May 4, 2007 - Issue #9
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Korean Catholics establishing Anchorage church
Vats of giant white radishes and tubs of cabbage leaves gave off a pungent odor outside the Korean Catholic community center at St. Anthony Parish last week.
Women chatting in Korean worked in the afternoon sunshine to make kimchi for the annual community bazaar April 28. This year’s fundraiser carried special meaning for Korean Catholics.
After years of hope and effort, the community has purchased a vacant church building which, after renovations are complete, will become the archdiocese’s newest parish: St. Andrew Kim Korean Catholic Church.
The "Bible Truth Gospel Chapel," on the corner of 72nd and Lake Otis, has been empty for three years, the lawn weedy, the parking lot a little seedy.
But, says Father Peter Yoo, the local pastor who is on loan from the Cheongju Diocese in South Korea, architects have assured him "the building is a solid structure."
And the Korean Community has big plans for making it an attractive and functional facility.
Speaking through interpreter Philip Lee, Father Yoo said the parish will knock out the back part of the building and expand to make larger classrooms. The upper level of the two-story structure is the worship area, the lower level will serve as a large social hall.
The parish has also purchased an empty lot across O’Brien Street to the west where they will build a rectory.
Lee said the community is thrilled and excited about the purchase, "and the sooner the better that we move in."
However, by the time renovation permits are obtained, said Lee, work probably can’t begin until this winter with the hopes that within a year the community can move into its new home.
The Korean Community has a long history in the archdiocese.
In the early 1980s, the first Mass in the Korean language was celebrated at St. Anthony Parish. In 1991, Archbishop Francis T. Hurley, now retired, requested a Korean priest to serve the community. First, priests came from the Korean dioceses of Taegu. Since 1997, Korean priests have come from the Cheongju Diocese.
The year that the first resident priest was assigned, the community dedicated its center, a small structure directly north of St. Anthony’s parking lot. The community center has a small hall, classrooms and a priest’s residence.
The center is far too small to hold Mass or social events for the nearly 250 members of the community, which uses St. Anthony Parish for Sunday Mass, and the parish’s downstairs social hall for large events. Considered a ministry of St. Anthony for many years, the Korean Community became independent in 2000 while continuing to share the parish facilities.
Father Yoo said his parish members are scattered "all over Anchorage" so the search for a church was not centered on any particular part of town.
The asking price for the property was $l.1 million, but the Koreans obtained it for just under a million dollars.
Lee said they were lucky – just as their deal was made, several Protestant congregations "swarmed the place."
The Koreans are a tight-knit community who come together often for social events. The parish is divided into nine smaller communities based on location – these communities get together frequently for evenings of prayer and sharing and very often, said Father Yoo, a shared meal.
National churches – those serving ethnic groups in their own language – were common in the American landscape in the early part of the 20th century. Immigrants from European countries often founded German, Polish, or French parishes – sometimes directly across the street from each other.
But as the Church developed in the U.S., the need for national parishes waned. Now, with the burgeoning immigrant population, national churches serving Latino and Asian community are sprouting around the country.
Korean leaders in Anchorage have long argued that Korean Catholics were being lost to other denominations which had their own facilities.
In addition to Father Yoo, who has served in Anchorage for a little over two years, Sisters Accella Park and Othilia Moon, both from Korea, serve the community. The sisters live in a residence on East 20th Ave. owned by the archdiocese and will continue to live there.
St. Andrew Kim, the first native Korean Catholic priest, was martyred for the faith in 1846. A large painting of him, a young man in his mid-twenties at the time of his death, hangs in the Korean center.
Churches urge support for Kid-Care
Coalition asks state to fund child health coverage
Archbishop Roger Schwietz was one of more than 200 concerned citizens who gathered April 29 to hear testimony from working parents desperate to see Denali KidCare provide more access for child health care.
Expanded coverage is a legislative priority for the Alaska Catholic Conference, comprised of the bishops of Alaska.
"I have witnessed heartache and frustration," said Sara Jackson, a board member of Anchorage Faith and Action – Congregations Together (AFACT), the group which hosted the event at Central Lutheran Church.
"Working class parents – the backbone of America — are often excluded from health benefits for their kids. No parent should have to rely on the uncertainty of individual acts of kindness to insure their children’s health," she said.
Annette Alleva, who with her husband has run a small business in Alaska for 25 years, told of trading a diamond ring for the services of a midwife at the birth of one of her children.
Small business owners, she said, often make too much to meet the eligibility requirements of Denali KidCare but can’t afford the enormous costs of private insurance.
"On behalf of small business owners, please add a provision for a co-pay," for those who make too much for the basic eligibility requirements, said Alleva.
Lydia Wilson, a bus driver whose adopted son faces serious medical difficulties, told of her panic when she received what should have been good news – "a huge raise from my company."
But the raise may force her into a difficult position because of her son’s medical needs.
"I may be forced to quit my job and go on welfare," she said, because she may no longer qualify for Denali KidCare on her new salary.
Participants addressed their concerns to Mary Hughes, state director for Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Dr. Karleen Jackson, Alaska Commissioner of Health and Social Services. Jackson is a former executive director of Catholic Social Services.
At issue is the level of eligibility which a parent must meet to receive help from Denali KidCare, which is funded 70 percent by the federal government and 30 percent by the state up to the state’s allocated funding level.
Denali KidCare was enacted in Alaska state law in 1998. At that time, children and pregnant women were covered if their income did not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which meant that a family of four with an income below $41,760 was eligible for services.
In 2003, however, Alaska changed the eligibility, freezing it at 175 percent of the 2003 federal poverty level – or $40,260.
This has placed Alaska’s low income working families in a position of falling behind more each year when it comes to eligibility.
AFACT is pushing for the level of eligibility to once again be set at 200 percent of the current poverty level, and also for the inclusion of a sliding scale fee or co-payment for parents whose incomes are between 200 percent and 350 percent of federal poverty levels.
The Alaska Catholic Conference, comprised of Archbishop Schwietz, Bishop Michael Warfel of Juneau, Bishop Don Kettler of Fairbanks, and Archbishop Emeritus Francis T. Hurley, also want this level of funding.
Proponents of the expanded coverage argue that the estimated cost to the state next year would be less than $6 million, or less than 0.2 percent of Governor Sarah Palin’s proposed budget.
Alaska has the third lowest eligibility for this program in the U.S. Only two states have lower eligibility rates, said Alice Young of St. Anthony Parish, who together with Carolyn Fuller of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church presented AFACT’s report on the subject.
Between 2004 and 2006, 21,000 Alaskan children in Alaska were without health insurance Uninsured children are five times more likely to have an unmet need for medical care and four times more likely to use emergency rooms than insured children, according to AFACT.
Dominican Father Donald Bramble, pastor at Holy Family Cathedral, chaired the meeting, and reminded the crowd of Christ’s words: "Whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do for me."
Holy Family is one of the Catholic parishes among the thirteen AFACT congregations. Other Catholic groups belonging to AFACT include: St. Anthony Parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, and the Catholic Alaska Native Ministry.
For information on AFACT, on how to contact your legislators, or how your parish might become involved with AFACT, call Angela Liston at 297-7731.
Called to the wild: Alaska priests work with a sense of mission
Last year, the Anchorage Archdiocese oversaw baptisms for more than 500 infants and 48 adults. It also welcomed 60 people into full communion with the Catholic Church, celebrated 473 first communions, 259 confirmations and 340 marriages.
And that doesn’t count the many burial rites, blessings for the sick, and countless other ministries that the church provided for more than 32,000 Catholics in the archdiocese.
Behind most of these sacraments and ceremonies is a hard-working priest.
These men of the collar receive considerable help from nuns, deacons, and lay ministers but the workload for an Alaska priest is impressive nonetheless.
Most of these men moved thousands of miles – leaving behind relatives and hometowns – to pour their energy into the Alaska church.
The work is challenging but also filled with a deep joy that comes from serving God, said Father LeRoy Clementich.
Father Clementich helped organize the agenda and facilitate discussion at the second annual convocation for priests in the Anchorage Archdiocese. For three days in March, the priests gathered in Talkeetna to share their victories, struggles and hopes for the future.
Despite long work hours, most said they were motivated "by a sense of true calling," said Father Clementich.
"They didn’t just view their work as another job to punch in and punch out," he told the Anchor. "They had a strong sense that their vocation was real."
It’s work that cuts to the core of the human condition, said Father Leo Walsh.
Father Walsh serves as vicar for the clergy, meaning he looks out for the well being of priests of the archdiocese, serving as "pastor for the pastors," as he puts it.
Amidst the long hours, Father Walsh said priests take part in the most important moments of people’s lives.
"You’re there for the baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and when people leave the world," he said. "We are there for the full spectrum of human life."
"The priest is the incarnation of God to the people and if we believe God is present in all aspects of life, then the priest is called to be present," he added.
With schedules that can sometimes soar over 100 hours in a week and emergencies that often arise in the middle of the night, many priests expressed a need for more assistance.
Father Clementich said some priests felt "spread thin and overworked" due to long hours of ministry coupled with office work and countless meetings.
The need for additional workers to shoulder more responsibilities is a real concern, he said.
According to the 2006 Official Catholic Directory the archdiocese boasted 19 parishes and nine missions last year. Three of those parishes and all nine mission, however, were without resident priests.
This is increasingly more common in the United States, where the number of priests continues to fall.
Learning to delegate is part of leading a parish in 2007, said Father Walsh.
"There are certain things you can and should delegate but ultimately you’re responsible for what goes on in the parish," he said.
One of the unique aspects of priestly life in Alaska is the fact that the Anchorage Archdiocese at is still very young and full of possibilities, Father Walsh said.
With just over 40 years under its belt and new ministries and schools cropping up yearly, most of the challenges in the archdiocese are associated with growth, he said.
"Here the church is thinking in terms of what’s on the horizon – what’s coming," he added. "On the East Coast, they are dealing with consolidation and closing parishes."
As the diocese grows, however, many older priests feel an increasing need for younger priests to fill in the ranks. At the recent convocation, some priests worried about what might happen if younger priests don’t materialize, said Father Clementich.
"Some wondered if we would be the guys who would lock the doors," he said.
But Father Clementich also noted the energy and enthusiasm that priests who recently arrived from the Philippines provide.
"They are full of life and they laugh a lot," Father Clementich said.
Local priests, however, realize they need to talk more to younger people about the "goodness of a vocation to the priesthood," he added.
"Unfortunately, we don’t do that as much as we should," he said.
Father Walsh, the only Alaska born priest serving in the archdiocese, concurred and expressed gratitude for the many outside priests and religious brothers and sisters who help support the Alaska church.
"Our great gift is all those who have come up here," he said. "They brought their gifts to Alaska but I think the next thing is to raise our own – to encourage young men for the priesthood, good men for the deaconate and young women for the religious life."
Fostering a sense of joy in priests who serve today is key to encouraging the next generation to follow suit, Father Walsh explained.
Father Clementich said some Alaska priests feel a need for more opportunities to just hang out with each other and share a meal.
"The guys see a need to get together on a regular basis to trade notes and provide mutual support," Father Walsh added. "We’re getting more intentional about getting together and these convocations are part of that."
One Bread, One Body is chance to build the church from the parishioners on up
‘We accomplish so much more when we work together,’ director says’
Editor’s note: In an interview with the Anchor last month, Jim Caldarola, director of stewardship and development for the Anchorage Archdiocese, shared the reason and vision behind the archdiocese’s annual financial appeal, One Bread, One Body.
Why is this annual financial appeal conducted for the entire archdiocese?
We all as individual Catholics have a responsibility to share what we have. This isn’t just provincially or locally but we are called to share more globally. For many years parishes simply contributed 15 percent of their adjusted annual income to the archdiocese. It was basically a parish tax.
Last year, the archdiocese launched an annual appeal rather than simply living off parish tax. Why was there a change?
With the annual appeal, a parish goal is established based on a two-year average of Sunday offertories. Additionally, parishes are encouraged to add to that goal for local parish causes and needs. Last year, 13 parishes met or exceeded their goals and about 14 did not. Let me emphasize that these are goals, not assessments on the parishes — if the goal is met that is good, if not, we’ll resolve to try to do better next year. As the annual appeal increases we want to actually reduce parish taxes. After last year’s annual appeal we were able to reduce the annual tax from 15 to 14 percent. My hope for this year is that we will be able to reduce the tax more than one percent. There is always going to be some tax because we have ministries and overhead to run the archdiocese but it doesn’t have to be 15 or 14 percent.
How does financial giving in the Catholic Church compare to other churches and denomination in the United States?
The vast majority of Catholics across the country typically give about 1.8 percent of their income away. Half of that goes to the church or church programs. That puts us pretty low in terms of mainline churches in general. We’re down there with the Episcopalians, the Lutherans, and the mainline churches. Part of that is because our tradition is not like the Southern Baptists or other churches where they take the 10 percent tithe literally. We don’t take it literally and as a result we are not usually as financially generous as many other denominations. That’s been shown in study after study.
How did the archdiocese set the annual appeal goal at $675,000 for this year?
We have a very simple method for determining the goal and that’s based on potential. We set the goal based on roughly 10 percent of the parish Sunday offertories. National data shows that is usually what a parish can contribute toward the annual appeal.
What does it cost to run this archdiocese for a whole year?
Roughly 4 million dollars. The annual appeal covers about 15 percent of the cost and the parish tax covers another 25 percent. The rest of it comes from other donations made directly to the archdiocese, grants from Catholic Church Extension Society and the U.S. Bishops’ committee on Home Missions, interests on investments and rent from certain housing and buildings in the archdiocese.
Can people donate to specific causes during the annual appeal?
We are not set up for that but if someone has a ministry they want to address with their contribution, my recommendation is to send your gift in. If you want to support, for example, Father Scott Garret’s flying ministry, then send a check for $500 for that because I can’t guarantee the $500 dollars you give to the annual appeal will all go to Fr. Scott Garrett’s ministry. These types of individual gifts are another way to support the archdiocese apart from the annual appeal.
What does the annual appeal fund?
Last year, we specifically named what the annual appeal would and wouldn’t be used for. It will not, for example, be used for any payments or settlements related to any sexual abuse cases. Generally, the funds go to things like youth ministry, Holy Spirit Center, faith formation programs, Catholic Social Services, continuing education for clergy, vocation work and recruitment.
What’s the difference between a special collection and the annual appeal?
Special collections happen throughout the year and are specifically requested by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. All of the funds contributed in these collections go towards USCCB projects and programs for which they are requested.
So what’s the hope for this year’s annual appeal?
Most importantly, we want to increase participation. Last year we averaged about 17 percent participation based on the numbers of families who actually made a pledge. Typically, the national average is about 32-33 percent participation. We’ve set a goal to see the participation rate grow from 17 percent to 25 percent. Not necessarily higher levels of gifts but more people supporting the church.
The other part is we want to reach or exceed our goal of $675,000. This is one of many ways the church asks people to share their treasures. Our money is not our own, these gifts are not our own - they are all on loan to us from a gracious God who has blessed each one of us in some way. We really are one bread and one body and we accomplish so much more when we work together.
St. Benedict’s Father Moore returns after stint at canon law school
Father Steve Moore hasn’t been back in town long, but already he’s put his horticultural skills to work growing tall, healthy tomato plants in the sunroom at the St. Benedict Church rectory.
Father Moore is one of the Anchorage Archdiocese’s senior priests, and after two years away to study canon law at Catholic University of America, he was appointed Jan. 15 to take the helm of an Anchorage parish in transition.
St. Benedict, a parish of 825 families in the Jewel Lake area, was without a permanent pastor since Father Al Giebel’s tenure there ended two years ago. Father Luz Flores was temporarily assigned to the parish.
"I hope to bring some stability to the pastoral care of the parish," said Father Moore, who has plenty of experience as a pastor. He spent twelve years, from 1992 to 2004, as the popular pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Muldoon, where flower displays bloomed each summer under his green thumb.
"St. Benedict’s is not unlike any parish," he said. "Change is always difficult. I hope to bring more participatory decision-making to the parish. I want to energize and activate the structures of consultation within the parish."
Father Moore was born a fifth generation Oregonian, but moved to Washington state as a child, where his father operated a feed store. As a young adult, he headed off to college in Wisconsin, but after two years entered St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary in Seattle.
A year off spent working with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in St. Mary, Alaska, gave him a love of the North. In 1976, he was ordained for the Diocese of Fairbanks by Bishop Robert Whelan.
The young priest taught at Monroe Catholic High School in Fairbanks for several years, before seeking incardination into the state’s archdiocese.
"I was younger then and I wanted to be in a bigger place with more opportunities," the priest said about coming to Anchorage.
Archbishop Francis Hurley, now retired, found plenty for his new priest to do. After serving for two years (1980-82) as an associate pastor at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish under Father Ernie Muellerleile, Father Moore was assigned to the Chancery, where by 1984 he was appointed vicar general.
It was a position he held until 2004, when he left for Catholic University.
"At the time, I was the longest-serving vicar general in the West," Father Moore said.
As vicar general, and essentially Archbishop Hurley’s right-hand man, Father Moore had a high profile in the city as well as the church. The Anchorage Daily News’ "Alaska Ear" column even devoted a spot to a sighting of him when he made a trip back from Catholic University.
The experience in Washington, D.C., was a good one, the priest said, but the studies were "tough and challenging."
"The old ‘goof-off and cram’ just doesn’t work at that level," he said. For a man who loves theater and the arts, it was a nose-to-the-grindstone schedule that permitted little entertainment.
"I never even made it into New York City," he laments, but he does admit to seeing "a production (in Washington, D.C.) of ‘Porgy and Bess’ that was one of the best opera productions I’ve ever seen."
Father Moore assisted on weekends at a parish that included most of Embassy Row, and among the parishioners he befriended were the Irish ambassador and several people from the Apostolic Nunciature, which is essentially the Vatican embassy.
Although his coursework is complete, the priest will be finishing up his thesis this year.
And how will he use his new degree?
"However the archbishop wants me to," he said, adding that his concentration was more in administrative law than marriage law.
Father Moore said he is pleased to be back in Anchorage.
"It’s good to see my friends. I have a sense of being home."
He’s also happy with his new parish. The people, he said, have been great and have "really pitched in to help me."
The large Samoan and Filipino populations of the parish bring much energy, he said. And, he’s excited about the junior-senior high school, Lumen Christi, that is part of his new parish.
News & Notes
Director assists Catholic schools
The Archdiocese of Anchorage recently hired Nora Ortiz Fredrick to work as the associate director of stewardship and development for schools. Her position aims to help strengthen Catholic schools in the archdiocese, both individually and collectively, by providing development support in areas such as broad-base funding development, public relations, and enrollment marketing.
Ortiz Fredrick said she will work with the four archdiocesan schools (Lumen Christi, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Mary’s in Kodiak and the new Our Lady of the Valley) to help develop funding sources to bridge the gap between tuition and the actual cost of educating students. Traditionally, tuition covers less than 80% of the school’s actual cost. By developing a broad range of funding sources schools can keep tuition cost down, offer financial assistance to families that need it and continue to improve the quality of education.
Prior to moving to Alaska in 2004, Ortiz Fredrick worked in Christian school development in the metro Houston, TX area. Most recently, she was the development director at Habitat for Humanity in Anchorage.
House passes PFD charity check-off
The Alaska House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 166, which would allow state residents to contribute to charities, community foundations, and educational organizations through their Permanent Fund Dividend. The bill, which the Alaska Conference of Catholic Bishops supported, enables people who apply for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend online to give a portion of their dividend to approved charities and organizations.
As the bill is designed, the amount could be anywhere from $25 up to the full value of a person’s PFD, if that was how much they wanted to give, and the applicant could designate more than one organization to receive the donations.
Stillborn birth bill passes the House
The Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow the state to issue birth certificates for births that resulted in stillborn babies. The state currently issues death certificates in such cases but supporters of the bill said a birth certificate would provide closure for parents and family members.
Tribunal auditor serves church
Jenny Michaelson was hired earlier this year to work as auditor for the Anchorage Archdiocese marriage tribunal. Her work includes collecting evidence in marriage nullity cases, primarily through personal interviews with people who petition for an annulment.
In addition to interviews, she also contacts witnesses and assist with administrative tasks involved in all processes of marriages that are being petitioned for a declaration of nullity.
In the early 1990’s, Michaelson earned a masters degree in pastoral studies through a program offered through the Archdiocese of Anchorage in conjunction with Loyola University of New Orleans.
Most recently, she worked from 1997 to present at Sacred Heart Parish in Wasilla coordinating Adult Faith Formation. In 2000, she began working as a marriage tribunal advocate at the parish level.
In an email to the Anchor, Michaelson said the declaration of nullity can sometimes be difficult and painful but added that it can also bring healing and reconciliation both with individuals and with the Catholic Church.
"My hope through this ministry of service is that this process, can offer peace to all parties," Michaelson said. "I believe that healing and peace begin with each contact a person has as they navigate the process and the auditor’s interview is an important experience in this process."
The marriage tribunal is under the office of Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz. Judicial Vicar Father Tom Brundage supervises the auditor.
Vocation day set for women
Daughters of Charity will sponsor a vocation discernment day on July 14 for single women between the ages of 18 and 45. For more information, contact Sister Kathleen Powers at (907) 333-5283.
Scout nominations being accepted
Nominations are being accepted for Boy Scout & Girl Scout leaders who have worked with Archdiocesan Catholic youth for a minimum of three years. Forms and qualifying information may be obtained from the ACCOS Office @ St. Michael’s, 432 E. Fireweed Ave, Palmer 99645, or contact Chuck Kaucic, by phone: 745-3229, or e-mail: prayer@mtaonline.net. The deadline for nominations is May 15.
Gospel of Luke study nears
Father Jude Eli, O.P. will be at Holy Family Cathedral May 14-17 to conduct a series of adult education classes on The Gospel of Luke. Class times are 9:30-11 a.m. or 7-8:30 p.m. each day. All sessions will be at Holy Family Education Center, 844 W. 5th Ave. People may attend as many sessions as they like, free of charge. For more information, call (907) 276-3455.
Alaska Catholic Youth Conference nears
The Alaska Catholic Youth Conference for youth in grades 9-12 is set to run June 4-7 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage. The annual religious education conference is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Anchorage. For more information, log onto the ACYC Website at www.archdioceseofanchorage.org/living/formation/youth-acyc.html
World Youth Day goes digital
— Australia’s largest telecommunications company, Telstra, announced it will provide phone and digital communications services to the 300,000 extra people expected in Sydney for World Youth Day 2008. Solomon Trujillo, an American businessman and Telstra Australia’s chief operating officer, told a conference of Catholic officials in Melbourne in mid-April that his company had reached an agreement with World Youth Day coordinators to offer an array of "real-time" communications services to the event.
Trujillo said the deal will enable organizers to "explore innovative ways to use technology to broadcast the event to young people around the world."
"We intend to make World Youth Day shine by using our world-leading next generation infrastructure," Trujillo said.
The coverage will include cell-phone messaging, Web casts and Web logs (blogs) "so that more young people around the world can access and share this very special event," said Trujillo.
"As our world becomes less connected in our immediate geographic vicinity we can use technology to bring us back together," he said. The partnership with World Youth Day, said Trujillo, will demonstrate "the scale and scope of next-generation networks to spread the Gospel message among its brethren through the missions of the church."
With 70 million blogs on the Internet, Trujillo said, "Imagine the blog readership hungry for personal Catholic-specific experiences."
Archbishop's Column
We all share in supporting the work of the archdiocese
In the coming weeks, you’ll hear a lot about our 2007 One Bread, One Body Annual Appeal. The importance of this annual effort lies in its power to both raise funds for archdiocesan ministries that help change the lives of children, youth and adults and unite us as a family of faith to do God’s work.
One Bread, One Body is an invitation for all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Anchorage to become partners in serving others throughout Southcentral Alaska. This year’s dollar goal is $675,000. An equally important goal is to involve more of us this year in supporting the ministries that so clearly express our archdiocese’s values and make us one local church: Celebrating Eucharist and other sacraments; living our baptismal call to ministry centered in Jesus Christ; being a welcoming community of hospitality; sharing a commitment to peace and justice; practicing stewardship as a way of life; respecting life and the diversity of people from many cultures; supporting ordained and lay leaders from all ethnic and language groups and embracing our salvation history through study of our biblical tradition.
The archdiocesan ministries that receive funding support from One Bread, One Body put our faith in action: They help our church provide faith formation and development opportunities for people of all ages and cultures; support our clergy, seminarians and lay leaders; reach out to youth, young adults and Catholics from minority communities; and much more. As the social services arm of our local church, Catholic Social Services, also receives funding through the annual appeal, your donations to One Bread, One Body help our church serve the people in our communities who are most in need. Holy Spirit Center — another ministry supported by One Bread, One Body — helps people from across the state deepen their faith.
Our annual effort touches many lives.
I am especially happy to say that recently we were able to initiate a Newman ministry on college campuses with the full time work of Fr. Luz Flores.
Another intent of the appeal is to continue to decrease the amount individual parishes must contribute to help fund archdiocesan ministries. Every parish in our archdiocese contributes a portion of its annual income to help fund the ministries that serve people throughout the archdiocese. As a result of last year’s appeal, parishes now contribute 14 percent versus 15 percent of their annual income. In addition to grants and generous donations made by individuals directly to the archdiocese, this parish support is what sustains and grows these important ministries.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage spans 138,985 square miles of the state of Alaska, encompassing an area larger than the six states in New England and New York combined. Of our 29 parishes and missions, 21 are in remote and rural areas of the state. When a faith family like ours is this spread out, it’s easy to forget that we have common goals. All of us have a stake in ensuring vibrant parish communities that bring God’s presence into people’s lives, regardless of those locations and available local resources.
We are, after all, one church seeking to facilitate and strengthen deeper relationships with our loving God and with one another. We are here to provide support for people throughout their journeys to more meaningful spiritual lives. We also must serve the children and adults in need throughout our archdiocese. We must continue to nurture our priests and clergy. We have an obligation to educate our youth, and to help strengthen our families. We are called to do these things, always, and can only accomplish them together.
In our Church, we value the concept of stewardship—that all we have comes from God, and we do God’s work on earth by sharing the gifts God has given. It’s critical that our stewardship extend beyond the parish level in order to serve people throughout our archdiocese. What we accomplish at our parishes is vital; what we accomplish as the larger, local church also is vital. As with all true expressions of stewardship, giving to the One Bread, One Body appeal is an opportunity to make a positive and real difference in the lives of other people.I encourage you to learn more about the annual appeal and what it will mean for your parish and the archdiocese, to consider this particular request for your involvement with a heart open to our Lord’s call for your partnership in God’s work. The success of One Bread, One Body will require our uniting as a faith community to accomplish more of God’s work than any one of us or single parish ever can accomplish alone.
-Archbishop Roger Schweitz
Columns
Commitments can do us violence
Did you know that roughly one out of every six American workers commutes more than forty-five minutes, each way, to their place of employment?
And the number of commuters who travel ninety minutes or more each way has reached 3.5 million.
In The New Yorker of April 16, writer Nick Paumgarten looks at the distances in our lives in an article aptly subtitled "The Soul of the Commuter."
I don’t wish to pick on commuters in general – we Alaskan are commuters, whether from the Valley to Anchorage, or from Southcentral to the Slope. It’s part of modern life for many of us.
But the idea of people spending a huge part of their day in one place and the more private, familial part of their day, hours away, in an entirely different kind of place does raise questions.
If I work in a big Northeastern city, for instance, maybe close to the part of town where the homeless congregate, but take the train home fifty miles to the place where farmland is being ground up to spit out "McMansions," where’s my community?
More to the point, who is my community?
Our lives are subdivided in so many ways today, it’s no wonder that we often feel scattered and unfocused, that community eludes us.
Thomas Merton wrote that there is "a pervasive form of contemporary violence" to which we can succumb.
"The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence."
The "rush and pressure of modern life" – we don’t have to take a long commute to identify with what that means. My own commute is very short – six minutes to the parish where I work part-time – that is, if it’s not too icy, if the four traffic lights cooperate and the moose stay off the road.
But still, often I feel pressure and find myself unfocused.
Ask any modern mother about feeling overwhelmed, and you’ll hear the litany: chef, chauffeur, cleaning lady, tax preparer, homework expert, diaper changer – the list goes on. A couple of generations ago, there was more centeredness to this: a mom was wrapped in the community of family within the cocoon of neighborhood.
Now, we add to motherhood the pressures of employment, whether because it’s a good choice or an economic necessity. Our apron strings become cell phones.
Then, shift to volunteer mode. Should you help with Scouts tonight or write that letter to save Darfur? Can you say "no" to that parish committee? Have you taken your turn in the classroom lately?
I recently heard a homilist say that if we feel our lives are scattered and unfocused it’s because our lives are not centered in Christ.
No doubt this is true. And yet many lead lives in which we sincerely seek to center ourselves in Christ and yet succumb to the "violence" of which Merton speaks. Sometimes we’re so busy precisely because we’re trying to do the things we think Christ would want us to.
Again, Merton: "To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence."
Maybe we should let our prayer life be the guide, the measure of whether we are succumbing to the pressure and the distance – physical or metaphysical – which take us from community and Christ.
Is our prayer focused? Peaceful? Do we give adequate time to prayer?Answer "no," and maybe we need to reexamine whether our commitments are doing us violence.
Despite our many squabbles, our inheritance from Christ is peace
It may simply have been a slow week for news in a secular magazine I happened to be browsing through some weeks ago. In this instance the columnist was reflecting on family squabbles, not the usual garden variety that are quickly forgotten, but those which arise at a point where the last surviving parent dies and the family, having paid their due respect at the grave site, gathers around an attorney to learn how the inheritance gets divided up...equitably, one would hope. Suddenly, at that point ancient and well-concealed brotherly and sisterly antagonisms arise with the result that true "fraternal charity" gets stomped in the dust. Individuals cease speaking to one another, angers flare and distrust ensues. The loving intentions of the now-deceased parents are all for naught! All this over a free gift, graciously offered.
As I finished reading the column, the thought occurred to me that something similar often happens in the family we like to describe as Christian, the family of faith. The issue here is obviously not about money or houses or bank accounts, but something mysterious and beautiful that Jesus offered us out of the abundance of his heart, namely peace.
We read of it in the Gospel for the Sixth Sunday in Easter season. "Peace is my farewell to you, my peace is my gift to you. I do not give it to you as the world gives peace."
It’s an odd phrase, "the gift of peace". We often think of peace as something we need to struggle for, negotiate over and fight about. But, of course, that’s the world’s way. Jesus, on the other hand, offers it as a gift. In other words, it’s something you can’t turn down, indeed, it is the overriding virtue we value as Christians.
I have often found it surprising that Jesus did not say that he was leaving us the Eucharist as a gift, which he did, of course, or the sacrament of forgiveness as a gift. No, it was peace that was seemingly uppermost in his mind on the night before he died. I suspect that this was his earnest desire because he knew of the tendency among his disciples, then and now, to argue over insignificant matters. Perhaps he was saying to himself: "If there is anything that can keep these followers of mine from arguing over my inheritance, it will be my gift of peace." Once again, however, if gifts are freely given the expectation is that they will be thankfully accepted.
Despite this idealistic hope, of course, the family we call Christian has from its earliest times fought battles over what history tells us were issues of small importance compared to what Jesus would call the peace objective.
In our own times, for instance, the liturgy wars that keep erupting among us so consistently are clear evidence of our desire to be liturgically correct rather than to be at peace with one another.
At the risk of oversimplification, therefore, it must be said that peace, although a gift, is something that can only be achieved by way of dialogue, listening, earnest respect for one another’s insights and positions. In other words, given our contentious nature and our strong desire to be perceived always as correct, it is not unlikely that we will to need to struggle often to find common ground. Any other option seems to be a distant dream.Of course, Jesus never implied that living together as Christians would be easy or simple. History has obviously proven that assumption correct. However, until some better option comes along, peace still seems to be the inheritance that is worth our sincerest efforts.
Anchorage talk to address the reality of the devil in modern life
Satan is not popular these days. Our culture has written him off as a "force," a sort of evil karma. Some people more easily relate to "the dark side" in Star Wars than Satan in the Bible. We credit him with no more intent than a tree that accidentally falls on a house. We still acknowledge the existence of evil but fall short of recognizing the agent whose mission is to separate us from God.
While our own actions, directed by our free will, separate us from God, it is the works of the devil that deceive, mislead, confuse, anger, aggravate, sadden and ultimately tempt us into sin.
We tend to ignore entirely this invisible spiritual warfare that rages in our world and affects us in dramatic ways. C.S. Lewis describes many of these temptations vividly in The Screwtape Letters.
While it is common to include Satan in conversations about trolls, fairies and other fantasy characters, he is nonetheless a reality taught by the Catholic Church.
Satan’s gravest work, in fact, is to seduce people to disobey God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church also teaches that Satan is a powerful creature – pure spirit – who acts in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Jesus Christ (CCC 395).
Scripture also witnesses to the disastrous influence of the being that Jesus calls "a murderer from the beginning." Satan would even try to divert Jesus from the mission he received from his Father." (CCC394)
On Thursday, May 10 author, apologist and philosopher Dr. Peter Kreeft will present a talk entitled "The Devil and Hell" at the next Theology on Tap in Anchorage. Dr. Kreeft has written over 30 books ranging in topics from CS Lewis to prayer to abortion. One of his books is a continuation of C.S. Lewis’s "Screwtape Letters" entitled, "The Snakebite Letters."
The author of this column coordinates Theology on Tap, a ministry of the Anchorage Archdiocese that takes place at the Snow Goose Restaurant in downtown Anchorage. The next TOT begins at 7 p.m., May 10, and includes audience questions after Dr. Kreeft’s presentation. For more information, call Roraff at (907) 360-2323.
College shooting spree exposes our inhumanity to humanity
Which to choose? Hatred or forgiveness. Pride or humility? Self or God?
It is often said, "I will forgive but not forget" or " Yeah, I forgave you but you better not cross me again - punk." And yet, Jesus teaches us the exact opposite. Jesus says, "Forgive seventy times seven." So I ask, why is God teaching us this lesson in the Gospel? Why is Jesus teaching us to love our enemies and not to hate; to forgive and not seek vengeance?
On April 16 I turned on the TV and sat staring blank. Tears broke as I watched in silence. "VT Massacre." How could a young man, two years younger than myself, kill 32 people point blank, execution style? I began to think what was I doing at 7 a.m. this morning. I was sleeping peacefully without a worry in the world. And yet states apart, college students and professors alike, were losing lives, families were being broken, hearts being torn, souls left in misery, and yet I was sound asleep to all of it..
Anger began to bleed into my thoughts. I tried to reason, grappling with the reality of our own brutality, of our inhumanity on humanity. Why did this happen? Why didn’t God stop this?
At lunch, I overheard someone talking, "If my child was killed I’d spend the rest of my life hunting down whoever let that happen and make his life a living nightmare." My anger broke to great sorrow. I was broken back to the passage, "Forgive seventy times seven." How do you forgive in a situation like this? Judgment comes quicker than prayer.
It is hard to have something like this settle in as a truth and a reality. These things happen in LifeTime shows, on HBO, in movies with Bruce Willis, where the good guys come out with flesh wounds and the bad guys leave in handcuffs. But this was no TV show, no Hollywood ending, no red-carpet arrival. There will be no rolling of the credits at the end or Oscar Award considerations. There are lives lost, and tremendous suffering that begins. And yet, God is at work, even in this.
I sat that evening in prayer trying to wrestle with God. Why Jesus? Why did you let this happen? Why didn’t you stop it? It is written in Ephesians 6:12:
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
For some reason, my mind brought me to all the people that were being aborted that same morning. What about the millions aborted ever year killed in doctor’s offices, execution style? I thought about my friends, the days I woke up hung-over, far more self-consumed than Christ-centered. And then I thought about the soul who took the lives of 32 people and then his own. No mercy. No love. No life. We have tried to wipe Jesus from this world. And when we wipe out Jesus, we slowly and most surely wipe out ourselves.
No tragedy like this can be left under the covers; it is exposed to all of us. It is an awaking to realize our own inhumanity to our humanity. Some will choose to ignore, others forget, others jump on the circle of vengeance. A few will turn to prayer and trust in God. How we respond to tragedies like this is much the same to how we respond to small situations in our daily lives. Mother Teresa said, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Now is a time for healing and forgiveness, beginning in our own heart. I believe Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven because in the grand scheme, it is not our hatred that will change the world, but our forgiveness — our prayer and trust that God’s kingdom will reign, beginning in our own heart.
Editorials
How to keep the kids Catholic
Young Catholics are barely connected to their age-old faith, both in their lives and in their imaginations. This was the finding of a massive study entitled, "Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers."
The recent report is the work of Christian Smith, principal investigator of the National Study on Youth and Religion and director of Notre Dame’s Center for the Sociology of Religion.
So what’s missing? An April article in Touchstone magazine chronicles a recent panel discussion of the report’s findings, in which speakers highlighted a need for basic catechesis in the faith. Kids don’t know what it means to be a Catholic, the speakers concluded. They don’t know what the church teaches and unfortunately neither do their parents.
The report echoes similar studies, which show that unless kids’ lives are integrated into their Catholic faith, they will eventually leave the church – maybe for Protestant denominations or maybe for no church at all.
In other words, the next generation of Catholics need a strong Catholic identity. Unfortunately the recent report found that many Catholic parents know so little about their faith that they have difficulty passing it on.
Undoubtedly, one of the best ways to instill Catholic identity is to focus time and resources into parish catechesis. This effort, however, has to include more than merely studying Holy Scripture. Scriptures are imperative and foundational but – unlike our Protestant brothers and sisters – Catholics believe Scripture stands in relation to 2,000 years of church teaching. Our Christianity is informed by the words of popes, saints, mystics, cardinals, bishops, priests and religious brothers and sisters. We participate in holy days, fasts, feast days, seven sacraments, and innumerable rich traditions and prayers that create the fullness of the universal Catholic Church.
If parish catechesis programs fail to impart these traditions, we should not be surprised by the many parents and children who are quickly losing their Catholic identities.
Schools can build Catholic identity – but it requires sacrifice
Attending a Catholic school is one of the best ways to ensure that youth don’t abandon the faith of their parents and grandparents.
A new report by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate found that attending Catholic high school for at least three years significantly reduced the chance that a young person would leave the church. It also reduced the chance they would convert to another faith or forsake religion all together.
The problem is that fewer and fewer kids ever attend Catholic school.
In fact, Catholic school attendance fell from nearly 5 million in the mid-1960’s to about 2.4 million today, according to a recent study by the University of Notre Dame.
Reasons for the decline are numerous and complicated. Thousands of nuns and priests who once staffed these schools are mostly retired or deceased, which means the costs to run Catholic schools has skyrocketed.
More importantly, however, is the fact that fewer parents support Catholic school education.
Granted, Catholic schooling is but one of many ways to pass on the faith. Ideally, religious education happens in the home. When that fails to occur, however, young Catholics are far more likely to leave the church when they fly the coop.
Catholic schools could be a way back. They have a way of integrating daily learning into the practice of one’s faith and the observance of Mass and the celebration of sacraments. Catholic schools can also build a strong web of Catholic families working together with religious educators, priests and nuns, all of whom can serve to reinforce and strengthen Catholic identity.
This dynamic just doesn’t happen in public education where most Catholic youth study, forge friendships, play sports and socialize. In fact, public schools often have the opposite affect and end up challenging church teachings either directly in classroom instruction or indirectly in youth sub-culture. Catholic schools, however, can actively work to form youngsters in their faith.
Fortunately, the Anchorage Archdiocese has three Catholic schools tied directly to the diocese and a fourth set to open in August. A fifth quality independent Catholic School is also serving local Catholics in the Anchorage area.
If we care to see our ancient faith animate and inspire coming generations, we would all do well to support these schools. They need all the finances, volunteer hours and prayers we can offer.
Wal-Mart appeases abortion backers
Last month, the Anchor obtained an e-mail from Planned Parenthood, in which the abortion rights organization claimed a "major victory," saying that Wal-Mart agreed to revise its policy over emergency contraception and mandate that its pharmacists distribute Plan-B "without delay" and "without judgment."
Plan-B, also known as the "morning after pill" is an abortifacient, which can prohibit a fertilized embryo from attaching to a mother’s womb and thereby cause an early abortion.
It’s interesting to note Planned Parenthood’s elation in successfully challenging Wal-Mart’s policy.
"In recent weeks, Planned Parenthood activists fanned out across the nation checking, community by community, on access to (emergency contraception) at local pharmacies," the e-mail notes. The group then confronted Wal-Mart and asked them to revise store policy, which the retail giant agreed to do.
Planned Parenthood’s "victory" is worth noting for its calculating strategy and follow-up plan, in which they aim to "act quickly to build on this remarkable victory." The group plans to enlist an army of people in their "Pill Patrol campaign" to zero in on "the biggest holdout," Target, in hopes that the retail giant will follow Wal-Mart’s lead.
Unfortunately, many of these corporations are guided more by current trends and stock prices than moral codes. If they perceive that Americans are clamoring for abrotifacients, they provide them.
In this climate of moral relativism, Catholics have a duty to ensure that the moral teachings of the church do not settle into dusty church floorboards or recede quietly into history. We keep this from happening when we faithfully speak the truth and check our blue-light spending sprees against our moral code.
As a side, Planned Parenthood praised Eckerd’s, Walgreen’s, CVS, Rite Aid and Kmart for also providing abortifacient drugs.
Letters to the Editor
Parents don’t lose children to vocations
I read Mr. Williams column regarding religious vocations, and I was caught by the sentence. " It is no small thing to give up a child to the Lord ...." . It caught me up short because it sounded to me as if he thought that a child having a vocation caused a separation forever from the parents. In the active religious life and in the life of most diocesan priests that I know today, we are sometimes more available to parents in their later years and during crisis, than our siblings who are married and have children of their own. I don’t think of my parents as giving me up or away, but of being embraced by my community. Granted, there will not be grandchildren from me, but there will be many blessings from knowing that the gift of life they gave me has brought blessings to many where I have been able to give of myself.Responding to God’s call, whether it be marriage, single life, religious vocation, or a new career, involves some kind of letting go, but the rewards of a true response to living as you are called by God are a hundred fold.
The church in public life
Editor’s note: In the last issue, a question was posed to Anchor readers about the role of the church in shaping public policy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that it is part of the church’s mission to "pass moral judgments even in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it. The means, the only means, she may use are those which are in accord with the Gospel and the welfare of all men according to the diversity of times and circumstances." (CCC 2264). Letters below are from Anchor readers on this topic.
Catholics must address public issues
Our country was founded on religious freedom that includes the right to speak on religious issues. Even if it wasn’t, we could look back to the first few hundred years of Christianity as a guide for how to engage the public square. Either obey the emperor and worship his gods or face death. The answer by the real followers of Christ was that God’s law superceded that of the emperors. The result is eternal life with the Trinity. A priest friend of mine once said that we should stand up for God as modern martyrs even though we be ridiculed, ignored, put in jail, lose jobs, friends, and even family for following him. We must listen to Christ and follow. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver summed it up well in a lecture last month."First, I’m tired of the church and her people being told to be quiet on public issues that urgently concern us," he said. "And second, I’m tired of Catholics themselves being silent because of some misguided sense of good manners. Self censorship is a much bigger sin than allowing us to be bullied by outsiders."
Public policy begins with religious formation
What role should the church have in shaping public policy? Certainly church leaders should speak the truth as often and openly as possible, but the lasting effect will be in how the church executes its primary duty of shaping persons. Politicians are persons who form public policy. Politicians who are Catholic in name only need formation themselves. When these politicians vote in clear disregard to the teachings of the church, they display error and sow confusion. It has always been the church’s role to correct error. It falls, then, to priests and bishops to explain to wayward politicians what the church teaches on such matters as abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage. Then politicians can more clearly see why they must not present themselves for communion until they reconcile with the church.