If attendance at last month’s Fairbanks Catholic Family Conference is any indication, Alaskans are hungry for ideas to strengthen and pass on their faith amid a culture that no longer supports the family. More than 600 people braved snowy roads and sub-zero temperatures to attend the Feb. 9-11 conference sponsored by the Fairbanks Diocese.
With the blessing of the Anchorage Archbishop Paul Etienne, St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church in Anchorage held its second-annual Forgiveness Friday Vespers for clergy Feb. 9.
Frances Banish is no newcomer to the Catholic Church. Despite living through nine popes and experiencing more than a century of sacraments, she is hungry for more.
Alaska’s bishops released a pastoral letter affirming that all Catholic moral teachings stem from the foundational belief in the dignity and sanctity of every human life. From this flows the church’s affirmation of marriage as between one man and one woman, the rational for religious freedom, the role of chastity in human relationships, and the church’s teaching on human sexuality.
The goal of the parish-based events is to foster a “a formal process of discerning and defining our mission as the local church of the Archdiocese of Anchorage,” Archbishop Etienne wrote Feb. 22 on his blog. “First and foremost, I invite all of you to please pray during this time that we may be sensitive and alert to where the Holy Spirit is leading us, and that we may humbly follow and boldly accomplish what God is asking of us.”
The St. Vincent de Paul Society based out of Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage was highlighted on Alaska Public Radio this week.
The bishops of Alaska released a pastoral letter on Feb. 14 affirming Catholic teaching on human dignity, sanctity of human life, marriage, religious freedom, chastity, and sexual orientation and gender identity.
As the plane took off into the night, my heart cried: “Lord why so much darkness, so much hatred of you and yours?” As I prayed the plane rose over the city, I glanced through the small windows and was overwhelmed at the many lights below.
During Lent when we are asked to seek the Lord in prayer and the Scriptures, and to give of ourselves through service and sacrifice. At Catholic Social Services we hope to partner with you in providing a place to share your many gifts
Captain Nicholas Reid is a Catholic priest and Air Force chaplain at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where he was recently transferred. Here he talks about his coming-of-age on a military base in the Bible Belt, his vocation to the Catholic priesthood, and his military chaplaincy.