Rannals is a veteran sidewalk counselor facing off against abortion. She’s bundled in a long quilted winter coat and low black heels, poised on Anchorage’s East 40th Avenue, ready to move seamlessly from prayer to action. Approachable, quick-thinking and deferential to the mood of those she meets on the street, Rannals is ready to initiate conversation with anyone.
Pope Francis understands the crisis of marriage culture in its multiple dimensions, just as he understands that the family, which begins in marriage, is a troubled institution in the post-modern world; that’s why he’s summoned two Synods on the topic of the family. And that’s why the Synod, fully aware of the gravity of the situation, should begin, continue and end on a positive note, offering the world a pearl of great price: the Christian understanding and experience of marriage.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
CatholicAnchor.org For the fifth straight year, a group of Catholic men, joined by several priests, will don heavy backpacks and head into an Alaska mountain range. The three-day trek, beginning on Sunday, July 13 and concluding on Tuesday, July 15, is known as the “Fathers’ Hike.” The informal adventure is a chance for men to…