As reported by prnewswire.com, a Knights of Columbus-sponsored poll discovered that more than half of all Americans plan to attend church on Easter (53 percent). Among Catholics, the number rises to 73 percent, and for practicing Catholics, 95 percent.
The Anchorage Archdiocese will welcome 68 new Catholics into full communion with the church at the Easter Vigil liturgy on the evening of March 31. More than 30,000 others around the nation will join these.
Hundreds of Alaskans are expected to take part in the annual Good Friday Faith Walk on March 30. The annual devotion begins at various points across Anchorage with groups of area faithful walking and praying the Stations of the Cross.
Palm Sunday is March 25, the last Sunday in Lent. This day marks the beginning of Holy Week and a time when Catholics commemorate the triumphant arrival of Christ into Jerusalem, just days before his crucifixion.
In an ongoing effort to put his finger on the pulse of the Catholic Church in Alaska, Anchorage Archbishop Paul Etienne is continuing a series of listening sessions at parishes across Southcentral Alaska. The next session is Tuesday, March 20, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and Catholics from across the archdiocese are welcome to attend.
The following Holy Week and Easter liturgies and events are scheduled across the Anchorage Archdiocese. Call the parishes for more information.
The Chrism Mass, a profoundly sacred liturgy, with roots in antiquity and hopes in eternity, will be celebrated at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage on March 21 at 7 p.m.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Saint Padre Pio’s death, some of his relics are traveling to Fairbanks in May. The visit is part of a nation-wide tour of dioceses across North and South America.
Deacon Van Tuyl has a deep appreciation for area priests who hold a chaplaincy card, which is issued through the state Department of Corrections, but he knows that the existing network of deacons and lay ministers are crucial to serving the incarcerated.
This video by Charlie Ess shows the unique life of a Catholic deacon in Alaska. Deacon Harry Moore serves at St. Michael Church in Palmer, Alaska, but every summer he boards a commercial fishing boat to catch salmon in Bristol Bay.