CatholicAnchor.org Catholic Social Services (CSS), with its emphasis on stewardship, begins the new year with its annual appeal to the Catholic community. CSS seeks to engage in the three tenets embodied in stewardship; an offering of time, talent and treasure. Among its many programs, CSS assists couples with unanticipated pregnancies and shelters the homeless, from…
CatholicAnchor.org The theme for Lent in 2020 is “Renewed by the Spirit.” Perhaps this theme could be a call to all of us to encounter God and allow Him to guide us. That can feel difficult, allowing ourselves to be guided with an open heart. There are so many influences trying to guide our lives…
CatholicAnchor.org I don’t love driving on dark rural roads. But several years ago, when I worked for Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, I found myself chauffeuring guest speakers around one-traffic-light hamlets as we campaigned to convince citizens to support repeal of our death penalty. I remember, especially the evening Sister Helen Prejean was…
CatholicAnchor.org When I was first ordained, I studied apologetics. It is equipping yourself with the best answers to questions of what and why you believe. Apologetics was practiced by St Paul and is best represented by the biblical passage of 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to…
CatholicAnchor.org Just a short month ago, we celebrated the birth of our Lord, born in a manger in a town where his parents traveled to be counted. This counting, or census taking, has long been a part of our human experience. The only change over the centuries is that we don’t have to travel to…
CatholicAnchor.org Kodiak is the first permanent European settlement in Alaska, dating back to the Russian settlement in 1784. In the 1800s, missionaries were able to serve it on rare occasions. With World War II and the establishment of a naval base, the population increased, and land was purchased for a church. The building of the…
CatholicAnchor.org As we welcome 2020, there is, with all New Years, a sense of hope for good things to come. Many start the new year with a resolution in the hope of changing their lives for the better. Statistics show that a small number who report making resolutions say they have been able to keep…
CatholicAnchor.org Going where others can’t or won’t go is a charism Father Frank Reitter, a former Marist priest, brought with him to the Archdiocese of Anchorage and his current parish, St. Mary’s in Kodiak. Going to where he is needed has been a recurring theme of Father Frank’s ministry. Early in his priesthood, he was…
CatholicAnchor.org An archdiocesan dodgeball tournament was originally planned for November 30, 2018. The games were canceled when the large earthquake occurred that day, causing frayed nerves and triggering the sprinklers in the gym that was going to host the event. Thirteen months later, the tournament finally took place at Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage….
CatholicAnchor.org On November 30, 2018, at 8:29 a.m., a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit southcentral Alaska. Hundreds of aftershocks followed, leaving Alaskan residents in recovery mode and uneasy for months to come. November 30 is the feast day of Saint Andrew, and it is no small irony that the parish that suffered the most damage from…