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Annual Red Mass set for Alaska’s attorneys, lawmakers

The annual Red Mass takes place on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 9:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage. Held in many American cities, the Red Mass is a special liturgy for all who practice law, especially asking God’s guidance for attorneys, judges and politicians. Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz will celebrate the Mass, which will be followed by a brunch and presentation at the downtown Marriott Hotel. Father Patrick Travers, the judicial vicar for all three dioceses in Alaska, will give a talk entitled: “The foundation of Natural Law in American Law.”

Historic cathedral marks a century of sharing the Gospel in Alaska

Anchorage’s oldest church marked a momentous milestone on Sept. 15 — that was the day Holy Family Cathedral turned 100. Celebration of the centenary reflected the joy and solemnity that many parishioners felt in being part of the mother church of the Anchorage Archdiocese. Marked by great festivity, the centennial Mass was celebrated by Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz accompanied by 13 priests, including several former pastors of the cathedral.

Archbishop invites area Catholics to St. Francis Awards banquet

Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz has extended an invitation to area Catholics to attend the Oct. 8 St. Francis Stewardship Awards in Anchorage. The annual banquet honors Alaskans who serve the church in the spirit of Saint Francis.

Newly canonized saint has ties to Alaska’s first Mass

On Feb. 11, 1779 two Spanish ships slipped away from the dock at San Blas, Mexico and sailed into the dark toward Alaska. Three Catholic priests had joined the perilous mission — Father Juan Antonió Garcia Riobó and Father Matiás de Santa Catalina Noriega, Franciscans from Mexico, and Father Cristóbal Antonio Díaz, a secular priest from Peru.

Priests must preach the hard truths, but with compassion

When I first began my ministry in Russia 20 some years ago I recognized two subjects were off limits for me to speak of with my parishioners — alcoholism and abortion. Although most of the parishioners were affected by the disease of alcoholism either though a spouse, a relative, neighbor or friend no one wanted to talk about what to do. I knew that most every woman sitting before me every Sunday had undergone an abortion — and most likely numerous abortions. And the men as well sitting before me probably played a major role in those decisions.

Give your kids chances to give

One of the kids had brought $5 from home to buy Pokemon cards. But, because of bad behavior, that didn’t happen. Mom drove out of the Target parking lot and no one was happy. It was then they saw a man, with a woman and two children, holding a sign: “No job. Have kids. No food. Please help. God bless you.”
“Aren’t you going to stop Mom? We need to help,” came a voice from the back seat.

Alaskans to begin 40-day pray campaign outside Planned Parenthood

CatholicAnchor.org Alaskans are invited to participate in the international fall prayer campaign of 40 Days for Life. The annual event will begin with a kick-off rally on Tuesday Sept. 22 from 7-8 p.m. The following day, Sept. 23, the peaceful prayer campaign will run from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. for 40 days at the Planned Parenthood…

The joy of introducing children to Pope Francis

Most mornings, we gather together after chores and breakfast to pray for the “Fourteen P’s,” a list of requests that, over the years, we’ve managed to finagle all beginning with “P” (pope, president, priest, papa, pets, etc.). I also read something: perhaps a passage of Scripture or prayer to memorize, sometimes a saint’s biography or section of the children’s catechism. Now, it is short, child-sized teachings from Laudato Si.

Young Alaska Native embraces Catholic faith & tribal traditions

Traditional Yup’ik dance was a form of prayer, a ritualistic plea to the spirit world in the land that would one day be known as Alaska. In that long-ago age, the shaman donned masks representing animal spirits and led the tribe in singing, dancing and drumming to petition the spirits for specific needs. In the late 1800s Christian missionaries including Jesuit priests banned the Natives’ ancient ceremonial dancing, condemning it as evil pagan idolatry.

Alaskan man saved from the ‘devil & the bottle’

As a homeless man in Alaska, Jeff Lane lived at the mercy of four omnipresent factors — weather, the law, wild animals such as urban moose and bear, and attacks by teens looking to victimize the homeless. A hierarchy exists among the homeless, according to Lane, and any sense of loyalty to one another is underpinned by the crushing tyranny of alcoholic thirst: the next drink is king.