April 6, 2007 - Issue #7
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Refugees find hope in Alaska
Catholics help desperate arrivals
Each year, refugees arrive in Anchorage, fleeing persecution due to their race, religion, nationality or political or social status.
These newcomers often land in Anchorage speaking no English and with no knowledge of how to land a job, rent an apartment or even get around town.
Enter Catholic Social Services and generous gifts by area Catholics.
Catholic Social Services’ Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services program, or RAIS, has worked with Alaska’s refugee population since October 2003, but just recently started tapping into Anchorage-area parishes to help refugees find their bearings when they step off the plane.
The federally funded RAIS program is authorized to work with new arrivals who are officially granted political asylum or refugee status. It’s an important distinction, said Karen Ferguson, the program’s director."These are people who have proven to the United States and the United Nations that they have suffered persecution," Ferguson said.
Those who qualify have experienced persecution in their home countries due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or social class. Some come to Anchorage to join family members; others, known as "free cases," have no family in the city but come because it’s the closest refugee-designated community to their home countries.
The refugee work draws significantly on Catholic principles of human dignity, global solidarity and social justice, according to Catholic Social Services’ executive director, Susan Bomalaski, who added that she has heard refugee assistance described as "justice for newcomers."
"Part of the Catholic faith is Catholic social teaching, and part of Catholic social teaching is accepting and making a home for everyone," Bomalaski said. "The refugee assistance and immigration program … is a living out of that Catholic social teaching."
Most of Alaska’s refugees come from former Soviet states and Southeast Asia, although a growing group is from Africa and Ferguson rattled off a list of other countries: Yemen, Burma, El Salvador, Cuba. They arrive authorized to work, but they need help navigating in their new environs. That, Ferguson said, is where RAIS comes in.
"What we provide is a kind of safety net of social services for the first five years a person is in the United States," she said. "They don’t know anything about the United States, they don’t know how to get around, they don’t know how to handle their apartment, their kids aren’t in school."
The financial assistance RAIS provides is usually minimal but the basic skills it provides are crucial, according to Ferguson.
"We literally take people on the bus," she said. "We meet them at the airport. (We) teach you how to use an ATM machine, show you how to dress appropriately for Alaskan weather."
The program doesn’t just help refugees, though, Ferguson said. It also gives Anchorage Catholics an opportunity to put their faith into action. As the number of cases increases, RAIS has called on local Catholic communities to help refugees who have no family in Anchorage.
"We need the partnership and collaboration with community resources because there is no family," Ferguson said. "We have found just incredibly generous support."
Members of St. Anthony Church in East Anchorage recently stepped up to help out a Cuban refugee who needed help finding his own place after his living arrangement with distant relatives didn’t work out.
"There’s just a multitude of situations," said St. Anthony parishioner Paul Cordasci. "For one reason or another, (people) need a little help getting started." Cordasci said the parish’s outreach program was approached by RAIS early last year and has had the opportunity to help a number of families since.
"We keep up to date on what some of the needs are," Cordasci said. An e-mail newsletter lets outreach volunteers know what to look for, and an updated list appears regularly in St. Anthony’s bulletin. The requests range from kitchen utensils and furniture to holiday baskets, transportation, help with rent and sometimes food, according to Cordasci.
"There’ve been several families that have stepped forward to help," he said. "We have such an outpouring of support for outreach. I think we have a very strong sense of compassion and justice."
St. Anthony isn’t the only parish to take an interest in the program. When Father Leo Walsh announced a second collection at St. Andrew Church last month to help a Meskhetian Turkish family move into a rented home, the response was similarly enthusiastic, netting enough to put down first and last month’s rent and provide money to help establish future refugee families. Meskhetian Turks are a "stateless" ethnic group that faces ongoing persecution in Eastern Europe. Ejected from Georgia, many of them settled in Russia, where they are not allowed to vote or own land. The family of six, aided by St. Andrew parishioners, came to the U.S. via Uzbekistan in two separate groups.
"We were out of funds for setting up the security deposit," Ferguson said. "St. Andrew’s Parish was just amazing. They raised money that’s going not only to the security deposit for that family but gives us money for a revolving security deposit for families to come." As families achieve financial solvency, they will take over their own security deposits to free up money for RAIS to help future families.
In addition to the financial assistance, parishioners were also encouraged to sign up at the church to donate household items.
"What amazed me is that people came up with so many things that were not on the list," said Marguerite Culhane, who volunteers at the church.
According to Ferguson, parish support makes a big impact.
"Without them, the clients would have been homeless," she said. "Our mission for the program is welcoming the stranger, and I can’t think of a more literal example of doing that than working with refugees who are strangers here because of desperate times that they have faced in their countries."
To learn more about Catholic Social Services visit www.cssalaska.org.
Young men pause to consider a priestly calling
Weekend dinner with archbishop provides chance to explore alternative life
Given a chance, four young men from the Kenai Peninsula opted to spend their Saturday night considering what it means to be called to the Catholic priesthood.
Archbishop Roger Schwietz and other clergy held a discernment dinner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Soldotna. One of four dinners scheduled throughout the archdiocese in March and April, these annual gatherings are designed to give young men an inside look at what it means to be called to the priesthood.
Like a lot of Saturday nights, the evening kicked off with a video. This wasn’t a Blockbuster pick, however. The youth watched "Fishers of Men" with Archbishop Schwietz, Brother Craig Bonham and Father Richard Tero. The video introduced the young men, ages 17 to 26, to what the priesthood entails.
"The priesthood is tough, and it’s for real men. You have to be a real man if you want to be a priest," one of the priests showcased on the video explained.
While dining on a feast that Father Tero billed as a true "man’s meal" (steak on the grill and baked potatoes), the young men were able to ask questions, listen, and talk about what prompted them to want to learn more about discernment. Each described a feeling or set of feelings that directed him to the night’s event.
"I’ve found that the only thing that’s given meaning to my life is the Catholic faith and the sacraments, and I’ve been longing to serve the Church in some way," explained Ben Hastings, 26, of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.
Hastings was the oldest of the young men. The other three, all in their teens and home schooled, also had dreams and aspirations of serving the Church, though none were sure of a path to the priesthood..
"I didn’t come with expectations", said Gabriel Olena, 17, of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. "But I did come with an open mind."
Nathan Traugott, 18, of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Homer, drove to Soldotna to attend the dinner. Traugott remembers thinking he would become a priest when he was eight years old, and now priestly thoughts have began to pop up in his mind again, though as an adult now he is not sure he would be able to handle both the joys and sorrows that a priest must deal with daily.
"It’s something only someone called by God, and graced by God, can handle," he said.
Remy Spring, 18, of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, has a grandmother who is convinced that Spring’s second chance in life (he was a premature baby and was given the sacrament of last rites at birth) may have happened so that he will become a priest. Spring has served as an altar boy at Our Lady of Perpetual Help since he was in fourth grade, and now he is trying to figure out how God wants him to continue serving the Church.
"Being able to serve every Sunday, it’s now natural to me. I want to do more, and maybe the priesthood is the extra thing I’m looking for," Spring said.
Throughout the dinner, the archbishop and others were able to illuminate the understanding that one really cannot know whether he is called to be a priest before he goes to seminary. It’s there, not before, that one discerns his calling.
The archbishop joked that his seminary time was also a "way out" in case he wasn’t really being called to be a priest. This revelation calmed a few fears about not having to be completely sure before entering the seminary. Brother Bonham, who started in seminary school as a freshman in high school, agreed.
"Seminary is formal discernment, it’s like dating in a formal way," he said.
The archbishop also encouraged the men that if they perceive they are being called to further discern whether they should become a priest, they did not necessarily need to go to seminary right out of high school, but could take a few years to gain life experience and education.
While the evening was a far cry from the average Saturday night on the town, the young men seemed pleased with the evening and the information they received at the dinner.
"I’m so glad I went, it really answered so many questions, even questions I didn’t know I had," said Spring.
From Palestine to Cordova, woman recounts Christian plight
There probably aren’t a lot of people who see a likeness between Cordova, Alaska and the birthplace of Jesus.
But Cordova resident Jacqueline Harris can say with authority that there’s a lot of similarity.
Harris was born and raised in Bethlehem, and says she loves the fishing village of Cordova because "everybody knows everybody" just like they do back in the Catholic enclave she called home in Bethlehem.
Harris grew up as part of an ancient faith in an ancient city. But she met her husband, Rock Harris of Cordova, in a thoroughly modern way – on the Internet.
Now the two, along with their children, two-year-old Jack and one-year-old Dominic, are members of St. Joseph Parish in Cordova.
Rock Harris is a seasonal fisherman, and because his wife misses her Palestinian family, they travel to Bethlehem for extended trips.
Sometimes, politics can make that travel difficult, just as Palestinian life in general can be difficult.
All travel in and out of the Palestinian Authority is controlled by Israel, and even though the authorities knew Rock Harris was traveling with his wife to visit relatives in Bethlehem, it still took several delays before he could enter the city for a December through February visit with his in-laws.
"It’s hard to live between two religions," Harris said, while adding that Christian communities of Palestine are finding it more and more difficult to survive.
In a lengthy Christmas message to Christians in the Middle East, Pope Benedict XVI urged the faithful to keep an active presence in the Holy Lands, despite their suffering.
This, however, is a difficult calling.
"Many are leaving," Harris said. "It’s a tough life."
Harris, who speaks excellent English, learned the language at St. Joseph Catholic School in Bethlehem, where first graders begin the study of English and French as well as Arabic.
Harris doesn’t know how long her family has lived in and near Bethlehem – she can’t remember when they haven’t. Many Christians of the area can trace their roots back to the time of Christ. Increasingly, however, the Christian population of Palestine is in decline.
Due to continuous emigration and a lower birthrate than their Muslim neighbors, the Christian population of Bethlehem has moved from 75% in 1947, to 33% in 1998, according to Andrea Pacini in "Christian Communities in the Arab Middle East: the Challenge of the Future."
Since 2000, when the latest "Intifada" – a Palestinian word for awakening or uprising – began, the situation has grown increasingly hard socially, politically and economically.
In 2000, Harris began work as a secretary at a newly constructed five-star hotel, which would serve the booming tourism industry. But within six months of its completion, the Intifada had begun and the hotel closed, and Harris and about 250 mostly Palestinian employees lost their jobs.
In response to numerous suicide bombings within Israel, the Israeli government in 2002 began construction of a huge wall, the "West Bank barrier." Amnesty International has criticized Israel, while recognizing that the country has a "legitimate need to secure its borders and prevent access to people who may threaten its security."
However, alleges Amnesty, "close to 90% of the route of the wall is on Palestinian land. . .encircling Palestinian towns and villages and cutting off communities and families from each other, separating farmers from their land and Palestinians from their places of work, health care facilities and other essential services."
Harris has seen what the wall has done to Bethlehem, a city of about 50,000.
"The wall goes right in front of my uncle’s house. He can’t use the entrance to his house now. They (the Israelis) don’t care. They don’t pay, they just take property."
Jerusalem, which is about five miles from Bethlehem, used to be a ten-minute drive and was considered the urban anchor of the area, said Harris. Now, travel to Jerusalem requires special permits, armed checkpoints, and often proves impossible.
"My sister worked for the United Nations in Jerusalem, so for her it was easy to get a visa and travel to Jerusalem. She goes every day, but the U.N. sends a bus for employees, and even the bus can get stopped at a checkpoint for hours.
"There are no jobs and many young guys go to the U.S. for jobs," she added. "It’s tougher for Muslims."
Jordan, which since the creation of Israel in 1948 has accepted millions of Palestinian immigrants, doesn’t want any more, said Harris.
A Web site chronicling Palestinian family life is www.palestine-family.net. Any mention of people with the last name Bandaks, are related to Harris.
Hispanic Catholics alter Alaska parishes
The chorus of Spanish voices is growing in Catholic churches across Alaska.
In fact, every Sunday an estimated 1,000 Catholics in the Anchorage Archdiocese attend Masses offered in Spanish.
This, according to Dominican Father Paul Scanlon, who has ministered to the Hispanic population for the past three years, underscores a growing phenomena in Alaska Catholicism.
But Father Scanlon said, the church is probably reaching only 10 percent of the Hispanic population with the limited Masses provided.
It’s important, he noted, to understand the deep connection between faith, culture and language in the Hispanic community.
"We want to make them Americans so they’ll attend an American Mass and eat hot dogs with us. But their faith is rooted in their culture," Father Scanlon said.
The priest will be leaving the archdiocese in June to assume new duties in San Francisco. As yet a replacement has not been named.
Hispanic leader Daniel Esparza, a pastoral council member at Our Lady of Guadalupe, said the Dominican’s departure will leave "a big, big hole to fill" in the Hispanic community.
"Hearing Mass in Spanish is the most beautiful thing," Esparza said. "It’s very rich for me. Sometimes when I hear Mass in English, I don’t feel the fire. But in Spanish – there’s the fire."
The 2000 U.S. census reported 4 percent of the state’s population is Hispanic.
Statistics from the Anchorage School District for 2006-2007 report that 6 percent of the district’s students are Hispanic, one of the district’s fastest growing minorities.
Nationally, the 2000 U.S. census reported Hispanics are 12.5 percent of the population, a population which increased by 58 percent since 1990.
And it’s a population that’s overwhelmingly Catholic. So Catholic, in fact, that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops projects the U.S. church will be half Hispanic within a few years.
So how does the Anchorage Archdiocese minister to this growing contingent for whom language, culture and faith are deeply intertwined?
One center of Hispanic activity is Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, where 500 people fill the church each Sunday morning for a Spanish Mass, usually offered by Father Scanlon.
Deacon Ted Greene, who directs liturgical ministry at the parish, estimates that of the approximately 760 families registered at Our Lady of Guadalupe, "about one third are Hispanic" although the count is somewhat skewed because many Hispanic people don’t register. Another third are Filipino and the rest Anglos.
Ten years ago, Deacon Greene said, many Hispanic people felt they were "tenants" at the church, but today the parish is more integrated and the Hispanic community has begun to feel they have a home.
Nevertheless, with the Filipino community usually meeting at the 5:30 p.m. Sunday liturgy, sometimes "what you have are three separate groups with three separate Masses," he noted.
Holy Family Cathedral hosts a 2 p.m. Sunday Mass in Spanish, also offered by Father Scanlon, which draws around 450 people.
Outside of Anchorage, the largest Hispanic population is at St. Mary Church in Kodiak, where Father Scanlon celebrates Mass once a month. The Kodiak parish has been responsive to Hispanics since the early 1990s when Father Michael Warfel, now Bishop of Juneau, noted the influx of Spanish-speaking parishioners and promptly began to learn Spanish.
Sister Barbara Harrington, parish administrator at St. Mary, said "this receptivity – or the lack of it – is very important."
When Father Fred Bugarin, now the pastor at St. Anthony Parish, arrived in Kodiak in the mid-1990s, he continued offering Mass in Spanish weekly, with an interpreter translating his homilies into Spanish. He also trained Hispanic ministers, and brought up a sister to work with the Hispanic population.
The church dedicated itself to immigration issues and social justice, which remains an important ministry at the parish.
Father Scanlon said social justice resonates with Hispanic populations.
"I can preach much more openly to them about social justice issues," the Dominican said. "They identify with Christ on the cross because they have suffered, too."
"I tell them, ‘you bring a richness to this country that we don’t appreciate.’"
"When I preach, I often give two different homilies. With Americans, you talk more to the head. With Hispanics, you preach to the heart."
At St. Christopher by the Sea Mission in Unalaska, pastoral leader Henrietta Callewaert ministers to a population that includes perhaps 10-20 percent Hispanics, often first generation immigrants who lack English skills.
Callewaert is identifying Hispanic leaders so that when a priest is not present, the Liturgy of the Word with Communion can be offered in Spanish, with Hispanic presiders – and music.
"Their music is so different," she said.
Indeed, said Father Scanlon, the music at Hispanic liturgies is different.
"We take St. Louis Jesuit songs and try to translate them into Spanish. But they’re not their style, not their rhythm."
Ishmael Aviles, a native of Puerto Rico, is the associate for Hispanic evangelization for the archdiocese.
He noted that while Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is 90 percent Mexican, the Cathedral ministers to Mexicans, Columbians, Peruvians, "people from all over Central and Latin America" and that very diversity is a challenge in itself.
"Sometimes it’s hard. We’re all so different even though we speak the same language and have the same faith."
One thing most of the leaders agree on is that the Hispanic population needs more Spanish-speaking ministry in areas besides liturgy. There are several Spanish-speaking priests in the Archdiocese.
"It’s not about the Sunday service," said Esparza. "The team we have at Guadalupe is very good. It’s the rest of the week. If someone gets beaten up at home, or is called by immigration – there’s no one."
Father Scanlon agrees.
"One of the real problems are marital issues. I’m not a professional marriage counselor. We have things like Marriage Encounter and Retrouvaille, but not in Spanish.
"Then there are legal problems," continued the priest. "And I’m not thinking of immigration issues, but divorce, abuse. In these issues, we don’t have any lawyers who speak Spanish. We don’t have any psychological counselors."
News & Notes
Mat-Su Catholic school enrolling kids
Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School is now enrolling students for the upcoming 2007-2008 school year. The new Mat-Su area school will provide a distinctively Catholic education but is open to students of all faiths. For more information, contact Patty Haugom at (907) 745-4166.
Theology in the Greatland
On Friday, April 20, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. Dr. Gretchen Gundrum, adjunct faculty of Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry will give a lecture on the relationship between theology and psychology. The free lecture will be at Our Lady of Guadalupe Center. Gundrum teaches Fostering Communities of Faith, and has taught Contemporary Christian Prayer and Spirituality as well as Psycho-Spiritual Development.
Marriage Encounter Weekend nears
A World Wide Marriage encounter weekend is set for Anchorage on May 4-6. The weekend aims to equip couples to refresh and renew their marriage by growing in their ability to communicate with one another. For more information, contact James and Shaharriet Houchins at (907) 644-8677 or jnshouch@gci.net.
High school retreat set for April
High school youth are invited to a retreat, April 13-15, which is aimed to empower youth to stand together for social justice. The camp will be at Birchwood Camp in Chugiak. For more information, contact your parish youth minister or call Birchwood Camp at (907) 688-2734.
Christian-Jewish tie is focus of club
St. Patrick’s Book Group has been reading texts pertaining to Christian-Jewish relations for the past two years. A Jewish group from Congregation Beth Sholom also reads the same text and the two groups get together to discuss the various books. St. Patrick’s welcomes Catholics in the Anchorage area who wish to join the reading group, which is currently reading "The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus" by Amy-Jill Levine. They meet from 3:30-4:50 p.m., April 15, 22 and 29, in the John Paul II Center at St. Patrick’s Parish campus. Dr. Regina Boisclair, who holds the Cardinal Newman Chair of Theology at Alaska Pacific University, guides the discussions. Those who wish to join should get a copy of the book at a local bookstore and come to the April 15 meeting. For more information, contact Boisclair at 564-8274.
Volunteers needed to fight hunger
Catholic Social Services’ St. Francis House in Anchorage needs volunteers to help battle hunger from 12-3 p.m. on Tuesdays. For more information, contact Melissa Bartley at (907) 297-7706.
Theology on Tap explores the purpose of leisure
Dr. Peter Sampo, former president of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, is set to give a talk about the place of leisure as a foundational part of culture. Sampo’s talk, entitled "Leisure: The Foundation of Culture" will take place April 19, 7:30 p.m., at the Snow Goose Restaurant in downtown Anchorage. The event is part of the Anchorage Archdiocese’s Theology on Tap program. For more information contact Arthur Roraff at (907) 360-2323.
Charity Ball seeks support
The 17th Annual Catholic Social Services Charity Ball is asking for support. The gala fundraiser, themed "Regal Renaissance," is scheduled for Saturday, May 12, at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage. It will include an elegant dinner, live and silent auctions, dancing, and new this year: a "Live Auction Opportunity." The proceeds from the 2007 Charity Ball will directly assist the 10 CSS programs: Clare House, Special Needs Services, St. Francis House, Pregnancy Support and Adoption Services, Charlie Elder House and McAuley Manor, Beyond Shelter Transitional Housing, Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services, and the Brother Francis Shelters of Anchorage and Kodiak.
The Charity Ball crowd raises over $350,000 each year to benefit these programs. The greatest source of revenue at the Charity Ball comes from the many donated items that are auctioned to attending guests. Donations, which are tax deductible, often include underwriting, artwork, antiques, jewelry, travel & leisure packages, themed baskets and gift certificates. Corporate and individual tables may also be reserved. Donors receive publicity through acknowledgement in the auction catalog and also during the event as the displayed donations are perused by hundreds of attendees.
To be included in the auction catalog, donations need to be received by April 19. For more information, contact Ellen Krsnak at (907) 297-7753 or ellen.krsnak@cssalaska.org).
Columns
We touch Jesus at Incarnation
It would be no exaggeration to say that Christians have always had an insatiable longing to know as much as possible about Jesus of Nazareth. He is, without doubt, one of the most fascinating persons in all of history. Scholars continue to search for clues of what life must have been like for Jesus. A recent book entitled "Excavating Jesus" by an archaeologist and a biblical writer listed some interesting artifacts that have been unearthed and which have also been alluded to in the Gospels: The burial casket (ossuary) of the high priest Caiaphas, a stone tablet inscribed with the name of Pontius Pilate, a small fishing boat dug out of the mud of the Sea of Galilee, even an empty ossuary bearing the name of "James, brother of the Lord" which, however, turned out to be a fake.
All this tells us that believers in Jesus, Son of God, continue to be interested in anything that can enhance their faith, anything that can put them in touch with Him. On the other hand, for those who believe that Jesus was simply another interesting historical person living in the First Century A.D., these artifacts may have little meaning.
Touching is an interesting word: It has the implication of reinforcing what we already believe about a person or event. "Keep in touch," we say, or "stay in touch" or "your words touched me."
Where this sense of being in touch becomes particularly important for Christians is in the sphere of faith: faith in God, faith in Christ, faith in the Church. Without faith, nothing much else hangs together for Christians. Nonetheless, Christians are also flesh and blood human persons who depend upon their senses to give added support to what they already believe.
Father Andrew Greeley once wrote that "no matter how bad things tend to get in the Church, Catholics will not leave it because they believe in the Incarnation and they love signs and sacraments." Material things do mean a lot to us and we depend on them each time we make an act of faith: The Sign of the Cross, the texture of sacred bread, the taste of wine, the smell of incense, the cleansing feel of water, the soothing quality of oil, the beauty of artistic design. Without these, we might well continue to remain believers, but with them our faith is reinforced and given substance.
All this comes to our attention in the story of Thomas, a follower of Jesus, who was not present when the rest of the disciples first saw Jesus after the resurrection. Tradition has called him "doubting Thomas."
Personally, I have always had a liking for Thomas; I think of him as a sincere searcher rather than a doubter. He simply wanted to be convinced that he was still in touch with the one whom he knew had been crucified. He might have said, "Lord, excuse me, I do believe, but I just wanted to make sure, ok?" Wouldn’t we all? In the end, it was the touch that made all the difference.
Most of us, I imagine, struggle with faith. It often requires a leap in the darkness, and sometimes we are afraid to take it. That’s why those incarnational signs we spoke of earlier are so important as a backup.
I recall a line from Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel, "Zorba the Greek," where Zorba confides to a friend these words: "You know, my friend," he says, "I could only believe in a God who could dance." Most Christians might not carry it that far but it is nice to know that the God we believe in is real, that our faith is trustworthy. Thomas seemed to say something similar to Jesus: "I just want to believe in a God I can touch." To which most of us might say: "Right, me too."
Editorials
God calls when his people speak
It’s no secret that Catholicism in America is in the midst of a serious vocation crisis. The rapid decline of priests and religious sisters and brothers is widely known and fretted over. The solution, however, may not be easy but it could be relatively simple.
Bishop Blasé Cupich of Rapid City, South Dakota framed the problem well in a 2005 letter from when he served as the chair for the Bishops’ Committee on Vocations.
"(A) high number of men ordained to the priesthood identified a priest as being a primary inviter to consider the vocation to priesthood," he wrote, before adding that unfortunately "the percentage of diocesan and religious priests who actually invite is low."
Jesus himself started the first vocation recruitment program when he stopped by the Sea of Galilee, and called blue-collar fishermen to leave their jobs and join his ministry. These men later became founding apostles and fathers of the church. They didn’t ask – Jesus reached out and called them by name.
Unfortunately most modern young men are never asked to follow in the footsteps of those first apostles. Millions of them are out working, attending school and college, traveling the world. Certainly, many would never become priests no matter who called. But others, perhaps thousands, might at least consider the priestly vocation.
Many of these men are in their late teens, twenties and thirties. They are unmarried and haven’t figured out what to do with their lives. In a word, many are aimless and searching for their life’s work. If Catholics and especially Catholic priests resolve to merely suggest this vocation, the church might see an astonishing surge in the religious life.
Right now, the Anchorage Archdiocese is in the midst of a month-long vocations program. Archbishop Roger Schwietz and other priests are sharing their vocation journeys with young men throughout the archdiocese. The program isn’t that different from Jesus’ own approach. Priests hang out with the young men, eat a steak and potato dinner, and answer questions about their calling. It’s a simple gesture and one that parents, friends, relatives and priests can easily support. For more information about the upcoming dinners in Anchorage contact Brother Craig Bonham at (907) 297-7774 or craig.bonham@caa-ak.org.
The Incarnation and Catholic social justice
When a family of persecuted Eastern Europeans stepped off a plane in Anchorage last month, Jesus himself welcomed them to town. He showed them how to use the city bus system, filled their fridge with food, and paid the first and last month’s rent on their new residence.
The hands and feet of Jesus were none other than Catholic parishioners in Anchorage and Eagle River, along with staff members from Catholic Social Services.
Inspired by the belief that all people are created with a divine spark and inherent dignity, Catholics dug down, pooled their resources, and lavished these newcomers with gifts. It’s the type of story that visibly demonstrates how Catholics incarnate the love of Christ to the real world. And it happened relatively quickly. Catholic Social Services saw a need, asked for help and Catholics came out of the woodwork to provide everything from beds to dish soap. This response was certainly a sacrifice but it wasn’t complicated. It was Love simply working his way into the world.
Abortion in Alaska: The year in review
The abortion rights group, Planned Parenthood of Alaska, recently posted its 2006 annual report on the Internet. The eight-page document offers an inside glimpse of the organization’s vision and strategy for expanding abortion services throughout Alaska.
Planned Parenthood is one of the largest and most heavily funded abortion rights organizations in the world. They operate clinics all across the nation, including four currently in Alaska with a fifth on the way.
The 2006 report reveals an aggressive strategy to expand abortion and sexual reproduction services across Alaska.
In Fairbanks last year, PPA expanded its clinic, hired a part time educator and founded an abortion rights club at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In Juneau, PPA expects to open a new abortion clinic very soon.
On the public relations front, PPA doubled its statewide education department. This department teaches the Planned Parenthood version of sex education, which includes abortion rights advocacy and support for a wide range of sexual relationships that fall far outside the scope of sex between a married man and woman.
In Anchorage last year, PPA spearheaded the Comprehensive Sexuality Education Task Force, that brought together various agencies to disseminate their philosophy of sexuality to students in the Anchorage School District.
Sitka also saw PPA educators bring their ideology into student classrooms. In fact, PPA reports that it was invited to advertise services in the Mount Edgcumbe school newspaper.
In Soldotna, PPA claims it "saw new and exciting responses" through public relations efforts at various community and state fairs.
"PPA Soldotna was invited into more schools than ever before," the report adds.
Overall, Planned Parenthood "served" nearly 19,617 people at their four Alaska clinics, where, among other things, they issued emergency contraception and provided hundreds of medical and surgical abortions.
On the financial front, PPA once again raked in hundreds of thousands in taxpayer dollars. The Alaska chapter received nearly $250,000 in government grants, $125,000 in federal support and $271,000 from Medicaid. All total, PPA ran on a $2.3 million budget, with nearly $200,000 dedicated to public relations and education.
Yes, Planned Parenthood is organized. It has aggressive legislative and educational strategies and is committed to networking and partnering with whichever groups will help further its relentless abortion rights agenda. STOPP Planned Parenthood (www.all.org/stopp) is one of several national groups working hard to combat them.
They can use all the help they can get.
Planned Parenthood admits a setback
Despite their advances, Planned Parenthood of Alaska admitted to one particularly galling defeat last year.
According to their 2006 report, the group spent the last legislative session fighting against what they called "a few very bad bills."
In particular, PPA lobbied hard against the ‘Murder of an Unborn Child’ bill. Passed into law at the end of the 2006 legislative session, the bill does not outlaw abortion in Alaska but it does establish personhood at conception and under certain circumstances allows the state to charge a person with murder if they willfully kill a woman’s unborn child.
Planned Parenthood claimed that the law was a backdoor attempt to establish rights for the unborn. No doubt, the likely intent of many pro-life legislators was to recognize – ever so incrementally – that unborn humans are nonetheless fully human. They may be undeveloped (just as infants and toddlers and pre-teens are undeveloped) but they are human regardless.
Much to Planned Parenthood’s chagrin, the law took an important step toward recognizing that human personhood does not depend on the level of biological maturity – whether it be inside or outside the womb.
Letter to the Editor
Reader agrees, keep Sabbath holy
I would like to express my thanks to Mr. R. Scott Williams for his article, "Hockey shouldn’t crowd out the Lord’s Day".
Three cheers for him and his wife for the ability to prioritize their values, a wonderful gift to give your sons. May we all take a lesson from you on the importance of keeping the Sabbath.
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