CatholicAnchor.org Editor’s note: The following is the Thanksgiving proclamation issued by President George Washington, at the request of Congress, on October 3, 1789. Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and…
Business owners, nonprofit workers and others packed the city council chambers in Nome, Alaska, to voice opposition to a proposal that would have ended sales tax exemptions for churches and nonprofits. As a result of the packed meeting, Nome’s nonprofits and churches will remain exempt from city sales tax.
CatholicAnchor.org Juneau Bishop Edwards Burns lead a group of Alaskan pilgrims to the hometown of an Italian priest who traveled to Alaska in the late 1800s to bring the Catholic faith to far-flung villages. Read the account of their pilgrimage here.
The next time you hear of a designation for a problem faced in our world, ask yourself, “What can I learn about this problem? What is my role to make a positive step to solving this problem?” The first step may be simply to challenge an attitude in yourself or someone else.
Openness to life involves suffering with happiness. In our family’s case, the suffering usually has a name: cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that occurs when both parents pass on the mutated gene to their child. This occurs at the moment of conception and is a one in four chance with each pregnancy. It has happened to my husband and me twice with seven children. Some have wondered why we would bring more children into the world to suffer and die but the truth is that every single person is born to a life of joys, sufferings, then death.
Rannals is a veteran sidewalk counselor facing off against abortion. She’s bundled in a long quilted winter coat and low black heels, poised on Anchorage’s East 40th Avenue, ready to move seamlessly from prayer to action. Approachable, quick-thinking and deferential to the mood of those she meets on the street, Rannals is ready to initiate conversation with anyone.
To achieve its goal, the parish launched “Super Sundays,” which strives to make youth faith formation enjoyable and lively, while drawing parents out of their cars in the parking lot and into classes of their own. Bob McMorrow, the parish’s director of evangelization and catechesis, said that he knows from his own large family that kids sometimes balk at going to religion class. Being a dad, he had a few ideas about how to change attitudes.
The Nome City Council is moving forward with an unprecedented plan to tax local churches and nonprofits in an effort to increase city coffers. A recent article by KNOM.org reports that with the city budget projected to run a deficit, the council plans to move forward with an ordinance to remove sales tax exemptions from more than 40 local nonprofits including St. Joseph Catholic Church and 10 other churches. The city estimates the move will bring it an added $300,000. If the proposal passes, Nome would become the first town in the nation to tax its churches.
I can’t fix Russia because in reality I can’t fix my life either. I can only surrender it. We can’t fix our brokenness with a new seminar, book or resolution. It is too much and too deep for us to fix. We must surrender our brokenness to the One who has come for the broken.
CatholicAnchor.org Last month, students at Our Lady of the Valley School in Wasilla gathered in the nearby chapel at Sacred Heart Church to thank “The Rosary Lady,” a woman who has inspired many students and staff. Debra Lighthart spoke to students about her life and journey with the rosary. With her service dog, Striker, at…