Executing Carey didn’t make us safer
This seemed appropriate. After a long string of sunny weather, the sky was weeping. Nebraska was conducting the first execution of a death row inmate in over 20 years.
FORUM
We need your help during Hunger Action Month this September
September is Hunger Action Month, and every year at Catholic Social Services that gives us an opportunity to talk about how food insecurity greatly impacts the lives of people in Anchorage.
‘Lord, make us uncomfortable’
Before the many television shows that we now call “Reality TV” dominated prime time and what seems to be an infinite number of channels, I recall a handful of genres, such as comedies, cartoons, news, sports, movies, documentaries and dramas.
Look East for the kind of faith that long endures
So would you die for your faith? We may never know that answer but it is being asked many times over in the Near and Middle East and in Africa and India.
Anchorage Archbishop calls for action, prayer, penance in wake of Pennsylvania report on clergy sexual abuse
Anchorage Archbishop Paul Etienne posted the following letter on his blog in response to the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report on clergy sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. This letter is to be read in every parish in the Anchorage Archdiocese over the weekend of Aug. 18-19.
You know you’re called to be a priest when…
A young man discerning his future wrote me to ask a question: “How do you know you are called to the priesthood.”
Toss pillows & the world of desire
This wanting what’s trendy, what others want, is not necessarily an evil thing. But it’s insidious enough that we should be on guard against it. We should certainly be vigilant and aware of it.
Empowering the vulnerable means offering them a hand
For years, Catholic social teachings have taught us to empower those around us. One of the best reminders comes from 1 John 3:2. It says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
Fr. Shields: What iPhones reveal about our search for meaning & purpose
The created purpose of a smart phone is to communicate. So if all apps were destroyed and all you had left was a simple phone, would it still be a phone? Yes. And would it meet its purpose? Yes.
We must live out the ideals we seek for the wider world
Where I grew up, small family farms were the rule. If a family was in trouble — serious illness at harvest time, perhaps — the community would rally. Farmers quickly mobilized to get the corn picked or the hay bailed.