Dave Belanger, the much loved and longtime manager of Catholic cemeteries for the Anchorage Archdiocese, passed away on the morning of Good Friday (April 3, 2015) after a nearly year-long struggle with cancer. A funeral for will take place on Thursday, April 9, beginning at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church in Wasilla.
The following reader responses were published in the April issue of the Catholic Anchor.
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.
Why do many Catholic women – including Alaskans – use contraception? Area experts say couples aren’t hearing enough at church, from their doctors, or at home about Natural Family Planning (NFP), the natural and ethical way to regulate the birth of children. Lana Persson of Anchorage said she has never heard a homily on NFP. There was no mention of it in her catechism class before she converted to Catholicism as an adult.
To view Holy Week and Easter images from across the Archdiocese of Anchorage, check out the Catholic Anchor Facebook page here.
“I hadn’t ever been to a Catholic Church before,” Glenn Crocker recalls. “I was interested in it and started RCIA, and it spoke to me. I really enjoy the classes. I’ve been going every Tuesday. I never walk away from it regretting that I came. I learn so much. It’s one thing I think you don’t get so much in the Baptist church or other denominations. Yes, you get some, but it’s more localized and less consistent.”
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.
Here’s a rundown of news briefs and upcoming events from across the Anchorage Archdiocese.
In the wake of the devastating earthquake, Anchorage drew the attention of Rome. A papal representative, had visited Anchorage before the earthquake to bless the city’s first Catholic school. He came back immediately after the earthquake to see the devastation. Observing how large Anchorage was, he recommended it become its own diocese. The proposal then went to Pope Paul VI who created the archdiocese in 1966.
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.