Cardinal Francis George had planned to be in Alaska this summer to celebrate the 25th year since his long-time friend Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz was ordained a bishop. That visit is not possible now as Cardinal George, 78, passed away April 17 after a long bout with cancer.
A bill aimed at giving parents greater freedom in directing the education of their children, including the right to opt out of standardized tests and controversial sex instruction classes, has been amended to prohibit Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform abortions from teaching in public schools.
A bill ensuring a parent’s rights to direct the education of their child in regards to any instruction relating to “human reproduction, health, or sex education,” is scheduled for a public hearing in the Alaska Legislature on April 9 at 9 a.m. Introduced by Sen. Mike Dunleavy, Senate Bill 89 requires local school boards to adopt policies that “promote the involvement of parents in the school district’s education program.”
bill to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide in Alaska has been scheduled for public testimony, via teleconference, on Thursday, April 9 at 3 p.m. House Bill 99, sponsored by Anchorage Democrats Rep. Harriet Drummond, Rep. Andy Josephson and Rep. Max Gruenberg, would permit doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to patients for the purpose of suicide.
A recent Gallup poll confirms previous reports that Alaska is one of the nation’s least religious states. According to the most recent poll, nearly three out of four Alaskans say they do not attend weekly religious services and almost 60 percent say they seldom or never attend religious services.
Editor’s note: Much beloved Dave Belanger, the longtime manager of Catholic cemeteries for the Anchorage Archdiocese, passed away on the morning of Good Friday after a long struggle with cancer. Below is a Catholic Anchor article which appeared in 2007 featuring Dave and his wife Priscilla who both spent countless hours burying the dead and caring for those who were left behind.
As the Archdiocese of Anchorage recognizes Child Abuse Awareness Month in April, the Archdiocesan Office of Safe Environment invited a guest writer Marg Volz to show the connection between negative childhood experiences and consequences to emotional and physical health. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops encourages all dioceses to focus on this designation to learn how child abuse goes against the basic premise of Catholic teaching on the dignity human persons.
CatholicAnchor.org Most Alaskans have entertained a visitor for a few days, venturing out to hike, fish, camp, canoe and visit places we’ve long neglected. The outsider’s enthusiasm spurs us to take a second look at this great land we call home. In some ways Alaska is a bit like Catholicism — vast, filled with the…
In the fall of 1965, Father Renner began a 15-year career teaching at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. He taught mostly German, but also he started the university’s Latin program. Over the years, he traveled extensively across Alaska gathering material for a series of books, including “Alaskana Catholica,” an encyclopedic look at the history of Catholicism in the state.
Click here to see the new clergy assignments for the Anchorage Archdiocese.