The passing of Sister Arlene Boyd although eliciting sorrow also brought great joy when thinking about her legacy. As a teenager and president of the Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) in 1969-70, I was blessed to witness her leadership and compassion in her ministry.
Groth said that a big part of the problem is that “we under-challenge our young people” when it comes to faith. “We’ve got a parish of 3,000 families where I’m at, and I can scan any Mass and maybe find five or ten young people sitting in the pews. And it’s not because we’re over-challenging them” in youth ministry, he said. “It’s because we’re not reaching out enough and we’re boring them out of the pews and we’re not giving them something worthy to really sink their busy lives and time into.”
In an effort to promote Catholic education in Alaska, an Anchorage youth was awarded a scholarship for her winning essay on the theme: “Just be a blessing.” The Catholic Daughters of the Americas court in Anchorage organizes the annual student essay scholarship.
Below is a round-up of recent news and upcoming events across the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska.
A deacon with nearly 40 years of service to the Archdiocese of Anchorage retired from his position as director of the Office of Worship July 1. Deacon Ted Greene, a long-time homilist and catechist, said that health problems this year combined with a restructuring of the pastoral center offices means that at age 75 it’s time to slow down. Slowing down physically is tough for a man whose intellect and interest in all things Catholic have been running at high speed for years.
Matthew Beck has been hired to fill a new position with the Archdiocese of Anchorage as director of youth ministry. He will assume his new post Aug. 3. Beck holds a master’s degree in pastoral ministries from St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minn. in addition to an undergraduate degree in secondary education from the University of Idaho.
Fifty years ago, Church Fathers at the Second Vatican Council restored the ancient office of the permanent diaconate and allowed married men to be ordained as permanent deacons in the Catholic Church. All these years later, deacons are now an integral part of modern parish life, serving as lifelines for many busy priests who sometimes struggle to meet the diverse needs of their parishes. Deacons can be married or single. Most — 98 percent — have spouses. These wives play a special and critical role in this rapidly growing ministry.
Jim Gaffigan, a standup comedian who happens to be a married Catholic father with five children, is a headliner for this year’s Alaska State Fair. A rising star, the popular comic known for his food jokes and self depreciating skits also regularly includes monologues about his large and growing family and the hilarity of raising five children.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz has invited Catholics across the archdiocese to join him, July 3, for a Mass and reception in celebration of his 25th year since being named a bishop. The 25th Jubilee events will begin with a Mass of Thanksgiving on Friday, July 3, starting 2 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage. A public reception will immediately follow.
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.