News & upcoming events
Here’s a rundown of recent news and upcoming events in the Anchorage Archdiocese.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Archbishop’s Feb. Calendar
Here is a list of events and liturgies that Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz is scheduled to attend in January.
Feb. Community Calendar
Here’s a list of some of the events and liturgies happening around the Anchorage Archdiocese in February.
Holy Rosary wrestler is state champ
Holy Rosary Academy’s first season offering wrestling proved a success when freshman Michael Lucas won the state title in the 132-lb division of the Class 1-2-3A state wrestling championships in December. In an 8-2 decision, Lucas defeated Cody Greene of Valdez to finish the season with a 35-3 win-loss record.
Father Fred Bugarin marks 40th year as a priest
Parishioners at St. Anthony Church in Anchorage helped Father Fred Bugarin celebrate his 40th anniversary to the priesthood last month.
Describing their pastor as a “bridge builder between people,” parishioners held a community celebration on Jan. 24-25.
Part of a small handful of priest ordained in Alaska, Father Bugarin immigrated to Alaska from the Philippines with his father in 1963. He attended Anchorage’s first Catholic junior high school before graduating from West High School in 1967.
Anchorage Archbishop Emeritus Francis Hurley turns 88
Anchorage Archbishop Emeritus Francis Hurley celebrated his 88th birthday on Jan. 12 with a gathering of friends at his private residence in Anchorage. He served as head of the Anchorage Archdiocese for 25 years, retiring in 2001 when current Archbishop Roger Schwietz was installed. Archbishop Hurley continues to live in Anchorage where he celebrates daily Mass in his home chapel, visits with friends and former colleagues and regularly attends major funerals and Catholic events in the archdiocese.
Duggars headed for Alaska to spread pro-life culture
Millions of Americans have watched Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar display the joys of life in a large Christian family through the popular reality show “19 Kids and Counting.” In February the couple heads to Alaska to speak at Alaska Right to Life’s annual convention in Anchorage.
Alaska governor praises pro-life advocates for defending ‘precious’ life
Gov. Bill Walker praised Alaska’s pro-life advocates for their work, stating that “all life is precious and singular.” In a statement read by a representative from his office, the governor thanked the gathering of crisis pregnancy center workers, abortion recovery volunteers, religious leaders and others who braved sub-zero temperatures to participate in the Jan. 24 annual Interdenominational Prayer Service. The 15th annual event took place at the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States.
Legislators introduce measure to repeal Alaska’s marriage definition
Pre-filed legislation for the current session of the Alaska Legislature aims at repealing the state’s constitutional understanding of marriage, which is now defined as the union between “one man and one woman.” While Alaska’s constitutional definition of marriage was struck down by a federal judge last year, the state has appealed the decision as it awaits a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court (in a separate case) on the constitutionality of any state being able to limit the legal definition of marriage to “one man and one woman.”
Proposal bills would punish Alaskans who dissent on sex orientation
Two nearly identical house bills have been pre-filed in the Alaska Legislature with the aim to establish “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes under Alaska’s current nondiscrimination law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin and several other classifications. The proposed legislation would require state agencies, private employers, non-religious schools and other nonprofit groups to legally recognize and accommodate the preferred “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” of employees, customers, teachers, students and others regardless of their actual physical biology.