The Alaska Legislature is set to hear testimony on three separate bills this week dealing with religious liberty for clergy in performing marriages, the rights of a child born alive during an abortion and the mandatory expansion of contraception availability.
Religious liberty advocates are reportedly working on a plan to amend an Anchorage law that carves out new rights to those who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual. Those seeking to change the law hope to strengthen religious liberties so that business owners do not have to violate deeply held religious beliefs by being forced to provide goods and services for causes they cannot in good conscience support.
Bury the dead. The words may seem over-simplified in the pragmatic rush of everyday life, but not for those Alaskans who have taken on the task of honoring them as prescribed within the corporal works of mercy. For Dan Belanger, burying the faithful departed and looking ahead to what awaits them in the hereafter comes as an inheritance — an duty he admits befell him with the passing of his father, but not without a bit of preparation. In the context of the battlefield, Dan knows death all too well, but deeper down, he forges ahead in a legacy that honors death as the gateway to eternity.
The Chrism Mass, a profoundly sacred liturgy, with roots in antiquity and hopes in eternity, was celebrated at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage on March 16. Sacramental oils, used throughout the 138,000 square mile Anchorage Archdiocese were blessed by Archbishop Schwietz at the annual Mass. Two-dozen priests gathered with the archbishop and Bishop Renato Mayugba, visiting from Laoag Diocese in the Philippines. The clergy renewed their commitment to the priesthood and loyalty to the archbishop — an integral part of the ancient liturgy.
The following is a list of parish liturgies during Holy Week and Easter across the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska.
A bill to restrict Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from teaching or distributing materials in Alaska’s public schools passed out of the Senate Education Committee and on to the Senate Judiciary, where it is not yet scheduled for its next hearing.
The annual liturgy is one of the church’s most ancient ceremonies — the blessing of sacramental oils. At the Mass, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz will bless the chrism or holy oil used by archdiocesan parishes throughout the year for anointing the sick, confirmations and baptisms. Clergy and parishioners from around the archdiocese will be in attendance.
Hundreds of people are expected to take part in the annual Good Friday Faith Walk on April 3. The annual devotion begins at various points across Anchorage with groups of area faithful walking and praying the Stations of the Cross. As they wind through the city streets, the participants meditate on the steps Jesus Christ took through his Passion and death on the very first Good Friday. The various groups eventually meet together at Anchorage’s Town Square to pray the final stations together with Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz.
Catholic Men for Life, a lay apostolate at Anchorage’s Holy Family Cathedral, has invited all local Catholic men to gather on Saturday, March 19, to peacefully pray for an end to abortion.
The gathering will begin with Mass at 7 a.m. offered by Dominican priest Father Dominic David in the secluded parking area on the west end of 40th Avenue. Following the outdoor Mass, participants will walk over to the sidewalk in front of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility at 4000 Lake Otis Parkway at 8 a.m. for a continuous rosary vigil until 3 p.m.
The Alaska Safe Children’s Act requires that Alaska school districts teach students about sexual abuse, dating violence and personal bodily safety. The law faced criticism earlier this year in the Senate Education Committee when committee chairman, Sen. Mike Dunleavy of Wasilla, amended the bill to allow school districts the option of opting out of the curriculum. Additionally, Dunleavy added sections banning abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from working in schools, and requiring schools to get permission from parents before their children can participate in sexual education classes. The final bill removed these provisions.