By Scott McMurren Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are here. But Alaskans are rarely content with just soda and pretzels and beer. With apologies to Nat King Cole, the standout quality for a great Alaska summer is kicking your travel plans into high gear. While traveling far and near, it’s always a treat…
By Janet WashamThe North Star Catholic St. Michael Parish in Palmer, Alaska, was founded in May 1935. The parish started to serve the colonists moving to Alaska as part of the Matanuska Colony Project, a United States Government New Deal Project in which families from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan settled into the Matanuska Valley and…
By Dominique JohnsonThe North Star Catholic Every year during July, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops highlights Natural Family Planning (NFP) with NFP Awareness Week. This year NFP will be highlighted during the week of July 25-31, with the theme: to have, to hold, to honor, Natural Family Planning supporting God’s gifts of love…
Sr. Frances Vista, DCThe North Star Catholic The feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha is celebrated in the United States on July 14. St. Kateri was the first Indigenous American to be canonized as a saint. Born in 1656 to a Mohawk chief, Kateri was orphaned at the age of four after her parents died from…
The soon-to-be saint Charles de Foucauld, who left behind a rich aristocratic life to live among desert-dwellers in Algeria, wrote to a friend, “to receive the grace of God you must go to a desert place and stay awhile…so that God can build his hermitage within…” But the irony of desert places is that they’re…
Alaskan kids enjoy all that the summer has to offer, but this time of year means instability and adversity for many. Summer break becomes a stretch of time where children go without the consistent presence of a mandated reporter of child abuse in their life. In fact, teachers and other school staff are the single…
Dear Fr. Leo:As a convert, I have difficulty with all the attention paid to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It seems to overshadow even that of Christ. Why is it so important that she was conceived without sin? – G Dear G,You raise an exceptionally good point. From the outset, it is important to make the…
In 2001, Robert Putnam published Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. The book did well, maybe in part because of that catchy title, and a new edition is out now. Its point wasn’t the collapse of bowling leagues, however. Instead, it was a broad look at how membership in community groups was…
By Father Steve MaekawaThe North Star Catholic On May 17, Archbishop Bellisario presented the Benemerenti Medal to Ed and Cathy Rasmuson during vespers at Holy Family Old Cathedral in Anchorage. It was a special recognition bestowed by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, to the Rasmusons for their lasting and exceptional service to the Catholic Church…
Since the inauguration of the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau on September 17, 2020, I have traveled to many of our parishes to celebrate the sacrament of confirmation. Usually, most confirmation celebrations take place within the Easter season. However, with travel restrictions due to COVID last spring, it was necessary to celebrate confirmations in October and November…