February 26 marks the 45th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s visit to Anchorage in 1981. Archbishop Francis Hurley announced his visit in January, and introduced the planning committee. It comprised a mix of influential Alaskans, including Governor Walter Hickel, Max Hodel, Larry Dineen, and others. They called themselves the Committee for the Civic…
In the midst of a record 80 inches of snow falling on Juneau in the holiday season, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul St. Therese Conference (SVdP) served 25% more families than last year’s holiday season. Jennifer Skinner, the executive director of SVdP, said the overall need was greater this year. The society oversees…
In the busy holiday season, setting aside time to perform live music in a Christmas program at Seward’s Spring Creek Correctional Facility requires dedication, practice and planning. But it’s worth the effort to “spread the Catholic spirit of faith and joy, especially for people who don’t get to communicate with the world at all. It’s…
A Mass on the Feast of Christ the King at St. Anthony parish in Anchorage on November 22 honored King Islanders and Teddy Mayac Sr., who created a Native cross for the archdiocese in the 1970s. Sr. Jean Rhoads, D.C., director of Native Ministry, organized the Mass, while Kateri Circle members assisted with drumming, signing,…
Bishop of Fairbanks Steven Maekawa, O.P. celebrated Mass at Holy Family parish in Anchorage on October 15, preceeding the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) convention. To celebrate the archdiocese’s Alaska Native community, present for the Mass were many members of the archdiocese’s Kateri Circles, and Sr. Jean Rhoads, D.C. Concelebrating with Bishop Maekawa, who formerly…
As of November 17, I’ll officially be a priest in occasional ministry, having reached the retirement age of 70 the day before. I’d like to offer this reflection on my experience as a priest. When we cleaned my dad’s house after he died, we found all sorts of mementos my parents had saved from our…
St. Catherine of Siena parish in Petersburg just poured the foundation for its new church on August 17, 2025, just over two years after their old church burned. On August 31, pastor Fr. Jose Thomas carried out a ground blessing, praying that the Holy Spirit “be with us… that we may set aside individual differences…
This article was written and sent by the Sisters of Charity Cincinnati Communications Office. When she was just 8 years old, Sister Delia Sizler knew she wanted to dedicate her life to caring for children who had no families of their own. By the time she reached eighth grade, she realized that the best way…
Fr. David Nations C.M. is a multi-tasking Vincentian priest. He is fluent in Spanish and has ministered to the Latino community for over 30 years. He fixes bothersome IT issues, hems and mends his own vestments, cooks and bakes for large gatherings, knits, remodels homes, repairs engines, and currently is learning how to offer mass…
Lea Bouton, a current teacher at Lumen Christi High School (LCHS) in Anchorage, made the gift of donating her kidney to her former student, Jesse Batac in July 2025, saving his life. When Bouton met Batac nearly ten years ago he was a 10th grade student in two…