By Anna SchultenThe North Star Catholic As 2020 draws to a close, we spend an Advent season preparing our hearts to receive Christ ever more fully this Christmas season. As Catholics, our lives do not exist in isolation: we come to faith and grow in relationship with God in the context of a Christian community….
This time of year is spent in preparation and waiting – waiting for the celebration of Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ. The season of Advent this year brings great anticipation and preparation for both the celebration of Christ’s birth and the hope of a vaccine and better tomorrows on the horizon. I often…
By Annie Albrecht The North Star Catholic Back when 2020 was still fresh and new and full of hope, I wrote an article on marriage for Inside Passage, the newspaper of the former Diocese of Juneau. The thesis of that article can be summed up in a simple statement: your marriage matters to the world….
Dear Fr. Leo: When we say the Apostles Creed, we say, “He descended into hell.” It seems to be a direct contradiction to the Bible when Jesus told the thief as they hung on the cross, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Did Jesus go to Heaven or…
On a cold November day, I noticed on Twitter Sister Helen Prejean, the Catholic death penalty opponent, announcing that her friend Bill Pelke had died in Anchorage, Alaska, where he had retired. He was shoveling snow when he suffered a heart attack. I had heard Bill speak years before and had tried to schedule a…
By Dominique JohnsonThe North Star Catholic When he was 16 years old, Deacon Madison Hayes felt called to the priesthood while on a confirmation retreat. “The Lord spoke to me profoundly there and that call never went away,” Hayes said. Sixteen years later, Hayes was ordained a Deacon for the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau in St….
By Annette AllevaThe North Star Catholic If you have ever attended an archdiocesan liturgical celebration at the cathedrals in Anchorage over the years, you have hopefully indulged in the reception offerings provided, for many years, by the women of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. However, this local chapter, or court, of the larger organization—which…
The Hennemann Family As Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School (OLV) alumni, we are proud of our Catholic education. Of the seven children in our household, three are alumni, and four are currently enrolled, with the youngest in preschool. Our parents appreciate that they can drop us off and pick us up together, at…
By Joe SehnertDirector, National Shrine of St. Thérèse There are unique places on this earth where one can feel the presence of God. Nestled in the vast 17 million acres of the Tongass National Forest is one of those touch-soul places, the National Shrine of St. Thérèse. Here, Alaska’s patroness continues to call pilgrims to…
By Cathy BollingSt. John by the Sea Parish, Klawock Saint John by the Sea Parish in Klawock serves the Catholic community on Prince of Wales Island, home to about 4,000 residents. Prince of Wales was named a mission in 1925 by Bishop Joseph Crimont. Bishop Michael Kenny appointed full-time ministers in 1983, and in 1992,…