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New bishop’s chair at Anchorage’s co-cathedral once held John Paul II

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.

Anchorage cathedral vandalized

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.

Anchorage attorney freed to enter cloistered monastery

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…

George Washington’s Thanksgiving proclamation rooted in faith

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…

Nome churches, nonprofits keep tax exemption after citizens pack city council

Business owners, nonprofit workers and others packed the city council chambers in Nome, Alaska, to voice opposition to a proposal that would have ended sales tax exemptions for churches and nonprofits. As a result of the packed meeting, Nome’s nonprofits and churches will remain exempt from city sales tax.

Remembering a legend who brought Catholic faith to Alaska

CatholicAnchor.org Juneau Bishop Edwards Burns lead a group of Alaskan pilgrims to the hometown of an Italian priest who traveled to Alaska in the late 1800s to bring the Catholic faith to far-flung villages. Read the account of their pilgrimage here.

Open to life, even when kids may have Cystic fibrosis

Openness to life involves suffering with happiness. In our family’s case, the suffering usually has a name: cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that occurs when both parents pass on the mutated gene to their child. This occurs at the moment of conception and is a one in four chance with each pregnancy. It has happened to my husband and me twice with seven children. Some have wondered why we would bring more children into the world to suffer and die but the truth is that every single person is born to a life of joys, sufferings, then death.

Alaska parish rethinks, breaks faith formation mold

To achieve its goal, the parish launched “Super Sundays,” which strives to make youth faith formation enjoyable and lively, while drawing parents out of their cars in the parking lot and into classes of their own. Bob McMorrow, the parish’s director of evangelization and catechesis, said that he knows from his own large family that kids sometimes balk at going to religion class. Being a dad, he had a few ideas about how to change attitudes.

Nome considers taxing churches to raise city funds

The Nome City Council is moving forward with an unprecedented plan to tax local churches and nonprofits in an effort to increase city coffers. A recent article by KNOM.org reports that with the city budget projected to run a deficit, the council plans to move forward with an ordinance to remove sales tax exemptions from more than 40 local nonprofits including St. Joseph Catholic Church and 10 other churches. The city estimates the move will bring it an added $300,000. If the proposal passes, Nome would become the first town in the nation to tax its churches.

In truth, laws cannot redefine marriage

Making Sense of Bioethics In the current debate over gay marriage, people sometimes ask: Who should define marriage? Democrats or Republicans in Congress? The Supreme Court? Should it be put to a referendum, allowing the majority to choose a definition? We can identify two kinds of “definitions” when it comes to marriage. The first touches…