By Gregory and Kathleen Fast An Alaskan husband and wife were one of 50 Retrouvaille couples based in North America who were invited to meet Pope Francis at the Paul VI Audience Hall in Rome on Nov. 6. In his address to the Retrouvaille assembly, Pope Francis expressed his gratitude and offered words of encouragement…
By Father Pat TraversDiocese of Juneau Ever since Pope Francis announced on May 19, 2020 that Bishop Andrew Bellisario of Juneau would become the archbishop of a new Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau, many of us have had questions as to what this means and how it will come about. Especially now, while we are transitioning to…
On May 19, 2020, Pope Francis merged the Archdiocese of Anchorage and the Diocese of Juneau and erected the new ecclesiastical circumscription of the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau. At the same time, he named the current bishop of Juneau and apostolic administrator for Anchorage, Andrew E. Bellisario, C.M. as the first metropolitan archbishop of Anchorage-Juneau. The…
CatholicAnchor.org In many Catholic schools, you will often find this quote posted prominently in school offices and classrooms: “Let it be known to all who enter herethat Jesus Christ is the reason for this school,the unseen but ever-present teacher in all its classes,the model of its faculty,and the inspiration for its students.” For me this…
A total of fifteen students graduated from Lumen Christi High School and Holy Rosary Academy this spring. Congratulations to our graduates! We wish you the very best in your endeavors. Senior Profiles: Lumen Christi High School Sophia Dupras grew up in Kodiak and moved to Anchorage in 6th grade. Sophia started 7th grade at Lumen…
CatholicAnchor.org The five Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Anchorage each found unique ways to celebrate their graduating classes this year. Despite the challenges posed by social distancing, each school has made a concerted effort to minister to their students and families in this difficult time. The schools, faculty, and staff have worked hard to…
By Father Pat Traver, Diocese of Juneau CatholicAnchor.org Of all the limits on our activities imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, for many Catholics, one of the most distressing has been their inability to participate at Mass and receive our Lord in Holy Communion. Indeed, the vehemence and anger that some of our brothers and sisters…
CatholicAnchor.org After COVID-19 began to spread in the United States, the CDC has recommended the use of masks to help stop the spread of the virus. Soon masks started disappearing from store shelves and many people began making their own cloth masks. Members of the Alaska Native Ministry in Anchorage, led by Sister Frances Vista,…
CatholicAnchor.org When “social” is part of your name, the challenges to deliver services when social distancing is mandated can be daunting, but manageable. Catholic Social Services (CSS) is navigating a new way to reach out to the marginalized, the poor, and the homeless as restrictions are placed on all human activity, due to the unprecedented…
CatholicAnchor.org A Gospel passage about our Lord’s teaching on the Eucharist was so shocking that “many of his disciples” refused to accept it. As a result, they stopped following Jesus and returned to “their former way of life.”Christ asks those who stayed with Him: “Do you also want to leave?” It was a moment of…