September 4, 2009 - Issue #15
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Catholic school enrollments growing
The four schools of the Archdiocese of Anchorage Catholic school system launched the new academic year with increased student enrollments and new classes.
On the start of the 2009-2010 school year, enrollments at the archdiocese’s four schools were growing.
“We’re still signing kids up today, as a matter of fact,” said Principal Josh Lewis of St. Mary’s School in Kodiak in an interview with the Anchor Aug. 17. At that time, enrollment at the pre-K-8th grade school was at 103 – up 13 from the same time last year. Lewis expected the school to enroll 10 more over the next couple of weeks.
At the end of last year, St. Mary’s pre-school class had nine students. “We’re getting up to 20 now,” Lewis reported.
There have been “a lot of walk-ins,” and several families were scheduled to be interviewed – Alaska Natives from Western Alaska and the Lower Kuskokwim with young fathers studying at the Russian Orthodox seminary in Kodiak, Lewis explained.
“We’ve got a real close relationship with those folks,” Lewis said of the Russian Orthodox seminary on Kodiak.
Lewis also attributes the growing school enrollment to the Catholic school board’s stepped-up campaign to promote the archdiocesan schools. “The school board has done a great job at advertising and recruitment,” he said.
St. Mary’s caps its classes at 23 students. As of the Anchor’s deadline, there was still room for four or five more in each class. The school establishes a wait list after reaching a cap. If six or seven students sign up afterwards, Lewis said, St. Mary’s will break combined classes into single grades.
In Anchorage last year, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School (K-6th grade) enrolled 159 students. This year, on Aug. 21, the total was 164, said Principal James Bailey.
The school will accept students as long as there is space, which there was at the time in K-2nd grade and 6th grade. Generally, there are 25 or fewer students in each class.
At Lumen Christi High School (7th-12th grade) in Anchorage, Principal Colleen Larson reported 80 students registered for this year. She expected another five or six in the first couple weeks of school.
As of Aug. 22, at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School in Wasilla, enrollment at the K-8th grade school was at 46 – a bit above last year, though at first glance, it appears lower. That’s because Our Lady of the Valley has discontinued its pre-school program.
“It was a good program,” said Principal Suzanne Hammons, and “the people who were in it liked it.” But the pre-school, she said, wasn’t the “feeder program” for the school it was expected to be.
The upside, Hammons said, is new space to expand the other grades. So applications are still being accepted. “As long as we have room, we have enrollment,” said Hammons.
Our Lady of the Valley caps classes at 20 students.
The archdiocese’s schools are introducing new programs as well as welcoming new students.
Lumen Christi High School now offers classes in fine art, film and geography with a focus on “modern world perspectives,” Larson explained.
Also, there’s a new advisory class “to teach study skills, develop future professional skills and provide an opportunity for teachers to be mentors to students.”
“To foster our Catholic identity,” the school has established a prayer room, she said, where each morning teachers will gather to pray for each student by name and share an inspirational reading. And there is a new chaplain. Father Frank Reitter will help students “strengthen their prayer life,” Larson added.
St. Mary’s School in Kodiak will implement a new K-8th grade science curriculum – focusing on laboratory experiments,” said Principal Lewis.
Middle school students will continue to access an on-line math course that allows them to into high school math as soon as they are ready.
Also continuing is the Adventure Learning program, whereby 6th-8th grade students study careers across the year and then take a week-long study trip abroad. Last year, students traveled to the Southern California desert communities where they visited the Spanish missions. It was a “chance to look at service as a potential career,” in addition to learning Catholic Church history, Lewis explained.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Principal Bailey said his school will continue with its curriculum of traditional disciplines – along with classes in Spanish, computers, library and physical education.
Faith life at school is vibrant, too, Bailey explained. “We start out each day with prayer” and students take the lead. “It’s a constant thing, it’s part of what we do” – along with character education. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church pastor Father Tom Lilly visits the classes, and “we are in the church, as well” for the sacrament of reconciliation and Mass.
Our Lady of the Valley in Wasilla may add a music program and an after-school science program in robotics or rocketry. In the meantime, the school maintains once-a-week physical education classes at Denali Gymnastics Academy in Wasilla where students learn fundamentals of exercise, team sports and gymnastics.
Seminarian’s surprise: ‘I couldn’t have predicted it’
Former Anchorage businessman Arthur Roraff is the newest seminarian for the Anchorage Archdiocese. The 41-year-old parishioner of Holy Family Cathedral recently began studies for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary in Minnesota.
Born into a military family in Phoenix, Roraff hopped around the country until his family settled in Anchorage where he attended Service High School. He has four sisters, including one who died shortly after she was born.
Roraff is a founding member of the Theology and Brew outreach to young adults. He spoke with the Anchor Aug. 14 about his journey through single adulthood, dating, the business world and the road that eventually lead him to the seminary. The interview was edited for length and clarity.
You had some apprehension about granting this interview in the first place. Can you explain why?
Most people think that when someone enters the seminary, the forgone conclusion is that they will become a priest in X number of years. While it’s true that this is the track I’m on, the first year or two are still years of discernment. If I were to go through a year or two and find out that this is not my calling, I think there would be disappointment for a lot of people who I know are faithfully praying for vocations in this archdiocese. It has been wonderful ever since people have started to find out I am going to the seminary. People I hadn’t talked to in 10 or 15 years and even total strangers come up and say ‘we’ve been praying for vocations,’ but I don’t want people to have the foregone conclusion that this is where I will end up. I pray that it will and I’m doing this believing that that’s where it will end.
How did you decide to attend seminary?
I decided a few years ago to reconstruct my life so that Christ was actually the center. It was just a matter of saying ‘yes’ to little things. The idea of the priesthood at that time was completely overwhelming to me. I didn’t want to be a priest, even though there was still something in the back of my mind that said, ‘maybe you should.’ I decided to take one little step at a time and God led me to this point. I really didn’t think I’d be here a year ago. I think it is a matter of not being afraid to basically say ‘yes’ to the little steps. God will take care of where you end up.
What are some little steps you took?
I decided to get a spiritual advisor. I had never had one. That step was easy. Another was checking out a seminary, just to see what it was like. I could call it a retreat if I wanted. There’s no commitment to that at all. I just went for a retreat — I told myself that. But it was also an opportunity to answer some lingering questions. I eventually visited five different places. If you have lingering questions about whether you have a religious vocation, you’ve got to answer those. Otherwise, I think the questions linger in your mind.
What was your visit to St. Paul Seminary like?
What’s nice is that if someone decides to go and check out a seminary, they will put a schedule together for you and you get to live with the guys in the seminary. You get to live the life for a little while, to try it on.
I attended classes that I found challenging and very faithful. I liked their prayer schedule. They have Holy Hour every morning, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament all day on Fridays and morning, evening and night prayer. That was a telltale sign to me that this was a place where I would feel comfortable. Priests must fortify themselves with prayer.
What will the seminary entail for you?
I have two years of pre-theology and four years of theology. When I’m done, I’ll have a master’s degree in divinity. Then there is one more year when I come back to Alaska to work in a parish. The track is traditionally seven years.
How did you decide between training to become a priest for the Archdiocese of Anchorage, versus joining a religious order like the Dominicans or Franciscans?
I have lived in Alaska 27 years and I think that is something I can use in ministry. To join a religious community would not allow me to use that as much. Also, frankly, as someone who is a little bit older, joining a religious community, I think, would be more challenging. In the community life for religious, you renounce all your worldly possessions when you go in. The diocesan route is not as drastic of a change at this later point in my life. I have a great admiration and attraction to religious communities and I hope to visit them often as a priest and even as a seminarian for support of my own vocation but I just don’t think that is where God is calling me. I think God wants me to come back to Alaska.
Why do so few men consider the priesthood?
I think there are a variety of reasons. Our society tells us that we can’t be fulfilled unless you’re married and have kids. Also, I think a lot of guys may be attracted to the holiness of the priesthood but they don’t see it as masculine. Not because of the priests but because of their exposure to what they have seen, which often times is just going to Mass on Sunday. They don’t see priests living as men and so they don’t identify priests as being manly.
Another reason is that people seem to compartmentalize religion and see it as a part of their life but not the center. So when a young man considers even for a moment the priesthood, I think they often quickly dismiss it because they don’t want to see themselves committed to something that is only a little part of their life.
What about those who don’t think they have a vocation to the priesthood because they are attracted to women?
That’s a really bad reason. They call the priesthood a sacrifice for a reason. You become a priest because it is your calling. A wise piece of advice that one priest gave me was that when you go to the seminary, it is very possible that at some point in the seminary I might find a woman that I am very attracted to and I will be tempted to leave my vocation. He said those temptations will be there but he said, ‘Don’t leave because you’re attracted to a woman. Leave because you no longer have a vocation to the priesthood.’ It’s the case of the grass is always greener on the other side. If you’re jumping because something looks better, are you really looking at what you are doing now? If I get to some point where there is no joy for me and it seems like a mistake, then I’ll pursue other vocations, but not until then. Let’s be honest, when you find an attractive woman, you aren’t thinking straight anymore.
What would you say to those considering the seminary?
Hopefully people will realize that the seminary is still part of the discernment process. You can go into the seminary with the understanding that the first couple of years are continued years of discernment. If they just ordained you the minute you walked in, I don’t think I’d be there. I still need more time to get used to it.
I would also say, don’t be afraid. If God wants you to be a priest, he will give you what you need and you will be joyful and better off for it. That goes for anything God is asking you. We can’t do anything by ourselves. Mother Teresa couldn’t do what she did without faith in God. She opened herself up, and look what God did. Look at Pope John Paul II, he didn’t do it. He threw himself up to Christ and Christ did it through him. How much more exciting is life when you are completely open to God’s will — when you don’t see the next corner? We don’t go on roller coaster rides planning the next turn. We just go, and when it gets to the next turn, it frightens and excites us at the same time. That is excitement — not the ten-year plan. We are so caught up worrying and planning everything that we take the living out of life. We have leave room for God to work.
Sexually exploited women find refuge in Anchorage outreach
Many start as strippers. Some “work” out of a car, a club or by way of the Internet. And since they’re not walking the streets of Spenard in Anchorage, they don’t consider themselves prostitutes. They see themselves as “sex workers.”
But despite the varied settings and nuanced terms, it’s still commercial sexual exploitation, said Nancy Cole of Mary Magdalene Home Alaska, in an interview with the Anchor.
Cole directs the ecumenical Christian, nonprofit organization that provides “a network of care” to women leaving prostitution and sexual exploitation — a monumental task in Anchorage, where the oldest “profession” in the world is thriving.
“There’s always been a prostitution problem in Anchorage. Period,” Cole explained.
According to Sgt. Kathy Lacey, head of the Vice Unit for the Anchorage Police Department (APD), city law enforcement makes well over 300 arrests each year for prostitution.
And now, prostitution is moving stealthily into cyberspace. Cole spoke of one teen girl whose pimp had recently advertised her and others in personal ads on Craig’s List. She told Cole that men who like the profiles “just order us.”
“It’s a new kind of pimping,” Cole said.
Then there’s sex trafficking – in which a person is induced into prostitution or is maintained there by force, fraud or coercion. According to federal law, this includes prostituting girls under age 18, regardless of their willingness.
Sometimes, these girls and women are brought into an area by sex traffickers. As a result, Mary Magdalene has worked with women from Russia, Mexico and South America.
But five years ago, when the FBI began ferreting out networks in Alaska that prey on foreign-born women, it started uncovering a number of domestic sex trafficking networks, Anchorage FBI special agent Jolene Goeden told the Anchor.
The so-called “escort” service run by Don Webster (aka, Jerry Starr) is one example, said Goeden. After “years” of investigation by the FBI, Webster was charged with and convicted of multiple counts of sex trafficking. In April, Webster was ordered to pay an unprecedented $3.6 million in restitution to 11 women he had coerced to prostitute.
Beyond Webster, Goeden said she was not at liberty to disclose the “hard numbers” on the FBI’s sex trafficking cases in Anchorage, but only that “we have active cases right now.”
Meanwhile, from Mary Magdalene Home’s office in Anchorage, Cole said her group provides counseling and social service referrals to 50 to 60 sexually exploited women at any one time – through a “rotating door,” she explained. “It’s a massive amount of people that need help.”
For the child victims of prostitution, “we don’t have a lot of options,” said Goeden, who helps direct the Innocence Lost Task Force, a joint FBI-APD project designed to identify and rescue underage victims of sex trafficking.
“The system is not set up for these kids at all,” she added.
Most minors caught in the act of prostitution are cited and sent to McLaughlin Youth Center.
“For the most part, these are kids that are ‘throw-away’ kids, they’re runaways, they’re kids that are on the street who often times are not even being reported by family anymore as being missing or having run away and so there really is no place for them to go,” Goeden lamented.
The situation for women isn’t much better.
“There really is absolutely nothing in Anchorage for the woman at two o’clock in the morning who says ‘I need to get out, I want to get out,’ — there’s absolutely no place for her to go,” Goeden explained.
Often those caught by authorities are cited and released with a ticket and a court date. But Goeden added that “in order to get a woman clean enough — off of drugs and alcohol — sometimes, jail is the only option we have.”
Meanwhile, Lacey said the APD helps connect each arrested woman to what she needs to get off the street, including drug and alcohol treatment, work and housing. But most of the women won’t immediately accept the help.
“They don’t trust us because we’re arresting them,” Lacey said. Sometimes, “their trafficker or their pimp has literally physically beat it into them” that the law is the enemy. For some, the life of prostitution is “all they’ve known.”
Enter Mary Magdalene Home Alaska. Founded in 1998, the group aims to help sexually exploited women transform their lives “spiritually, mentally and physically.” It is named after St. Mary Magdalene, the penitent sinner and devout follower of Jesus. Clients range in age from 18 to late fifties.
“As Christians, we believe that people can and do change,” Cole explained.
For many women, that starts in voluntary group meetings with Mary Magdalene Home volunteer case workers who visit Hiland Mountain Correctional Center each week. After prison, women are invited to attend a support group outside, while Mary Magdalene workers help them find a “safe, secure” place to live – which is especially difficult for a penniless woman and ex-convict.
“Our primary concern and problem in Anchorage is when women come out of jail, they have nowhere, zero housing that they can go into,” Cole said.
The area’s few shelters pose dangers and few beds for women, she explained. Many end up “couch surfing.” Some of those go back into the business “just to eat.”
But after 11 years, Mary Magdalene Home Alaska has raised enough funds to purchase a safe home for these women. Cole said the home — opened in April in a “nice, residential neighborhood” in East Anchorage — accommodates up to seven women at a time. Transitioning to self-sufficiency, women may stay for as little as three months and up to 18 months or a “little further” in special circumstances.
Within the first 30 days of arriving, she must have a job or be actively looking for a job and performing 20 hours of volunteer work a week. To her ability, each contributes a “household support fee” to foster the responsibility of living in community with others.
“The women there are working so hard, they’re getting jobs,” Cole stressed. Meanwhile, in a “family environment,” Mary Magdalene Home helps them secure bus passes, finish school, build job skills and find a permanent home. One woman, in her early thirties, is, for the first time, earning a driver’s license, Cole said.
On top of life’s normal challenges, these sexually exploited women deal with “all the trauma they’ve been through,” Cole explained.
That includes childhood abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, domestic abuse, life on the street and mental health and drug and alcohol problems.
Many are mothers trying to regain custody of their children in the state’s charge — or mourning the loss of children.
“A lot of the women who come through are having to deal with the grief and loss of having had abortions,” Cole explained. “Having had so many different losses in their life it’s now, if they don’t get out, they get dead, pretty basically. It’s that bad.”
So, in addition to arranging outside help to heal those wounds, Mary Magdalene Home offers in-house spiritual guidance and soon, a regular Bible study and prayer service.
Sister Lorene Griffin, an Ursuline sister and retired psychologist, volunteers as Mary Magdalen’s spiritual and psychological director. She counsels women about their way of thinking, “what freedom means” and how to make good choices. And a caseworker reviews with a woman her sexual and drug and alcohol histories to identify what triggers relapses.
“It doesn’t matter what they’ve done or where they’ve been,” Cole explained. “They come into our office, they’re treated with respect.”
She added: “They’re our ladies. They’re women who are choosing to change their lives (and they) need people to care.”
As Christians, she explained, “you offer love and support. We recognize there’s more to a person than just their physical injuries and their emotional abuse.”
“They’re women who are really hungry for God,” Cole observed.
The first thing that shuts down with most abused people is spiritually, she said.
It is also often the last thing that comes back, Cole added.
Mary Magdalene’s prescription: “Just love them back to God, I guess is what you say.”
For more information on Mary Magdalene Home Alaska, visit mmhalaska.org.
Opening Mass a call to take up ‘Sword of Gideon’
Students challenged to begin new year with great faith in God
Moments before the first classes of the 2009-10 school year began, students at Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage were reminded of an Old Testament coward who became a national hero by letting God direct his life.
With students, teachers, staff and parents gathered in St. Benedict Church for the Aug. 18th opening Mass, St. Benedict pastor Father Steven Moore’s homily drew upon the biblical account of Gideon as he challenged students to see their lives through a divine lens.
Gideon thought his life was insignificant and lowly and “hoped no one would notice him,” Father Moore told the 7-12th graders.
“But God saw Gideon’s great potential and he inspired him and sent him on this mission to accomplish great things,” he added.
According to the Book of Judges, God called Gideon to raise an army and overthrow the oppressive Midionites, who had repeatedly tormented the Israelites. With an army of only 300 men, Gideon defeated a large Midianite force.
To take up the “Sword of Gideon” has since come to refer to one who takes on a mission which seems impossible, Father Moore explained.
“We can all feel like Gideon at times,” he told the students. “But we are asked to look at ourselves and remember that God sees great potential and wonderful works to be accomplished.”
To start the school year, he urged students to put aside their insecurities, fears and personal judgments — “all those things that keep us back” — and to cooperate with the graces of God.
“As we launch out into a new school year, let’s launch out with the sword of Gideon,” Father Moore concluded.
After Mass, students processed with a lit candle to the school entrance, where Father Moore gave a blessing before students rushed off to the first classes of the new year.
Catholic schools a rare blessing in Alaska, says archbishop
The chance to send children to a Catholic school is a rare blessing, especially in Alaska where Catholic communities are so spread apart, said Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz.
Speaking Aug. 26, during the opening Mass for Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School in Wasilla, Archbishop Schwietz addressed its uniform-clad students and their parents and teachers.
“We have to remember that there are many, many people around this state and around the country who don’t have the opportunity to send their children to a Catholic school,” he said.
The Mass marked the start of the second year for the K-8th grade school which serves children from around the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
Few other areas outside Anchorage are so fortunate to have a Catholic school, Archbishop Schwietz explained in his homily.
Outside Anchorage, there are only two archdiocesan schools in the 138,985 square miles that constitute the archdiocese. Those are Our Lady of the Valley and St. Mary’s School in Kodiak.
During his homily, the archbishop recounted a recent visit to the Kenai Peninsula, where one family of St. John the Baptist Church in Homer said they plan to send their children to a boarding school in California, because they want them to go to a Catholic school.
Archbishop Schwietz urged students to “give thanks” for the school and pray for the “generous people who help in so many different ways to make this a possibility for you.” A Catholic school, he explained, “helps each of us to grow in the knowledge of the law of God as we grow in wisdom and in age.”
And as Our Lady of the Valley students come to school, said the archbishop, they are “never alone.”
“As you’re studying and you are learning, as you’re dealing with your classmates and going through all of the activities that are part of school,” Jesus is “beside you, helping you. And so you can count on his presence,” Archbishop Schwietz explained.
“He’s there on one side of you and on the other side of you is your guardian angel who’s protecting you,” he added.
“And then there’s another presence of Jesus here in the school, which we are giving thanks today for,” the archbishop noted, “and that’s Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist.”
He reminded students that “when we celebrate Mass, the bread and the wine become the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ.” After Mass, he continued, “we save some of the hosts – the bread that has become the Body of Jesus” and reserve them in a tabernacle.
Pointing to the school chapel’s newly installed tabernacle, which he blessed after the homily, the archbishop explained that “‘tabernacle’ is another word for a ‘tent’ or a ‘home,’ and so this is going to be a home of Jesus who is present in that very special way present in the Eucharist.”
“So when you go through your day, if you get a chance to come here and pray, you’ll know that Jesus is present here under that special form of the bread that has become his Body,” he said.
Summer vacations redeemed by remote mission trips
‘It was the best week of my summer,’ says Soldotna teen
For about a decade now, teens from Our Lady of the Angels Church in Kenai have traveled to remote Alaska villages, spreading the Gospel and learning from their Catholic brothers and sisters at the edges of civilization.
This summer, the outreach multiplied as Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Soldotna joined the effort of sending teens on summer missions.
This past year, the Kenai and nearby Soldotna parishes teamed up to offer a teen youth ministry that includes monthly Masses and other activities. The partnership spurred interest to offer more mission opportunities as well.
“I am a big believer in giving teens an opportunity to serve others … it is very impacting on their lives,” said Oblate Father Joe Dowling, who was a chaperone on a recent mission trip to Mountain Village on the Yukon River.
A team of six teens and three adults went to the Alaska Native village during the first part of August for a week-long trip that included a children’s Bible camp, daily Masses and a family picnic. Earlier in July, five teens and three adults from the Soldotna parish visited the community of Marshall, another remote village along the Yukon River, where the mission team prepared 11 youth for the sacraments of first reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Both Marshall and Mountain Village are Yup’ik communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
Lauren Schams, 15, was part of the Marshall mission and said she was less shocked upon arriving at Immaculate Heart Church than she expected.
“They live just like we do — it’s just way more expensive,” she said.
Alex Agosti, age 15, had a similar reaction in Mountain Village.
“I thought things would be way different. The houses were smaller and they ate different foods, but other than that it was very much like us here in Soldotna,” he recalled.
In addition to seeing a different part of Alaska, the trips contained a strong spiritual component as well.
“The Mass is where our teens really stepped up,” explained Father Dowling. “We asked our kids to stretch themselves for the sake of the mission. They did so reluctantly at first, but after that, they started to really want to participate.”
Soldotna parishioner Vanessa Dukowitz, 18, read as a lector and sang as cantor while her brother Russell Dukowitz, 15, was an altar server for the first time in his life.
“It wasn’t too bad,” Russell recalled. “It was easier than I though it would be, you know, stepping out of my comfort zone.”
Local youth in Mountain Village responded to the enthusiasm of the mission team, and many of the very young children began recognizing Jesus and making the Sign of the Cross, Dukowitz said.
The community of Marshall responded well to the mission trip there, as well, said Oblate Father Andy Sensenig, who also served as a chaperone.
“The week made a difference in how serious they were beginning to take their faith. You could really see it on the last day. They were in their best dress,” Father Sensenig explained. “There was standing room only at the church and we had to open doors to have people stand outside when the young people were receiving Christ. Russian Orthodox and Catholic were standing shoulder to shoulder.”
Youth and adults from both mission teams said the trips brought them closer to one another.
“I was taken aback by the way our teens and adults formed community, prayed together, worked together, processed together and enjoyed each others company,” said Dowling. “We laughed a lot.”
The Soldotna youth didn’t know each other that well before, but now they are great friends, said Schams.
“When my mom first told me I was going, I thought she was taking a week away from my summer,” Schams said. “But when I got there, I realized it was the best week of my summer.”
D.C. trip inspires student to action
Earlier this summer, Tanner Berube, a Lumen Christi High School student, represented Alaska in the nation’s capital as one of two Alaskan young men who attended Boys Nation.
The program, sponsored by the American Legion, is a weeklong session that allows young men to interact with others in government procedures. Berube met many leaders, including Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich.
In selecting Berube for the trip, local American Legion members judged him on criteria such as character, attitude and honesty while he worked in a mock legislative process.
Berube said one of the most memorable moments of the trip came from a presentation entitled, “Be ashamed, be embarrassed, feel bad if you die before making this world a better place.” It reinvigorated his zeal to make a difference in the world. “Here I am, just a kid from a small city in Alaska, meeting 98 kids who are the best of the best,” he recalled. “They are smart and charismatic — it is an honor to be around them and share their love of government.”
Tanner is co-president of the Lumen Christi student body, where he began a mentor program, that matches older students with younger ones.
Anchor report
Retiring sister to stay in Alaska
Sister Aldrich to keep presence in Homer
Mercy Sister Carol Ann Aldrich recently joined the rapidly growing number of retired religious sisters from Alaska, but unlike most of her fellow retirees, she plans to remain in the northern-most state.
Sister Aldrich retired this summer as parish administrator at St. John the Baptist Church in Homer, but the Rhode Island native doesn’t plan to leave the small fishing town of Homer.
“I love the people, I love the land, I love it here,” she said.
She asked her congregation’s president about staying in Homer after her retirement and was told, “You can have a Mercy presence in Alaska just as well as in Rhode Island.”
With her decision to stay in Alaska, the Sisters of Mercy will continue to have at least two sisters in the state. Sister Jean Pyper who works for Catholic Social Services, is the only other Mercy Sister still working in Alaska.
Unfortunately, Sister Aldrich doesn’t foresee any more Mercy Sisters coming to Alaska in the near future. Her community is an aging one, she said.
But by retiring in Homer, Sister Aldrich aims to continue aspects of what has become her life’s work over the past quarter century. She already has an apartment and plans to volunteer in any number of areas — hospice, a local food pantry and ministry to the homebound.
Sister Aldrich reflected on her original move to Alaska in 1983 with fellow Mercy Sister Dianne Carlson.
“We wanted to do something different,” she said of the decision to leave tiny Rhode Island where she grew up, received an education and spent years working, including a 14-year-stint as the director of a day care center. She still has many relatives — aunts, cousins and a sister — who live in Rhode Island.
Sister Dianne Carlson originally served in Valdez at St. Francis Xavier Church with Sister Aldrich. The two worked in faith formation, traveling to Cordova and Glennallen to teach there as well.
All told, the Rhode Islander spent nine years in Valdez, eventually serving as the parish director. She was also the first woman religious to serve as parish director in both Valdez and then Homer. She served in Homer from 1992-95, then moved to Rhode Island to help with her aging parents. She returned to Homer in 2004.
Educated by Sisters of Mercy through elementary and high school, the young Aldrich felt called to the religious community by the time she was in fifth grade.
“I always wanted to be a sister. I admired what they did,” she said.
She also admires the parishioners of St. John in Homer.
“They are a very active community. Nobody gets paid — everybody volunteers. They’ve been 100 percent supportive of me.”
Sister Aldrich hopes to see more of Alaska in the years ahead. Each year, she tries to visit one new place, and has been to Nome and Barrow. In September, she plans to visit the archdiocese’s most distant outpost – Dutch Harbor.
Packets available for ‘Respect Life Sunday’
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pro-life office is offering a packet of informational articles, a flyer and liturgy guide to help parishes mark Respect Life Sunday (Oct. 4).
The day is annually observed by almost all of the 195 Catholic dioceses in the U.S.
This year’s theme — “Every Child Brings Us God’s Smile” — comes from a homily of Pope Benedict XVI during a 2007 Mass on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Topics in this year’s packet include building a culture of life, human dignity, assisted suicide, contraception, infertility and same-sex marriage.
The materials – available in English and Spanish – are found at the Web site of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities (usccb.org/prolife) and on a CD which may be ordered by calling 866-582-0943. Begun in 1972, the USCCB’s Respect Life Program brings church teaching on the value and dignity of human life to the Catholic community and the wider public. For more information, contact Deacon Ted Greene in the Anchorage Archdiocese at 297-7734 or tgreene@caa-ak.org.
— Catholicanchor.org
Western Kenai welcomes new Oblate priest
Oblate Father Roger Bergkamp recently joined the Oblates of Mary Immaculate team that serves parishes in the Western Kenai Peninsula. Three Oblate priests and one brother stationed out of Soldotna’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church work rotating schedules to provide sacraments and ministries to Catholics in Soldotna, Kenai, Ninilchik and Homer.
Arriving in July to help fill the church rotation while Father Tony Dummer is on a health sabbatical, Father Bergkamp traveled to Alaska for a six-month assignment from International Falls, Minnesota, where he has served St. Thomas Aquinas Church since 2002. Father Bergkamp spent nearly half of his 45 years as an Oblate priest living and working in Brazil. When asked what he hoped to bring to parishioners in the Western Kenai, he likened his experience in Alaska to the experience of many youth from the United States who come to Brazil to help the poor.
“My experience is that we go to a different culture thinking we will bring them to a better way of life, and we come back and realize that they’ve brought us to a better way of life,” said the soft-spoken 72-year-old.
Father Bergkamp, a cradle Catholic, grew up on a farm in Southern Kansas. His ordination in Pass Christian, Mississippi — the major seminary for the Oblate’s Central Province at that time — didn’t come after a “light bulb” moment.
“Some people have a moment, I guess I never did. It was a normal, natural process,” said Father Bergkamp. “I was always comfortable being a missionary, and events just kept moving me along.”
Father Bergkamp says he looks forward to enjoying much of what Alaska has to offer.
“One of my best friends is nature,” he said. “I like gardening or anything out-of-doors.”
Father Bergkamp first spent a great deal of time outdoors alone at age 14, when he took care of the farm’s livestock while his father worked in town during a poor farming year. He says that it was then when he began to listen to Christ.
“I missed my brothers and my sisters and my friends, but that was where I became a friend of Christ, where I got to really know Christ for the first time,” he recalled.
Father Bergkamp also enjoys time with other people and says his favorite thing about Alaska so far is its residents.
Father Bergkamp has no plans to start or get heavily involved in the different ministries available on the Kenai Peninsula, as his stay is for only six months — possibly less if Father Dummer returns sooner. But he also remains open to the path this part of his life will take.
“One of the things that I’ve learned is God always has surprises,” he said. “So I guess I’ll wait to see what God does.”
Petition would establish parental role when Alaska minors seek abortions
Alaskans across the state are gathering signatures on a petition for a ballot measure that would ask voters whether abortionists should inform or receive consent from parents before performing an abortion on a girl under age 18.
Alaskans for Parental Rights Campaign, affiliated with the pro-life, pro-family group, Alaska Family Council, is spearheading the effort. At least 32,734 Alaska residents need to sign the petition in order to have the issue decided by voters in the August 2010 primary election.
Signatures will be compiled during the Alaska State Fair and elsewhere.
In 1997, the Alaska State Legislature overwhelmingly passed a law allowing parents the right to consent to or deny an abortion on their minor daughter. However, in November 2007, the Alaska Supreme Court overturned the law.
The measure was reintroduced in the past two legislative sessions and although it passed the House both times, the legislation stalled in the bipartisan Senate majority, where Senator Hollis French, as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, refused to allow the issue to be brought to a vote.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz backed the parental consent legislation earlier this year and sent a letter in March to bill sponsor Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, stating that the proposed legislation “ultimately allows parents to be parents and be aware of the life changing situation that their often immature children become involved in.”
Archbishop Schwietz stressed that parental involvement is critical to safeguarding minors.
“Over the course of my years as a priest and a bishop, I have heard many personal stories related to the devastating effects abortion has had on women’s lives,” Archbishop Schwietz wrote. “Passage of this bill would ensure that parents are fully aware of the challenges their daughters would be facing if they did indeed go through with an abortion.”
The text of the initiative is online at ltgov.alaska.gov/initiatives/index.php. The petition is at alaskafamilycouncil.org.
Catholicanchor.org
New positions assigned throughout archdiocese
The end of summer brings with it some personnel changes in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, as well as some new appointments. Here’s a run-down on who’s going where.
Father Leo Walsh’s move to Washington, D.C., to work with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops set some changes in motion. Father Walsh was appointed assistant director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the conference. At the time of his appointment, he was pastor at St. Andrew Church in Eagle River, and his replacement at the parish is Father Ben Torreto, who is on loan from the Archdiocese of Cotobato in the Philippines.
Father Walsh’s departure also left a vacancy as vocation director. That title now shifts to Father Tom Lilly, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in South Anchorage. Father Lilly will be assisted in his work by Father Torreto.
Father Torreto had been serving as the interim pastor at St. Anthony Church while Father Fred Bugarin was on sabbatical. Father Bugarin has now returned to the parish after studying at the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, Ca.
In Palmer, Father Nelson Marilag has been appointed associate pastor, where he will now serve with current pastor Father Tom Brundage.
At the archdiocese’s chancery, there have been some key appointments as well. Father Bill Fournier, pastor at Sacred Heart in Wasilla, will assume the title of chancellor.
Sister Charlotte Davenport, who has been the chancellor as well as the chief financial officer for the archdiocese, will now focus solely on finances within parishes as well as the archdiocese (See related article on next page).
Eileen Kramer, who has worked at the downtown chancery in Anchorage for nearly 30 years, was named vice chancellor.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, in announcing that appointment, said he was “delighted” to give the title to “our long-serving and dedicated administrative assistant. In reality, much of what Eileen has done over the years is identical to what a vice chancellor does so I thought it only appropriate that she have the title.”
Another major change at the chancery is a new executive secretary to Archbishop Schwietz. Mary Gore, who had held that position for a good part of the archbishop’s tenure, resigned this summer to spend more time with her son and complete a master’s degree. Her replacement, Kim Bakic, is a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, and has years of experience in administrative positions.
On the Kenai Peninsula, there’s a new addition to the team of Oblates of Mary Immaculate which serves several peninsula parishes. Father Anthony Dummer has taken leave for medical reasons, and has been temporarily replaced by Oblate Father Roger Bergkamp, who will serve with fellow Oblates Father Andrew Sensenig, Father Joseph Dowling and Brother Craig Bonham (See related article on page 11).
A new class of deacons, ordained this summer, received their appointments as well. Most were appointed to service within their home parish.
Deacons Jon Herman and James “Mick” Fornelli have been appointed to their local parish, St. Patrick in Anchorage. Deacon Dan Stowe will serve at St. Francis Xavier Church in Valdez where he and his wife Trish have long been parishioners.
Deacon Rick Ernst, a Kenai Peninsula resident, will serve Our Lady of the Angels Church in Kenai. Deacon Harry Moore will serve St. Michael Church near his home in Palmer, as well as Holy Rosary Church in Dillingham, where he sometimes visits to fish.
Deacon Curt Luenberger has also been appointed to serve St. Michael Church in Palmer, as well as assist at Holy Family Church in Glennallen.
Father Scott Garrett is a canon lawyer and pastor of Holy Rosary in Dillingham, where he also serves much of the Bristol Bay region. Now, additionally, he has been appointed judicial vicar associate in the tribunal.
Lastly, a familiar face to many in the archdiocese, Father Frank Reitter, has returned to help out on the circuit, serving parishes without resident priests. Also he is assigned as chaplain for Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage.
Chancellor takes new job
Sister Davenport steps down to focus on parish finances
After six years, Sister Charlotte Davenport is stepping down as chancellor of the Archdiocese of Anchorage to take on a new assignment as chief financial officer.
As chancellor since 2003, Sister Davenport assisted Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz in several areas — diocesan administration, pastoral planning as well as financial matters related to the archdiocese’s 32 parishes and missions.
The new chancellor is Father Bill Fournier, also pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Wasilla. He and Sister Davenport will collaborate in some areas that affect archdiocesan finances, but with her new duties, Sister Davenport will spend the bulk of her time helping individual parishes with money matters. Father Fournier will focus more on the archdiocesan departments at the chancery.
The transition has been in the works since Archbishop Schwietz and Sister Davenport first established financial administration policies for the parishes several years ago.
Sister Davenport said she will now help “develop their systems so they can be more effective stewards” of parishioners’ contributions. That includes providing guidance on the tasks of finance councils, safeguards in counting Sunday collections and reports to the parish — as well as training parish personnel in electronic budgeting and recordkeeping.
In the fall, after reviewing parishes’ annual reports, Sister Davenport expects to visit to a number of parishes throughout the archdiocese. Already, she is scheduled to visit Our Lady of the Angels Church in Kenai and St. John the Baptist Church in Homer to help those parishes through “practical transitional issues” stemming from recent changes in administration.
Becoming “better observers of good business practice,” Sister Davenport said, is something the Catholic Church in the United States has been working on for some time — particularly since the first sexual abuse settlement was made by the Archdiocese of Boston.
Accordingly, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has adopted guidelines for best practices in parish financial administration. Sister Davenport said her work will draw from those and other resources, tailoring them to “our unique circumstances” in Alaska.
“Some parishes probably wouldn’t even qualify as a small mission in most of the Eastern Seaboard,” she noted. “So we have to look and see what’s reasonable to expect here.”
As chancellor, Father William Fournier — who will continue serving as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Wasilla — focus will focus on the financial state of the chancery, which is comprised of departments like the archdiocese’s Office of Stewardship and Development, the Tribunal and Office of Evangelization and Worship.
Father Fournier told the Anchor that the archbishop wants him to review all the archdiocese’s departments and “see where can save and where we can’t” in order to “create an ongoing balanced budget for the diocese and build up necessary reserves, because we have never done that.” Vicar General and pastor of St. Benedict Church in Anchorage Father Steven Moore will assist Father Fournier.
Secondarily, with Sister Davenport, Father Fournier will help parishes “perform correctly in terms of their budgeting, their finances.” It is a critical task, he said, “because otherwise, as we’ve seen in a few parishes throughout the archdiocese, they get in trouble, they take on too much debt. Their finances aren’t sometimes in order. So we want to assist them with that.”
But Father Fournier was quick to distinguish between streamlining archdiocesan departments and helping parishes maintain their books.
“I hope people realize, especially in the parishes, that we’re just there as a support to help them,” he said, adding that “we’re not going to take over there, because that’s the pastor’s role or the administrator’s role. We’re going to try to assist the parishes.”
In terms of the departments of the diocese, however, “that’s different.”
“We’re not going to go in as efficiency experts and cut, cut, cut,” Father Fournier said. But he said that he will ask, “What are you doing? What are you spending? Are there ways you can come up with to cut?”
Time is pressing, he explained, since the archdiocese’s “income is pretty much maxed out right now.”
PRIEST PROFILES After tragedy came call to the priesthood Editor’s note: In conjunction with Catholic Church’s world-wide celebration of the Year for Priests, the Anchor is publishing profiles of the priests serving in the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
Father Eric John Wiseman is parochial vicar at St. Andrew Church in Eagle River. He was transferred August 2008 from St. Anthony Church in Anchorage, where he served as parochial vicar for three years. Before that, he was a hospital chaplain at Providence Hospital for nine months. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 25, 2005 at Holy Family Cathedral. What inspired you to investigate a vocation to the priesthood? Well, God had a big influence. When my wife, Vicky, died February 10, 1998, I knelt down at the window of her hospital room and thanked God for the 17 years, 9 months, 10 days, 12 hours and 15 minutes of a wonderful marriage. After looking at the gray clouds and snow on the ground, I asked God for direction: “God, where do I go from here?” As I was kneeling, one word entered my mind: “Priest.” It was a whisper. It felt as comfortable as the old sweater that you hate to give up, even though it has holes in it. Now that I look back on that day, I am reminded of Elijah on the top of Mount Horeb, awaiting God’s instructions. He waited through fire, rain, hail and earthquake. It came to him in a “tiny whispering sound” (1 Kings 19:12). Of course at that time, I wasn’t even aware of the story of Elijah! What is the greatest challenge in being a priest? And what is the greatest joy? Challenge: Keeping up with parishioners’ needs. Joys: Firstly, celebrating Mass and secondly, hearing confessions. What is your favorite saint or devotion, and why? St. John Mary Vianney, because he is the patron saint of priests, and St. Jude Thaddeus, the saint of impossible causes. His prayers have brought me through many crises. What hobbies do you enjoy in your free time? Fencing (I work out my frustrations that way). I belong to the Eagle River Fencing Club; photography (I prefer film photography because it’s more challenging than digital photography. I have a digital camera that I use for church work.) This year, I am entering two photographs in the State Fair exhibit; ballroom dancing (waltz, fox trot, rhumba, tango, cha-cha, polka, etc.) I try to go to the polka dances at St. Patrick’s on the third Friday of each month; model railroading; playing the accordion (piano accordion and button box accordion). I am a member of the Alaska Button Box Gang and the Anchorage Piano Accordion Club; long-distance driving. I find it relaxing, and an opportunity to take photographs; and target shooting. I use a .22 caliber rifle and a pistol. What is unique about being a priest in Alaska? More churches in the Lower 48 are accessible by road than in Alaska. In Alaska, priests have more churches and missions that are only accessible by air or boat. Although there are still areas in the Lower 48 (Appalachia and some parts of the Midwest) that are hard to reach and are considered “missions,” Alaska’s topography limits our ability to reach many villages. Living in the Bush may be more “primitive” than in the city — for example, many churches and rectories have no indoor plumbing. Therefore, Alaska is still considered a “mission” state. The priest shortage is a common problem throughout the U.S. In Alaska, we rejoice when one or two priests are ordained in one year. In the Lower 48 – Chicago, for example – they rejoice when 17 priests are ordained in one year. But the problems are proportionally the same. One church in Southern California has 4,500 registered families — five priests serve that parish, and their workload is just as demanding as that of Alaskan priests. |
Big Lake marks 40 years as Catholic community
On Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Lake Church in Big Lake celebrated its 40th anniversary as a parish.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz concelebrated the anniversary Mass with Archbishop Robert Rivas of the Archdiocese of Castries in Saint Lucia, Antilles of the Caribbean. Also at the altar were Our Lady of the Lake’s canonical pastor Father Bill Fournier of Sacred Heart Church in Wasilla, parochial vicar Father Luz Flores and Father Stan Allie.
Letters of congratulations were read from Father Gerard Ryan, Father LeRoy Clementich and Father Jim Oberle – all past pastors of the Big Lake parish. According to parish director Katherine Bishop, a large contingent of Filipino Catholics attended and “brought lots of very good food” to the potluck following the Mass.
At the lunch, several parishioners presented a history of the parish, then all enjoyed Filipino dancing and singing. For the children who attended, there were games, face painting, hula hoops and piñatas. “Everyone had a wonderfully fun time!”, Bishop concluded.
Catholicanchor.org
PARISH PROFILES
This is part of a series on parishes and missions in the Anchorage Archdiocese.
Approximately 1,000 parishioners and 400 families.
: The pastor is Father Thomas Brundage, JCL. Father Brundage is on loan from the Archdiocese from Milwaukee. Besides serving the faith community at St. Michael’s, Father Brundage also serves as Judicial Vicar for the Archdiocese of Anchorage and as pastor of Holy Family in Glennallen.
The first Mass was celebrated in a tent on Sunday, May 26, 1935 by Father Merrill Sulzman, the first and founding pastor who came from Seward with the original Matanuska Valley colonists from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. The Depression-victim farmers/colonists were relocated as part of President Roosevelt’s organization of Rural Rehabilitation Corporations. Palmer was chosen because of its farmland and accessibility via the Alaska Railroad. The church was originally situated across the street from its current location. Three churches were built the summer of 1936 on the same plot of ground, a Presbyterian church, a Lutheran church and St. Michael Catholic Church. Volunteers built the churches out of logs. Today there is an engraved plaque on a large rock that marks the site where the original church stood. Two other Catholic parishes began as missions of St. Michael’s — St. Bernard’s in Talkeetna and Sacred Heart in Wasilla.
During the Alaska State Fair, which is held in Palmer beginning in late August, St. Michael volunteers take turns helping at a parish food booth called Slippery Gulch. Slippery Gulch, which has operated for roughly 40 years, is known for its simple, affordable, homegrown food and delicious homemade pies.
The best-kept secret surrounds the unknown relic(s) in the altar. Does anyone know who is in there?
The parish has a ministry to the homebound headed up by Deacon Bill and Sharon Frost. Two parish nurses provide blood pressure checks one weekend a month and assist parishioners in navigating the health care system. St. Michael’s has provided volunteers for many years to both Bishop’s Attic II and the Palmer Food Bank.
St. Michael parishioners join with Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ for an annual ecumenical Advent service each fall in early December. St. Michael’s also participates in a traditional Palm Sunday walk together with Protestants. The church also hosted the World Day of Prayer this past March. Parishioners are involved in eucharistic adoration from Thursday evening after the 6:30 p.m. Mass until Friday at noon. A group prays the rosary together weekly on Wednesday evenings.
A strong Youth Ministry fellowship takes place most Sunday afternoons, involving high school youth in faith sharing, prayer, food and socializing. The Peace and Justice Committee is actively involved in many projects throughout the year serving the poor. They also provide education around Catholic Social teachings and support the Global Solidarity Partnership. A number of parishioners sign up to help at Sacred Heart Church whenever they are hosting homeless families through Family Promise Mat-Su. Whole Community Faith Formation happens on Sunday mornings between the two morning Masses. This includes breakfast, fellowship and age appropriate faith formation. St. Michael parishioners are also very supportive of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School in Wasilla.
News & Notes
In an Aug. 30 ceremony installing Father Ben Torreto as pastor of St. Andrew Church in Eagle River, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz formally delivers to him the keys of the church. In July, Father Torreto was reassigned from St. Anthony Church in Anchorage after St. Andrew’s previous pastor – Father Leo Walsh, S.T.L. – was assigned to a position at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ office in Washington, D.C. Father Torreto is a native of the Philippines, where he was ordained in 1985 in the Archdiocese of Cotabato. St. Andrew Church is home to more than 1,000 families.
Christ in the City for young adults
On Sept. 4, from 7 to 8 p.m., young adults are invited to deepen their relationship with Christ during “Christ in the City,” an evening of eucharistic adoration and benediction at Holy Family Cathedral. Afterwards, young adults socialize at a nearby restaurant or pub. For more information, contact Tara Clemens at tlclemens828@gmail.com.
Why be Catholic?
On Sept. 9, at 7 p.m., young adults are invited to “Dialogue” – an evening of socializing and conversation on a salient issue or article at Middle Way Café. The topic Sept. 9 is, “Why be Catholic?” For more information, contact Holy Family Cathedral Young Adults at hfcyoungadults@gmail.com.
Taizé service at St. Patrick
The second Thursday of each month, beginning after daily Mass at about 6:30 p.m., St. Patrick Church hosts a Taizé (pronounced Teh-zay) prayer service. The Taizé service involves meditative music, prayer and silent reflection. It originates from the Taizé Community, an interdenominational Christian monastic group in France. The next date is Sept. 10. Mass is at 5:30 p.m., followed by the prayer service.
Film examines religious life under communism
On Sept. 13, 5-6 a.m., ABC Channel 13 (KIMO) in Anchorage will air the documentary, “Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism.” The documentary explores the experiences of Greek and Roman Catholic Sisters of Eastern and Central Europe sisters who at the end of World War II were trapped under Soviet domination as Josef Stalin seized control. Until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many religious women endured imprisonment, exile to Siberia, forced farm and factory labor, deportation, seizure of their schools and hospitals and expulsion from their convents. Also included are interviews with “secret sisters” who joined religious life during this Communist period and lived out their vocations in the underground.
Walking for the hungry in Wasilla
On Sept. 13, parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Wasilla will participate in a CROP Hunger Walk to raise funds for the hungry overseas and in the local area. CROP – Communities Responding to Overcome Hunger – is a program of Church World Service, a humanitarian organization composed of 35 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican denominations. Twenty-five percent of donations to the Wasilla walk will go to the Valley Christian Conference Food Pantry in Wasilla. The walk starts at 2 p.m. from First Presbyterian Church of Wasilla, 1375 E. Bogard Road – and runs along a path suitable for families with small children and strollers. To register or make a pledge, visit cropwalk.org or contact Karen Jennings at 373-3722.
Pray and play for home-schoolers
Every first and third Thursday of the month, home school families are welcome to open gym play at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. Playtime runs from 10-11:30 a.m. After play on third Thursdays, Deacon Dez Martinez leads eucharistic adoration for children. The next children’s gym play and adoration time is Sept. 17. For more information, contact Lana Persson at persson@alaska.net or 349-4399. Also, twice a month, the group provides music to residents of Providence Extended Care. For more information, contact Mary Kemper at 345-8760.
Native Masses and prayer group
Especially for Native Alaskan newcomers to the Archdiocese of Anchorage, the Catholic Native Ministry sponsors a Mass and potluck dinner at St. Anthony Church every third Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The next Native Mass is Sept. 19. Through the summer, there will be no potluck. In addition, every Sunday at 11 a.m., Mass is celebrated at the Native hospital for patients and families. And every Thursday, there is a meeting of the Native Kateri Circle prayer group which hosts a potluck and faith formation at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony Church’s parish hall. For more information, contact Pearl Chanar at 245-2024 or Renee Nicholson at 243-2240.
Discipleship Days begins soon
On Sept. 18-19, the Anchorage Archdiocese is hosting “Discipleship Days 2009” – a series of faith-related workshops. The theme of the conference is “Formed by the Word” – inspired by last year’s Synod in which a general assembly of the world’s Catholic bishops convened in Rome to discuss “the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church.” The Discipleship Days workshops will be delivered by speakers from abroad and the local area, including several Master’s degree students of Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry. The conference will be held at Lumen Christi High School. For more information, including registration costs, contact Cindy Lentine at 297-7711 or visit archdioceseofanchorage.org.
Fresh produce
Fresh International Gardens is selling produce at the Saturday (University Center Mall) and Wednesday (Northway Mall) markets. FIG is a small business created by refugees resettled by Catholic Social Services. The group sells a variety of greens, radishes, chives and potted herbs. For more information, visit anchoragemarkets.com.
Tridentine Latin Mass schedule
The Anchorage Archdiocese is providing regular celebrations of the Tridentine Rite Mass – also known as the extraordinary form of the Mass. The centuries-old Tridentine Rite – which is said in Latin – was the standard Roman Catholic liturgy before the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). In his July 2007 apostolic letter, Pope Benedict XVI reasserted its use. The Tridentine Mass will be celebrated at St. Michael Church in Palmer (432 East Fireweed Ave.) on the following Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.: Sept. 19, Oct. 24, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19. St. Michael pastor Father Thomas Brundage, JCL will be the celebrant. Father Brundage also serves as Moderator of the Curia and canon lawyer for the archdiocese.
Dominican Father Scanlon to celebrate Golden Jubilee in Anchorage
Dominican Father Paul Scanlon, former pastor of Holy Family Cathedral, has returned to Anchorage for a visit and to celebrate his Golden Jubilee – 50 years – as a priest. Celebrations will take place at the 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Masses at the cathedral on Sept. 20, and receptions will follow.
Exploring ‘Koinonia’
A Koinonia Retreat will take place Sept. 25-27 at Holy Spirit Center in Anchorage. "Koinonia" is the Greek word for community. The retreat is for adults, ages 18 and over. The program concentrates on the Pascal Mystery: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There will be a series of talks by priests, lay people and sisters, along with discussions and activities to foster renewal and give participants knowledge and experience of what it means to be church. The retreat begins with registration Friday at 6 p.m. with snacks provided, followed by 7 p.m. orientation. The Koinonia program began in 1976 and now takes place throughout the United States, as well as in Canada and the Bahamas. For more information call Sister Lorene Griffin at 248-9881 or Holy Spirit Center at 346-2343.
Adoption Workshop available
Sept. 25-Sept. 27, Catholic Social Services will host its biannual Adoption Workshop for couples interested in adoption. The workshop provides information on the adoption process and helps prospective mothers and fathers clarify their perspectives on adoption and parenting. There will be opportunities to talk to adoptive and birth families, adoptive persons and an adoption attorney. The workshop is a requirement for those intending to adopt a child through the CSS Infant Adoption Program. The workshop takes place at CSS, 3710 E. 20th Avenue. For information, contact Karen Hollar at khollar@cssalask.org.
Catholic clubs on campuses
On the Anchorage campuses of University of Alaska and Alaska Pacific University, the Cardinal Newman Club hosts Masses, community service activities, weekly rosaries, Bible studies, movie nights and numerous other activities for students, staff and faculty. For more information, e-mail uaa_cardinalnewmanclub@hotmail.com, or call Sister Mary Peter Diaz, D.C., at 297-7741. Be sure to look out for flyers and sandwich board posters around campus and posts in the Green & Gold Daily for the latest events.
JustFaith begins in October
The national program, JustFaith, is gearing up for an October start in Anchorage and Palmer. JustFaith is a 30-week program intended to raise awareness of social justice issues and the church’s teachings on justice. Participants read, view DVDs, discuss and participate in “immersion experiences,” activities designed to make the issues more real and relevant. For more information, call Paula Burgan at 346-1991.
Holy Rosary pastor raises money for missions
High-flying Holy Rosary Church pastor Father Scott Garrett of Dillingham has made another mission trip – this time, much farther than the remote Aleutian Islands where he regularly takes the sacraments to his outlying flock. From Aug. 6-17, Father Garrett visited parishes in Mishicot and Chilton, Wisconsin to help raise money for the Catholic missions in the Archdiocese of Anchorage. During his visit, Father Garrett celebrated the eight weekend Masses at three churches, where he also delivered homilies on the work of the missions in the far north. For more details about Father Garrett’s trip, visit Holy Rosary Church’s Web site at holyrosaryalaska.org.
Toastmasters speak on faith
Agape Alaska Toastmasters – a chapter of Toastmasters International – welcomes those seeking to hone their communications and leadership skills while sharing their faith. The group provides a forum for people to practice public speaking, specifically, on faith-related themes. Agape Alaska Toastmasters meets every other Friday (8-9 a.m.) at Denny’s Restaurant on the corner of DeBarr and Bragaw. For more information, contact Duane Epton at 229-1654 or duaneepton@gci.net, or Julie Galligan at 250-2500. For more information, visit Toastmasters.org.
CSS seeks meals for new Alaskans
Catholic Social Services seeks help providing meals to refugees during their first week in the U.S. To be listed on the meal provider list, contact Melissa Bartley at 222-7344 or mbartley@cssalaska.org. CSS will advise volunteers about the week that meals are needed. The meals should feed up to 10 people and be dropped off at CSS.
Food pantry running low
On one day in late August, St. Francis House, the Catholic Social Services food pantry, served 101 families in three hours. To keep up with demand, St. Francis House needs pre-packed food and plastic grocery bags. Items may be dropped off at parishes around the archdiocese.
Seminar on infant adoption
On Sept. 18, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Catholic Social Services will host a free training session on the process of infant adoption. Anyone who provides services to pregnant women and teens is welcome. The seminar will address topics such as adoption law and the rights and responsibilities of birth fathers. Lunch, snacks and all materials will be provided. Nurses and social workers may secure free CEUs for attending. The session takes place at CSS, 3710 E. 20th Ave. For more information, contact Kim Havelock at 222-7319 or khavelock@cssalaska.org. To register online, visit IAATP.com.
New swine flu guidelines issued
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz issued new guidelines Aug. 27, designed to prevent the spread of the N1H1 or swine flu in the archdiocese.
The archbishop first promulgated recommendations in April, before any cases of swine flu were reported in Alaska. Since then, the state Department of Health and Social Services has reported 434 cases across the state and one death.
The guidelines include nearly a dozen admonitions. For instance, priests are instructed to not distribute the Precious Blood via common chalices at school Masses; it is optional in regular parish Masses. Also, the guidelines suggest pastors provide “touch-less hand sanitizing stations” at each entrance to the church.
The archbishop asks parishioners to refrain from shaking hands during the sign of peace and instead bow to each other. And they are urged to practice “respiratory etiquette,” namely, cover the mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing by using one’s sleeve, not hand.
To view the new guidelines on flu precautions, visit archdioceseofanchorage.org.
ARCHBISHOPS’ CALENDAR
Sept. 4-7, Meeting with Alaska bishops, Chancery
Sept. 8-18, USCCB meetings, Washington, D.C.
Sept. 18-19, Discipleship Days 2009, Lumen Christi High School
Sept. 20, 9:30 a.m., Mass, Holy Family Cathedral
Sept. 22-24, Parish visit, St. Mary Church, Kodiak
Sept. 26-27, Parish visit, St. Francis Xavier Church, Valdez
Note: Events are in Anchorage unless noted.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Sept. 4, 7-8 p.m., Christ in the City eucharistic adoration, Holy Family Cathedral
Sept. 4-5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish garage sale, Redemptorist Center, 222 West Redoubt Ave., Soldotna
Sept. 6, 11 a.m., Native Mass, Alaska Native Medical Center
Sept. 9, 7 p.m., Holy Family Cathedral Young Adults’ discussion group, Middle Way Café
Sept. 10, 11 a.m., Native Kateri Circle potluck and faith formation, St. Anthony Church
Sept. 10, 5:30 p.m., Mass and Taizé prayer service, St. Patrick Church
Sept. 13, 2 p.m., CROP Hunger Walk, First Presbyterian Church, 1375 E. Bogard Road, Wasilla
Sept. 13, 11 a.m., Native Mass, Alaska Native Medical Center
Sept. 17, 10 a.m., Catholic home-schoolers’ gym play and eucharistic adoration, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
Sept. 18, 8:30 p.m., Polka dance, St. Patrick Church parish hall
Sept. 19, 10:30 a.m., Tridentine Latin Mass, St. Michael Church, Palmer
Sept. 19, 5:30 p.m., Native Mass, St. Anthony Church
Note: Events are in Anchorage unless noted.
Local Columns
Combating homelessness often begins with ... a home
On any given night in Anchorage, more than 2,000 people are homeless. The issue is complicated and often tests our faith as we struggle with feelings of guilt when we pass people holding “will work for food” signs; or turn our heads when we see someone suffering from alcohol abuse; or experience grief and sadness when we read about the deaths of 12 homeless individuals on the streets of Anchorage.
The Bible says in 1 John 3:17: “if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”
On any given night, we struggle with what to do and how to help. The many who volunteer at Brother Francis Shelter, Clare House or other social service agencies bring life to the words of Hebrews 13:1-3: “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.”
On any given night, thousands of dollars are spent to ensure the safety and health of the homeless and still the numbers and costs continue to rise. How do we as a community address this complicated issue in a way that honors our faith in the dignity and humanity of our homeless brothers and sisters while acknowledging the individual choices made and responsibilities for those choices?
A key component to a solution is Housing First, a model that has been successful in communities across the nation to help bring an end to chronic homelessness. As opposed to managing the chronically homeless through institutional shelters, public services and emergency services, individuals are housed and have access to medical, mental health, substance abuse treatment, vocational training and life-skill resources. Housing First projects have led to high rates of housing retention, improved health, employment and self-sufficiency by participants. As a result, vast reductions in the use of emergency response systems and associated costs are seen.
A second aspect of addressing the problem of chronic homelessness is consequences for actions. State Senator Johnny Ellis is advocating for a legal approach to engage those who are resistant to treatment due to their advanced stage of alcohol addiction. Mandating substance abuse treatment may seem harsh, but is often the first step on the road to recovery. In other communities, the over-use of emergency resources such as the Community Service Patrol and Transfer Station, also leads to a choice between incarceration and treatment.
This leads to the third facet of the solution: adequate detoxification and treatment beds. The individual who is ready to change needs somewhere to go to get help. Alaska must increase the inventory of beds available for this crucial service.
A just and compassionate society realizes the complexity of an issue such as chronic homelessness and advocates for a multipronged solution involving the entire community. We must reach out and follow the words in Matthew 25: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’
The writer is the executive director of Catholic Social Services in Alaska. For more information about CSS, call 276-5590 or visit cssalaska.org.
Can we find ‘common ground’ on the life issues?
It is strange that there seems to be a disconnect between life issues and social justice issues because they are so morally connected.
Social justice is required because of the dignity of human life, which begins at conception and continues to a natural end.
The late Joseph Cardinal Bernadin hoped to foster this connection between life issues and social justice issues when he proposed what is now called “the consistent life ethic.”
Life is sacred from beginning to end. All the issues that face the human person in between — that take from his dignity — must be challenged (things like poverty, war, economic injustice, etc.)
In every place where the sacredness of life is threatened, Christians are called to act. This consistent life ethic gives a real connection to all the life issues but with some nuances that must be pointed out.
Cardinal Bernadin made it clear that all issues are NOT on the same moral level. Tax reform and abortion can’t be considered on the same moral level.
Cardinal Bernadin said in St. Louis on March 11, 1984 that each life issue, while related, is distinct and calls for its own specific moral analysis.
All life issues are not equal, though they are all connected. Life is sacred because it comes from God and returns to God. Human beings have an inherent dignity because God created us. Therefore, human lives — especially the most innocent — must be protected from violence and killing.
These principles apply in every life issue (abortion, capital punishment, pornography, abuse of children or women, sexual exploitation of anyone, war, poverty, drug use, street violence, euthanasia, stem cell research and any other moral issue facing our time and our church today).
So the connection is there but we have to make the distinction of moral absolutes that can’t be compromised. This is important when we speak about trying to find common ground in sharing the moral teachings of the church.
We can’t compromise the absolutes so as to find a supposed common ground. Common ground means I know where I stand and I am trying to understand where you stand. Genuine common ground is not compromising moral truths but respecting the person I am speaking with or in conflict with. It is applying the moral principal that every human being has dignity — even those who are opposed to our moral teachings.
The best examples of common ground can be seen in displays of true and false ecumenism that have occurred in recent years. True ecumenism shares the Catholic faith fully and uncompromisingly, hoping to teach and share the truth. False ecumenism will seek to water down the faith or sacrifice some “Catholic ideas” — teachings about the pope and Mary — so we can come to what ultimately amounts to a false common ground.
Genuine common ground is first showing respect for the person we are in dialogue with. A great example of this is found in Father Frank Pavone, the head of Priests for Life, an organization which fosters this idea of respect. He signed a joint statement on reproductive rights which was supported by those who also support legal abortion.
But both sides agreed that non-violent interactions must be upheld in all instances. This is a respect for each person, on either side.
In the October column we will look at the absolutes that can never be compromised.
The writer is pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Magadan, Russia. The church is a mission of the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
Learning from aging priests and brothers
“So, how is it living with your Holy Cross priests and brothers at Notre Dame,” my friends around the country ask me in letters, calls and e-mails. For those unacquainted with Holy Cross House on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, it is a retirement home, a beautiful place where priests and brothers come to rest from their labors for the church and the world.
There are men here who have worked all their lives in the missions in Bangladesh, others in Africa, some in Chile and Peru. There is a university president-emeritus living here with us, Father Theodore Hesburgh. There are former professors, administrators, chaplains and student resident rectors.
The Scriptures: Isaiah 35:4-7 James 2:1-5 Mark 7:31-37 |
What distinguishes them all, however, is that they share the difficulties of aging: For some, walking is difficult, for others, hearing and seeing and yet others, understanding why they are at Holy Cross House.
Most of all, however, it is a house of compassion where the men who gave their life for God’s kingdom come to rest and restore their mental and physical energies.
I had never before lived up close with others who daily deal with various physical and mental incapacities. Believe me, it is a humbling experience.
What I have noticed, however, is that everyone seems to understand the drawbacks of the loss of sight and hearing. We guide our brothers to their place at table, read a section from the New York Times for them, or repeat announcements they could not hear.
It occurs to me that these two human gifts of hearing and sight must be all the more sorely missed particularly for those who have spent their lives in research and teaching. Suddenly, I say to myself: ‘Do I ever think much about how these men must struggle to stay in touch with the world around them?’
All this came to my attention as I read the Scriptures for the twenty third Sunday in Ordinary Time. They speak so plainly of God’s special care for those who are unable to speak, hear and see. Will they have these gifts suddenly restored? Probably not in most circumstances. But there is the implication in those Scriptures that human relationships demand the attention of those who do see, hear and speak. Not all who are handicapped are healed by miracles. The more critical matter is that the human bond between us should be made evident in small miracles that show our care for each other, the way we make life bearable.
It occurs to me also that these human energies of sight, speaking and hearing that we take for granted could easily be trained to be more acute if we took the time to notice, just notice the world around us: The grass we walk on with bare feet, the smell of lilacs on a neighbor’s front lawn, the sight of Mars low in the east on a dark August night, a cardinal singing over and over that note that protects her brood. And what about the wind that you feel whooshing across your ears while sitting on a hilltop, the echo that you hear repeated across a canyon wall.
I have heard it said that we often fail to hear, see and experience the beautiful things of this earth because we pay no attention to them or simply fail to understand their importance in human life.
All this I am slowly learning here at Holy Cross House where my brothers daily teach me to pay attention!
The writer formerly served the Anchorage Archdiocese as director of pastoral education. He now lives in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Mass: A mysterious sacrifice
Editor’s note: This is part one of a three part series entitled “The Priesthood of Jesus Christ and the Christian vocation.” The columns were adapted from talks given by Dominican Brother Isaiah Molano during his recent stay at Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage this summer.
Over the past few years, the Church has been blessed by emphasizing the communal aspect of the liturgy. The emphasis on the common priesthood of all believers has lead to great fruit, especially in how all the faithful serve the human family — the homeless, the downtrodden and the needy. Liturgically, the lay faithful all around the globe read the first two readings at Mass, and serve the altar in some way. This is a good thing.
In all this we must remember the sacrificial character of the Mass. The Mass is a sacrifice. It is a re-presentation of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on that historical Good Friday. In fact, traditionally, the Mass is seen as a sacrificial act.
In 1 Corinthians 10:16-18, St. Paul explains that the cup of blessing is the Blood of Christ, and the bread we break is the Body of Christ. There is an explicit link between the Mass and Good Friday. The Gospels speak of this as well. In John 19:13-16, Jesus is condemned to death at noon, the same hour the sacrificial lambs are slain. In Mark 14:10-11, Luke 22:7 and Matthew 26:17-19, Jesus was sacrificed on the feast of Unleavened Bread, the day that the Passover lamb was sacrificed. The Last Supper — the memorial which anticipates the crucifixion — happens as the Passover lambs are slain.
The Gospel passages point to the same thing: In the synoptics, Jesus institutes the Eucharist the hour the lambs are slain; in John, Jesus himself — the Passover Lamb par excellence — is condemned to his own death at that very hour. Either way, a sacrifice is made; either way, Jesus is sacrificed.
The early Christians picked up on this. St. John Chrysostom says: “For when you see the Lord sacrificed, and laid upon the altar, and the priest standing and praying over the victim, and all the worshippers empurpled with that precious blood, can you then think that you are still among men, and standing upon the earth?”
Christ was slain for our sins, and Christ is what — rather, who — we eat at every eucharistic assembly. The priest stands over the victim and prays to God to accept this true sacrifice, offered on the altar, which stands in for the altar of the cross. There is an explicit link between cross and altar.
For the reparation of our sinfulness against the Law of Love, we offer Christ back to the Father at every Mass in which we participate. By the working of the Holy Spirit, the people of God offer to their Creator his beloved Son. The worshippers have “empurpled” lips to show their communion with the Precious Blood, which was shed on their behalf.
This is not something lost to how we celebrate Mass today. In the Roman Canon of the Mass, the priest prays: “Father, we celebrate the memory of Christ, your Son. We your people and your minister recall his passion, his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension into glory, and from the many gifts you have given us we offer to you, God of glory and majesty, this holy and perfect sacrifice; the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation.”
Mass is a sacrificial act. We are gathered into one community by the Holy Spirit, in order to render present the perfect sacrifice of the Son to the Father. The Son of God, the Man of Sorrows, sacrificed all that he was for our sake, so that we may attain union with him and the Father. It is fitting, then, that we should offer all that we are in order to be part of that union. So then, the next time we participate in Mass, may we be active and participate in that sacrifice, offering all that we are to the Loving Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Anchor Editorial
Flesh and Blood Meditations
Flesh and blood have been on the pope’s mind of late.
In at least three public addresses last month he highlighted what many consider the hardest words ever spoken by Christ.
“If you do not eat of the flesh of the Son of man or drink of his blood, you shall not have life within you,” the pope said, quoting directly Jesus’ words as recorded in chapter 6 of John’s Gospel.
Speaking to crowds gathered Aug. 23 outside his papal summer home in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Pope Benedict explained that the first century followers who heard this teaching were “scandalized by the words of the Lord, to the point that many, after having followed him up to that time, exclaimed: ‘This is a hard saying! Who can listen to it?’” (John 6:66).
The crowds around Jesus wondered “How can he give us his flesh to eat?” (John 6:52)
Earlier in the month, Pope Benedict addressed that very point in another reflection. This time, he spoke Aug. 12 about how the God of the universe took on the tissues, tendons, bone and matter of humanity.
“He took it from the Virgin Mary,” the pope said of Christ’s physical body. “God took from her a human body to enter into our mortal human condition.”
The pope added that God “also has need of Mary, of the ‘yes’ of a creature, of her flesh, of her concrete existence, to prepare the matter of his sacrifice: the body and blood to be offered on the cross as an instrument of eternal life, and, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, as spiritual food and drink.”
As Catholics, we have always seen spirit and matter as mysteriously and seamlessly woven together in Christ.
First, God asked Mary to cooperate with him in allowing Christ to be born with a warm human body. As we know, Mary said ‘yes’ and God became man.
But this mysterious union between spirit and matter does not end with Christ’s earthly mission. He left his Body and Blood to nourish us each time we attend Holy Mass and partake of the Eucharist, which is the actual Body and Blood of Christ present under the form of bread and wine but no longer bread and wine.
When we eat this spiritual food, we are transformed and united to Christ in our physical bodies. And as Pope Benedict explained: When a whole church unites through the Eucharist, they become Christ’s Body in human history.
The pope’s recent focus on this great mystery — a mystery in which Christ remains united to his church in a very concrete way — is a great gift to the faithful. We would all do well to follow the pope’s lead and meditate on the reality of Christ with us. He is actually among us — with and in and living through his Church today.
As the pope said: “He is the Head and we are the members. He is the Vine and we the branches. Whoever eats of this Bread and lives in communion with Jesus, allowing himself to be transformed by him and in him, is saved from eternal death.”
What a great mystery!
‘Year for Priests’
In celebration of the Year for Priests, which was launched in June by Pope Benedict XVI, the Anchor is running a series of Priest Profiles, throughout the year, with the aim of introducing the faithful to our local clergy dispersed throughout the 138,000 square miles of the Anchorage Archdiocese. We hope you enjoy reading about the these servants of God.
Finding the News
A great suggestion came to the Anchor the other day when someone mentioned that we ought to publish the sources for our national and international news stories.
Each issue of the Anchor contains one page of national and one page of international news. That amounts to a mere 3,000 total words. But long before the pages are laid out and finalized, we read through hundreds of articles and tens upon thousands of words. Many of these stories are highly interesting, inspiring and challenging. Unfortunately, due to space, we simply cannot publish them all.
If you want to read them yourself, however, or receive weekly email updates from around the world, we offer the following sites, which stand out as reputable sources of spiritual inspiration and information:
Zenit.org — Covers Vatican news and international developments within the church as well as inspiring features.
Catholicnews.com — Strong focus on news stories from the United States, along with many stories from around the world.
Catholicnewsagency.com — Another great source for world and nation news.
Usccb.org — Official site of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic — A great blog by one of the most widely respected reporters in the Catholic press – John Allen.
Lifesitenews.com — Tracks pro-life and pro-family causes and challenges around the world.
Joel Davidson, editor
Editorial
The cost of Catholic schooling
A desperate plea for help came to the Anchor offices earlier this summer, when we received a letter from a young student who explained that her family could no longer afford to send her to a local Catholic school.
The letter, which read as though the daughter and the family together composed it, spoke highly of Catholic education, while lamenting the inability to afford the tuition.
The mother followed up the letter with a call to the Anchor offices, asking if we could publish the letter in hopes that fellow Catholics might assist in raising the necessary funds to continue her daughter’s Catholic education.
While the Anchor does not publish letters seeking private donations, the girl’s plight does merit some comment.
In Southcentral Alaska, we are blessed with four quality Catholic schools, which operate under the guidance of the Anchorage Archdiocese.
These schools will begin classes in a few weeks and are now enrolling students. The cost to educate these children is substantial and while Catholic schools make every attempt to offer scholarships and financial assistance to families, there are limits to financial aid.
This is where the larger Catholic community must step up.
The Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education issued a letter to the bishops of the world this spring, in which it emphasized the invaluable mission of Catholic schools, especially as they offer parents a faith-based environment in which their children can grow into a mature faith.
The letter states: “A form of education that ignores or marginalizes the moral and religious dimension of the person is a hindrance to full education, because children and young people have a right to be motivated to appraise moral values with a right conscience, to embrace them with a personal adherence, together with a deeper knowledge and love of God.”
It continues: “Catholic parents ‘are to entrust their children to those schools which provide a Catholic education’ and, when this is not possible, they must provide for their Catholic education in other ways.”
For many families, Catholic schooling is not an option due to the lack of nearby schools. For others, however, Catholic schooling is ruled out solely because of finances. This is not the fault of the schools, which work tirelessly to keep costs down and aid families as much as possible.
In an age of growing moral confusion, it is laudable that parents would seek out faith-based schools for their children’s moral and educational formation, but when these families cannot secure all the finances to fund this education, we as fellow Catholics have a duty to assist where we can.
Some parishes and Catholic organizations offer scholarships to students, others hold auctions, raffles and other events to help defer costs for families that desire Catholic education.
In the private sphere, some people choose to donate to Catholic schools or to found scholarships. Others provide needed services for these institutions.
These efforts and more are needed to ensure that families who actively seek Catholic education for their children are able to achieve this noble goal.
As opening day approaches for local Catholic schools, we all need to reflect on what we might do to assist the Catholic Church in her efforts to provide children with a profound education that includes inspiring a deeper knowledge and love of God.
The mission of Catholic schools
The Vatican’s latest letter on the purpose and mission of Catholic schools is a short and informative read. It is online at vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/index.htm
Anchor publication schedule
Through the summer, the Anchor has published once a month. Our regular publication schedule resumes in September with two issues a month.
-Joel Davidson, editor
Letters to the Editor
Separate morality from politics
Bob Flint’s column (Anchorage ordinance is a reminder to defend church teaching, Aug. 7) increases the confusion about the difference between morality and politics.
The civil rights ordinance vetoed by Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan is a political document designed to protect people from discrimination. Our Catholic Catechism opposes “unjust discrimination” against homosexuals but lets individual Catholics decide for ourselves whether such discrimination is just or unjust.
The issue is not whether homosexual behavior is good or bad. We’re all sinners. So which sinners is it acceptable to discriminate against: overeaters, people with lust in their hearts, Catholics who eat burgers on Good Friday, people who badmouth their moms and dads?
The issue is whether the ordinance would do more good or more harm. Making that decision is my right and my responsibility. Our bishops have no special expertise in political matters and we are not required to agree with their political decisions.
Ironically, some Catholics argue that war is merely a political matter of “prudential judgment,” not a matter of morality. Yet our catechism devotes two sections to war, twice as many as to abortion, in the chapter on the Fifth Commandment. Catholics must oppose all wars that fail to meet all four criteria of the just war doctrine. Leaving that moral matter to secular politicians is abdicating our responsibility as Catholic citizens. Yet this spring I got an e-mail asserting that the bombing of pregnant women and their unborn babies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza and Palestine is merely a “foreign policy” matter. When did human life become a matter of political correctness?
Treating political matters as moral ones is a form of idolatry. Treating moral matters as mere political ones is secularizing our religious values.
Let’s keep morality free from politics.
Geoff Kennedy, Anchorage
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.