Easter is a time to celebrate our faith in the Risen Jesus — he has saved us from our sins. If we do not believe in Jesus, we cannot make it to heaven on our own. Jesus told his disciples: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14: 6)
The liturgies of Holy Week are designed to foster in Catholics an intimate and historical connection to the church, and to death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As reported by prnewswire.com, a Knights of Columbus-sponsored poll discovered that more than half of all Americans plan to attend church on Easter (53 percent). Among Catholics, the number rises to 73 percent, and for practicing Catholics, 95 percent.
The Anchorage Archdiocese will welcome 68 new Catholics into full communion with the church at the Easter Vigil liturgy on the evening of March 31. More than 30,000 others around the nation will join these.
Hundreds of Alaskans are expected to take part in the annual Good Friday Faith Walk on March 30. The annual devotion begins at various points across Anchorage with groups of area faithful walking and praying the Stations of the Cross.
Palm Sunday is March 25, the last Sunday in Lent. This day marks the beginning of Holy Week and a time when Catholics commemorate the triumphant arrival of Christ into Jerusalem, just days before his crucifixion.
In an ongoing effort to put his finger on the pulse of the Catholic Church in Alaska, Anchorage Archbishop Paul Etienne is continuing a series of listening sessions at parishes across Southcentral Alaska. The next session is Tuesday, March 20, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and Catholics from across the archdiocese are welcome to attend.
The following Holy Week and Easter liturgies and events are scheduled across the Anchorage Archdiocese. Call the parishes for more information.
During Lent, we have much to ponder about gratitude. As Catholics, we believe everything starts with God and everything should be returned to God in gratitude. The older we get, we come to know that our lives and our well-laid plans are not our own.
The Chrism Mass, a profoundly sacred liturgy, with roots in antiquity and hopes in eternity, will be celebrated at Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage on March 21 at 7 p.m.