In recent months, I’ve been prayerfully asking: “What kind of church is God calling us to be today?” I believe that much of the answer lies in the papacy of Pope Francis. As Saint Francis himself was called to “renew my church,” I believe we are being called to a renewal in our time by this pope. I’m all in!
Here are photos of the Christmas Midnight Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage, Alaska on Dec 24, 2017. Photos are by Ron Nicholl.
Editor’s note: The following is the obituary for Father Steven Moore.
One of the most prominent and long-serving priests of the Anchorage Archdiocese, Father Steven Moore died on Dec. 22 after battling for more than a year with cancer.
The Christmas Midnight Mass and Christmas day Masses for parishes from across the Anchorage Archdiocese are listed below.
One night when we were building our church in Magadan, Russia, in 2000, I woke up after a terrible nightmare. I had seen the church finished but it was empty and cold. No people. I woke up in sweats and literally fell to my knees and begged God to not let this happen. I wanted a church full of activity and people of all kinds.
Simbang Gabi is a series of special liturgies leading up to Christmas. The celebration of the nine-day novena of Masses is a longest-running and popular Catholic Filipino religious tradition. At the Masses, the faithful especially focus on the Blessed Virgin Mary in the preparation for the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ.
In an effort to inspire and challenge Catholic families across Alaska, the Fairbanks Diocese is hosting a Catholic family conference later this winter. The Feb. 9-11 conference is titled, “Families Fully Alive.” The gathering will take place at Monroe Catholic High School with the aim to “engage family members of all ages to help foster Christ-centered families through a weekend-long vacation Bible school for children and nationally renowned speakers for teens and adults.”
Anchorage Archbishop Paul Etienne has hired John Harmon as the new chancellor for the Archdiocese of Anchorage. Harmon brings extensive business, legal and pastoral experience as a former teacher, college president, Fortune 100 corporate attorney and a Catholic high school principal.
St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church is celebrating its 60th anniversary on Dec. 10 and welcomes its Latin rite brothers and sisters from across the Anchorage Archdiocese to join in.