By Deb SeidlThe North Star Catholic Holy Cross Parish is one of the smallest parishes in the Anchorage city limits, with about 350 registered families. The parish was established on July 22, 1984, by Archbishop Francis Hurley. The first Mass was celebrated at Abbot Loop School with a cross placed at the corner of Lake…
By Deacon Vince HansenThe North Star Catholic A former mission served by the priests assigned to Skagway, the Southeast Alaska community of Haines saw its first Sacred Heart Church constructed in 1920. The mission’s history pre-dates the “old church,” with the first documented baptism taking place in 1905 at Fort Seward. The original church was…
By Dominique JohnsonThe North Star Catholic Father Dick Tero has ministered as a priest to the people of Alaska for the last 46 years. He was ordained June 4, 1974, as a priest for the Archdiocese of Anchorage by Archbishop Joseph Ryan. Father Tero was inspired to seek a vocation in the priesthood at a…
By Anna SchultenThe North Star Catholic Gina Del Rosario’s work as the director of the Juneau Pioneer Home has given her unique opportunities to minister to the residents’ physical and spiritual needs over the past eight years. “This is more than a job to me,” said Gina. “I have worked for the state for over…
Dear Fr. Leo: What happens to our souls when our bodies die? Does it go with our spirits up to God for initial judgment? I have a good friend from a new religious movement who believes that the soul remains with the dead body until Christ returns. At the same time, I would like to…
In the summer of 2019, Daughter of Charity Sister Mary Peter Diaz left Anchorage for a new assignment on the vast Navajo Reservation in the Southwestern United States. Like all of us, Sister Mary Peter, who had worked here in both Hispanic and Native ministry, had no idea what was in store in 2020. So,…
2020 is a year that none of us will ever forget. The challenges faced by all of us, as organizations, parishes and individuals, were unanticipated and beyond what any of us could have conceived. Illness and uncertainty followed all of us this year. And the most vulnerable—those in poverty, elders, the ill, and children, were…
“May we be in this world a ray of that light which shone forth from Bethlehem, bringing joy and peace to the hearts of all men and women.” Pope Francis This message from Pope Francis during Advent of 2013 to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square is just as relevant now as it was then,…
Advent is a season of great hope! It prepares us for the Second Coming of Christ and celebrates the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. With themes of faith, hope, longing, preparation, and determination, Advent calls us to wait with faith and hope; to prepare for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Every…
By Annette AllevaThe North Star Catholic The season of giving associated with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays can be one of great joy for those with means and a generous heart. For those whose needs for the most basic elements of survival know no season, it can cause hardship and anxiety. Traditionally, churches and social…