July Community Calendar
Here is a list of community events from around the Anchorage Archdiocese in the month of July.
Archbishop’s July Calendar
Here is a list of some of the events and liturgies that Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schweitz is scheduled to participate in this month.
Comedian, Catholic father of five, to headline Alaska State Fair
Jim Gaffigan, a standup comedian who happens to be a married Catholic father with five children, is a headliner for this year’s Alaska State Fair. A rising star, the popular comic known for his food jokes and self depreciating skits also regularly includes monologues about his large and growing family and the hilarity of raising five children.
Anchorage Archbishop invites Catholics to celebrate his 25th year as a bishop
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz has invited Catholics across the archdiocese to join him, July 3, for a Mass and reception in celebration of his 25th year since being named a bishop. The 25th Jubilee events will begin with a Mass of Thanksgiving on Friday, July 3, starting 2 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage. A public reception will immediately follow.
Alaska bishops raise religious liberty concerns after high court legalizes same-sex ‘marriage’
Alaska’s Catholic bishops released a joint statement responding to the U.S. Supreme Court decision June 26 in which the judges ruled 5-4 that same sex marriage is a constitutional right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. The ruling effectively nullifies all state laws upholding marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Newly ordained Alaska priest’s 1st homily looks at how to respond to life’s storms
The devil is in the distractions. He encourages us to look away from Jesus. This is not to say we don’t address the storms but the storms are reasons to have more faith, not less. It is a time to go to God, not away from him. Our faith in God replaces our fear. If the devil distracts us from our lord and savior, he wins — and he will do everything in his power to distract us.
Joyful liturgy gives rise to Alaska’s newest priest
CatholicAnchor.org As people quietly found their places in the pews of Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage on the sunny evening of June 19 a crescendo of voices rose just outside the sanctuary. Priests, deacons, Knights of Columbus, seminarians and alter servers took their places for the grand procession, which opened the Eucharistic Liturgy…
Alaska bishops praise pope’s encyclical on care of creation
“The care for creation is a pressing issue, especially in the light of the great harm being done to the natural world of which we are a part, and the threat to the poorest and most vulnerable people worldwide because of environmental destruction,” Alaska’s bishops stated. “This encyclical invites each of us to prayerfully examine our consciences, and review not only how we have lived in communion with God and with others, but also with all creatures and with nature.
Growing Spanish-language program aims to boost Alaska marriages
Learning to confidently speak English as a second language is challenging for many newcomers to the United States. This is especially so when attempting to communicate about deeply personal and emotional topics — like the state of one’s marriage. In such cases, many non-English speakers lean back on their more familiar mother tongue.
We don’t make up life’s meaning, we discover it
For the first time in human history, we live in a culture that says we can create our own meaning of life apart from God — a culture that denies all absolutes or norms. It says we can make up our own purpose in life, a self defined purpose.