Through person-to-person contact participants were able to engage in dialogue and find out whether someone considers himself a Catholic and feels welcomed by the local faith community. These conversations provided insights into the lives of those on the margins of the church, and allowed participants to further reflect on their own involvement in the faith and to build leadership skills.
Blackfoot Chief Crowfoot, a Plains Indian who lived in the 1800s, said this: “What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”
Included in the book is the story of a 15-day trip with a close friend, Father Peter Harman, who had been pastor at the cathedral in Springfield where Wilkins is a parishioner. During their Gates of the Arctic trek, the priest would celebrate Mass in the stark wilderness.
Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage has a new athletic director for their 7th-12th grade programs. John Warren took over the co-ed sports program this fall. He told the Catholic Anchor that he has a degree in political science and exercise science from the University of Nebraska, and has enjoyed helping a wide variety of teams over the years as an athletic trainer before arriving in Alaska almost 17 years ago.
A priest at my parish told about the crucifix that hung in the chapel of the novitiate where he prepared for the priesthood. He was intrigued that the corpus of Christ was nailed, not to a cross, but to the brick wall of the chapel.
Holy Cross Father LeRoy Clementich, known affectionately to most as “Father Clem,” will have his last column published for the Catholic Anchor in February, bringing an 18-year run to an end.
Long before it became today’s fashionable trend, Jesus espoused the importance of “mindfulness.” Pay attention. Life is short. Sometimes it’s particularly hard to be fully mindful during busy December. For Christians, Advent is a time to pause and ponder the incredible truth that we have a God who entered human history in all its messiness.
A group of enthusiastic Alaskan teens joined an estimated 20,000 youth from all across the United States for the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana Nov. 16-19. “This is the premier Catholic youth ministry event in the country that happens on a regular schedule,” said Matthew Beck, the director of youth and young adult ministry for the Anchorage Archdiocese. “And it’s a lot of fun.”
Anchorage Archbishop Emeritus Roger Schwietz has spent more than half of his 50 years of priestly ministry as a bishop and archbishop, first in Duluth, Minnesota, and then in Anchorage. But, at age 77 and anticipating his golden anniversary of ordination to the priesthood in December, he’s getting a chance to do once again what he truly loves in priestly ministry, being a pastor.
Jesuit Father Chuck Peterson is a big man with a big voice well known to generations of Alaskan villagers. As a young man he dreamed about being a priest in Alaska. Today, after a career spanning more than 50 years serving indigenous people, mostly in Alaska, he dreams of returning to the Last Frontier following a devastating illness.