April 22, 2005 - Issue #8
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Hope and dignity are the intent of new Brother Francis Shelter
Amid the gold-colored walls and sunlit spaces of the new Brother Francis Shelter, Ed Blahous, a former shelter advisory board member, said he hopes the building will "bring a little more dignity to the clients."
That’s the intent of the new $5.1 million shelter, which sits next to the old one — a vehicle maintenance warehouse converted to a homeless shelter since 1983 — on East Third Avenue.
"It’s so much cleaner, so much brighter," said Dewayne Harris, Catholic Social Services’ director of homeless and emergency services. "Just emotionally it will be a huge benefit to folks." It’s also a healthier, safer facility, he said.
With expansive shower rooms and common areas and a warm color scheme, the 18,500-square-foot facility looks more like a health club or college dormitory than a homeless shelter.
Blue lockers line wide hallways that flow past a large reception desk. Glass walls enclose the laundry room, offices and a classroom, and a floor-to-ceiling window allows ample light into a multi-purpose area with a view of Government Hill in the distance.
Covered outdoor areas leading to the entrance and an enclosed smoking area will keep people dry and away from the road. To minimize the spread of seasonal illnesses, a ventilation system, adequate drainage and heated cement floors were incorporated.
For Harris, the improvements also mean saying goodbye to the shelter’s "beloved sump-pump," which sucked floods from the men’s sleeping area when it rained.
"We’ve definitely squeezed every last bit of life out of this building that we could," he said of the old shelter, where mice scurried by during board meetings and old heaters labored under 30-foot ceilings.
"Anytime that an individual comes to a point in their time where they have no place to go, it’s one of the most difficult times in their lives," Harris explained. "For us to be able to provide a dignified environment for them, it will make that a little more palatable. It will help folks put the pieces together and rebuild their lives and transition back into the community."
"This is the result of people who care," Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz said during a blessing and dedication of the new facility April 12. The effort to build the new facility springs from the "faith in the dignity of the human person," he said.
The archbishop and leaders from Episcopal, Jewish, nondenominational and Unitarian communities offered blessings at the event.
Later, former Brother Francis Shelter guest Kathleen Ahern-Karnes chatted with a woman in what will be used as a dining area for homeless guests.
"Warm and light and a sense of hope," Ahern-Karnes listed as her impressions of the new space.
Ahern-Karnes, who is now enrolled at University of Alaska Anchorage and earning academic excellence awards, lived at the shelter for almost two months after relocating from Los Angeles five years ago. She had just suffered a brain injury from a car accident when her landlady moved her pets, furniture and belongings out of her apartment.
"I was so busy with work and L.A. was so big," she said. "I lost my support system."
A case manager at Brother Francis helped her obtain a driver’s license and birth certificate and she found housing.
She returns to the shelter monthly to speak about her experience to the homeless community, and she reserves a warning for those who have homes: "What happened to me could happen to any of you at any time."
Why build a new shelter for homeless people?
"You have to give people hope," Ahern-Karnes said. "People have to have sanctuary. They have to have a safe place to go. Women need a safe place to be and men need shelter for the same reasons. They need a respite."
Janet Swafford, who came to Alaska from Chicago and has been staying at Brother Francis Shelter on and off for two to three years, agreed that the new building has the potential to make a difference in the lives of homeless people.
"Sleeping here on the floor with leaks moving down the walls, how good can you feel about yourself?" Swafford asked. The improved facility will help homeless guests "feel like maybe they’re worth something."
Swafford, who described herself as "a bi-polar addict and alcoholic," said case managers at Brother Francis helped her create goals and a plan for self-sufficiency. She’s moving into an apartment before the new Brother Francis Shelter begins operating May 5.
"I’m very happy for the people who are going to stay here because they’ll have a safer place and more opportunities," Swafford said.
"The hope and courage and compassion that has come out of this building can only be carried over to the new building," said Karen Parks, case management supervisor for the shelter.
Archdiocese wants to go beyond keeping children safe in church
As it tries to restore safety and trust in response to the nationwide priest sex abuse scandal, the Anchorage Archdiocese wants to do far more than keep children safe in church. It wants to become a leader in the effort to end sexual abuse.
"The church must be the safe place to go," said Kathy Bishop, a member of the archdiocese’s Safe Environment Committee. "And not just concerning sexual abuse, and not just perpetrated by priests, but all kinds of abuse, perpetrated by anyone."
Bishop, pastoral director of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Big Lake, doesn’t even allow alcohol on church premises, because, she repeated, "the parish must be safe for everyone."
The sexual abuse scandal that ignited more than three years ago in the Boston Archdiocese and quickly spread across the country is still burning hotly in many places, including Alaska.
The Anchorage Archdiocese learned this month that Dominican Father Dominic de Domenico, who was assigned to Holy Family Cathedral from 1977 to 1981, sexually abused a girl for several years during that time, beginning when she was 15 or 16.
In the Fairbanks Diocese, at least 79 people — mostly Native men from Western Alaska villages — have filed lawsuits against the Oregon Province of Jesuits and the Fairbanks Diocese in the past few years, alleging that they were abused as children by priests and in one case a priest’s assistant.
In this light, the goal of turning the church into a place that is safe for everyone — and is widely perceived by the public as being safe — is a major undertaking.
The Anchorage Archdiocese has been taking practical steps to reduce the likelihood that a church representative will abuse children again and, through training programs and other resources, is better equipping its people to help anyone who has suffered abuse.
The efforts under way here and in dioceses around the country are being guided by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Youth, which the U.S. bishops approved in 2002. Among the document’s requirements are a list of protective measures that dioceses must implement and an annual audit to measure each diocese’s compliance. The Anchorage Archdiocese passed the 2004 audit.
The charter requires criminal background checks on all church workers who interact with minors — all priests, deacons, youth ministers and even volunteer Sunday school teachers.
That task, at $24 for each check, has been completed, according to archdiocesan chancellor Sister Charlotte Davenport, who has been overseeing the charter implementation.
Another major project has been the development of a "safe environment program," a training tool to help church workers prevent, recognize and respond to sexual abuse. The archdiocese has worked with the Anchorage STAR (Standing Together Against Rape) organization to develop the program, and STAR is assisting in conducting workshops for parishes.
Sister Davenport said the program has a "special section on how to, as clergy, deal with a person who comes to them saying they were abused."
Everyone who works with youths is required to take the training. Some in the archdiocese have done so already and others are trying to schedule it.
In addition, the archdiocese has provided resources so parishes can offer annual training workshops for parents. The Safe Environment Committee sends out bulletin inserts with practical information for keeping children safe, and has been publishing a "Safe Environment Notes" column in the Anchor since September.
The archdiocese’s Web site (www.archdioceseofanchorage.org) has a "Safe Environment" page with a section on reporting abuse, and a 21-page document called Standards for Church Leaders that includes guidelines for such potentially thorny topics as counseling, confidentiality and interaction with minors. All church workers have to read and sign the standards document.
More is coming to the Web, according to Sister Davenport, including informational "cue cards" that church workers will be able to print out and keep handy, a checklist of parish responsibilities relating to protecting minors, a downloadable sexual abuse reporting form, a list of "10 signs of abuse," and a link to the U.S. bishops’ "Restoring Trust" site.
Underlying all these specific actions and implementations is that deeper goal, the desire to turn the abuse scandal into an opportunity to reduce all forms of sexual abuse in society, Sister Davenport said.
"We need to step back and ask, ‘How are we being present to this family that we are concerned about?" she said. "It’s a messed up world that we live in, and there’s no hiding behind the rose-colored glasses."
Father Kasparaj Mallavarapu, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Wasilla and a native of India, said he found the STAR training program especially helpful.
"Being from a foreign country, I learned a lot," he told the Anchor last week.
Perhaps most helpful to him are the resources for recognizing signs that someone is being abused, Father Mallavarapu said.
"As pastor I have 100 percent responsibility … to take care of my folks," he said.
Dominican Father Donald Bramble, vicar general of the archdiocese and rector of Holy Family Cathedral, also praised the safe environment efforts as helpful and effective.
"It just makes you a little more alert, a little more astute, so maybe you can see something you never would have been able to see before," he said.
Father Bramble’s parish is taking part in a pilot project with STAR that involves training workshops for teachers, parents and youths.
Children generally don’t report abuse to their parents, Father Bramble said; they most often turn to a classmate, and then to some other trusted adult.
That’s why the awareness and response training is so important for everyone in the church environment, Father Bramble said, so that "instead of the church being a nonsafe place it becomes a safe place to come forward."
First year ends for House of Discernment
Do you ever wonder if God might be calling you to priesthood?
You have the question, but are nowhere near the answer. You wish the world would slow down and give you the time and the means to listen to God speaking to your heart.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage may have the answer for you, in a handsome, quiet house on the property of St. Patrick Parish in East Anchorage.
St. John Vianney House of Discernment, dedicated to letting young men consider their vocation, concludes its first year in May.
John Burger, one of the two young men who spent the past year there, said the process "has been really affirming to my call to vocation."
The other, Aaron Gerrard, said he feels God’s invitations all around him, and although he isn’t sure which direction his life will take, the program has given him "the prayerful structure that the world doesn’t let you have."
Both responses, said co-director Father Tom Lilly, signal success.
"If someone decides to enter the seminary after the House of Discernment, that’s great," Father Lilly said. "But if they find no certainty at the end, or a vocation to marriage, that’s good, too. All are equally valid outcomes."
The key, Father Lilly said, is that a young man has been given the opportunity to explore what God is inviting him to do.
Father Lilly is parochial vicar at St. Patrick but will become pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in May. Although he will move to St. Elizabeth’s rectory in South Anchorage, he will continue as co-director, along with St. Patrick administrator Father Scott Medlock, of the House of Discernment.
The House of Discernment is the brainchild of Archbishop Roger Schwietz, who sent Father Lilly to investigate other similar houses around the United States and Canada.
"It has been a dream of mine since I got here," Archbishop Schwietz said. "I think it’s proven its value in allowing a couple of college students to discern in the best atmosphere of support and reflection."
Here’s how it works: Candidates are typically between the ages of 20 and 45. They are currently enrolled in a university, or are college graduates with jobs. They are expected to contribute to the cost of room and board, with the amount dependent on their financial situation.
Growth in the spiritual life is at the heart of St. John Vianney House of Discernment, said Father Lilly, who has lived at the house during the past year. Residents commit themselves to structured times of prayer, including the daily celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.
The men each pick a spiritual director from among the priests in the archdiocese and meet with them at least once a month. Communal meals, pastoral ministry, simple lifestyle and a commitment to chastity help to develop a sense of what priesthood will entail.
Burger said the experience has given him "good insights into the priesthood."
Although he always saw the priest as a leader, now he senses how much he is really a servant, he said.
"You’re there for people. You’re called to a total service of your time. The servant’s role far outweighs the leadership role."
Burger, 25, who grew up in Soldotna, will continue with his junior year at the University of Alaska Anchorage next year and hopes to join the seminary for the archdiocese when he graduates.
Recently, he switched his major from social work to Russian. Last summer he traveled with a group from the archdiocese to Magadan, Russia, and spent time with members of the Catholic parish there, whose pastor is Alaskan Father Michael Shields. Burger plans to return to Magadan this summer to help in the parish and go along with the youth group to World Youth Day in Germany.
Gerrard, 22, is a 2001 graduate of Service High School in Anchorage and has nearly completed an associate degree in culinary arts and hospitality management.
"When I first started (at the House of Discernment), I didn’t know what I wanted," he said. Now, he said, he thinks the permanent diaconate might be somewhere in his future, but he’s made no final decision, other than knowing God has a plan for him.
A high point of the year’s experience for Gerrard was the opportunity for prayer time, especially the twice-weekly adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, he said.
A more challenging part of the year was spiritual direction. He said he found it positive but "not always easy" to share the deepest part of his spiritual journey.
Gerrard managed a part-time job as well as classes during the year.
"I would recommend that if you go to the House of Discernment, don’t bring a lot of baggage with you in terms of work and academics," he said. "Step apart from the world and just let things happen."
Father Lilly said there are three spots available for next year, and he will accept applications until the end of June for residency beginning in August.
Although the house is designed as a one-year experience, Father Lilly doesn’t rule out the possibility that, space permitting, someone might return for a second year.
The houses of discernment he visited around the country assured him "not to judge success by numbers," he said. "You may be empty for three years, then full for a year."
Anyone interested in applying may call Father Lilly at 332-1151. Visit www.st.patsak.org for further information on the House of Discernment, or call Brother Craig Bonham, archdiocesan vocation director, at 297-7774.
Memorial Mass in Anchorage for John Paul II
The Anchorage memorial Mass for Pope John Paul II was celebrated at Holy Family Cathedral on April 8, the day he was buried in Rome. The local liturgy incorporated cultural diversity as a reminder that the Catholic Church is worldwide and that the pope is the pastoral leader of all Catholics. Several hundred people crowded into Holy Family for the Mass.
The youth perspective: John Paul II
Editor’s Note: The texts below are excerpts from the eloquent, hopeful, poignant personal reflections offered during the "Youth Evening Prayer: Remembering Pope John Paul II" memorial service, held April 10 at Holy Family Cathedral. Photos by Michael Dinneen
Pope John Paul II, our beloved inspirational leader, has gone home to our heavenly father. He showed us how to live our life with humility, respect, faith and courage. He was an icon, a leader not only within our church but also the entire world, and created a common bond for all of us. We were inspired by him, loyal to him, and mourn his passing.
During his papacy, Pope John Paul II’s theme was "Be not afraid." He listened to the spiritual and human needs of others, but he listened more to God and stood like a rock in his faith.
We, the future of our church, must continue his legacy with strength and courage. So let us move forward and be not afraid but rather a beacon of light symbolizing a bright future.
To do this, we must envelop ourselves in God. What you get out of your faith directly correlates with what you put into it. My faith has come alive and grown over my years of involvement within my church through altar serving, participating in music and hospitality ministries and community outreach projects, and maintaining the grounds at my church.
Having created a firm foundation in my faith, I now possess a lifelong desire to reach out to others and the courage necessary to always stand up for what is right, even when it means standing alone.
I know that God will always be at my side — his wisdom and grace flowing through me in all that I do.
My priest, Father Kaspar, said in one of his homilies this week that "we must not get discouraged, for God is in control."
So let us not be afraid when things go wrong in our lives. Never compromise the truth and always remain faithful to God. We must take God with us wherever we go and when faced with situations that force us to examine our morals, ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?"
Let us continue Pope John Paul II’s legacy. Let’s open our hearts, let God’s spirit lead us, and let us all live as true children of God.
Twelve years ago, my parents offered to send me on a trip to Denver to see the pope. I thought, "Free trip to Denver … OK."
I had seen the elder Bush and Clinton speak; I figured seeing the pope would be similar.
I was wrong. In that field in Colorado along with half a million other young people, I had an encounter with the Vicar of Christ.
When Pope John Paul II got off that helicopter I felt a presence like I had not encountered before. I asked my girlfriend, who is now my wife, if she felt that, and she just nodded.
Words could not explain. But at that moment, I knew. And as I heard the thunderous chant from the crowd saying, "JPII, we love you!" I knew that the pope was no ordinary leader.God had chosen him to lead our church, and God was with him. I would never be the same. God had gifted us with the papacy and I finally got it. At that moment I finally understood why I was Catholic and how blessed I was to profess our faith.
And then I allowed myself to be led by our shepherd. I wanted to learn more about him, what he was teaching us and where he was leading us.
I soon discovered an important truth: He could write faster than I could read.
I believe John Paul II gave himself completely to God, and as he gave himself to the Master, he allowed for a masterpiece to be created.
When he died I had this image of his approach to the pearly gates. Have you ever seen a walk-off home run in baseball? One in which the batter hits a home run in the ninth inning and wins the game. The whole team runs out and lines the final base path as the runner comes toward home.
I have this joyous picture in my mind of the Holy Father finishing the race and Jesus, Mary, and Peter running out to give John Paul a big high five. They are followed by the popes and saints until he makes it all the way into heaven.
And to me that illustrates his greatest legacy. He told us to not be satisfied with mediocrity, but to put out into the deep and lower our nets for a catch. He lived the challenge and now invites us to do the same: to learn, to teach, to love, to suffer for Christ — to summarize it all, he told us we must be the "saints of the new millennium."
May we all accept his challenge and hope we deserve to be greeted by Jesus and John Paul II with high fives when we return home.
John Paul II, thank you for all you have given to us, thank you for being a witness to hope, and JP2 we will always love you!
Pope John Paul II was a young person just like you.
He was an artist, a poet, a kayaker, a mountain climber, a skier, a soccer player, a canoer and an actor. He had the greatest sense of humor in his circle of friends.
He experienced tragedy in his life as a young person with the deaths of his mother, his brother and his father — all in 12 years. Just like some of our own young people.
He survived frustration and disappointment in his life. Just as he felt things were going well, he enrolled in the university and in a drama school in 1938 and a year later, the university was closed because of the Nazi occupation and he worked in a quarry and a chemical factory for a living and to avoid deportation.
He shared later that "prayer helps us maintain our faith, trust and love even when our human weakness would destroy them."
Once again his friendships became very important to him, trusting, sharing dreams, enjoying life’s adventures together.
One of his friends, a woman from his circle, shared in a television interview that all of them knew each other so well that the day Pope John Paul II made his decision to become a priest, he met all of them that afternoon as usual but something was different. And they all wanted to know why he was so quiet because he was the one who was always having a good time and joking with someone. He shared that he had been listening and thinking about a call from within to become a priest and he had finally made a decision.
After the call that he searched and prayed about, he became a priest, bishop, archbishop, cardinal and then the Servant of the People — Pope John Paul II.
He lived his life to the fullest and offered his gifts to many. At every stage he became more humble, closer to God, never stopping to reach out to all, looking into the eyes of those who were handicapped, holding onto a child, clasping a woman’s hand and above all, speaking to the young people, whom he once told: "You are the hope of the world.
"I believe in you. Christ believes in you."
And he was a person just like you.
Pope John Paul II was our guide, leading us to Jesus’ path. It is easy to see how we might confuse the pope, who was the messenger, with the Message, which is Jesus.
The reading states: "It is He who provokes you with the thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise."
The "He" in the reading is Jesus, but the pope’s life inspired many people to thirst for this fullness, as well.
Like Jesus, the pope always had a special relationship with the poor and the vulnerable. Many people look to his strong criticism of communism and dictatorship in any form as evidence of this.
But the Holy Father also spoke out against rampant capitalism, sweat shops and predatory business practices that put profits before people. He lived the Gospel mandate to love thy neighbor, even if it meant taking an unpopular position with those who influence global politics and the global market.
Like a good father, he set the example for what it means to be a person of truth and moral integrity, a person unwilling to "settle for compromise."
Again the pope lived Jesus’ message when, for 26 years, he was "the people’s pope." He cared about all people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. And he cared especially for young people. He was truly our Holy Father.
He started World Youth Day so that young people could come together from around the world to share what it means to be Catholic and more importantly how to stay Catholic in a world that urges you to forget that your life is a sacred gift and instead of "shedding the masks of false life" to wear them.
Like a good father, Pope John Paul II wanted the best for his children. He worked hard to fulfill his vision of a world at peace. He led by example when he showed us what it means to be people of conscience, willing to reach out to our brothers and sisters around the world struggling to survive war, famine and injustice. He reminded us often of our dependence on one another and the importance of our learning how to live in solidarity as a world family.
Like Jesus, Pope John Paul II "stirred in us the desire to do something great with our lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow ourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit ourselves and society to make the world more human and fraternal."
Even though we are grieving because we have lost the pope, our Holy Father, we must remind ourselves that however good and holy he was, he was the messenger. And even if the messenger is gone, the Message still lives.
And because of this, we can temper our grief with the knowledge that his ending also marks the beginning of a new phase in our lives as people of hope, a hope that lives because our lives were touched and shaped by this holiest of messengers, Pope John Paul II.
The Search for Community
Many of us who are middle-aged or older will remember what Mass was like before the Second Vatican Council. We came to Mass not only out of a sense of obligation but because it was the time each week that was set aside for "God and me."
Although we came in large numbers, we came and left as individuals. The liturgy was our private devotion, our private prayer. Each person was on his own: Some prayed the rosary, others said devotional prayers or tried to follow the Mass in Latin using the "Peoples’ Mass Book." Many simply prayed silently from the heart.
Most Catholics, being people of deep faith, tried to get along as best they could alone, not knowing what the priest was saying or doing up in the sanctuary. A word we often used to describe our Sunday worship experience was "attend." We attended Mass, but we seldom prayed together as a community.
This is not the way the Christians of the early church worshiped.
From the letters of St. Paul, for instance, we learn that he often needed to remind them that when they came together on the Lord’s Day they came not only to celebrate the Lord’s Eucharist, but also to share their household food, making sure that no one went hungry. They truly needed to remember that in all things they were community.
Over the centuries, however, for many reasons, the Mass became less and less the celebration of all God’s people under the leadership of the bishop or priest. The Mass became instead the prayer of the clergy.
Since its language continued to be in Latin long after Latin ceased to be the tongue of the people, Mass became more and more unintelligible. No wonder that people gradually developed their own prayers and devotions at Mass. They knew no other way to participate except to pray while the priest "said Mass."
This great chasm between the prayer of the priest and the prayers of the people became more and more evident over the years. Hence, one of the first efforts of the bishops at the Second Vatican Council (Oct. 11, 1962, through Dec. 8, 1965) was to make the sacred liturgy more accessible to the people.
Indeed, the first document the bishops produced at the council was entitled "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium"). Several important sentences in that document have since become enshrined in Catholic thought and worship: "Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy. Such participation by the Christian people as ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people,’ is their right and duty by reason of their baptism.
"In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, this full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else; for it is the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit."
If this is our "liturgical constitution," our mandate as Christians, how are we expected to worship actively when we gather on the Lord’s Day?
We are asked to use all those human gifts that we normally use in daily life.
Thus, the community stands at the entrance procession to welcome Christ in our midst.
We are seated, keeping reflective silence, as the words of Scripture are proclaimed.
We pray and sing together in dialogue with the priest.
We kneel as a sign of penitence.
We stand as baptized Christians to acclaim the words of Christ in the Gospel.
We walk in procession as we bring our gifts of bread and wine to the altar or as we come once again to the table to receive those sacred gifts.
All of these words, these postures, these actions, are done not simply for the sake of uniformity or good order. Rather, we do them together as a sign that the liturgy itself has the power to bond and bind us together as a community of Christians, acknowledging Christ’s presence in our midst.
The fact that we may all be together in the same building each Sunday does not automatically make us a Christian community. It is rather our recognition of one another as brothers and sisters of Christ, praying as a body, that makes the liturgy that "primary and indispensable source from which we derive the true Christian spirit."
In short, we desperately need one another when we gather on the Lord’s Day.
News & Notes
Ursulines will celebrate 100 years in Alaska
The Order of St. Ursula religious order is set to celebrate the astounding fact that it has had a continuous presence in Alaska for 100 years. Primarily a teaching order, the Ursuline Sisters have educated countless of Alaskans, mostly in little remote villages. There are only a handful of Ursulines left in the state now, and only one, Sister Lorene Griffin, in the Anchorage Archdiocese. On April 29, the Ursulines invite the public to a traditional potluck at St. Patrick Parish, 2111 Muldoon Road, Anchorage. The evening of reminiscing begins at 6 p.m. in the parish’s ample hall, and organizers say there will be Native storytelling and singing. Maybe even some dancing. The following day revelers are invited back to St. Patrick for a special anniversary Mass at 11 a.m., to be celebrated by Archbishop Roger Schwietz, with a reception to follow.
Church seeks additional ways to prevent abuse
The Catholic Church is seeking better ways to respond to allegations of sexual abuse by people representing the church and to identify additional ways to prevent such abuse, according to the Anchorage Archdiocese. To that end, the archdiocese invites people who have been abused to participate in a national church project called "Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal." Participation includes completing a confidential questionnaire before May 4. To get the questionnaire, go online to www.victimoutreach.com or contact the victim assistance coordinator in a particular diocese. The victim assistance coordinator in the Anchorage Archdiocese is Sister Barbara Scanlon, (907) 276-3455. The Diocese of Fairbanks can be reached at (907) 474-0753, and the Diocese of Juneau at (907) 586-2227.
5-day course for nurses interested in ministry
Providence Health System and the Northwest Parish Nurse Ministries are sponsoring a training course for nurses interested in parish ministry. Parish nursing focuses on "whole-person care," including patients’ "spiritual, physical and emotional needs," according to a press release announcing the course, which runs 8 a.m.-5 p.m. May 9-13. Call Linda Shepard at 261-5053 for more information.
Archbishop's Column
Holy Father, with warmth and humor, was a person of the heart
Editor’s Note: Taken from the archbishop’s homily at the memorial Mass for Pope John Paul II on April 8 at Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage. For photos from the Mass, see Page 7.
Why are you looking among the dead for the One who is alive — the One who is alive?
We are a people of resurrection and we do believe in life: Life that is promised to us. Life that begins in our journey with the Lord. Life that begins with our baptism. And so we gather together in thanking God for the life that we celebrate this day — the life of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II.
You might have noticed, if you had the opportunity to watch the funeral of Pope John Paul II, that in the course of the service, from time to time the crowds would chant "santo subito," which means in Italian "saint, right away," because they believe that John Paul left us — left us to go to a place with his Lord and that he indeed could well be declared to be with his Lord, a saint in the church.
We are a people of resurrection and as a people of resurrection, we know our destiny — to be at home with the Lord. It was not always so.
There were times when there were doubts, especially among those early disciples, the apostles. I have a painting at my house. It was given to me when I came here, and it’s a painting of John, the Apostle, and St. Peter running to the tomb on Easter morning, as we hear in the Gospel of John.
Peter, as you know from that story, came to the tomb after John had gotten there. John ran faster and got there first, but waited for Peter to go in.
Peter, the Gospel tells us, looked in, saw that the tomb was empty, and was amazed and confused. John, however, looked, he saw and he believed.
Why this difference? I think because Peter was still in his head, while John was in his heart. He knew in his heart that his Lord, his friend Jesus, was alive.
My own personal experience of Pope John Paul II was one of a person of the heart. He was present from the heart to those whom he met. And many of you who experienced him here in Alaska on his two visits attest to that. With his warmth, with his humor, with his ability to listen, his ability to enjoy, he was present from his heart.
Even last May, the last time I had a chance to visit with him, we talked about his visits to Alaska and he warmed and he smiled at the memory of those visits. He spoke from his heart.
There are many remarkable things about this pope, things that will be remembered for centuries. One of the realities of this pope is that he was one, and only the second one, who took a double name as he was elected to the papacy — the name of John Paul. And he had the opportunity to live out that dual name — to live them out so fully and so completely for us, the church.
The second part of his name is Paul. This man was an untiring missionary. He took the Vicar of Christ ministry to the people, to the people in every corner of the world. He was also, as the apostle Paul was, a great teacher, unwavering in his fidelity to the church, to the Gospel, to the tradition, and he unfolded the truth of Christ for us in so many ways: in encyclicals and lectures and books.
He was the great teacher that we will study for many years to come. He was Paul for us. As Paul, he taught, for example, saying, "As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live."
He also taught, "Freedom consists not only in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought."
But he was not only Paul. He was John Paul and, as John, he touched the heart of humanity.
Look at his relationship with youth. He reached out to them from his heart and they responded and continue to do so. In one of the World Youth Days, one of the first ones, I remember seeing him as the young people were chanting to him, "JP II, we love you" over and over again.
He stopped them and said, "Perhaps the pope loves you even more."
When he was visiting in St. Louis, there was a raucous gathering of young people with the pope, and a large group of us bishops who were present for the papal visit were put in one section of the auditorium, wondering whether we should be there or not as all these young people were doing "the wave" and stomping up and down, and the bishops were looking at each other wondering what to do.
Young people began to chant, "Lolek, Lolek," which was his nickname as a youth, and he stopped them again and he said to them, with a twinkle in his eye, "Lolek was the young man, the pope is the old man."
He spoke from his heart and he related to us all from his heart. He said at the beginning of his ministry: "I hope to have communion with the people. That is the most important thing."
He also said to us, encouraging us: "Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and alleluia is our song."
But he also could play with us. "I have a sweet tooth for song and music," he said, "which is my Polish sin."
He was a man among us as a holy man, as a good man, and as a human being.
Cardinal Ratzinger, in speaking at the funeral Mass last night, referred to the pope in his final days, especially on that Easter Sunday morning when he came to the window and tried to communicate but he could not speak and so he blessed the people.
As Cardinal Ratzinger commented — now he is at the window of the Father’s house and he is watching and he is enjoying our company and he is blessing us. We have a friend now who has left us, but who will remember us and who will continue to be with the church as one who prays for us and one who is our advocate.
Pope John Paul II left us much. Many warm memories, images and teachings. He left us in Alaska with memories that we will not forget. For he came to be among us and he celebrated among us. In fact, the main chalice that I will use at Mass today is the chalice that he used when he visited Anchorage here. Above all, what he left us was encouragement. In the prayer that he could not speak – the prayer written for the day after he died – he encouraged us by speaking to the Lord for us. He said he wrote: "Lord, who with Your death and resurrection reveal the love of the Father, we believe in You and with confidence repeat to You today: Jesus, I trust in you. Have mercy on us and on the whole world."
We thank you, John Paul II, for those words. We thank you for the memories. We thank you for your faithful service among us.
And now we pray, John Paul, may the angels take you into paradise, may the martyrs and the saints, especially Mary, your mother, come to welcome you and take you to the Holy City, the new and eternal Jerusalem.
Editorials
Election of pope is time for optimism
The surprisingly short conclave that resulted in the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI shows that the cardinal-electors were more unified than many outside observers believed.
News reports predicted a drawn-out process because there were so many worthy candidates and no obvious front-runner. Many considered Cardinal Ratzinger too controversial to be a serious contender.
Controversial or not, for people who believe that the Holy Spirit guides such important moments in the church, Cardinal Ratzinger’s election is reason for optimism. We look forward to seeing what the Holy Spirit has in store for the Catholic Church.
Meanwhile, Catholics can offer prayers of thanks for Pope John Paul II and prayers of hope for his successor.
Pope Benedict XVI comes to the helm of the church during most interesting times. Big questions loom about the church’s role in combating the AIDS pandemic, restoring safety and trust after the sex abuse scandal, sowing peace in Iraq, the Holy Land, Africa and elsewhere, eradicating the root causes of poverty and hunger, forging stronger relations with Islam, and ensuring that ethics keep pace with scientific developments.
As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger had the reputation of being a strict, some would say even harsh, enforcer of church rules. He silenced what he considered dissent and had at least one theologian excommunicated.
But it must be remembered that this was his job, and there is much more to the man than that which made the headlines during his time as doctrinal prefect.
In fact, as a young man Cardinal Ratzinger was considered a progressive theologian, and he is said to have played an influential role in the major reforms of the church that took place during the Second Vatican Council.
It is also exciting to contemplate what effect a German pope will have on the church of Western Europe, where Christianity has been in serious decline for decades now.
Pray for Pope Benedict XVI, the church and the world.
Funeral showed two facets of pope
The April 8 funeral of John Paul II was an amazing, beautiful pageant, a fitting sendoff for one of the world’s most respected human beings.
A Catholic News Service report quoted numerous people who had taken the opportunity to walk past the Holy Father’s simple cypress casket. Each of them said something nice about the ceremony but then added that they wished they could have stopped to pray at the casket instead of being hurried along by Vatican personnel.
"I’m sorry I wasn’t allowed to pause here," said a nun from Vietnam.
There were approximately three million people in Rome for the funeral, from presidents and kings to ordinary folks from the pews. Tens of millions more watched the ceremony on television.
We can’t help thinking that most of them, like that nun from Vietnam, felt a personal connection to the man and wanted a moment alone with him.
John Paul II profoundly influenced the course of history while simultaneously becoming a personal spiritual father to millions of individuals.
His funeral demonstrated these equally extraordinary feats.
Correction
In the April 8 issue a story improperly identified Matthew Beck as director of youth ministry at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Anchorage, a position he no longer holds. Angela Fleck is the current coordinator of youth and college ministry at the parish.
Letters to the Editor
Pope’s life, death should be an inspiration to everyone
How profoundly sad yet exquisitely appropriate that His Holiness Pope John Paul II died and was called to the Creator during the end of the Octave of Easter and during the beginning of the Sabbath of the Divine Mercy Sunday of the Roman Catholic Church.
Easter is a time for all humanity to remember the redemptive power of God through Jesus 2,000 years ago, and Divine Mercy Sunday is a time to remember that in 1931 in Krakow, Poland, Sister Faustina had a vision entreating humanity that Divine Mercy would be shown to all who trust in Jesus.
John Paul II, in his first remarks as pope from his balcony in St. Peter’s Square, jokingly told the surprised Italians, "Be not afraid." For 26 years as pope, John Paul II preached by word and example that each human being must not be afraid to profess a "culture of life."
As we watched His Holiness give his last blessing from his balcony window, we saw the dignity that comes from unearned suffering and the courage to be not afraid of death.
During his trips to Alaska and around the world, John Paul II always kissed the earth upon his arrival. Our memory of John Paul II should continue to remind each person of human frailty and our connectedness with all those who inhabit the earth. Humanity must continue to fight in our minds for ways to promote nonviolent methods of resolving the man-made problems of the earth.
As a Catholic I will always remember traveling to Anchorage to see the pope and to listen to his message. The wooden cross in my car was made from the platform on which he celebrated Mass with us and waved to us all. As the world waves goodbye to John Paul II, let us remember his message and whom he represented.
Soldotna
Pope’s reign not all good
There is little room for doubt regarding the accomplishments of John Paul II in working for peace among nations and religions. He labored tirelessly in this important endeavor, which is appreciated by the vast majority of the world. Regarding the American and — if the news is reliable — European Catholics, with the exception of Poland, his pontificate was less impressive. During his reign the applications for admission to seminaries has slowed to a trickle, church attendance has fallen off, and many, many schools and churches have been closed. It may be unfair to directly blame John Paul II for the chaotic condition of the church because of pedophile priests’ unconscionable behavior. But it did happen on his watch. And, last but not least, it is hard to be charitable when considering how John Paul II steamrolled over and negated many of the wonderful and needed reforms that were instituted by John XXIII.
Girdwood
Pope had Christian strength
Only after the pope’s death do I understand why I disagree with my friend Francine, who said he should have resigned because his disabilities made him ineffective. Indeed, toward the end, John Paul lacked the strength to keep his head up, control his drooling or even speak. To our ageist society he looked like a worthless, doddering old fool. To our materialist society, the Philippine nuns who stood up to the tanks of President Ferdinand Marcos must have looked like fools, too, almost as weak and vulnerable as the human fetus.
All three images appear less than human to a society that values power, control, wealth and the ability to kill. Yet the fetuses grow in power and strength, the nuns triumphed over the dictator, and, despite itself, the world reveres the drooler more than the most powerful earthly ruler.
Consider: John Paul had no nukes or other weapons of mass destruction, no salary and stock options worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Yet he took on godless communism and godless capitalism, with the Jesus’ love as his only weapon.
That’s what we started with. After three centuries of using love as our only weapon against the world’s superpower, we became the superpower. Then came the Crusades, the burning of St. Joan, and the sexual abuse of little kids. The more earthly power and control we get, the more we become the world, the flesh and the devil we’re called to fight.
I left out one obvious image, the one the pope clung to in his last days, the crucified Christ, who took on and embraced his helplessness.
So, the next time a prominent business magazine poll declares our archbishop one of the 25 most powerful Alaskans, let’s demand a recount.
Anchorage