On Saturday, Dec. 6, Anchorage children will gather at St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church with hopes of spotting Saint Nicholas, the third century bishop of Myra and the inspiration behind much of the Christmas gift-giving tradition.
Advent and Christmas don’t roll around, year-after-year, by default. They are very deliberate seasons — established and developed over time by the church — to assist us in renewing and reawakening our friendship with Christ.
An historic chair once used by Saint Pope John Paul II will play a central role when Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is established as a co-cathedral for the Anchorage Archdiocese on Dec. 12. Now considered a relic of the recently canonized pope, the high backed carved walnut chair, circa 1900, has resided in Archbishop Emeritus Francis Hurley’s private chapel in Anchorage since the pope’s landmark visit at Delaney Park Strip on Feb. 26, 1981.
The historic Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage was vandalized on Dec. 2. The Dominican priests who staff the parish found it damaged and in disarray at about 4:30 p.m.
A video of the damage taken by Dominican Father Mark Francis Manzano shows overturned pews, spilt holy water, toppled liturgical furniture, including the archbishop’s presider’s chair and debris scattered throughout the sanctuary. Advent candles and the ambo were also thrown to the floor and a microphone connected to the sound system was ripped out.
The Catholic Social Services Board of Trustees is hosting a reception to welcome the new Executive Director Lisa DH Aquino. The event takes place on Dec. 10, 5:30-8 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Heritage Library and Museum (301 West Northern Lights Blvd., Anchorage).
Editor’s note: Last May Catholic Social Services Executive Director Susan Bomalaski announced that she was planning to step down after serving in her post for nine years. Her successor, Lisa DH Aquino, was recently hired by the CSS Board of Trustees and will continue providing a column on social justice from Catholic Social Services. This is her first.
CatholicAnchor.org Anchorage attorney, convert to Catholicism and Holy Family Cathedral parishioner Tara Clemens has finally been able to enter the Corpus Christi Monastery, a Dominican religious cloister in Menlo Park, Ca. The mission of the cloistered Dominican nuns is to honor and promote devotion to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Writing in the cathedral’s…
CatholicAnchor.org Editor’s note: The following is a list of events and liturgies planned across the Anchorage Archdiocese in the month of December. Events are in Anchorage unless noted. Sundays, 11 a.m., Mass, AK Native Medical Center Sundays, 4 p.m., Dominican Rite Mass, Cathedral Sundays (2nd & 4th of the month), 7-9 p.m., Sacred Harp choral…
CatholicAnchor.org Editor’s note: The following is a list of some of the engagements, public events and liturgies on Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz’s December calendar. All events are in Anchorage unless noted. Dec. 4, 9 a.m., Mass, Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 11, 9 a.m., Mass, Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12, 5:30 p.m., Mass of…
CatholicAnchor.org Editor’s note: The following is the Thanksgiving proclamation issued by President George Washington, at the request of Congress, on October 3, 1789. Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and…