Alaska’s Catholic bishops released a joint statement responding to the U.S. Supreme Court decision June 26 in which the judges ruled 5-4 that same sex marriage is a constitutional right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. The ruling effectively nullifies all state laws upholding marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
The devil is in the distractions. He encourages us to look away from Jesus. This is not to say we don’t address the storms but the storms are reasons to have more faith, not less. It is a time to go to God, not away from him. Our faith in God replaces our fear. If the devil distracts us from our lord and savior, he wins — and he will do everything in his power to distract us.
CatholicAnchor.org As people quietly found their places in the pews of Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage on the sunny evening of June 19 a crescendo of voices rose just outside the sanctuary. Priests, deacons, Knights of Columbus, seminarians and alter servers took their places for the grand procession, which opened the Eucharistic Liturgy…
“The care for creation is a pressing issue, especially in the light of the great harm being done to the natural world of which we are a part, and the threat to the poorest and most vulnerable people worldwide because of environmental destruction,” Alaska’s bishops stated. “This encyclical invites each of us to prayerfully examine our consciences, and review not only how we have lived in communion with God and with others, but also with all creatures and with nature.
Learning to confidently speak English as a second language is challenging for many newcomers to the United States. This is especially so when attempting to communicate about deeply personal and emotional topics — like the state of one’s marriage. In such cases, many non-English speakers lean back on their more familiar mother tongue.
When Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz lays his hands on 47-year-old Deacon Arthur Roraff to ordain him a Catholic priest it will mark the second such ordination in the past three years for the Anchorage Archdiocese. This comes after an eight-year drought. But things are changing and several more men are in line for ordination in coming years.
“I think I picked the right person, the perfect person for me,” Gilbert (known as “Gil”) conclusively stated. Sandra leafs through a book filled with photographs of her family. Gil sat in a rocking chair. Occasionally, he asked her to complete his sentences. After 54 years they are still in love.
A long-time missionary servant to Alaska, Mercy Sister Arlene Boyd, died June 9 in Albany, New York. She was a Sister of Mercy for 59 years, spending most of that time teaching religious education and serving the poor and marginalized in Alaska. Sister Boyd lived through the earliest days of the Archdiocese of Anchorage, which was founded in 1967. Around that time late Anchorage Archbishop Joseph Ryan persuaded the Sisters of Mercy in Albany to send some of their sisters north to the new archdiocese.
The hike is open to priests, fathers and men who are Catholic, as well as those who are considering Catholicism or those who simply want to strengthen their commitment to fatherhood and family, Deering explained. The trek is not meant to be a “fathers and sons” hike, but intended to challenge adults physically and spiritually.
Eagle Eye Alaska is an innovative annual hike and retreat that takes young adults into Alaska’s backcountry in an effort to inspire and reconnect them to the practices, sacraments and prayers of the Catholic faith. The upcoming Eagle Eye retreat, for ages 20-35, takes place July 10-19. The yearly trek includes priests and religious from the Community of St. John who attend the backpacking trip and provide formation throughout the weeklong retreat.