Father Pacholczyk regularly travels the country helping untangle the difficult choices that arise in the rapidly changing world of medical science. He speaks at Catholic hospitals, universities, diocesan events and myriad other functions. As he travels, he tackles tough questions on how one can make medical decisions that are in harmony with Catholic teaching about the dignity of human life.
Established on Feb. 9, 1966, by Pope Paul VI, the Anchorage Archdiocese turns 50 years old next month. To mark the historic day a special Mass will be celebrated on Feb. 9 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage. The liturgy begins at 6:30 p.m. with a reception following. The event is part of the ongoing “Season of Blessings” in which the archdiocese is celebrating key milestones of the Catholic faith in Southcentral Alaska.
Three years before his death on Jan. 10, Archbishop Hurley granted an extended interview with the Catholic Anchor covering his life and ministry across many decades. A previously unpublished portion of that Oct. 24, 2012 conversation touched on the archbishop’s untiring commitment to social justice.
Jay Hurley said Archbishop Hurley personified the dream of Alaskan poet Robert Service who wrote, “Send us men to match our mountains.” He was, as Jay Hurley said, “supremely balanced, open and receptive to individuals. He made the church real and alive…he brought vision to his ministry…constantly doing what the Holy Spirit prompted him to do.”
Shocking some while bringing a knowing smile to others, late Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley was laid to rest in a remote Catholic cemetery, two hours drive south of Anchorage. After four days of public prayers and a televised funeral Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral, Archbishop Hurley’s funeral arrangements came to a quiet end on Jan. 23. The humble gravesite for the iconic Alaskan churchman was chosen himself, according to his long-time personal secretary Joann White.
Editor’s note: On April 30, 1999, late Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley launched the Catholic Anchor with the expressed mission: “To provide a forum for Catholics to understand and to assume their roles in the church in the modern world.” Archbishop Hurley died on Jan. 10. The column below was written by him for the inaugural issue, nearly 17 years ago.
In what may come as a surprise to many, iconic Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley will be buried in a remote Catholic cemetery, about a two-hour drive south of Anchorage. The humble final resting place for the much celebrated Alaskan bishop was chosen himself, according to his long-time personal secretary Joann White.
Wednesday, Jan. 20 begins four days of public prayers, liturgies and mourning over the loss of Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley who died Jan. 10 in Anchorage. This will be the first time Catholics in the Anchorage Archdiocese lay to rest one of their former archbishops. Archbishop Hurley was the second bishop to serve the archdiocese. His predecessor, Archbishop Joseph Ryan, was reassigned in 1975 to serve as the archbishop for the U.S. Military.
On Saturday, Jan. 23, at 2 p.m., the 16th annual Anchorage interdenominational prayer service marking the anniversary of Roe v. Wade takes place at the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery on 9th Street and Cordova. The event marks the 43rd anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the U.S.
For almost 20 years, people from all walks of life and faith have gathered at the Anchorage Cemetery for the annual prayer service to commemorate those who’ve lost their lives in abortion and to pray for their mothers, fathers and families still suffering abortion’s aftereffects. Despite the size, religious diversity and fortitude of the hearty crowd who pray together there in frigid mid-winter, the local media rarely ever come. But absent page-one stories and despite inaccurate ones, pro-life proponents across the nation are making tremendous strides toward restoring legal protection to the smallest humans.