May 15, 2009 - Issue #10
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Letters to archbishop reveal faith of Catholic teens
Archbishop has read more than 2,500 letters over past nine years
Each spring, Archbishop Roger Schwietz catches a unique insight into the hearts and minds of Catholic teens from across the Archdiocese of Anchorage. In reading an estimated 300 personal letters from confirmation candidates each year, he finds recurring themes that strike to the core of how young Catholics experience the faith.
In nine years leading the archdiocese, Archbishop Schwietz has read more than 2,500 letters. They reveal a snapshot of Catholic youth that often runs contrary to popular notions that the church is irrelevant to teens.
“Few mention that they are bored with church,” Archbishop Schwietz noted. “But often they say they were bored before they began to understand the reality of their faith and what it is all about.”
While young people are open to faith, they also desire genuine teaching and examples.
“They can see through people very well. Catechists, directors of religious education, pastoral ministers, pastors -— all of us I think — are being looked upon by people who want us to be genuine and who want us to share what we truly believe,” Archbishop Schwietz observed.
The letters also reveal the impact of family members in passing on the faith. This includes extended family and grandparents.
Letter writers mention the importance of learning from parents the core tenants of the faith. They also mention the impact of hearing how faith impacts their parents on a personal level.
“I really encourage parents to share their faith experiences with their children, because it means a lot to the young people to know that their parents have an active faith and that they pray and sense God in their lives,” Archbishop Schwietz said.
This family witness is especially important in light of larger cultural trends, he observed.
“Many young people go to school with people who don’t have any faith and live in a society that does not support their faith,” Archbishop Schwietz said.
One confirmation candidate wrote, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes and have not done what I am supposed to do.” The comment reveals a thread that runs through the letters as youth express challenges in living out their faith.
Still, there is a longing in the hearts of young men and women, which is evident in the written comments.
One candidate wrote, “It seems like no matter how much I learn, I want to know more…I feel more at peace than I ever had.”
“I think all people have a call to belief and I think young people feel this,” Archbishop Schwietz observed. But he cautioned that, “Maybe somewhere along the line they will stuff this feeling if it is not supported as they grow into adulthood.”
He added that it is important to address the very real and often difficult life circumstances many young people face.
“At times, they write about their family life and the fact that their parents have divorced,” Archbishop Schwietz explained. “They talk about struggling with divorce and how faith helps them. I think it is a lesson for us that we should bring issues like that – family issues – into our personal discussions with young people to let them know that God is there in the pain of situations like that.”
While the annual stack of letters is filled with many weighty and profound issues, Archbishop Schwietz finds threads of humor and endearing candor in some of the comments.
“Some letters ask questions that I can’t answer, but they are very personal and open,” he said with a smile, while shuffling through a stack of letters.
One young man wrote, “I have only one question and that is: I ask Jesus every night for a girlfriend in my life but he has never answered me. So I want to know – what’s the deal?”
“How do I answer that in a homily?” Archbishop Schwietz said with a chuckle.
He then read comments from another confirmation candidate: “Most of the information I know about my Catholic faith was taught to me by my mother, but my grandfather is living with us and he is a normal old man – kind and stubborn. I’m sure you would get along with him well.”
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, confirmation “completes the grace of baptism by a special outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” which equip Catholics for “active participation” in the church.
In traveling to parishes across the archdiocese to celebrate confirmation, Archbishop Schwietz said he hopes to relay an important message.
“I want to help the young people see that confirmation celebrates the reality that we are not alone in our faith,” he said. “Jesus promised to be with us in the power of the Spirit that he sends. Even though many of the young people are aware of their own past failures, it is important that they do not feel alone in facing them.”
He added that the many young people who will leave for college and other pursuits should know that “wherever they go, the Spirit is with them, and wherever they go, the church is there and they can receive the sacraments as a source of strength.”
Archbishop Schwietz praised those leading confirmation programs for “stirring up the faith” in the youth and said he hoped this zeal would find ever greater expression in the world.
“The prayers in the sacrament of confirmation call young people to be witnesses for Christ,” he said. “It encourages young people to reach out to others in faith. The spirit is given to us to bring all people to Christ.”
In looking ahead, Archbishop Schwietz said he wants to focus on ways the church can support young people after confirmation.
“My biggest concern is that we don’t let them down as a church,” he said. “When they go out to live their faith seriously, how do we keep that enthusiasm going? It is my hope that we can find more ways to do that.”
Departing sisters called forth laity
Religious sisters honored
After more than 30 years serving the community of Kenai and outlying areas, Sisters Joyce Ross and Joan Barina will depart Alaska next month for the next chapter of their lives.
After speaking June 1-2 at this year’s Alaska Catholic Youth Conference in Anchorage, the sisters leave for Philadelphia, where Sister Barina’s religious order, the Medical Mission Sisters, is headquartered. Sister Barina expects to remain there, while Sister Ross will head to Albany, N.Y., on the Hudson River, where her order, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, is based.
“It’s been a privilege to serve the church here,” said Sister Ross. “We’re the ones who have really been blessed by the people.”
But if recent parish celebrations at Our Lady of the Angels are any indication, the blessings are two-fold. An open house and a Mass celebrated earlier this month by Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz and retired Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley honored the sisters’ long service as parish administrators for the Kenai church.
Archbishop Hurley first sent the sisters to Kenai three decades ago. Using the Gospel reading of the vine and the branches as a metaphor, Archbishop Hurley explained what a special role the duo filled over that time.
“There is the vine dresser — the one who takes care of the vines to make sure all the vines and branches are ready to receive the blood flow from Jesus Christ,” Archbishop Hurley said. “This is where we find the sisters. They are the vine dressers. We all need care, all of us, and that is the special place where you find Sister Joyce and Sister Joan.”
To honor the sisters’ work, the two archbishops presented them with the Holy Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal, also known as the Cross of Honor, which Archbishop Schwietz received from Rome for the sisters only a week before.
The medal comes from Rome and is given for distinguished service to the Catholic Church.
“They have been a great example of how women have planted the seeds of our church, long before this diocese ever existed,” explained Schwietz. “We are able to thank all of those women through the recognition of these two sisters.”
“We were never afraid to involve the people. They didn’t always see their gifts, but we did,” observed Sister Ross. “You have to encourage people to use their gifts, and when they do, things flourish.”
“It’s like opening Pandora’s Box, but it’s all good stuff,” added Sister Barina.
When the sisters depart, they will leave a big hole in many hearts and a long list of duties that need to be assumed.
“They’re making a list,” chuckled parish council secretary Linda Griffiths.
Over the years, the sisters facilitated a wide range of ministries, from the development of the Clothes Quarters, a thrift-store started to raise funds to purchase food for the Kenai Peninsula’s hungry to youth missions to Bush communities, visits to Wildwood Pretrial Facility and an ecumenical partnership with Soldotna United Methodist Church to provide breakfast for students at Kenai Alternative High School.
Scott Earsley helps with the sisters’ breakfast preparations several mornings a week.
“Through it all, they’ve encouraged the laity to take responsibility for their community,” Earsley said. “That is what is going to be missed. They were so good at developing community — not from the top down, (but) building it from the ground up.”
The sisters’ departure means there will be only one religious sister left on the Kenai Peninsula, Mercy Sister Carol Ann Aldrich at St. John the Baptist Church in Homer.
After more than 30 years of living and working together, Sister Ross and Sister Barina say they are happy to have a little more time with each other in Philadelphia before beginning the next phase of their lives. Understandable, says long-time friend Father Richard Tero of Sacred Heart Church in Seward.
“They really have been a team that complemented and encouraged each other,” he observed.
As for the future of the Kenai parishioners, they are ready for whatever comes. Since 2007, a team of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate priests have celebrated sacraments for the church, and while that is expected to continue, the sisters’ departure will likely require others to step forward.
“Sisters gave us the beautiful example of coming together and making a parish,” said parish faith formation director Margaret Menting. “We know that it’s going to be hard to continue, but the sisters showed us how. Without their example it would be scary, but because of their stewardship, we know we can do it.”
Oblate mission evolves
U.S. superior makes visit to Alaska priests
The head of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in the United States recently traveled to Alaska to visit some of the province’s farthest-flung missionaries in the country.
Father Louis Lougen, the Oblates’ U.S. provincial, made his first trip to the Kenai Peninsula from April 29 to May 6. The visit coincided with a regular district meeting of the eight oblates who serve the Archdiocese of Anchorage and the Diocese of Juneau.
Father Lougen’s goal was to review the status of the Oblates’ mission in Alaska and “to affirm and bless them in their work,” Father Lougen said in an interview with the Anchor. “They’re missionaries on the frontier of the province,” added the provincial, who is based in Washington, D.C.
The Oblates are a missionary religious order founded in 1816 by St. Eugene de Mazenod, a French nobleman. Their mission is to preach the Gospel to the poor. As “specialists in difficult missions,” the Oblates minister to the Catholic minority in Northern Europe and preach the Gospel in the former Soviet-bloc countries, South America, and Africa. The first Oblate priest entered Alaska in 1862, and current Archbishop of Anchorage Roger Schwietz is an Oblate.
Father Lougen’s visit focused on the work of the four Oblates who have been stationed on the Kenai Peninsula since November 2007 to fill a priest shortage there.
Father Anthony Dummer, Father Andrew Sensenig, Father Joseph Dowling and Brother Craig Bonham serve Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Soldotna, Our Lady of the Angels Church in Kenai, St. John the Baptist Church in Homer and St. Peter the Apostle Mission in Ninilchik. The four men live in community in Soldotna and travel from there to the various Catholic communities.
The provincial’s visit was particularly timely as the long-time pastoral administrator of Our Lady of the Angels Mercy Sister Joyce Ross and pastoral associate Medical Mission Sister Joan Barina are preparing to leave the parish which they direct and the Oblates help serve.
Father Lougen explained that in accord with Archbishop Schwietz, the Kenai parish will be looking for a new administrator — other than one of the Oblate priests — to develop a “similar model” as currently exists with the sisters’ heading up the church.
In an interview with the Anchor, Archbishop Schwietz explained that the Oblates are “called to live in community, so they will remain (in Soldotna) and live in community.”
He added that the Oblates will continue serving as itinerant priests who bring the sacraments to the area’s parishes and assist with other responsibilities.
As to the on-going mission of the Oblates, “there are always challenges,” said Father Lougen, but their work is “going very well.”
Father Lougen said the pastoral leaders in the area’s parishes welcomed and mentored the Oblates as to the realities of life and ministry on the Kenai Peninsula.
The Oblates’ first year, he explained, has been about “getting to know” the lay of the land – the leadership and people in the parishes and in the community and their roles. It is preparation, he said for “respectfully entering the reality so that they can listen to the needs of the people” and respond as God calls them.
But already, he suggested, the Oblates have made a big impact. He called the Oblates’ outreach to teens – which has been going on for a year – an “A-plus mission.”
Also, the Oblates help provide for the spiritual needs of patients in Central Peninsula Hospital. Father Lougen said it was “quite significant and good to hear” the appreciation that hospital chaplain Meg Zerbinos expressed for the Oblates’ work there.
Father Lougen added that in numerous venues, parishioners expressed to him their gratitude for the Oblates’ presence.
Archbishop Schwietz added, “It has been gratifying to me that people have welcomed the presence of the priests and want to encourage their continued presence.”
The Oblate team has “fallen in love with the people and the reality of Alaska,” said Father Lougen.
As they feel more at home here, he expressed hope that they would take on further initiatives.
Already, they are discussing one such project, said Father Lougen – to reach out to those “not going to church, who may have no faith or who have fallen away” from the church. Father Lougen said that he hopes the local Oblates would have “some plans” on that front toward the fall.
Archbishop Schwietz added, also, that “we’re trying to find ways to promote vocations to the consecrated life and priesthood and raise up leadership within the parishes that would be appropriate for the laity to take on.”
There are questions still to be answered, he said. “How do we carry out the training (for such roles)? How do we encourage others to come forward who are not involved now and yet who have talents and gifts and time that they can give to their parishes?”
Youth conference to highlight diversity of Alaska church
From a family that gave up everything to take their Irish music ministry on the road, to Catholic leaders from the farthest reaches of the state and beyond, this year’s Alaska Catholic Youth Conference offers something for everyone, according to the conference organizers.
The popular youth event, which drew nearly 200 participants last year, is expected to draw similar numbers this year when the ninth annual conference convenes June 1-4 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage.
“For this conference, I have chosen the theme, ‘Many Faces, One Alaskan Church.’ It is my hope that teens who attend will recognize the challenges that face us as a diverse church with many cultural and geographical differences, yet one Lord, Jesus Christ,” Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz wrote in a letter to pastoral leaders last month. “Youth and adults that journey with them should return to their home parishes with renewed faith and a strengthened desire to live as God’s disciples in their parishes and communities.”
Joining Archbishop Schwietz for the conferences’ opening liturgy will be Archbishop Francis Hurley, Juneau Bishop Edward Burns and Fairbanks Bishop Donald Kettler. Priests, lay leaders and religious from around the state also are slated to contribute to this year’s event.
“There are just so many speakers, I can’t choose one,” conference organizer Matthew Beck said when asked which speaker or event will be the “major” one this year.
Participants will see the “many faces” theme addressed throughout the conference, Beck said.
One speaker, lay leader Pat Tam, lives in the Yup’ik village of Emmonak. Tam is a transplant who first came to the state as a volunteer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. In Emmonak, Tam helps with adult faith formation among the Yup’ik parishes in the state.
Tam and Sister Kathy Radich from Saint Mary in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area of the Fairbanks Diocese will speak about their ministry in the native villages and what it is like to be Catholic in the Bush.
ACYC’s popular Monday night concert returns to the Wendy Williamson Auditorium at UAA this year with an incredible headline act, Beck said.
ShaeLaurel, an international Irish band offers great music and an amazing faith story, he added.
“They are a family of musicians who took the Gospel of the rich young man seriously. They’ve sold all their possessions and got a motor home and play everywhere,” Beck said. “They are a phenomenon!”
The family of six not only play at retreats and churches around the country, they’ve also played at the Alaska State Fair and Disneyland.
In addition to liturgies, sacraments and presentations, there also will be opportunities for social outreach. On Tuesday afternoon, conference-goers will gather in teams and head to different locations around Anchorage to serve many of the area’s social outreach organizations. The aim of the service projects is to “put love into action” according to the ACYC packet.
In addition to local speakers, ACYC will feature presenters from the Lower 48.
One popular speaker among the youth, Bob Bartlett, is returning. A Catholic psychologist from Louisiana, he plans to address issues of sexuality that youth face.
Members of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, a Texas-based order, will attend the conference as well.
“They are going to talk about their ministry of living with the poor among us and how we can recognize the face of Jesus among the poor,” Beck said.
Also returning to ACYC is Catholic disc jockey Bill Lage who will spin tunes at a conference-wide dance.
“ACYC is like a coming home event,” Beck explained. “Youth from around the state return year after year. It is such a spiritual shot in the arm.”
Remy Spring, from Kenai, agrees. He has made it to nearly all nine ACYC conferences, except last year’s.
“And it killed me not to attend,” he said. “I am really excited about seeing the old friends and re-living the uplifting spirit the conference gives me every year.”
Spring said that ACYC helped his spiritual life, especially when he was struggling in high school. He would encourage youth to find some event to go to, even if they can’t attend the entire conference.
“Now, as a young adult in college, I have a greater appreciation for my Catholic faith and I have a feeling of belonging because of my experiences at ACYC,” Spring said.
Dominican sister departs for leadership post in Michigan
There’s a light going out at the downtown pastoral offices for the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
That’s how friends there view the departure of Adrian Dominican Sister Jo Gaugier, who has been coordinating ministry and adult faith formation in the Office of Evangelization for nearly three years.
“She’s the energizer nun,” said Deacon Ted Greene, who served with Sister Gaugier on the deacon formation team. “When you’re around her, you want to do stuff because she’s always ready to do more.”
Her community member Sister Ann Fallon echoes those sentiments.
“She’s a great model of what community and religious life should be,” said Sister Fallon, who didn’t know Sister Gaugier well before they both came to Anchorage. “She’s open to everybody; she’s willing to help everyone.”
The hard working sister has been the energy force behind the spread of the Scripture and Leadership Training program in the archdiocese. The program comes from Seattle University and has spread to several Alaska parishes in the past three years.
She has also coordinated MAPS – the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies program, which Seattle University also offers in Anchorage.
“I love it here,” said the Dominican. “I wouldn’t be leaving if I hadn’t been elected to my new position.”
That position will take her back to the Dominican Life Center in Adrian where she will serve as chapter prioress. In that post, she will be part of the leadership council for the 900-member Adrian Dominican congregation.
Sister Gaugier said the Life Center is for retired sisters, and because of the aging population, the congregation is witnessing 30-40 deaths a year.
“I’ll be writing a lot of obituaries and planning a lot of funerals. The average age in our community is 73,” said Sister Gaugier.
“I’ll be spending day after day with elderly women who’ve dedicated their lives to the church,” Sister Gaugier added. “Many of them have mentored me. It’s an honor and a privilege to serve them and I’m excited about doing this.”
Sister Fallon said her friend will be ideal for working with the elderly. Sister Gaugier is a trained spiritual director, and Sister Fallon added, “She’s a very good listener. She’ll be perfect for this job.”
Even so, Sister Gaugier acknowledges, “I get a lump in my throat when I think about leaving Alaska. I love the extremes of this place – the light and dark, the mountains and streams. I love the lifestyles, the ‘formal wear.’ Formal dress in Alaska means anything that’s clean. I love that. And I love the multi-cultural diversity of the place.”
With Sister Gaugier’s departure, the Office of Evangelization at the pastoral center is nearly empty, and plans are afoot for a restructuring. Meanwhile, her departure leaves her own Anchorage community with only three sisters – Sister Ann Fallon, Sister Jackie Stoll and Sister Lorraine Reaume — while the optimum Dominican community is four.
Several Dominican sisters are discerning coming to Anchorage but nothing has been finalized.
Facsimiles of renown Saint John’s Bible headed for Alaska
High quality reproductions of the first handwritten, illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in 500 years are set to go on display in Anchorage next month.
In conjunction with this year’s Midsummer’s Light Bible Institute, the Cardinal Newman Chair at Alaska Pacific University is sponsoring a display of facsimiles of the Saint John’s Bible – a work that combines Scripture with illustrations called “illuminations.”
The display runs June 5-30 at the Conoco Phillips Gallery of APU’s Grant Hall and the Gallery in the Carr Gottstein Building as well as the Gallery at the UAA/APU Consortium Library in Anchorage.
In addition, the Newman Chair is also hosting a free public lecture about the Saint John’s Bible on June 16, from 7-9 p.m.
The lecture will feature Sister Irene Nowell, OSB, who served on the Committee on Illuminations and Texts for the Saint John’s Bible. Sister Nowell, a Benedictine of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, teaches at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.
Her presentation in Anchorage will explain the various stages and strategies of the production of the illuminations and why the Saint John’s Bible is rightly seen as “America’s Book of Kells.”
In creating the Saint John’s Bible, across the ocean in Wales, Donald Jackson, senior scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Crown Office, has led a team of calligraphers and artists who are copying scriptural text and illustrating it.
In 1998, the Benedictine monks of St. John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville commissioned Jackson to be the project’s artistic director.
The project is not yet complete but in April 2008, Pope Benedict XVI was presented with a reproduction of the first volume. In 2004, Pope John Paul II received a copy of the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles from the Bible.
Pages from completed volumes of the Saint John’s Bible have been on tour in Canada and the United States, with tours in other countries planned.
It is in Collegeville, in the St. Cloud Diocese, where Benedictine monks, professors and other professionals have generated the energy for the project, helped with fund-raising and given theological input.
The Bible project started as part of a third millennium project at the abbey.
“St. John’s Abbey was looking for something to do for the big millennium,” said Benedictine Father Michael Patella, chairman of the committee on illumination and text for the Saint John’s Bible project. “Donald Jackson had always wanted to write the Bible (in illuminated manuscript), and had approached us.”
St. John’s was familiar with Jackson’s artistry, having hosted him during a calligraphy conference on campus. A team of local professionals with expertise in a variety of disciplines was assembled to plan how to best illustrate this monumental book.
All calligraphy and illumination for five of the Bible’s seven volumes — Gospel and Acts, Psalms, Pentateuch, Prophets and Wisdom Books — are complete. According to the project’s Web site, the entire undertaking is expected to be finished by 2011.
When the calligraphers and artists in Wales complete work on a section of the Bible, the work in the United States is just beginning.
Wayne Torborg, director of digital collections at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library at St. John’s, photographs each page of the Bible. Those images are used to generate the type of files needed to create prints and books.
Two main types of books are then created with the files. The first type is the trade edition, marketed by Liturgical Press, which is based in Collegeville.
Heritage editions, which are almost exact replicas of the originals, also will be printed. Only 360 heritage editions will be created. Printed by the John Roberts Co., the pages will have textures and inks that closely match the originals. Each set of heritage volumes costs $115,000.
Father Patella believes the Saint John’s Bible will provide the people of God with new insights into the Word of God.
“It’s very life-giving,” he said. “It’s a reintegration of art and scholarship coming together.”
— Catholic News Service and Catholic Anchor reports
Archdiocese aims to prevent swine flu
As the number of swine influenza cases increases around the world, some U.S. bishops, including Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, are suggesting ways that pastors can alter certain practices within the celebration of Mass in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
In an April 30 e-mail sent to parish leaders across the archdiocese, Archbishop Schwietz asked parishes to suspend the sign of peace handshake and replace it with a bow. He also asked parishioners to not hold hands during the Lord’s Prayer.
Additionally, the e-mail said distribution of the precious blood from a common cup is optional and that eucharistic ministers should use an alcohol based hand gel prior to distributing Communion.
“These requests will be in effect until further notice,” Archbishop Schwietz wrote.
He added: “If you feel ill or are ill, please do not come to Mass or participate in any parish activities. You are exempt from your obligation to participate in the Eucharist when you are ill.”
The swine flu is transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes around others. It can also be spread when a person touches a surface contaminated with the virus and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.
As of May 11, there had been only one suspected case of the virus in Alaska.
The outbreak originated in Mexico City and has since spread across the world and into many U.S. states. As of May 12, there was one suspected case in Alaska but only three reported deaths in more than 3,000 cases across the country.
In taking precautions to assist dioceses across the country, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship posted on its Web site a list of questions and answers associated with how the church should modify the celebration of the liturgy as a result of the outbreak of swine flu.
In previous times of influenza outbreak, bishops have altered liturgical practices such as the distribution of Communion and the exchange of the sign of peace to avoid the spread of contagion, the document noted.
Information about swine flu is online from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at cdc.gov/flu/.
-CNS and Anchor reports
Archdiocese joins movement towards electronic giving
In Alaska and across the country, a new way of giving to the church is partnering with the traditional weekly collection basket at Mass.
Electronic giving has been shown to provide financial stability for a growing number of parishes and dioceses to continue their outreach during the current recession.
The Anchorage Archdiocese added a new feature to its Web site, which includes a secure giving page that welcomes charitable gifts to help support various ministries.
The page was put in place and tested in time to serve those wishing to make pledges online to the 2009 One Bread, One Body Annual Appeal — the archdiocese’s yearly fund drive.
“The new page is simply designed,” said Jim Caldarola, director of the Anchorage Archdiocese’s Stewardship and Development Office. “It was created for the convenience of parishioners who prefer to share their gifts of treasure through online giving.”
Anchorage is not alone in providing parishioners with electronic offertory programs that no longer entail writing a check or dropping cash in a basket.
“This is not our parents’ offertory,” said W. Brian Walsh, president of Faith Direct, a leading full-service electronic giving organization based in Alexandria, Va.
Ultimately, electronic giving makes giving easier for many parishioners, which translates into more consistent giving levels, Walsh told Catholic News Service.
| Learn more To utilize the Anchorage Archdiocese’s new online giving page, visit archdioceseofanchorage.org/donate |
“Electronic giving has increased even during the recession because of the consistency,” he said. “Even in difficult times, families want to stay committed to their churches, both spiritually and financially.
“They don’t see tithing as a luxury, but as a responsibility, and automated giving is helping families make it a priority month after month,” Walsh added.
On the parish level, data from Faith Direct shows that parishes using electronic giving programs typically experience a 30 percent increase in giving.
Michael Schaefer, executive director of the Catholic Finance Corporation, regularly encourages the use of electronic offertory programs. Catholic Finance offers financial advice to Catholic parishes, schools and organizations in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as well as institutions across the country.
“When dealing with members of the baby-boomer generation or older, they usually do their business with cash, credit or check,” Schaefer noted. “The younger generations do all their business using debit cards.”
Kerry Robinson, executive director of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, sees online giving as a way to foster stewardship.
“Anything the church can do to make contributing to the mission of the church easier, whether it be financially, artistically, creatively or managerially, is a value. It’s part of the mission of church because it’s a way of engaging the faithful and the people of God, and the consequence of that, when done transparently and effectively, is that of evangelization,” he said.
-CNS and Catholic Anchor reports
Teen choir teaches Mass, inspires greater participation
Lumen Christi High School students gain greater appreciation of liturgical music
Like many Anchorage teenagers, Lumen Christi High School students Clair Harpel and Maddie Fagnani share a great love of music. Up until this year, however, their musical passion never spilled over into serving the church.
That changed when the two girls joined Lumen Christi’s first-ever school choir.
“I love to sing — music is my life,” Harpel said with a grin. “Since singing at Lumen I’ve joined the choir at my own church!”
Fagnani is headed the same direction.
“Before I didn’t normally sing out in public, but now that I am in the choir, I am more active in singing at Mass — I plan on joining my choir at my church (Our Lady of Guadalupe).”
Fostering musical appreciation
Lumen Christi teacher Cindy Sena-Martinez and her husband are thrilled by Harpel and Fagnani’s enthusiasm and said one of the main goals of the Catholic school choir was to get youth more involved at Mass.
“We’ve also helped the kids grow in appreciation for music,” Sena-Martinez said.
The choir began, when she and her husband, Deacon Dez Martinez responded to requests from Lumen Christi staff to establish a student choir to sing in the schools weekly Masses.
“Nobody really sang before at Mass,” Sena-Martinez observed. “Now people are more involved and are singing.”
In addition to singing, youth also learn the important role music plays in the celebration of the Mass.
Choir members play a role in making musical decisions that enhance the liturgical meaning and significance of the various parts of the Mass, Sena-Martinez said.
“We’ve gone over why we choose certain music, and why we don’t just ‘rock out’ in church,” she said. “We choose the music based on the readings for the Mass.”
In addition to learning about the role music plays as part of the liturgy, the youth pointed towards their growth as musicians.
“I’ve learned a lot about the different exercises to practice and warm up with,” Fagnani said. “I’ve really learned a lot about how to expand my (vocal) range.”
As the year progressed, the choir began expanding their repertoire by venturing into more harmonies and multi-part works.
The youth don’t just sing during school Mass. The choir also serves the broader community.
“In addition to doing the weekly Mass, we’ve gone to the Anchorage Pioneer Home, the Mary Conrad Center and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School,” Sena-Martinez noted.
By singing outside of liturgical settings, the choir is able to perform more contemporary music and more ‘praise and worship,’ she said.
Sena-Martinez has great expectations for the choir in the future. In addition to singing for school Masses, she envisions taking the choir on the road.
“We have some very musically talented youth that could go to competitions and share their talent on a wider scale,” she said.
Principal Colleen Larson is pleased with what the choir has done this year.
“This year was a great beginning,” she said. “We’d like to take it to the next level and get even more student involvement.”
For now, the choir’s goal is to bring a sense of holiness to the weekly liturgy, a work that has not gone unnoticed by school secretary Rhonda Clodfelter.
“The choir has enhanced the beauty of our Mass,” she said.
Parish profile series Sacred Heart Church, Seward, Alaska This is part of a series on parishes 80 families. Father Richard Tero is resident pastor, assisted by retired Air Force chaplain Father Bill Hanrahan and Deacon Walter Corrigan. Dating from 1910, Sacred Heart is the third oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, after St. Francis Xavier in Valdez (1905) and St. Joseph in Cordova (1908). In 2010, Sacred Heart parish will celebrate its 100th anniversary. And as a parish fund-raiser, the church has hosted a Fourth of July chicken barbeque for over 25 years. Built in 1910, the original church was severely damaged in the 1964 earthquake. The present church was completed in 1965. Multi-talented parishioners eager to share their gifts in church and with the community. Sacred Heart parishioners visit the elderly and sick at Seward’s nursing home, and Sacred Heart’s priests weekly celebrate Mass at the Spring Creek maximum security correctional facility. Sacred Heart Church is very active with the Seward Ministerial Association that runs many services and outreaches to the community. For more information about Sacred Heart Church, call 224-5414 or e-mail walcor@arctic.net. |
News & Notes
Bowling and BBQ for young adults
Young adults are invited for an evening of bowling and BBQ May 19 at 6 p.m. Attendees should meet at the Lunney Center at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. For more information, contact Sister Lorraine at 248-2000 x205.
Seattle University program briefing
The Anchorage of Archdiocese and Seattle University will host an informative gathering on the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies Program offered in Anchorage through Seattle University. The event will take place May 20, 6 –8 p.m., on the tenth floor of Tower 1 at Hotel Captain Cook. Archbishop Roger Schwietz, Anchorage MAPS students and Dr. Sharon Callahan, Associate Dean of Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry will make presentations at 7 p.m. Respond by May 15 to Sister Jo Gaugier at jgaugier@caa-ak.org or 297-7711.
Immigration from a faith perspective
Anchorage Faith and Action — Congregations Together (AFACT) is hosting a presentation titled “Immigration from a Faith Perspective” given by Kevin Appleby, Director of Migration and Refugee Policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The event is set for May 21, 7-8:30 p.m., at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. For more information, contact Daniel Esparza of Our Lady of Guadalupe at 301-8780 or AFACT at 297-7737.
How do we come to know God?
On May 22, Theology and Brew in Soldotna hosts a talk on natural vs. revealed truth – and whether human beings have a natural ability to know God. The presenter is Dr. Stan Grove who holds a Master of Arts and doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of America. Grove is assistant principal at Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage. The talk – which is free and open to the public – will take place at 7:30 p.m., at Sal’s Diner on Sterling Highway in Soldotna.
Christian comedy for young adults
Young adults are invited to “Super Sheep,” a presentation by Christian comedian Ken Davis on May 27 at 7 p.m. Dinner and a discussion will follow. Hosted by Our Lady of Guadalupe’s young adults, the event takes place at the Lunney Center of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. For more information, contact Sister Lorraine at 248-2000 x205 or Barbara at 868-1129.
CATHOLIC VOCABULARY votive candle: Source: Modern Catholic Dictionary |
Catholic Daughters welcome newest members
On May 30, the Anchorage Archdiocese’s chapter of Catholic Daughters of the Americas will host a formal reception for new members who have joined the Catholic women’s group through the past year. According to its mission statement, Catholic Daughters of the Americas “strives to embrace the principle of faith working through love in the promotion of justice, equality, and the advancement of human rights and human dignity for all.” The event at Holy Spirit Center includes Mass and a brunch. For more information, contact Linda Fleener at 243-5688.
Free health screenings in Big Lake
The health ministry of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Big Lake will host a community health fair May 30, 1 p.m., at Eastlake Mall. During the fair – which is open to the public – free health screenings and mammograms will be offered. Exhibitors include the American Lung Association, Cancer Society, Food Stamp Outreach, Lions Club Vision Screening and Statewide Hair Mercury Biomonitoring – among others. The Big Lake parish won a grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation for the fair.
New book on Oblate founder
A new book delves into the spirituality of St. Eugene de Mazenod, 19th-cenutry French priest and founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. A number of Oblates serve in the Anchorage Archdiocese, including Archbishop Roger Schwietz. As part of the “15 Days” book series, Oblate Father Bernard Dullier’s “15 Days of Prayer with Saint Eugene de Mazenod” consists of reflections and prayers – along with the saint’s writings such as retreat notes and diaries. The book’s forward is written by Oblate Father Ronald Rolheiser, whose columns appear in the Anchor.
Ascension of the Lord ‘He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.’ Every year, the Ascension of the Lord – a holy day of obligation – is celebrated 40 days after Easter. While it typically falls on a Thursday, it is celebrated in the Anchorage Archdiocese on Sunday, May 24. The celebration marks the day when the resurrected Jesus Christ ascended bodily into heaven under his own power and in the presence of his disciples. Accounts of the event are found in the Gospels of Mark and Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, by which it appears the Ascension took place on Mount Olivet, near Jerusalem. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Christ’s Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly domain, whence he will come again.” As “the head of the church,” Jesus Christ “precedes us into the Father’s glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever.” In addition to attending Mass, historically, many Catholics have celebrated this feast day by climbing a mountain. |
Upcoming Catholic school graduations
• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School (Anchorage): May 20, 6 p.m., graduation at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
• St. Mary School (Kodiak): May 20, 7 p.m., graduation at St. Mary Church
• Our Lady of the Valley School (Wasilla): May 20, graduation at Our Lady of the Valley School
• Holy Rosary Academy (Anchorage): May 16, 10 a.m., baccalaureate Mass and graduation at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Providence Sisters mark milestones
This year, 14 Sisters of Providence will celebrate significant anniversaries of their years in religious life, including four who worked in Alaska. Sister Louise (Ursula Emily) Beaulieu and Sister Claire Gagnon are marking 70 years in religious life; Sister Helen Brennan and Sister Susan Marie Fitzmorris will mark 60 years.
Sister Louise (Ursula Emily) Beaulieu, age 95, entered the religious community in 1939. She served as a nurse for more than 30 years in Washington and spent 14 years in pastoral care in Anchorage.
Sister Claire Gagnon (Sister Marcelle Odile), entered the Sisters of Providence in 1938. She served as a nurse in Washington and Oregon. She spent 13 years as administrator at St. Peter’s Hospital in Olympia. Eventually, Sister Gagnon was assigned to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage to develop the Pastoral Care Department. She retired in 2003 after 28 years in Alaska.
Sister Helen Brennan entered the religious community and made first profession in 1951. She taught grade school in Seattle, Yakima and Vancouver, Wash., and then in Fairbanks, Alaska. In 1968, she became director of religious education at St. Catherine’s in Seattle. Religious education was her career for the next 23 years. She returned to ministry in Alaska in the 1970s and retired in 1996.
Sister Susan Marie Fitzmorris (Sister Clare of Assisi) entered the novitiate at Mount St. Vincent, Seattle, in 1948. She served as a teacher in Seattle, Walla Walla, Vancouver and Moxee, Wash., Fairbanks and Anchorage. She left teaching in 1974 to work with the elderly sisters at St. Joseph Residence in Seattle. She retired in 1994.
A Mass and luncheon celebrating the sisters’ anniversaries will take place June 20 in Spokane.
Koinonia weekend
A Koinonia gathering will take place Sept. 25-27 at Holy Spirit Center. In Greek, Koinonia means community. Through talks, liturgical celebrations and other activities, the Koinonia weekend focuses on the Paschal Mystery: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The aim is to “foster renewal and give participants an experience of what it means to be Church.” Participants are asked to commit to the entire weekend, except if an emergency arises. For more information, contact Nina Mann at 522-4737 or ninamann@alaska.com, or Sister Lorene Griffin, OSU at 248-9881or lgriffinosu@cs.com.
Archbishop’s Calendar
May 15, 6:30 p.m., Diaconate ordinations, Holy Family Cathedral
May 17, 11:30 a.m., Mass and confirmations, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Soldotna
May 19, Providence hospital board meeting, Seward
May 21, 10 a.m., Pastoral day, Holy Spirit Center
May 21, 9 a.m., Mass, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
May 22, 9 a.m., Mass, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
May 23, 5:30 p.m., Mass, Sacred Heart Church, Seward
May 24, 9:30 a.m., Mass and confirmations, Sacred Heart Church, Seward
May 24, 12:30 p.m., Mass, St. John Neumann Mission, Cooper Landing
May 25, 9 a.m., Mass, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
May 26, 9 a.m., Mass, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
May 26, Meeting with St. Mary School students returning from Washington, D.C. trip
May 26, 7 p.m., Presentation for Theology and Brew, Hacienda Restaurant, Wasilla
Note: Events are in Anchorage unless noted.
Community Calendar
May 16, 5:30 p.m., Native Mass, St. Anthony Church
May 17, 11 a.m., Native Mass, Alaska Native Medical Center
May 19, 6 p.m., Young adults’ bowling and BBQ, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
May 21, 7 p.m., Talk on “Immigration from a Faith Perspective,” Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
May 22, 7:30 p.m., Theology and Brew talk on knowing God, Sal’s Diner, Soldotna
May 23, 5:30 p.m., Young adult Mass, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Note: Events are in Anchorage unless noted.
Columns
What do they mean by the word ‘love’?
I happened to be hunting around on Google one day for some scriptural insights and came upon the word, “love.” Get this: There are over three trillion references to the word. I also found that one version of the Bible cites love over eight hundred times. That tells you something, right?
Then I checked the Scriptures for this forthcoming Sunday of Easter. Love is referenced eight times in two readings! Again that tells you that love plays an important part in the life of Christians.
The question that always puzzles me when I think about the word “love” is this: What do they mean by the word? Even Jesus and the author of John’s Gospel, cited today, simply assume that you, the reader, know or understand what they are talking about. Anyway, I left the question hanging for the moment.
Then, on a recent afternoon, I was sitting in the sun on our back patio jotting down some notes for this homily and I just happened to be listening to a beautiful song by Anne Murray on my iPod, entitled “Life, Don’t Run Out on Me.” So, I stopped writing for a moment and said to myself: “Hey, maybe that’s the answer to what we call love. Isn’t it true that we spend much of our life — from the first breath we take until we die — longing for that one thing in life that will mean something to us, something that will fulfill our heart’s desire?”
1 John 5:1-6 John 15:9-17 |
Throughout our entire life, therefore, we struggle to realize that one thing which will supersede all others, all the while hoping that life and time will not run out on us: The tiny baby longs for the mother’s breast. The teenager longs for the girl or boy who will be his or her heart’s desire, at least for this week. The young man or woman longs to attend the top college in the country with the hope of securing a lifetime, six-figure position.
Bernie Madoff and many of his confreres swindled millions of innocent victims out of their life’s savings imagining that money would ultimately serve as their heart’s desire.
The interesting and mysterious thing is that in all this, few of us truly understand what we are searching for as the ultimate end of our longing. Thomas Merton, the monk, once wrote: The greatest tragedy in life is that we are often willing to settle for less.
I don’t know if there is any final solution to this longing we have unless we can set our goal on the other, that loved one or that goal which promises eternal life.
I think that is why Jesus is such a beautiful example of a person who kept his ultimate goal in mind throughout his life. All he did and all he died for was done for us out of love. He lived and died for us, for the other. Perhaps it is even possible to say that Jesus is the only person in human history who died happily. Hanging on the cross, he found his heart’s desire.
So then, distracted as we humans are by worldly desires, we might do well to ask ourselves occasionally whether this one achievement, this one moment in our personal history, is ultimately what we are searching for and in which we will realize our deepest fulfillment. My hunch is that we will probably go on wondering about all this until the Lord calls us home to realize our final heart’s desire, his kingdom where love is all there is.
The writer formerly served the Anchorage Archdiocese as director of pastoral education. He now lives in Notre Dame, In.
As nuns depart, an era is ending in Alaska
Newsweek ran a story recently on corporal punishment in schools, accompanied by a side story written by a guy who said he’d been slapped around by nuns in his Catholic school years ago.
My reaction: Oh, please. Haven’t we beaten to death (bad pun, I know) the stories about nuns, the ruler and your knuckles? Give it a break. Back in the day, lots of teachers used forms of corporal punishment on kids. Quit picking on nuns.
My own first experience of sisters was Saturday morning “catechism” with black-habited ladies. Probably because I didn’t get to know them well, I found them rather intimidating.
It was only after Vatican II, when I taught Catholic school alongside a staff full of Ursulines, that I first realized what fantastic women nuns were. Whether it was Sister Joseph Therese, the principal and consummate Southern lady, or gentle and literature-loving Sister Carolyn Marie, they were women of insight, foresight and faith.
It’s my theory that as nuns — especially American sisters — emerged into the bright light of the pre-Vatican II era, they shed, sometimes along with their habits, their inhibitions about church. Because they were not the powerful in the church, they could take a liberating breath and, to use that time-worn phrase, speak truth to power.
Many of them paved roads on which the rest of us are still making our faithful journeys. Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister is controversial in some circles, but I find this prolific writer and spiritual leader to be a true prophet. I admire Sister of St. Joseph of Medaille Helen Prejean, who has been the leader in the death penalty’s declining popularity. I am thrilled that my daughter was able to study under Holy Names Sister Mary Garvin at Gonzaga University. Sister Garvin wrote, with two other women, “The Spiritual Exercises Reclaimed — Uncovering Liberating Possibilities for Women.”
To me, this expresses what American nuns have done for me and countless others – uncovered liberating possibilities. And when my daughter was finishing her final paper – on Mary Magdalene – the great Fordham theologian Sister Elizabeth Johnson (a Sister of St. Joseph) paid a visit to her class, thrilling my daughter.
Sister Johnson is just one of many great theologian-nuns.
That special generation of women is aging now. We see that clearly in our own Archdiocese, where some of the best ladies I’ve ever known are leaving town. I hesitate to use the word “retiring” because, as they say, “sisters don’t retire,” and that’s so true.
And some of them, like Adrian Dominican Sister Jo Gaugier (see related story) are moving on to leadership positions in their orders. But others, like Mercy Sisters Kathleen O’Hara and Sister Joyce Ross, while remaining active, are moving away from huge ministries which called forth their many gifts and ours.
The list is long: Three sisters from the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament have left Anchorage and are no longer offering their ministry of prayer here. Sister Monique, a Little Sister of Jesus, has moved on. Medical Mission Sister Joan Barina is ending her outstanding career in Kenai. The Grey Nuns are ending a 75-year stretch in Kodiak.
Some of these sisters will be replaced, but I have an end-of-an-era feeling. The special sisters who entered religious life pre-Vatican II and bloomed post-Vatican II are moving into their final fruitful years. Religious life continues and some orders are doing well numerically, but the ranks are thinning. Different forms of religious commitment are emerging.
“The Holy Spirit only moves forward!” a priest once told me, and I trust that. But still, these are nostalgic times.
The writer is a stewardship and hospitality coordinator at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage.
Ecumenical movement addresses the ‘scandal of division’
Q — I hear you have a doctorate in ecumenism, but that you do some work in interreligious relations. What is the difference between the two?
A — Thanks for the question. The two terms are often confused, but they are actually quite different. Ecumenical theology and its practical application, “ecumenism,” has as its focus the restoration of full, visible communion among the various Christian churches. Why is this important? Well, because on the night before he suffered and died for us, Jesus prayed, “That they all be one … that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:21) The simple fact of the matter is that if we do not take seriously the Son, who suffered and died for us, then we do not take seriously the Father who raised him up. This became very apparent to me when I was speaking with a Muslim fellow in Jerusalem.
“Why should I believe in your Christ?” he said. “You Christians cannot even agree on the date of Easter!”
Sad to say, he has a point. Truly, the greatest stumbling block to the credibility of the Gospel is a divided Christianity. The modern ecumenical movement has been around for about 100 years and the Catholic Church joined it at Vatican II. In fact, “working for the unity of Christians” was one of the two reasons that Blessed Pope John XXIII called the Council.
The ecumenical movement seeks to address this scandal of division in three ways. First by prayer. Namely, insofar as we are able, Christians should join our prayer to that of Christ in John 17:21, “that they all be one.” There are limits, however. Intercommunion is a sign of unity already achieved and so it is not proper where full, visible communion has not yet been achieved.
The second way is by common witness, that is, working together on issues of common concern. There are many examples of collaboration between churches in addressing issues of social concern. AFACT is one example of a local programs that foster ecumenical cooperation.
The third and final way is through theological dialogue. This does not involve compromise, but rather the first step is getting to know the other, acknowledging those elements which we hold in common and then working honestly on those areas that are still divisive. This is a long and deliberate process.
Interreligious dialogue, on the other hand, involves practical and theological conversations with members of other world religions such as Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others in order to address areas of mutual concern and to further mutual understanding of each other’s traditions.
The Catholic Church is actively involved in dialogue with all major world religions and, as one might imagine, we have a special relationship with the Jewish community. Much good work has been done in this area as well. A very good local example was the “Engaging Muslims” project last year, which was sponsored by the Cardinal Newman Chair of Catholic Theology at Alaska Pacific University, the Archdiocese of Anchorage and other groups.
The writer is pastor at St. Andrew Church in Eagle River and a lifelong Alaskan. To send Father Leo Walsh a question, e-mail him at lwalsh@caa-ak.org.
Archbishop’s statement on Notre Dame’s invitation to President Obama
“Over the past several weeks I have been asked many times about the invitation extended to President Obama by Notre Dame University. My paramount concern with that invitation has been the Catholic identity of Notre Dame University and the clarity of its witness to Catholic values. This is a concern beyond simply the university and, indeed, is a concern for the whole church. I have written privately and directly to the president of the university voicing these concerns. As Archbishop of Anchorage, I have no role of governance with the university, but as a bishop of the church, I felt it my duty to express myself to Notre Dame University through its president.”
— Anchorage Archbishop, Roger L. Schwietz
Editorial
The longing of youth
The Anchor regularly publishes stories and commentary about the state of Catholic youth. This issue contains several articles about the faith of the next generation, and a careful eye might discern a thread woven through these accounts.
On page 14, one story looks at how a new choir at Lumen Christi High School is giving Anchorage teens a greater appreciation for liturgical music. Some of these students now are more involved in their home parish as a result of being called by teachers and mentors to contribute to the music of school Masses.
Also on page 14, we see images of dozens of youngsters at their First Holy Communion. Dressed to the nines, they stand with local priests and religious educators who have steadfastly guided them in their faith.
Then there’s the interview on the front page with Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz. It reveals some of the profound longings and deep motivations of high school teens who write letters to the archbishop each year in preparation to receive the sacrament of confirmation.
After reading more than 2,500 letters over nine years, Archbishop Schwietz has observed a common theme. In his description of the letters, he noted how teens express a desire to see the faith in action. They want genuine encounters with people who are inspired to serve God.
“One of the things I see that is very important to young people is that they want to see people live their faith genuinely,” Archbishop Schwietz told the Anchor. “They can see through people very well. Catechists, directors of religious education, pastoral ministers, pastors — all of us I think — are being looked upon by people who want us to be genuine and who want us to share what we truly believe with them.”
In a few weeks, area youth have an opportunity to see faith in action at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference. It is a unique gathering of religious sisters and brothers, priests, bishops, youth ministers and lay men and women who come to announce the transformative power of Christ. These speakers are living examples of the faith and they come from across Alaska and around the nation.
The Alaska Catholic Youth Conference is a great opportunity to see how the enduring teachings and historic doctrines of the church are incarnated in the real lives of modern-day Christians.
Conference organizers and past attendees readily recall how youth are impacted by hearing and seeing these witnesses of the faith. Youth should be encouraged to attend this annual gathering. It is known to stoke more than a few flickering flames.
-Joel Davidson, editor
Letters to the Editor
Project Rachel brought healing from abortion 25 years ago
I recently finished the nine-week Project Rachel program, a grief support group for post-abortive women, and although it was a difficult and painful process, it was an incredibly fruitful and healing experience. I thought I had “dealt with my abortion issue” (from 25 years ago), having taken it many times to confession, spiritual direction and “therapy.” But the reality is, no matter how many times well-intentioned people keep telling you that God forgives you and you must forgive yourself — it doesn’t help!
I knew that the ultimate responsibility of that “intentional” decision laid on my shoulders. Yes, many women, including me, are driven by fear — fear of shame, fear of economic impact, strong pro-abortion voices, or lack of pro-life voices — but ultimately I know that the decision was mine.
But the bigger issue is that we have lost our child. Because of the intentional nature of the action, most times we are unaware of our need to grieve — it is swept under the rug. But the loss is real — it needs to be properly mourned, so then it can be set aside. And that is exactly what Project Rachel does. It allows women to grieve the loss of their child — properly — and to give that child his or her proper place of dignity as a life. To take that child’s memory out from under that rug, honor it, appreciate and celebrate it. What incredible, tearful joy and peace that can bring. Only then can we begin to forgive ourselves.
I strongly encourage any woman who has been through an abortion, even if she thinks she has “dealt with it,” to consider Project Rachel. It is truly God reaching out to us, his hemorrhaging daughters (Mt 9:20-22). Our hearts are hemorrhaging, and he allows us to touch his hem and be healed. I can’t thank enough the kind, compassionate women who facilitated my group, and who are involved with this wonderful ministry.
— Chris, Anchorage
Editor’s note: Due to the sensitive nature of this letter, the Anchor agreed to withhold the writer’s last name.
Updated policy on Letters to the Editor
The Catholic Anchor welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be limited to 300 words and include the writer’s full name and city of residence. For verification purposes only, we also need contact information for each letter writer, which will not be published. Letters should not disparage the character of any individual but rather stick to the issues at hand and refer to articles, letters and opinion pieces that have been published in the Catholic Anchor. Letters may not endorse a specific political candidate or political party. Letters may be edited for length, taste and clarity. The Anchor does not publish letters that directly challenge clear and established church teaching.