Given that the mission of the Catholic Church is to inspire and invite people into a deeper love of God in all his beauty and splendor, perhaps even frontier churches should reconsider ways to foster the vital role that sacred art has played since the earliest days of Christianity.
For Santo, the journey to making this sculpture began when he was an altar boy at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, and the pastor showed him a photo of Michelangelo’s renowned Pieta. He remembers wondering why that would happen — why God would allow Mary to go through so much suffering because of her Son’s Passion and death. This question, he believes, is the essential difference between his Pieta and that of Michelangelo. He said that through the centuries, most artists have not wanted to make another Pieta, for fear that it would not measure up to Michelangelo’s masterpiece, often considered the greatest sculpture ever created.
Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage graduated six seniors this year. The k-12th grade school held its baccalaureate Mass at Holy Family Cathedral on May 19. Dominican priests from the downtown cathedral presided at the Mass and the choir consisted of the school’s faculty.
Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage graduated 11 seniors this year. The 7-12th grade school held its baccalaureate Mass on May 13 at St. Benedict Church in Anchorage. The next day, May 14, the seniors participated in the graduation ceremony at in the school’s gymnasium. Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz attended and spoke to the graduates.
Here is an overview of local events and news briefs from across the Anchorage Archdiocese.
Here is a list of upcoming liturgies and other events scheduled across the month of May in the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz is scheduled to participate and/or attend these events in the month of May.
After five years of formation, six men are on the cusp of the moment when Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz will lay his hands on their heads, invoke the Holy Spirit and ordain them permanent deacons for the service of the church. Family members, friends, priests, religious and fellow deacons are expected to pack Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral on May 1 at 7 p.m. to witness the ordinations.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz announced that J. Michael Hornick, formerly a priest of the Anchorage Archdiocese has been laicized and has lost his rights and obligations as a cleric for the Roman Catholic Church. The announcement came on April 29 after the Vatican approved the removal of J. Michael Hornick from all priestly duties.
Joy is a word Bailey uses frequently to describe the highlights of his time at the school. Of the things he is most proud of, the spirit of love and inclusiveness among the students is one of them. Normally soft-spoken, Bailey’s voice lowered a bit more when he describes how two students with muscular dystrophy have found nothing but support and acceptance at the school.