EDITOR’S PICKS
Young Alaskans prep for World Youth Day in Portugal
Young Catholics from across the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau are preparing to travel to Lisbon, Portugal, in August 2023 for World Youth Day — an opportunity to experience the global Church, be a witness of Christ, and experience the Holy Spirit. World Youth Day typically includes catechetical formation and spiritual experiences, including daily Mass, opportunities for…
St. Anthony Parish holds Native Mass for St. Kateri Tekakwitha feast day
In honor of the Feast Day of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Anthony Parish in Anchorage held a celebratory Mass in July to commemorate the life of the first Catholic American Indigenous saint. On July 16, the Anchorage parish invited people to join their Kateri Circle for the special occasion. The spirituality of these communal groups…
Alaska Native Catholics attend ‘Alive in Christ’ event in Chicago
A group of young adult Alaska Natives from the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau and Diocese of Fairbanks ventured to Chicago in late June for a synodal process event to dis- cuss their hopes for the Catholic Church’s future. From the archdiocese, Sister Frances Vista and two Alaska Native residents of Anchorage, Jenay Mike, and Jessica Hunt,…
Big Lake parish celebrates life as a Catholic community
Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Big Lake has roots as deep as the archdiocese. Its first church building was completed and dedicated in 1966, the same year that Pope Paul VI established the Archdiocese of Anchorage and appointed Archbishop Joseph Ryan as its first archbishop. It was to be a baptism of fire…
6 Washington Catholics help remodel hall of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Wrangell
Six men from St. Michael Parish in Olympia, Washington, traveled to Wrangell for a week to help parishioners remodel the St. Rose of Lima Parish hall in early June. “Please offer a prayer for each of them and their needs,” said Father Steven Gallagher on Facebook about the “Missionary Six,” as he calls them —…
Deacon Gary Horton dies at age 85 in May
Deacon Gary Horton, one of the earliest permanent deacons to serve the former Diocese of Juneau, died on May 16, 2022. He was 85 years old. A funeral Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Andrew Bellisario, C.M., at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Juneau on June 8. Deacon Horton was interred at the columbarium at…
Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau celebrates synod closing Mass on Pentecost
Upon the end of the diocesan phase of the synod on Pentecost Sunday, June 5, the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau celebrated the synod closing Mass, which brought archdiocesan parishes and their parishioners’ respective cultures together for the first time since the new archdiocese was unified in September 2020. During the Mass, which was held at the…
Little Sisters of Jesus offer years of service to Alaska communities
The Little Sisters of Jesus, who have been crucial to the growth of Catholic communities across the globe, will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founder’s arrival to Alaska in August. The first community of the Little Sisters of Jesus was started by Sister Magdeleine Hutin in 1939. They follow in the footsteps of Saint…
Lumen Christi High School celebrates class of 2022 graduation
Lumen Christi High School celebrated commencement at the school gymnasium in Anchorage on May 5. The class of 2022 is the 24th class to graduate from Lumen, and they tie the class of 2011 for the largest graduating class in school history with 16 seniors. Nine of the graduates attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic…