stones have been an integral part of planetary existence since Neolithic times, the late stone age, when Stone fragments were used as household grinding implements, weapons of attack, articles of defense or punishment. In short, for millennia stones have served, whether for good or ill, as a means of survival or instruments of vengeance.
In the midst of a secular society that preaches its doctrines from modern university classrooms and secular media platforms, we need to represent Christianity not as merely a good option, but the very best option for human flourishing and happiness.
While the homebound ministers bring the Eucharist to all who make the request, the visits require meeting the recipients on their own terms. It’s wise to call ahead of a visit, the ministers note, and logistics of a visit can include negotiating icy driveways, yapping dogs and other obstacles. Inside the home, however, an underlying protocol of reverence applies.
Defiant Requiem tells the story of the performance of Verdi’s funeral Mass by 150 prisoners at Terezin, also known as Theresienstadt, a camp in Czechoslovakia where Jewish artists and intellectuals were imprisoned. Dr. Grant Cochran, conductor of the Anchorage Concert Chorus, said the compelling story is what led his group to endeavor to bring the performance to Anchorage’s Performing Arts Center.
The group exists to give Catholic women of the country a common voice and an instrument for unified action in matters affecting Catholic or national welfare; to ensure proper recognition of Catholic principles in national committees and national movements affecting the religious, moral and material well-being of the country. The group aims to support the work of existing Catholic women’s organizations in meeting the needs of modern culture.
Father Mark Francis has first hand experience of people confessing abortion in the confessional.
“The times that I’ve had a penitent come to confession and acknowledge an abortion, it’s usually after a very long time,” he said. “I immediately think to myself, ‘God be praised that this person has responded to the grace, that nudging, however long it took, and the person is seeking God, seeking forgiveness.’”
“By ‘long time,’ I mean years,” he explained. “At least a year. I can hear the physical sigh or tears beginning. A huge weight is gone.
The Catholic Church’s stance against artificial birth control is widely known. Perhaps less commonly known is the church’s position on artificial reproductive technology, particularly in vitro fertilization (IVF). On Feb. 10, about 50 people gathered at St. Andrew Church in Eagle River to hear internationally acclaimed bioethicist Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk present the church’s position on in vitro fertilization, its ramifications and some of the alternatives and counsel that may be offered to couples struggling with infertility.
Embracing a life of celibacy is not the norm in an American culture saturated by sexual images aimed at selling goods and stirring desires. Nevertheless, the Catholic priesthood continues to draw men to a life of total service to Christ and his church. The Catholic Anchor recently asked several Alaskan priests to share how they came to embrace a calling that entails a vow to lifelong celibacy.
A bill to restrict Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from teaching or distributing materials in Alaska’s public schools is scheduled for a teleconferenced hearing in the Alaska Senate’s Education Committee on Thursday, March 3, at 3:30 p.m.
People seem increasingly frightened to admit that the Catholic Church is the “one, holy, catholic (universal) and apostolic church” founded by Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago. This is especially the case when Catholics are in the presence of Protestants — our separated brethren in Christ.