September 22, 2006 - Issue #19
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Archdiocese seeks input on five-year pastoral plan
Do you have a dream for the local church?
Perhaps affordable Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese of Anchorage? Maybe a vision for extending justice to the poor and marginalized? Better liturgies and more vibrant parishes?
Dreams become realities through careful, step-by-step planning — at least, that’s the hope of the archdiocese as it continues its pastoral planning process for the next five years.
The first draft of the five-year plan went to parish leaders throughout the archdiocese in early September. The plan is the result of work from six pastoral leadership days convened by Archbishop Roger Schwietz between October 2005 and May 2006.
Bellevue, Wash., consultant John Reid of The Reid Group facilitated the planning process, said Sister Charlotte Davenport of St. Joseph of Peace, archdiocesan chancellor.
"An outside consultant has been a real gift," she said. "[Reid] has given us new perspectives and new ears. People have an opportunity to share differently when there’s an outside facilitator."
Reid formerly worked for the Archdiocese of Seattle and now consults with dioceses throughout the country, Sister Davenport said. He holds master’s degrees in divinity and administration from the University of Notre Dame and is the author of "The Gospel Call to Collaborative Ministry."
The pastoral leadership days included meeting with pastors, parish directors, youth leaders, directors of religious education and others in church ministry.
Now a broader group of Catholics, mainly parish leadership comprised of pastoral councils, stewardship and finance committee members and other active volunteers, has been invited to attend six listening sessions in Anchorage, Wasilla and Soldotna from Sept. 25 to 27.
In a letter to those invited, Archbishop Schwietz said the goal is to gather more input which "will help shape the next draft, to be shared at Discipleship Days, where additional opportunities for input will occur."
As written now, the five-year plan envisions many ideas, but with few specifics. It begins with a draft mission statement, describing the Archdiocese of Anchorage as an "evangelizing church" that invites people to know the love of Christ. It goes on to say the archdiocese builds a family of faith, hope and love while witnessing to the reign of God.
"We proclaim the Gospel in worship, the sacraments, and our lives of prayer and action," the draft statement concludes.
Goal statements from the draft include strengthening lifelong faith formation, supporting collaborative servant leadership and living as stewards of all God’s creation.
Strengthening archdiocesan Catholic schools is one of the draft objectives. Another is to "foster youth and young adult faith formation and liturgical involvement."
Sister Davenport said the appointment of Adrian Dominican Sister Ann Fallon as education consultant for the archdiocese has already strengthened local Catholic schools.
Some people are avid about schools; others will be avid about improving faith formation, Sister Davenport said. Planners hope to hear from them all, she said.
"This is absolutely still a listening process," she added.
Sister Davenport stressed that plans for the archdiocese should really originate from within the parishes.
The offices downtown are administrative offices to serve the archdiocese, she said, but "the reality is that the parishes are the archdiocese."
"We need to stop and listen," she said.
By February, the archdiocese hopes to have a five-year plan in place for the culmination of its 40th anniversary celebration.
Reid will lead workshops on the pastoral planning process at Discipleship Days, Oct. 19-21 at Lumen Christi School, providing an opportunity for anyone who wants to be involved in the planning process to play a role.
Anchorage to celebrate its first-ever Red Mass
In many major American cities, a special Mass is celebrated each year to pray for all who practice the art of law. Traditionally called the "Red Mass," it invokes divine assistance for judges, lawyers and politicians. This year for the first time, the Archdiocese of Anchorage will join in that tradition. On Oct. 27, Archbishop Roger Schwietz will celebrate a Red Mass at Holy Family Cathedral.
The origins of the Red Mass can be traced to the 13th century, when the first known Red Mass was offered on behalf of the supreme court of the Catholic Church, the Roman Rota. Various traditions arose in England and France for a special Mass to be offered at the beginning of each term of a court year.
The first Red Mass in the United States was celebrated Oct. 6, 1928, in New York City. Between 250 and 300 judges and lawyers attended this event. To this day, an annual Red Mass is celebrated on the Sunday preceding the first Monday of October at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The congregation is often composed of Washington’s elite: the president, Supreme Court justices and government officials.
The choice of red as the color of the vestments for the Mass comes from two traditions. First, red is the color attributed to the Holy Spirit as the church prays for guidance for those who administer the law of the land. A later tradition connected the color red to the martyrdom of St. Thomas More, the patron saint of lawyers and politicians.
St. Thomas More was canonized in 1935, 400 years after his death. His canonization came during a period of political turmoil when Pope Pius XI wanted to show the world a model of a statesman who could resist unjust secular authority.
Father Thomas Brundage, judicial vicar of the Archdiocese of Anchorage, is making plans to initiate a St. Thomas More Lawyers Society in Alaska. The Red Mass celebration will be the new group’s first public event. People interested in helping with these efforts can call Father Brundage at 297-7728.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage’s Red Mass will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Oct. 27; a reception will follow. All are invited to join the archbishop in praying for local practitioners of law.
Time of transition: Anchor introduces new editor and staff members
A lot has changed at the Anchor in the past three weeks. The newspaper still looks the same — at least for the time being — but as of Sept. 8, it has a new editor. The week before a new assistant editor was hired, and the week before that a new page designer joined the team.
Maia Nolan of Anchorage was hired Sept. 8 to replace John Roscoe, the founding editor of the archdiocesan newspaper, which started in April 1999.
Roscoe announced in the Sept. 8 issue of the Anchor that he is moving to Oregon.
Nolan has written for the Anchor as a freelancer for many years. She grew up in Anchorage, earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in journalism from the University of Portland in Oregon, and is currently enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program for fiction writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Joel Davidson, the new assistant editor, replaces Kelly DuFort, who worked for the Anchor for five years.
Davidson is well known in the Matanuska Valley, where for the past two and a half years his byline has appeared frequently in the Frontiersman newspaper.
He began freelancing for the Anchor early this year.
Finally, outgoing page designer Lucas Nevin moved to Minnesota early this month. He has been replaced by Gianna Ridgeway, who has been a copy editor at the Anchorage Daily News for six years.
Of the paper’s four-person staff, only Anchor advertising manager Sandy Busch — dubbed "The Anchor" by some pastoral center staff — remained through this mini-exodus.
Why did three of the four leave at once?
"It was coincidence," Roscoe said. "Each of us expressed as these other opportunities came up that we must be crazy to leave the Anchor. But the time was right to move on."
"Fortunately," Roscoe said, "each of us also feels good about who has been brought on to replace us. The Anchor is in very good hands."
Search for solitude: Controversial monk journeyed to Alaska in hopes of establishing a hermitage but his hunt was cut short by his death
Among the many celebrated and controversial personalities of the 1960s was an unlikely figure, a Trappist monk named Thomas Merton who had lived for years within the confines of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky. He was a popular and prolific author of books on the contemplative life; his autobiography, "The Seven Storey Mountain," became a bestseller in 1948 and is still in print.
Well-known for his social activism and sometimes called the conscience of the ’60s peace movement, he was both praised and criticized for his political writing. Catholics were divided over his deep interest in Asian religions; some saw him as a promoter of East-West understanding, while others attacked his curiosity as an affront to the Catholic Church.
In 1968, changes in the rules of his order allowed Father Merton to fulfill a desire to travel and to explore the possibility of living away from his monastery. In mid-September he left Chicago, bound eventually for Asia where he planned to study with Eastern religious leaders. But before his arrival there, he would spend two weeks in another faraway place that interested him: Alaska. This is the story of that visit, gleaned from a relatively unknown little book, "Thomas Merton in Alaska: The Alaskan Conferences, Journals, and Letters," from which Father Merton’s quotes in this article are taken, and from the recollections of people who were in Anchorage in the early days of the archdiocese.
In 1966, Archbishop Joseph Ryan, the first archbishop of Anchorage, put out a call for nuns and priests to come north and join his fledgling archdiocese. The bishop was especially interested in attracting monastics, and among the nuns who accepted his invitation were six contemplative Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood from Portland, Ore. They lived in a convent in Eagle River where they provided guest accommodations while a permanent retreat center was built in Anchorage.
Sister Rita Mary Lang, the "mother" of the Eagle River sisters, passed away earlier this year at her convent in Brooklyn, N.Y., but before her death she recalled that Archbishop Ryan was always concerned about the welfare of the priests and sisters working in his diocese, fearing that some might suffer cabin fever in the cold and isolation. For this reason, the archbishop invited Father Merton to come and give them teaching and encouragement.
Father Tom Connery, now living in Glenville, N.Y., was a young Anchorage priest at the time. He recalls that Archbishop Ryan admired Father Merton’s ideas and actions and planned to help him find a suitable location in Alaska for a new monastery or hermitage in which the famous monk could live.
Father Merton spent his first four days in Alaska at the Precious Blood convent where he gave workshops to the nuns. In their newsletter, the sisters called his visit a "tremendous experience." Father Merton, they said, "impresses everyone with his great simplicity and complete freedom to be himself." He loved viewing Mount McKinley from the convent and exploring the nearby mountains and trails, guided by Steve Uher, the teenage son of Chugiak resident Linda Ferguson. Ferguson knew the sisters well and said she still remembers Father Merton’s friendliness when he joined her family for breakfast before setting out on morning hikes.
Father Merton spoke to the Eagle River sisters about building community amid the challenges of contemplative life. The work of creating community, he told them, is the place where Christ "manifests his victory over death." He encouraged the sisters to remember that while it may be easy to build community with those one likes, the real challenge is to do it "with people that God has brought together."
After giving six workshops in Eagle River, Father Merton moved to Anchorage where he stayed in the archbishop’s residence between short trips around Alaska. He visited Cordova, Yakutat, Juneau and Dillingham, meeting the local clergy, sometimes celebrating Mass, and scouting possible locations for a hermitage. Father Merton described the Alaskans he met as "good, simple people … not yet caught up in the mess of problems which are found in the States."
Marguerite Culhane, a longtime Eagle River resident, was away at boarding school that fall, but heard about Father Merton’s search for a new hermitage. She said she remembers hearing that he had to be close to doctors and dentists and he had to be able to earn a living. According to Culhane, Father Merton visited with a man in Cordova who said he would donate land for a monastery if Father Merton himself would run it. They shook hands on the deal, and Father Merton told the man he would return in a couple of months.
In his journal, Father Merton recorded details about this Sept. 23 visit to Cordova. He met Father Segundo Llorente at St. Joseph’s Church, and described him as "a remarkable person … a sort of legend in the region."
Father Merton wrote that "Eyak Lake seemed perfect" and Cordova was "in many ways the best place I have seen so far."
At Father Llorente’s suggestion, Father Merton visited Yakutat and had dinner at Frank Ryman’s lodge. Ryman, Father Merton wrote, "has a quarter acre of land he offered me — and it is enough to put a trailer on."
But the land was at the edge of the village and Father Merton, knowing he would have to protect his solitude, wondered if the people would expect him to "become a sort of pastor."
Father Connery accompanied Father Merton to Juneau and, on the drive to the Anchorage airport, they were pulled over by a state trooper. Father Connery laughed when he recalled telling the trooper that he was sitting next to one of the most famous religious people in America and still could not avoid a speeding ticket.
In between trips, Father Merton spoke at a Day of Recollection for Anchorage-area nuns. Perhaps anticipating his journey to Asia, he told the sisters: "Our life demands breakthroughs … once in awhile we must break through and go beyond where we are."
Sister Arlene Boyd, a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, was present that day, and in a newsletter to her mother house described her meeting with Father Merton as "one of the most grace-full experiences of my life." Father Merton joined the nuns for dinner at the Marian House in Anchorage and Sister Boyd, who has since left Alaska for Albany, N.Y., was delighted by his sense of humor, which she found surprising in a man who had spent 27 years in the silence of a Trappist monastery. She went on to describe him as "totally relevant, yet completely simple."
Sister Mary Clare Ciulla, who arrived in Alaska in 1967 and helped found many local Catholic Social Services programs, was also there that day. From her home in Watervliet, N.Y., she remembered Father Merton as a "down to earth man," very quiet, but the words he spoke were full of wisdom. She called him a groundbreaker in his efforts to learn about the spirituality of other religions.
Not all the strong reactions Father Merton inspired were positive. Claire Shirey, brother of Father Joseph Shirey, the first resident priest of St. Andrew’s in Eagle River, was another who heard of Father Merton’s visit but was not interested in meeting him.
Father Merton, Claire Shirey pointed out, was a Trappist who vowed to be silent and then wasn’t. As for Father Merton’s interest in Eastern mysticism, Shirey stated flatly that "a good Catholic doesn’t need to go exploring outside the faith."
A light snow was falling in Anchorage when Father Merton left for Dillingham, his last stop in Alaska, on Sept. 30, 1968. He was enchanted with Lake Aleknagik. The lake, he wrote, "speaks to me," and he wondered if that was the place for him to live. Two days later, he left Alaska for a brief stay in California before continuing on to Asia.
In letters to his abbot, written from Anchorage, Father Merton described what he had seen in glowing terms, saying, "I think Alaska would be the best place in the U.S. for a hermitage" and "I hope I can return here when I am through in Asia."
Sister Boyd wrote that Father Merton loved Alaska and left promising that he would be back. Father Connery agreed that Father Merton certainly seemed inclined to return. But what happened just two months later made it impossible to ever know for sure what he would have decided.
On Dec. 10, 1968, Father Merton died in his hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, the victim of accidental electrocution. The Alaska sisters, stunned by the news, were comforted by the memory of his parting promise to pray for them.
To this day, Father Merton continues to inspire both devotion and disdain. At his last workshop in Anchorage, his words to the assembled priests seemed to answer his critics.
"Today everybody is fighting over who is right. Every side claims to have the answer," he said, adding that the solution is to hang on to the Lord. "The fidelity of God is there and I have to be faithful to him and to my fellow man too."
Anchor Notebook
Seven years ago, something wonderful happened in the Archdiocese of Anchorage: On April 30, 1999, the Anchor published its first issue. That original edition was the genesis of the tradition of excellence, thoughtfulness and faith the paper has come to represent.
I was fortunate enough to have been able, as a college student home for summer vacation, to write for some of those early editions of the Anchor and to have the opportunity to learn from the founding editor, John Roscoe, whose commitment and spirit have been so evident in each issue since that spring. Over the years, as life drew me away from Anchorage and brought me back, I continued to write for the Anchor, helping to tell the story of the archdiocese.
The idea of editing the Anchor never occurred to me before this fall, mostly because I never considered the possibility that John wouldn’t be here forever, banging away at his keyboard and calling me up every couple of weeks with a story idea. Now that he is gone, I realize just how much care he put into this paper.
With the assistance of Kelly DuFort and talented writers like Effie Caldarola, as well as the support first of Archbishop Hurley and then of Archbishop Schwietz, John put out one of the best diocesan papers in the United States. You don’t need to see the reams of regional and national awards stacked here in the office to know that — it’s evident in the thoughtful storytelling and compelling reporting for which the Anchor has become known. I am honored to have been selected to carry on that tradition.
This archdiocese is truly unique. Stretching from Trapper Creek to Dutch Harbor and encompassing some of Alaska’s most populous and most remote regions, the Archdiocese of Anchorage is full of incredible people with amazing stories. Many of them have been told in the pages of this newspaper, and many more will be told in the issues to come.
It is a privilege to serve as the editor of your archdiocesan newspaper. I look forward to telling your stories and sharing your faith.
— Maia Nolan, Anchor editor
We have well-worn shoes to fill at the Catholic Anchor. With founding editor John Roscoe and trusty assistant editor Kelly DuFort moving on, most of the newspaper’s institutional knowledge departed in less than a month.
Over the last two weeks, I shadowed Roscoe and gleaned as much insight as I could before he and his family moved to Oregon. He certainly leaves behind an established, award-winning paper.
In the months ahead, I look forward to working with new editor Maia Nolan in our attempt to make the Anchor even better.
I’m looking for stories that can inspire and inform Anchor readers about their holy Catholic Church, articles that shed light on the intersection of modern life and Catholic faith.
Many of these stories will undoubtedly unfold through actions and words of local Catholics, men and women doing the work of Christ on Earth.
In a world so often torn by war, social injustice and broken family structures, Catholic teaching and tradition, along with the men and women of faith who incarnate the Church, can stand as a light. I want to tell that story.
We live in a broken world where not all stories are easy to tell or pleasant to hear. Some topics will undoubtedly be controversial. My goal is to write accurately and explore faithfully the journey of the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
As always, the Anchor exists for you, the readers. Please write letters and send us suggestions.— Joel Davidson, assistant editor
Editorial
Wonderful parade of talent
I love a parade. Ever since I was a child I enjoyed watching parades and wanted to participate in them. Well, I’ve participated in four parades in my life, but the most fulfilling of them all have been the last two parades: the parade of priestly vocations from this archdiocese, and the parade of priests who will assist us here in the archdiocese.
The priestly vocations started with Father Leo Walsh Jr., ordained in 1994. He was followed by Father Scott Medlock, ordained in 1996, and by Fathers Tom Lilly and Scott Garrett, ordained in 2003. I was No. 5, ordained last year.
Now we have two more men answering the call — Mr. John Burger and Mr. Patrick Brosamer. I pray that they remain open to God’s call, and that more men follow their lead.
The second parade — those priests who will stay with the archdiocese for some time: Father Tom Brundage (at St. Michael’s in Wasilla) was my canon law professor at Sacred Heart School of Theology three years ago. Father Aloysius Ezenwata was recently hired as priest/chaplain at Providence Alaska Medical Center. I worked with him for a short time before moving to St. Anthony’s. I was privileged to meet Fathers Jaime Mencias and Benjamin Torreto from Cotabato, Philippines, at the Global Solidarity gathering at Archbishop Schwietz’s home; I am grateful that they are here to help us with our ministry to the people of God in Alaska.
Now, these parades don’t move as fast as those on Independence Day or the Bear Paw Festival, but they are moving to God’s drumbeat. I have faith that God is providing us with what we need as we need it. We are truly blessed!
-Father Eric Wiseman
Parochial Vicar
St. Anthony Church
Letters to the Editor
There are no letters to the editor for this issue.