CatholicAnchor.org “In the worst hour of the worst season of the worst year of a whole people…” Those haunting words are the first two lines of a poem called “Quarantine” by Eavan Boland. Boland, an Irish poet and professor, died in her native Dublin at the end of April. She was 75. Twenty years ago,…
CatholicAnchor.org In the uncertain times of COVID-19, Deacon Mick Fornelli has passage to a part of Anchorage many people don’t have: hospital rooms. “I’ve been involved in hospital ministry ever since my ordination, a little over 11 years,” said Deacon Fornelli. “Most of it was at St. Elias Specialty Hospital in Anchorage as a chaplain….
CatholicAnchor.org While the recent COVID-19 phenomenon has impacted all Alaskans, it poses a particular problem for Catholics (and believers of all faiths) who wish to gather for worship but find themselves unable to do so. Each parish community in the archdiocese has worked in the past weeks to provide faith, support, and encouragement to the…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, May the grace and peace of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ be with us always! In Jesus’ time, shepherds used wooden staffs to protect their flocks from wolves and other threats. They used the hook of their staffs to gently bring into unity those sheep who wandered off. During…
CatholicAnchor.org Catholic educators throughout the archdiocese are finding that unprecedented challenges can be met with innovation, adaptation, and a generous amount of faith. The rapid spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) throughout the world left teachers, principals, and parents scrambling to meet the needs of students of all ages, as governments issued stay-at-home orders and churches…
What does it mean to be a “good Catholic,” not only in ordinary times but especially in the extraordinary times in which we now live? The primary duty of the faithful is “to preserve and foster communion with the Church,” (Canon 209 §1). But how does one do that when the ordinary means of grace…
“I don’t think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that remains.”– Anne Frank Right now, this quote speaks to me. As I am writing, we are amid a pandemic. When this article is published, I don’t know if we will be past this pandemic, or if we will be at its worst…
CatholicAnchor.org On April Fool’s Day, a friend discovered empty toilet paper rolls in her bathrooms, the cardboard tubes covered with the words “Ha, Ha, Ha.” She searched for the precious paper while trying to maintain a sense of humor. After all, little kids held hostage to a virus need some fun. As I write this,…
CatholicAnchor.org It is inspiring that so many Catholics are rising to the occasion created by the Coronavirus. Many are using creative techniques for the work of evangelization and ministry, which continue amidst the pandemic. Staying in place, self-quarantining, and social distancing have become real, everyday practices for many of us, but they don’t mean we…
CatholicAnchor.org Let us have a spiritual conversation about hope. What is hope? Where do we find it? What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life. We need to live hope now more than ever. With all the trials we have been through and the trials that are ahead, hope…