The North Star Catholic / ALASKA NEWS Archives - Page 115 of 136

Catholic schools seen to dig deeper, “teach the soul”

Anyone can go to any school and learn where the New England Patriots are from. Anyone can go to school and learn what R-O-U-G-H spells. But Catholic schools are something different. They not only teach the mind and the body, they also teach the soul. It’s important to know that God made you, and that God loves you as you.” With these words Father Frank Reitter’s homily challenged a gathering of more than 400 Catholic school students who traveled from across the Anchorage Archdiocese to attend a Mass that was celebrated as part of the nationwide Catholic Schools’ Week.

Grants cuts threaten CSS homeless outreach

A program that distributes funds to keep homeless and emergency shelters open across Alaska has been cut from Governor Bill Walker’s proposed capital budget. Unless legislators restore the funding, dozens of organizations, including Catholic Social Services in Anchorage will feel the pinch.

Archbishop Schwietz celebrates anniversary with Mass, memories

Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, who was the seventh bishop of Duluth and now archbishop of Anchorage said it was a “strange feeling to be back here in this pulpit.” “It’s so good to be with you,” he said, as he began his homily for a Feb. 2 Mass celebrating the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth, Minn. He was joined by Duluth Bishop Paul Sirba, a small group of area clergy including Father Scott Medlock of Anchorage and several seminarians for the Anchorage Archdiocese.

Legislation aims to free up faith-based health care options in Alaska

Alaska Senate Majority Leader John Coghill (R – North Pole) has introduced a bill exempting religious-based health care sharing ministries (HCSMs) from being regulated as health insurance in Alaska. A distinctive and attractive aspect of HCSMs for many Catholics and non-Catholic Christians alike is that HCSMs are not subject to federal or state contraceptive or abortion mandates.

Alaska bill aims to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide

Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, who leads 30,000 Catholics across Southcentral Alaska, strongly opposes the bill, saying it is not about granting people a so-called “right to die,” but pushing “doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to kill people.”
“In a state with a suicide rate twice the national average, we are now proposing that it should be legal in some instances,” Archbishop Schwietz told the Catholic Anchor. “What kind of message does this send to our youth? In their young minds, they look at life without the practical experience that comes from age. They may view their situation as equally depressing or as terminal as someone with an illness. They see no way out. ‘If it’s okay for those who have no hope of regaining their health to kill themselves, why can’t I?’”

Sex offender accountability is part of upholding dignity

The goal in implementing the policies of safe environment is to promote the charity, love and strength of Jesus to and from everyone. I am specifically referring to one very sensitive issue. Parishioners and ministers alike ask me about the church’s policies when a parishioner or church minister or volunteer has been convicted of a serious crime, such as a sexual offense against a child or vulnerable person or child pornography. These offenses are clearly against charity and the dignity of the human person. They cause very deep, life long wounds.

Holy Family to replay audio of pope’s address to Alaskans

Pope John Paul visited Anchorage on Feb. 26, 1981, and celebrated Mass on the Delaney Park Strip. To commemorate this event as part of its 100th anniversary celebration year Holy Family Cathedral will play a recording of Saint John Paul II’s homily with a reception of finger foods and drinks provided by the Polish American Club of Alaska. This event will start at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 in the Holy Family Center. All are welcome. For more information, call the cathedral at 276-3455 or logon to: holyfamilycathedral.org

Editorial: ‘Safe-sex’ ideology doesn’t protect Alaskan women

CatholicAnchor.org Across much of our country, women suffer from high rates of sexual abuse and rape. The problem is nowhere more dire than Alaska, where nearly 40 percent of women report being victims of sexual violence at some point in their life. In recent months, we have also learned of high levels of rape on…

Youth minister aims to ignite spiritual fire in Alaska teens

Ricky Shoop doesn’t approach youth ministry with the goal of creating a fun zone or circus-like atmosphere that competes with the limitless forms of entertainment available to youth. Instead he emphasizes the intellectual capacity of teens, and the importance of fielding their most difficult questions with a sincere response. That might mean dropping all his well-laid plans in a moment. “Any teacher who values their prescribed idea or materials for the day over the inquisitive minds of his students will be prideful and ineffective,” Shoop said. “The kids must first be heard, then answered.”

Deacon lays groundwork for expanded Hispanic outreach in Alaska

Catholic outreach to Hispanics in the Anchorage Archdiocese is about to undergo a dramatic shift. Three members of the Congregation of the Mission, popularly known as Vincentians, will soon be serving the growing number of Southcentral Hispanics. Two of them are priests, and their arrival from Columbia will be determined by how quickly they receive their religious workers visas. But Deacon Arnold Hernandez is already in Anchorage, laying the groundwork for the mission by studying the needs and immersing himself in the local Hispanic culture.