In 2008, Catholic Social Services of Alaska served 18,000 people — most of them in dire material need.
This organization is a vital component of the Catholic Church’s social justice outreach in Alaska. Through this ministry, the church provides thousands of homeless with meals and shelter; teens in crisis have a safe place to stay and find mentors; homeless single women with children are provided with meals and shelter; hungry families have access to food; and refugees from war-torn countries find advocates and friends when they relocate to Alaska.
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For information about the liturgies throughout Holy Week and Easter contact a nearby parish. The following list includes all Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
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By SUSAN BOMALASKI
CatholicAnchor.org
As I reflect upon this passage in 1 Corinthians 4:11 — “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless,” I am reminded that even in the days of St. Paul, homelessness was an issue.
Unfortunately even today homeless individuals are often misunderstood, go hungry and thirsty and are treated brutally. At Catholic Social Services we strive to understand how we can become better ministers to the homeless. Last year, the homeless community’s situation in Anchorage was made especially difficult by the deaths of 14 people while they were camping.
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 St. Perpetua and St. FelicitySt. Perpetua and St. Felicity were martyred by Romans shortly after being baptized
Editor’s note: The Roman calendar — including feasts proper to the English-speaking world — can be found at ewtn.com/library/MARY/SAINTROM.HTM.
During a persecution of Christians in Carthage, of the Roman province in Africa, in the early 200s, five catechumens were arrested, including two young women – Felicity and Perpetua. Felicity was seven months pregnant and Perpetua had a nursing baby. The soon-to-be Christians were joined voluntarily in prison by their instructor, Saturus, who would not abandon them. The group suffered terribly in the harsh, dark and hot prison — but the catechumens were baptized, and according to St. Perpetua’s account, “enjoyed a little repose” from the ill treatment. Still, St. Perpetua was concerned for her baby. Persuading the guards with money, two deacons managed to have the Christians moved temporarily to a better part of the prison and arranged for St. Perpetua’s baby to be brought to her so she could
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Retired Anchorage archbishop reflects on four decades as a bishop, 59 years as a priest
By JOEL DAVIDSON
 Anchorage Archbishop Emeritus Francis T. HurleyCatholicAnchor.org
Nine years into retirement, 83-year-old Anchorage Archbishop Emeritus Francis Hurley is a tall and gregarious man who still loves to be with people, listen to their stories, celebrate their joys and, when necessary, mourn their losses.
Nearly six decades removed from his ordination to the priesthood and on the cusp of his 40th anniversary since becoming a bishop, Archbishop Hurley granted an interview with the Catholic Anchor in which he reflected on his long and varied experience of serving Catholics — a ministry that has touched the power centers in Washington D.C as well as the remote villages of Alaska.
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By FR. MIKE SHIELDS
CatholicAnchor.org
I think I heard this joke from Archbishop Hurley first. The priest is by himself and is asked, “Have you been to confession lately?”
He answers, “No I have to fly, which is too expensive for venial sins and too dangerous for mortal sins.”
If I want to go to the sacrament right now I have to fly. The nearest priest is 800 miles away.
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 Father Mike ShieldsEditor’s note: In conjunction with the Catholic Church’s worldwide celebration of the Year for Priests, the Anchor is publishing profiles of priests of the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
Father Michael Shields is a priest of the Anchorage Archdiocese on mission in Magadan, Russia, where he has served for the last 16 years. Magadan is in the harsh, remote Far East of Russia, where former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin established the Gulags or forced labor prison camps
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Juneau trip focuses on social issues facing Alaskans
By EFFIE CALDAROLA
CatholicAnchor.org
Alaska’s four Catholic bishops traveled to Juneau in early February to meet with state leaders. The trip included a private dinner hosted by Governor Sean Parnell in which the bishops discussed ways to work with the governor to reduce domestic violence in Alaska.
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All are invited to pray an outdoor Stations of the Cross through the forested trails at Holy Spirit Center in Anchorage on Saturday, March 6. After stations, people will gather at Resurrection Chapel for hot cocoa and Taize prayer by candlelight. Participants will meet at 6:45 p.m. at Resurrection Chapel to start the stations. Taize prayer will begin at 8 p.m. Holy Spirit Center is located at 10980 Hillside Drive. The event is organized by the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School 6th grade Girl Scout Troop. For more information, call Holy Spirit Center at 346-2343.
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