As a homeless man in Alaska, Jeff Lane lived at the mercy of four omnipresent factors — weather, the law, wild animals such as urban moose and bear, and attacks by teens looking to victimize the homeless. A hierarchy exists among the homeless, according to Lane, and any sense of loyalty to one another is underpinned by the crushing tyranny of alcoholic thirst: the next drink is king.
To the delight of some and the dismay of others, the meaning of marriage in the civil sphere is no longer what it once was, and in this sense, the legal institution of marriage has been “redefined.” But it may be more accurate, more descriptive, to say that the Supreme Court has furthered the deconstruction of this venerable institution. Reading through the majority opinion of the Court, one often encounters the phrase “right to marry” but struggles to understand how this means anything more than the right to be friendly companions.
A prominent national pro-life organization is urging Alaskans to contact U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, urging her to support the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Introduced in June by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) the measure would ban most abortions after 20-weeks. The bill passed the House in May with a bipartisan margin of 242-184.
“The history of growth in faith in this part of the United States has been amazing to witness,” Sister Magee said. “This project allowed us to see beautiful glimpses into all the activities that make up the church — joyful priests, children’s programs, liturgies, church dedications, and most evident, the sacraments, all truly told by the people of God.”
The Boy Scouts of America took the final step in July to lift its ban on Scout leaders who openly profess homosexuality – but many gay activists decried the change for not going far enough. The BSA executive committee passed a resolution to lift the ban and then on July 27, the National Executive Board ratified the decision, with 79 percent of the board’s 80 members agreeing.
Here is a listing of news and upcoming events from around the Anchorage Archdiocese.
Anchorage seminarian Kevin Klump has been in formation for the priesthood since 2011. He is on track to be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Anchorage in the summer of 2019. This fall he will be studying theology at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn
On Aug. 22, hundreds of pro-life advocates in Alaska joined tens of thousands from around the nation in praying and fasting to end abortion and the public funding of the largest provider of abortions in America — Planned Parenthood. Local gatherings in Fairbanks and Anchorage were part of a nation-wide effort in more than 300 cities to pray and protest outside Planned Parenthood clinics following the release of undercover videos showing the abortion giant harvesting body parts of aborted babies and then haggling over the value of each part with prospective buyers.
In an effort to increase opportunities for a Catholic education, the Anchorage Archdiocese has merged two education scholarship funds to provide more financial assistance to students attending local Catholic schools. After the archdiocese contacted donors earlier this year, Archbishop Roger Schwietz approved combining the Jackson Scholarship with the Archangel Fund, a move that nearly doubles money available to students for annual scholarship payouts.
On Sept. 15, Holy Family Cathedral marks 100 years of providing the sacraments and spreading the Gospel in downtown Anchorage. Located at the corner of 5th Ave. and H Street, the cathedral campus occupies most of an entire city block. That wasn’t the case back in 1915 when the humble wood-structure parish became the first church built in Anchorage.