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Outdoorsman priest with pro-life passion departs cathedral for new assignment in California

Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage lost an energetic priest with a passion for pro-family and pro-life outreach. Father Paul Raftery, who first arrived at the cathedral in 2012, has been reassigned to serve again as head chaplain at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., a post he previously held from 2006 to 2012. Father Raftery’s love for outdoor adventures with parishioners was well known during his time at the cathedral.

Catholic youth: Record number of teens take part in annual conference Alaska youth challenged by ancient faith Record number of teens attend AK Catholic Youth Conference

CatholicAnchor.org At a time when sociologists find traditional forms of faith weakening among U.S. young people and increasing numbers claiming no religion, an estimated 350 Alaskan teens descended on Anchorage for four days of intense Catholic immersion. The 14th annual Alaska Catholic Youth Conference in Anchorage took place June 2-5 at Lumen Christi High School…

Roraff: Final year before priesthood underway

CatholicAnchor.org Families, friends, clergy and religious packed into Holy Family Cathedral on June 6 as seminarian Arthur Roraff, 46, was ordained to the transitional diaconate by Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz. The occasion marked a pivotal point in Deacon Roraff’s journey of becoming a priest for the Anchorage Archdiocese. During his homily, Archbishop Schwietz reflected on…

Priest sharing insights during 513 mile walk across Spain

CatholicAnchor.org Father Tom Lilly is somewhere along an ancient pilgrimage path, hiking the narrow footpaths, farm trails, cobbled streets and byways of Spain. The pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Anchorage is on his way to the historic cathedral that houses the relics of Saint James the Apostle. Known as Santiago de Compostela, the…

Faith can’t help but inform politics, governor tells teens

CatholicAnchor.org Alaska Governor Sean Parnell spent the better part of an hour fielding questions about his Christian faith from Catholic teens during last month’s Alaska Catholic Youth Conference (ACYC) in Anchorage. Invited by Alaska’s Catholic bishops to participate at this year’s ACYC, Parnell accepted and spoke candidly about how faith and political leadership have shaped…

Training aims to expand outreach to parishioners with disabilities

CatholicAnchor.org In an effort to better serve parishioners with developmental disabilities, national trainers from Chicago will be in Anchorage in July to assist parishes in launching SPRED ministries (Special Religious Development) in local parishes. SPRED establishes faith formation groups in participating parishes with the aim of integrating those with developmental disabilities into the larger life…

Papal pilgrimage seen from the dusty streets of the Holy Land

CatholicAnchor.org Alaskan scholar shares first hand impressions of Pope Francis’ trip Some things are serendipity. More than a year ago, I knew I would be on a sabbatical from Alaska Pacific University (June 2013 to July 2014). Between Easter and the end of May I planned on being in Jerusalem where I would be living…

Scholarships aim to boost Catholic education

CatholicAnchor.org In an effort to promote Catholic education, three Anchorage youth were awarded scholarships for winning essays on the theme: “Jesus loves us; How do we spread that love?” The Catholic Daughters of the Americas court in Anchorage organizes the annual student essay scholarship. This year the Daughters partnered with the Knights of Columbus council…

Outdoorsman priest with pro-life passion departs cathedral for new assignment in California

CatholicAnchor.org Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage lost an energetic priest with a passion for pro-family and pro-life outreach. Father Paul Raftery, who first arrived at the cathedral in 2012, has been reassigned to serve again as head chaplain at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., a post he previously held from 2006 to 2012….

Franciscan Sister Maureen Colleary listens to an audience member during a presentation last month at Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage.

‘Why Catholic?’ programs get boost with national speaker’s visit

“Why Catholic?,” a scriptural and catechetical program for parish small groups presented by Renew International, has experienced increasing popularity since beginning two years ago in the Archdiocese of Anchorage.