take a snapshot of what is actually happening in parishes and outreaches to Asian and Pacific Island Catholics.

The findings will be presented at the USCCB conference in Baltimore in November.

Archdiocese names new CFO

The Anchorage Archdiocese has named Monika Scott as its new chief financial officer as of Jan. 1. Scott has worked in finances for the archdiocese for 12 years. Most recently she served as the director of finances and insurances.

In a past article Scott told the Catholic Anchor that she places a high priority on communicating the language of accounting into terms that will “resonate with the people you might most want to understand our situation and our mission.”

She also emphasized the importance of being “in touch with your mission, and the need to adapt your mission to the present reality.”

Women’s morning of reflection

The next first Saturday morning of reflection for women is Saturday, Feb. 14, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at St. Patrick Church. There will be a rosary, Mass, confession, a talk, time for reflection and light lunch. Dominican Father Augustine Hilander will celebrate Mass. For more information and to register, call Kathy at 332-2335.

Holy Family Cathedral visual celebration

In honor of the parish’s 100th anniversary, Holy Family Cathedral is hosting monthly events throughout 2015 to commemorate its century-long presence in Anchorage. The next event will be a visual display of Saint John Paul II’s historic visit to Anchorage in February 1981. During the visit the pope spoke at Holy Family Cathedral, visited parishioners and prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. The upcoming visual display commemorating the visit will take place at Holy Family Cathedral on Feb. 6. For more information, contact the cathedral at 276-3455.

Lumen Christi Gala to support school

Lumen Christi High School will host its 20th annual Gala on Feb. 7. This year, for the first time, the event will take place at the school. Individual tickets are $85, family tables of eight are $600 and corporate tables are $1,000. For more information, call the school at 245-9231. Lumen Christi is a 7-12th grade Catholic school in south Anchorage.

Celebrating marriage on Valentine’s Day

Worldwide Marriage Encounter is hosting a special event on St. Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, in honor of the sacrament of matrimony. The event will include celebration of Mass and an opportunity for couples to renew their wedding vows. Dinner will be provided. The evening begins at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Anchorage (2627 Lore Road). Dinner seating is limited and attendees are encouraged to RSVP. Reservations should include the names of the couple and the anniversary date. This information can be sent by email to billandsherry@gci.net or by calling 248-5616.

Submitting notices for publication

Those interested in submitting news and upcoming event notices for publication in the Catholic Anchor newspaper may do so by sending an email to catholicanchor@gci.net or by standard mail to 225 Cordova St., Anchorage, AK 99501.

Please include a brief description of the event, along with contact information. News and notices will be published as space permits.

To guarantee publication of an event, consider purchasing a paid advertisement. For more information, contact Advertising Manager Sandy Busch at 297-7715.

Catholic camp open in winter

St. Therese’s Camp in Wasilla remains open as a conference and retreat center throughout the year. Numerous parishes from the Anchorage Archdiocese have scheduled retreats at the camp this fall. To learn more about the camp, including costs and booking arrangements visit the website at stthereseak.com or call (907) 232-2066.