January 11, 2008 - Issue #1
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Archbishop celebrates 40 years as priest
Calling is marked by adventure and community
Back in the 1960’s, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz and several of his fellow seminarians liked to sneak out of their theology classes in Rome.
This wasn’t your typical college-student mischief, though. The young men were headed to St. Peter’s Basilica, where bishops and cardinals from around the world were holding a session of the Second Vatican Council.
"It was a marvelous, exciting experience for those of us who were about to be priests," Archbishop Schwietz recalled at his 40th Anniversary of Ordination Mass at Holy Family Cathedral Dec. 20. "It launched our ministry and we knew that we were going out to change the world!"
Archbishop Schwietz recalled a story that occurred a few years later when he was on a priestly assignment at a parish in International Falls, Minnesota.
It was a prime example of how Vatican II changed the Catholic Church.
"Our pastor was old at the time, and we thought he was too slow in making the changes — like moving the altar. But then he made the mistake of going on vacation," he joked.
He and another associate priest moved the altar while the pastor was away, and bolted it to the floor. Then, when the pastor returned, they lined up parishioners to congratulate the pastor on his implementation of the Council’s changes to the liturgy.
"It showed the diplomacy that was in the heart of the future bishop that he learned somewhere along the line," retired Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley said at the Dec. 20 Mass.
Archbishop Schwietz is one of six children who grew up in a Polish-American community in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Schwietz’s were very active at St. Casmir’s Catholic Church, which was run by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Many could see the spark of a vocation in the young Schwietz boy.
"I remember we had this marble table at home. It was in grade school — he used to pretend he was a priest in front of that altar," his brother Ron Schwietz said in a telephone interview with the Anchor.
In Catholic school, the nuns also sensed that a vocation might be on the horizon.
"The sisters told me I should go to seminary in grade school," Archbishop Schwietz recalled. "They were the ultimate vocation recruiters — the sisters talked about that a lot," he added with a laugh.
Though he felt the call early on, Archbishop Schwietz opted not to enter into the seminary in high school, a common practice then, and chose instead to attend a high school in St. Paul, which was run by the Christian Brothers.
After graduation, he still felt called to serve the church and weighed the options of becoming a diocesan priest, a Jesuit or a member of the Christian Brothers. He finally settled, however, on the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
"After reflecting on all the possibilities, I felt I was called to be a missionary priest, and I knew the oblates were missionaries," Archbishop Schwietz said, while adding that he thought it would be great to serve in Brazil or Scandinavia.
His brother and sisters told the Anchor that the Schwietz family was extremely proud and supportive of his decision.
"I missed him, but I was really proud to have someone offer their lives to service like that," his sister Sue McGurty said.
The tight-knit Schwietz clan continued to offer support to the future archbishop throughout his discernment and ministry. Brother Ron said he was close to his brother, and often served as a sounding board while he was discerning.
His family said they were beyond themselves with pride when he was ordained at the Oblates’ house in Rome on Dec. 20, 1967. The Schwietz family made the trip to Rome to be with him.
"It was great; the whole family was proud of him and was supportive. We knew that he had taken a tough road," Ron said.
Although the possibility of being a missionary to Brazil or Scandinavia was always an option, other things took priority, when Archbishop Schwietz was called to serve at various colleges as a teacher, counselor and spiritual director for the Oblates.
In between those assignments he served in several parishes, mostly in Minnesota. Those assignments still stand out as memorable moments of his priesthood.
"Working with the people, especially doing retreat work with youth, that’s always been a wonderful experience for me," Archbishop Schwietz said. "My parish experiences were the most rewarding times of my priesthood."
As Archbishop Schwietz’ pastoral assignment wrapped up in Duluth, he received a life-changing call from his secretary, who told him that "a man with a funny accent is on the phone."
That man was the apostolic nuncio in Washington informing then Father Schwietz that he had just been named Bishop of Duluth.
He was ordained a bishop on Feb. 2, 1990. Ten years later, he got another call, sending him into Northern mission territory. Not Scandinavia — but Anchorage.
Even in the episcopate, Archbishop Schwietz is still drawn to the people.
"I much prefer to be out in the parishes with the people than to be here in the office doing paperwork," he said. "I enjoy going out for confirmations and other ceremonies."
So what’s in store for the future?
"Looking at retirement," he said with a laugh, but then turns serious. "I do look at what I want to accomplish as the years of my ministry start winding down."
He said that his major focus is to help implement the archdiocesan Pastoral Plan and to further establish an effective system for recruiting vocations. He expressed deep gratitude for the many priests who have served Alaska from the lower 48 and other places, but he wants to foster more homegrown vocations, and encourage it as a valuable and fulfilling call in life.
Parents sometimes think the priesthood will be a lonely life for their son, Archbishop Schwietz said.
"But it’s not," he added. "I have had the gift of community throughout my different ministries and I have not found it to be a lonely life."
Alaskan and Filipino Catholics push for peace
Global Solidarity: Trip to Philippines strengthens relationships
Bonnie Cler’s recent trip to the Philippines can be summed up with one image — a gecko.
Not the famous one that sells car insurance, but a gecko found in the tropics of the Southern Philippines.
Cler and seven others from the Archdiocese of Anchorage — including Archbishop Roger Schwietz — made the trip to the Archdiocese of Cotabato City in the Philippines Nov 27-Dec 7 in an effort to build greater global solidarity between the two dioceses.
The gecko entered the scene on a night Cler spent with indigenous people in the village of Renibon, a rural area near Cotabato City.
"Going to bed (in Renibon) means going to a straw hut and listening to things crawl around. I knew one of those things was the gecko, which was fine," Cler said. "I just didn’t want it crawling on my face."
But that sleepless night drove home a theme of just how grateful Cler felt to live in America.
"I was so used to creature comforts, this experience was like, wow, this must be what it is like to be a POW, what it’s like to not be in control," she said.
For Father Ben Torreto, who is serving in Anchorage on loan from Cotabato, experiences like Cler’s were the highlight of his trip home.
"The (Alaska) delegates going there to experience life in the Philippines is a humbling gesture," he said. "It is an act of humility because they could have said ‘no, why go to the place?’"
But they made the sacrifice, he said, to step out of their comfort zone and experience another culture and a different approach to life and faith.
"They saw the lifestyle of the Church (in the Philippines) and saw the beauty of one another and in God’s creation," Father Torreto said. "Amidst the difficulty and poverty, we can still see that God is good."
The main focus of the trip was the "Week of Peace," held in the entire Mindanao Region.
The week of peace was a chance for Christians — mainly Catholics — and Muslims to reach out in peace. The region is split almost 50/50 between Christians and Muslims, and like many areas, it has led to tension.
"The people are really crying out for peace here," Father Torreto said.
As part of the events, the Anchorage delegation met with various government officials, and attended countless dances and feasts, where they had opportunities to meet with different people groups.
For many, the Week of Peace highlight came during a giant athletic event that is familiar to many Alaskans.
"There was a bike for peace, where four to five hundred people, Muslims, military, police, government workers, church employees and priests, all rode together for peace," Father Torreto said.
"It was a simple gesture, but one of great importance for future relations that will hopefully lead to greater peace," he added.
"It’s the idea of getting to know one another, building relationships," he said.
In building peace, many believe it is critical to start the process early with young people.
To this end, school visits and work with youth and young adults were key components of the recent trip.
Father Dick Tero, of Seward, Alaska, recalled visiting one Filipino school and being amazed at how efforts were made to instill the idea of peace at a very early age. Starting in nursery school, if children get into fights or trouble at school, they are sent to a peace table, where they talk out their issues like adults do, he said.
"They asked high school kids, years later, what they most remember (about working towards peace) and they all said the peace table," he said.
Young people are also active in holding celebrations, dances and meals to help foster relationships with people of different religious backgrounds.
"To see how the young people were involved in all the schools in peace building, and to hear their songs, especially one sung by (homeless children) about where is my mother, it was very moving," Cler said.
The delegation agreed that the next step in building solidarity between the two archdioceses is to foster young adults and youth participation.
"The need for peace-building is in both places and both archdioceses," Cler said.
Gang violence and misunderstandings between cultures and religions plague both Anchorage and Cotabato City.
To tackle those challenges, the Global Solidarity Partnership hopes to involve youth and young adults.
Archbishop Roger Schwietz said fostering a mission approach, especially for youth would be a great step. He told the Anchor that the Partnership would like to send youth ministers to Cotabato in the future to lay the groundwork.
Delegates say they are also looking at forming a task force for a conference and to raise money for a video to help spread awareness about peace and what can be done.
The dream would be to have a cultural exchange of youth to switch places, not only to see a new culture, but also to share their experiences.
Building a vibrant Catholic culture in Homer by recruiting volunteers
Church Culture: Volunteer projects build sense of community
They say volunteers aren’t paid because they are priceless.
That is how fellow parishioners characterize Terry Plant’s 14 years of quiet contributions to St. John the Baptist Church.
She is behind countless fundraisers, faith formation classes and festival meals but Plant views the work as a given aspect of church life. In fact, she is just carrying on an age-old Catholic cultural tradition of dedication to one’s local parish. It’s a practice she picked up during her childhood years in East Boston’s Italian end.
"I give my mother a lot of the credit — it was a way of life," she said, still speaking with a noticeable Boston accent. "Because of my mother, we learned to carry on family traditions. She made us go to church and learn the sacraments."
That included observing all feast days at St. Mary’s Parish while growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s, especially the feast day of her family’s patron saint, St. Joseph. The traditions of Italian foods, long weeks of preparing dishes and then the rituals, including acting the parts of saints, brought together not only church members and the large extended family, but also the entire neighborhood.
"(My family) would cook for weeks, then on the feast day, a priest would come and bless the food," Plant recalled. "And then everybody came, the family, the neighbors. Our house filled with people all day long, coming and going."
This Catholic foundation helped Plant when she was in her 20s and drifting, briefly, from her faith.
"When I came back, it meant so much more to me," she said. "I credit my mother for making that foundation so strong."
It’s no secret that Mass attendance, church volunteering and participation are down in the United States these days. And while those old Catholic neighborhoods are mostly memories now, Plant strives to keep some of the traditions alive by tirelessly recruiting younger Catholics in Homer for volunteer projects at the church.
By sharing her Catholic traditions, she imparts to fellow parishioners a taste of that distant Boston neighborhood. And she isn’t shy about delegating parish work or bringing in younger parishioners to help establish traditions of their own.
"Instead of saying, ‘we need volunteers,’ (to the congregation), you can ask young people directly: ‘would you do this task for me?’ Then they feel they are being involved," Plant said.
Another way to help plug youth into their faith is to focus on handing down the rich traditions and teachings of the church while they are still young – the way they did in the old neighborhoods, Plant explained.
"One way to get kids involved is to make Mass more interesting," she said. "Feast days are exciting."
She also advocates teaching kids why certain things happen in the Mass. The more kids understand, the more interested they will become in the life of the church, she added.
That certainly held true for Plant.
Since moving to Homer with her husband Kerry in 1992, Plant’s rich Catholic upbringing has found expression in a variety of projects, from community fundraising to church volunteering.
She helped to raise funds for a handicap access at the church, taught catechism classes for kids and worked outside the church as an active member of her parent teacher association.
Plant also sits on the parish council at St. John’s and helps run Pick ‘n’ Pay, an emergency store for families in need. Along the way, she operated her own bake and party shop and worked as a caregiver for the elderly. She now manages the Ark Assisted Living Home.
"I take on projects a few at a time," Plant said. "You have to be organized to get it done, and usually I think I am."
Those projects often include celebrating the life of fellow parishioners and that of the larger community.
"It’s that she really cares about a person’s enjoying an event in his or her life," said longtime friend and fellow Catholic Tonda Allred. "She believes all events should be special, whether it’s your birthday or your wedding or a retirement party."
To make the occasion special, or to pull off a big event, Plant will often recruit a nearby parishioner to help out.
"And actually that’s very good. She doesn’t just sit on her hands," Allred said. "She gets people involved in things."
Being involved also provides gives an example to the next generation, Plant said.
"I think it’s what we are put on earth for — to help one another," she said. "That’s the example from Jesus."
Plant said her next project is to start a St. Joseph Feast Day celebration in March, something to knit her Boston roots more tightly with the newer ones still growing in Homer.
Men also suffer from abortion
Conference points way to healing
How do we bring about the restoration of fatherhood? That was the question in mind for people from 28 states and nine countries who gathered in November at St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco.
It marked the first ever conference to address the effects of abortion on men. With a review of traditional male roles including that of provider and protector, the "Reclaiming Fatherhood" conference began.
Speakers shared research that reflected the extent of the father-loss crisis, and provided new tools for those involved in the work of healing men who suffer from abortions.
Speakers engaged the attention of the 170 psychotherapists, clergy, and lay counselors including Alaskans Pam Albrecht and Heather Austin (from Project Rachel) and Deacon Jim Lee from St. Andrew Church.
Seven researcher/psychotherapists who treat male abortion-related issues presented the results of their investigations along with newly developed therapies. What follows are some highlights of those findings.
Statistics reflect that one in four women have had an abortion. But abortion is not just a woman’s issue; it also affects men. In 1981, the first clinical evidence of abortion-related trauma was presented before the U.S. Congress by Vincent Rue, Ph.D. At that time Dr. Rue showed a correlation between abortion’s impact on men and relationships. Research now shows that boys, adolescents, and men need treatment for issues that stem from the (emotional) loss of fatherhood through abortion.
Consequences in the life of a man involved in abortion often cause collateral damage in his family, work, or his social contacts. However, according to the researchers it is rare that a prior abortion is ever factored into the causes of a present relationship crisis or altered behavior. Dr. Rue pointed out that while men are less likely to seek help for emotional needs (seeing it as a sign of weakness), they often are forced to do so when faced with behaviors involving addictions, rage, or dangerous activity.
Andrzej Winkler, M.A., a Polish psychotherapist who has worked with patients throughout Eastern Europe, spoke of a 30-year period in which he has treated gynecologists and anesthesiologists who sought help due to major depression. To numb their emotional pain, these clients had become addicts, participated in knowingly high-risk activity, or attempted suicide. Intake interviews revealed that all had been or were presently involved in the abortion industry. Though they had not connected their emotional decline to their occupation, they had, on a subconscious level, become unable to live with themselves.
Research has also shown that men who have participated in abortion are more apt to have a diminished regard for women and struggle with sexual addictions including a high use of pornography.
Another important aspect of the conference was the recognition that there is a masculine side of healing.
Author and psychotherapist Tom Golden, LCSW, illustrated the distinctive ways that men deal with trauma. While women gather to emote, men act. After receiving traumatic news males will often "work in the shop" or participate in some other activity alone or with other men. Treatment for men and boys dealing with trauma should therefore be geared to their needs and responses.
Documenting the range of responses men have to being casualties or having participated in the death of their unborn child, researcher and therapist Catherine Coyle, Ph.D., wrote "Men and Abortion." She also created a successful model of "forgiveness therapy," which she described in detail. In recent years medical literature has recognized that forgiveness helps in physical healing. Dr. Coyle shared her documented research that shows the healing effects of forgiveness therapy for people who choose to forgive.
Father Martin Pable, OFM Cap., a psychotherapist who counsels with many post-abortive men, wrote a booklet for them. This simple message offers hope for men who recognize the disconnect between their role as protector of their family and that of pressuring a woman into an abortion that kills a child and harms the mother. It speaks about God’s forgiveness and the healing process. Father Pable also shows the need for healing and forgiveness for men who were helpless to prevent an abortion. These men often deal with a sense of emasculation or uselessness, not uncommon in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Dr. Rue stated that abortion can be so emotionally traumatic that it may be more difficult to talk about for men than for women, in some cases. Abortion is sufficiently traumatic that PTSD is a feature of some men’s abortion response, manifesting differently for those who encouraged abortion than for those who were helpless to prevent one.Reclaiming their status as protectors was a common theme as four men recounted their healing process following abortion. They spoke of their realization of what abortion had done, and of accepting forgiveness from God and those whom they had harmed. Each man acknowledged at least one female friend who had encouraged him to talk about the abortion experience without fear of condemnation. These men now encourage others to seek healing.
Hundreds mourn fallen heroes
Hundreds of Providence Lifeguard employees, firefighters, paramedics and other rescue personnel packed Lifeguard’s Anchorage hangar Dec. 13 to honor the flight crew and passenger that crashed on Dec. 3.
A medical transport helicopter for Providence Lifeguard went missing enroute to Anchorage from Cordova. After several extensive days of searching, rescue workers managed to recover the body of 47-year-old flight nurse John Stumpff and pieces of the downed helicopter. Also on board were 42-year-old pilot Lance Brabham of Soldotna, 24-year old Cameron Carter of Kenai, and 60-year-old patient Gaye McDowell of Cordova.
Those gathered recalled the dedication and spirit of the three men. Friends spoke of Carter’s high-spirited nature; Brabham’s perfectionism and Stumpff’s love of the outdoors.
Archbishop Roger Schwietz, Mayor Mark Begich and leaders from the Anchorage Fire and Police Department were among the dignitaries who paid their respects.
"There is no measure for the infinite goodness that went down in the inlet," Archbishop Schwietz said during the opening prayers.
News & Notes
Fr. Bramble to move to Nevada
Father Donald Bramble, pastor of Holy Family Cathedral and current Vicar General for the Anchorage Archdiocese, will be leaving to take a nine-month sabbatical beginning in September. It is unclear where his next assignment will be after that.
In a letter to Holy Family parishioners, Fr. Bramble said he will be heading to the Dominican House in Las Vegas to continue theological studies and spend time with his family. Provincial for the Western Dominican Province Father Emerich Vogt and the Dominican Province Council are searching for a replacement for Father Bramble. They hope to have one named and in Anchorage by this summer.
"I am so grateful for the wonderful people I have ministered with here at Holy Family," Father Bramble said in his letter. "I look forward to our mutual prayers and to serving you through the end of summer."
Martyrs book available
The book, "Martyrs of Magadan: Memories of the Gulag," compiled by Father Michael Shields is now available in English. As the Soviet Union attempted to crush the Church, hundreds of thousands of the faithful were systematically convicted of fabricated crimes and banished to the gulags to undergo years of forced labor. Many lost their lives. "Martyrs of Magadan" tells the stories of 15 survivors of a gulag in Siberia in their own words. To order a copy of the book, call 1-800-628-6333 or write to: Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222 or email a request to info@acnusa.org. The suggested donation for the book is $20.
Vocations Awareness Week
Jan. 13-19 is Vocation Awareness Week, a special time dedicated to raise awareness about God’s call to service for everyone in the church. The week begins on the Feast of the Baptism, where Christians receive the call to serve the church in some capacity."Vocations are everyone’s business," said Father Tom Lilly, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage and also director of seminarians for the Anchorage Archdiocese. "Everyone is a vocation director, in a way, especially parents, to encourage everyone to authentically live out the baptismal call according to God’s plan."
Father Lilly also stressed that vocations are not just limited to the priesthood and religious life; that the married and single life are also important vocations.
For resources on vocations, including prayers for vocations, log on to www.archdioceseofanchorage.org and click on the vocations link or call 297-7755
Weekend for hurting marriages
Several Retrouvaille Weekends are scheduled in the coming months. Retrouvaille helps couples through difficult times in their marriages, providing couples with tools and a chance to communicate in a new and positive way. This program has helped thousands of couples experiencing marital difficulty at all levels including disillusionment and deep misery. For confidential information about the program or to register for the spring program Feb. 8-10, call 360-2227 or visit www.HelpOurMarriage.com.
St. Mary School reunion set
Alumni and staff from St. Mary School in Kodiak are holding a reunion Feb. 16 at St. Anthony Church in Anchorage. The event begins at noon and concludes with the Native Mass at 5:30 p.m. A group will also be holding a bake sale to raise money for the Tekakwitha Conference. People are asked to bring their school sweater, pictures and other memorabilia. For more information call Gemma Gaudino at 337-2583 or Sister Donna at 297-7777.
Rosary CD on luminous mysteries
SAGINAW, Mich. (CNS) — A new CD called "The Rosary Tapes: The Mysteries of Light," based on the luminous mysteries of the rosary introduced by Pope John Paul II in 2002, has been released by two Michigan men who write commercial jingles for national companies. Bill Gildenstern and John Giaier of Gt TechnoTracks spent more than five years reworking their CD meditations on the mysteries of light, or luminous mysteries, taken from Scripture and set to contemporary music.
Information on ordering rosary CDs is available online at www.rosarytapes.com.
Library volunteers needed
Lumen Christi High School is in the process of preparing and organizing their library in order to offer students the opportunity to enhance their studies through research via technology as well as the wealth of books now available to them.
To make this happen, the school needs retired or other volunteer librarians to assist in the cataloguing of books and keeping the library in appropriate order. For more information, contact Shannon Jones at 245-9231 or email pbear1@gci.net.
Sr. Solange Bertin dies
Sister Solange Bertin, of the Little Sisters of Jesus, died on Jan. 4. She served remote areas of Alaska for more than 50 years. A Mass is planned for her memorial on Jan. 11, 11 a.m., at St. Anthony Church in Anchorage. A reception and luncheon will follow. See the next issue of the Catholic Anchor for a story on Sister Bertin’s life of service.
49th Eucharistic Congress
Catholics from around the world will gather in Quebec City, Canada, in June for the 49th Eucharistic Congress. The Congress is a 10-day diocesan pilgrimage that offers an opportunity for prayer, reflection and action with the universal church, centered on the Blessed Sacrament. Catholics from the Anchorage Archdiocese are invited to attend the conference. Currently, a group is forming with the Diocese of Juneau. The cost is estimated to be about $1,200 for airfare and lodging in Quebec City.
For more information and materials about the conference, contact Father Jim Oberle at 297-7778.
Truth Pursuit
Parishes are invited to start putting together teams for the parish showdown Feb. 2, 2008, at Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage for the seventh annual event. "Defending champions from Soldotna are looking for a three-peat this year," organizer Bob McMorrow said. Materials should be available at local churches for youth to study, he said. For additional information, email McMorrow at rmcmorrow2@aol.com.
ACYC 2008 dates
This summer’s Alaska Catholic Youth Conference will take place June 2-5 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage. Organizers are now putting together a team to start planning the event. Those interested in volunteering can contact Matthew Beck at 745-3229. DJ Bill Lage from Catholic Dance is slated to attend the event for talks and to host a dance. More information on DJ Bill is available at www.catholicdance.com.
Columns
Archbishop calls for prayers during Juneau’s transition
Our God is one of wonderful surprises. We just celebrated God’s most wonderful gift by the fulfillment of the words of the ancient prophets. A child shall be born of the Virgin Mary. He will be named Jesus, the Emmanuel. With those words, Jesus the Christ Child assumed our human status. The Advent of Emmanuel, God with us, came about in a way our human wisdom could never have anticipated.
God’s surprises continue in the church today as we have just experienced in our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI’s choosing Bishop Michael Warfel of the Diocese of Juneau to pastor the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. I see this move as a tribute to Bishop Warfel’s abilities and dedication. It is also an acknowledgment of the vibrancy of the local Catholic Church in the Diocese of Juneau.
The unexpected surprises continued, when I was asked to be the apostolic administer for the Juneau diocese while the search for a new bishop proceeds.
As apostolic administrator, I have been delegated, by the Holy Father, the authority to act as bishop of the Juneau Diocese until a new shepherd is appointed. This is not uncommon in Alaska, or in the United States for that matter. Archbishop Timothy Dolan is currently overseeing the Dioceses of Milwaukee and Green Bay. In Alaska, Archbishop Francis Hurley was once appointed to oversee the Juneau diocese when Bishop Michael Kenny died unexpectedly more than 12 years ago. Bishop Warfel was appointed to oversee the diocese of Fairbanks during the interim period prior to the instillation of Bishop Donald Kettler.
I am personally honored and delighted to be able to get to know and work with the clergy, religious laity and parishioners of the diocese, which extends from Ketchikan to Yakatut.
After meeting with the priests and staff of the Juneau diocese in December, I agreed to visit Juneau about once a month for several days at a time during this interim period. In the meantime, I have asked Father Pat Travers to be my representative and to handle the day-to-day business of the diocese. He already has an office at the pastoral center in Juneau and will be available to those who wish to contact him. I am deeply grateful for Father Pat’s generosity in assuming these added responsibilities. I ask that you keep both of us in your prayers so that the Lord can accomplish his will through us.
Over the next few months, the Diocese of Juneau will also see an old friend in their midst. Archbishop Francis Hurley has graciously agreed to assist in some of the pastoral ministry for the diocese.
The life of the diocese does not cease during the interim period. The activities, work and service of the various parishes and organizations will continue under the very capable leadership in place. As Pope Benedict said in his recent encyclical, "Spe Salvi", we are a people who live in hope based on faith, therefore by virtue of this "trustworthy hope" we can face our present. It is precisely in this hope we can anticipate the arrival of a new shepherd whom God will send in his loving care for all.
As a former priest of the Archdiocese of Anchorage, many are sad to see Bishop Warfel leave Alaska. He will be truly missed. I invite you all to pray that God blesses him in his new ministry. Further, I ask you to pray that God will quickly send a new bishop to serve and guide the people of the Juneau Diocese with the heart of our Good Shepherd, Emmanuel, God with us.
The author is archbishop of the Anchorage Archdiocese.
Bishops must be open to those they lead
Editor’s note: This farewell address by Juneau Bishop Michael Warfel first appeared in the Inside Passage newspaper of the Juneau Diocese. Bishop Warfel will begin a new assignment as pastor of the Great Falls-Billings Diocese in Montana on Jan. 16.
Eleven years and some weeks ago, I was a very contented pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Anchorage. Early one November morning, however, I was awakened in order to take a phone call. Archbishop Hurley was on the other end of the line but he quickly passed the phone over to the Papal Nuncio. I was informed that I had been appointed the Bishop of Juneau.
One month after that phone call, I was ordained and installed as the 4th Bishop of Juneau. After the invited guests had departed from Juneau, I recall my first day on the job as the new bishop. I was sitting in my new office at my new desk thinking, "Now what do I do?" I had never been to "bishop training school" and had never thought about actually becoming a bishop one day. While my seminary formation as well as my years as a pastor would be quite helpful, there was much to learn about being a bishop.
During my years as Bishop of Juneau, I have had my fair share of successes. I have also had my fair share of failures. I have made some great decisions and have also made some poor decisions. While I haven’t been a particularly brilliant theologian or a fiery prophetic figure, I believe I have provided a stable pastoral presence and have preached the Gospel and taught the faith in a solid and consistent manner. As bishops go, I think I’m pretty basic.
I know that I have learned much about being a bishop in my eleven years in Southeast, Alaska. I know that once I arrive in Montana, I will not likely make the same mistakes I did early on as I was learning how to be a bishop via "on the job training." Similarly, I have become quite comfortable with the role of bishop and the responsibilities that come with being one. This will be an immense help as I assume this role in Great Falls-Billings.
I believe that there are two elements that make a bishop an effective leader and his episcopal ministry fruitful. I use Archbishop Romero as an example. On the wall of the chapel in the house I have called home for eleven years, is a drawing of the Archbishop Oscar Romero. The drawing (from a photo) depicts the Archbishop holding a young child in his lap. Standing next to him is another older child who is holding the pectoral cross of the Archbishop in his hand, seemingly mesmerized by the cross. It is an image that captures the concern of the Archbishop for his people. He was engaged with the people, present with them at a time during which many Salvadorans experienced violence and injustice. His voice was often that of a prophet. His actions were mostly that of a pastor.
Archbishop Romero’s ascendancy to the See of San Salvador came about, in part, because he was viewed as a "safe" candidate. He was appointed during a time of turmoil and civil strife. He became a powerful voice for the poor and oppressed of El Salvador. He became a strong and compassionate presence immersed in the lives of his people. Both elements surprised many people.
Two factors were at work in his life. First, he was ordained as a bishop and, as such, empowered by the action of the church and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in his ministry and life. Though he had had doubts about being named a bishop, he consistently sought to be available to the grace of the sacrament. Having read through his biography, it was not as if he were one kind of bishop one day and a different kind the next, as if a light had switched on. He was a man of prayer and open to the will of God. He simply tried to follow the voice of God, a voice he had been listening to in prayer and reflection for years only now within the context of a horrible civil conflict.
Second, he surrendered his life to the people of El Salvador, especially to those most in need. Many of the faithful were the poorest of the poor, knowing little but violence and oppression at the hands of the powerful and wealthy of El Salvador. He saw their need and witnessed the violence that was perpetrated upon them. Even some of his priests were murdered, one being a very close friend. It was the faith of the people who called him forth to speak out on their behalf as a prophet. It was the faith of the people who called forth from him the heart of a compassionate pastor. The Archbishop obviously knew in his heart of hearts what St. Augustine meant when he said: "I am a Christian for my own sake, whereas I am a leader for your sake; the fact that I am a Christian is to my own advantage, but I am a leader for your advantage." So deep was the Archbishop’s love for truth as well as love for his people that ultimately it cost him his life.
The role that the bishop plays in the church is meant to be a significant one. He is to be an instrument of grace in the world in much need of grace, proclaiming the good news of salvation offered to all people through the death and resurrection of Christ. While he shares responsibility for the universal church with all the bishops in union with the pope, his primary responsibility is to oversee life in Christ among the particular group of faithful entrusted to his care. It is vital for the bishop to be as effective as possible in this ministry. For him to be effective and his ministry fruitful, he must be open to the two factors to which I have referred: open to the grace of ordination and the call of the church to serve God’s people; and open to the presence of God in the lives of the people he serves. The bishop should know that he meets Christ in the people, the body of Christ; the faithful should expect their faith to be nurtured and deepened through the leadership of the bishop.
As I move on to the Lower 48, these two elements will be very much a part of my life. Ordained as a bishop by the church, I know that this same church has empowered me to act on its behalf with the task of leading people to salvation in Christ. I also know — more so today than ever before — how important it is for the bishop to surrender his life to the people he has been sent to serve. It is by listening to the voice of the faithful that a bishop develops the heart of a compassionate pastor.I pray that a new bishop will be selected relatively soon. In the meantime, pray for Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz as he assumes the role of apostolic administrator (of the Juneau Diocese). Know that you will remain in my prayers as I move to Montana.
Postcards from Rome: Reflections on a Season of Hope
One thing I like about being in Italy is that they actually celebrated the Holy Season of Christmas. While the good people of America opened their gifts, watched the Cowboys on the tube and hit the after Christmas sales, the Italians revved up for twelve days of merriment and celebration. Christmas in America is a day. Christmas in Catholic Italy is a season.
As a child, I was always perplexed that we would not decorate the church until Christmas Eve and then leave it decorated until well into January. After awhile, however, I really got to like the idea that, as a Catholic, I got to celebrate Christmas for a whole two weeks longer than everybody else! As I grew older, I began to realize the wisdom of the church in celebrating a holy season that lasts from the Nativity until the Baptism of the Lord (Jan. 13). It is a season of joy, a season of hope. And if there is one thing that the world needs now, it is hope.
Small wonder that the Holy Father’s latest encyclical was entitled "Spe Salvi" (Saved by Hope). If you have not read it yet, I encourage you to set some time aside every day and to work your way through it. Take your time. It is powerful stuff. According to the Holy Father, hope is the very life force of the Christian.
"[T]he Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known — it is one that makes things happen and is life-changing. The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life." (Par. 2)
New life for each of us came in the form of a little baby, born in the most humble of circumstances to the most unlikely of parents, in the most unlikely of places. Because of the incarnation, the Catholic Christian knows that hope is present in this time, in this place, in all kinds of circumstances.
"The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). It has made all the difference.
The joy and the hope born on Christmas cannot be celebrated in just one day. Thank God we don’t have to.
The writer is the pastor of St. Andrew Church in Eagle River. He is spending the next several months in Rome to complete his doctorate in ecumenical theology.
As American as ‘humble’ pie?
"Yeeeeoooooowwwww!"
My girlfriend at the time ran screaming from the creek and inside the girls’ cabin.
It was the middle of winter, in the mountains, with snow, and we had just finished swimming in the creek.
The swim wasn’t youthful exuberance. Okay, it was a little, but we also swam for a good purpose. Really.
All of us college kids had spent the day putting up insulation in an elderly women’s house, and we needed to clean off the fiberglass fragments.
We swam in a creek because it was Appalachia, and we were trying to live poverty, while doing social justice work at Nazareth Farm, a Catholic volunteer group in Doddridge County, one of the poorest counties in West Virginia. Nazareth Farm helps fix or build houses for those in need.
I recalled that trip of several years back, when Bonnie Cler recently shared some of her experiences as a member of the Anchorage Archdiocese Global Solidarity Partnership delegation to the Philippines. Cler spoke of opportunities she had to foster relationships and grow as a Christian.
It was not, however, a chance to relax at a five star spa in a tropical Pacific-rim Resort (See related article on page 1).
Social Justice and community service have always played an important role in my life, which is why, several years ago, I spent part of Christmas break volunteering at Nazareth Farm.
Once, I remember telling my father that I was thinking of becoming a cop. I didn’t realize it was possible to snort a tea bag through your nose by laughing.
"Sorry son," he said, wiping the tea off his shirt. "I picture you’re more the type to put a flower in the barrel of a gun, rather than wield one."
Thanks a lot Dad! Every family has a black sheep, apparently amongst the DeCrane’s, I’m the tie-dyed one.
Social justice and community service are important for Catholics – but it is crucial to remember why. It’s not something we do to feel good, but to fulfill our Catholic duty to care for our brothers and sisters, and to truly understand them and advocate for them, just as we would our own family.
That’s where humility comes in.
Nazareth Farm asked its volunteers to live in poverty, like those we served. Hence the 30-degree bath to get insulation off, or using a bucket of rainwater to flush a toilet.
Tough?
Yes.
Humiliating?
Yes, but also a chance to really walk in someone else’s shoes. It also helps you realize what’s most meaningful. Unlike an iPod that dies after hours of use, relationships endure.
I look at Christ, Christ our King, who was born in a manger as the ultimate lesson of what’s important. I was touched to see real joy in the eyes of Filipino priest Father Ben Torreto as he talked about Alaskans who traveled to the Philippians and humbled themselves to live like Filipinos in Cotabato.
As a priest on loan to Anchorage from the Philippines, Father Ben knows that relationships are just as important, if not more so, than leaving gifts or providing services. Jesus gave the greatest example of this when he humbled himself to be born of humans, in a barn, in a feeding trough.
The writer is the assistant editor of the Anchor and teaches at Lumen Christi.
Pro-lifers should support a consistent life ethic
I can relate to Henrik Ibsen’s fictional Norwegian doctor who finds poison in his village’s water supply. When he alerts the village leaders, instead of removing the poison, they remove the doctor, whom they label "Enemy of the People" for telling them what they don’t want to hear.
More than half a century ago, I learned that murder was a mortal sin, the moral equivalent of poison, and all murder is wrong all the time. Murdering priests and nuns were unthinkable acts.
But now that moral relativism has become more fashionable than traditional morality, the unthinkable has become commonplace. Politicians forced American Catholic taxpayers to finance the murders of Latin American Catholics, 270,000 — one of every 45 persons — in just two countries, Guatemala and El Salvador. Then I found something else unthinkable. Anti-abortion Catholics calling themselves "pro-life" supported the terrorists who slaughtered not only Catholics, but even priests, bishops and nuns, including some US citizens.
No, the "pro-lifers" didn’t say, "I support terrorists’ killing Catholics," but instead made excuses like national security and anti-communism for the terrorists and said, with no evidence whatsoever, that the murdered nuns may have run guns to rebels and the murdered priests may have believed in liberation theology. Now, our church opposes executing convicted murderers; how can it support executing people simply for not being able to disprove unfounded accusations against them? Don’t these "pro-lifers" realize they’re betraying their fellow Catholics, Catholicism and America’s moral fiber?
Five years ago, in the Catholic Anchor, life followed art. My essay exposing this poison in our baptismal waters drew angry responses from John Fleming, Raymond Rzeszut, and Robert Bird in this newspaper and from some who confronted me personally. They were angry, neither at the mass murder of Catholics, nor at being taxed to reward terrorism against Americans. Instead, like Ibsen’s fictional villagers, they were angry at my telling them what they didn’t want to hear.
John Fleming was the only one to admit murder is a sin. None refuted me. None cited any anti-abortion group or even any anti-abortion group member with the backbone to publicly oppose U.S.-taxpayer-financed, state-sponsored terrorism. Instead, they whined about the anti-abortionists’ image.
As we commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, I challenge Robert, Raymond, John and the others to address the real issues: What’s pro-life about murder? How does murdering hundreds of thousands of Catholics fight communism and abortion? How does making excuses for murdering the born persuade people to stop murdering the unborn? If there’s nothing wrong with phony excuses for death squads and with demonizing their victims, why get so riled up about my exposing such behavior? Instead of trying to hide the truth about the attacks on Catholics and Catholic teaching, why not stop the attacks in the first place?
The author writes from Anchorage.
Have you experienced an inaugural calling?
As 2008 began its slow and toilsome course through history, accompanied by much noise and celebration, it occurred to me that the beginnings of many formal events in our personal and national history also seem to require a certain attention and celebration. But as with many well-planned formal events, the threat of chaos also lurks in the wings.
Observe, for instance, the high church attention we pay to presidential inaugurations which occasionally end in a rather indecorous and embarrassing manner: Point of fact: One presidential inaugural candidate insisted on riding down Pennsylvania Avenue on his favorite horse in a cold rain. Six weeks later he died of pneumonia. In another instance a president’s wife died of pneumonia after having dutifully sat through her husband’s inaugural speech that lasted over an hour. During the inaugural speech of president John F. Kennedy, a small electric heater beneath the speaker’s podium caught fire and almost demolished the entire platform. If I remember correctly, the beloved and dignified poet Robert Frost experienced some difficulty in delivering his poem at the same inaugural event.
Despite such setbacks in formality, of course, we will go to great lengths to call attention to these important historical-political moments.
The same might be said, of course, of certain significant moments in each of our lives: The newly appointed CEO of a company receives special acclaim with a formal party. Novices in religious communities make formal vows when they are prepared to permanently commit themselves to this life. As a sign of their acceptance into religious life, a cross is given them to wear. Generally a grand soiree follows. Priests are ordained in a well-planned formal ceremony as a sign that they will henceforth have the responsibility of caring for God’s people. A grand banquet ordinarily follows. The names of judges and doctors often appear in the news when they accept their responsibility in medicine or law.
The point of all this is to say that the beginning of any career deserves special notice and acclaim.
So, what about Jesus? Did he ever experience anything in his life that could even remotely be described as an inauguration ceremony?
It might not sound particularly important, but I would like to suggest that there was a moment in Jesus’ young life that convinced him that he (like any national leader) was called to do hard and challenging things. It happened one day at a water ceremony in which he personally chose to take part. In the midst of this public bathing that he received at the hands of John the Baptist, (himself something of a radical) he heard a mysterious voice calling him a special Son, inviting him to do God’s hard work of proclamation, healing, justice and peacemaking. I interpret that event as an inaugural moment in Jesus’ life, the instant when he discovered his vocation to literally change the world.
We know what came of all this, of course. He went directly out into the desert to think about the implications of that experience in the river. When he returned, he immediately went to work talking about a new kind of kingdom that described what the world would look like if God had a hand in it.
All of that prompts me to ask the question whether any of us have ever experienced a similar "inaugural" calling. Most of us were too young to notice any special voice naming us at our baptism. However, the call was there and the best way to discern its meaning today is to check out the date and circumstances on our baptismal record. That’s when it all started. The end is not yet in sight.
The writer is Anchorage Archdiocese director of Pastoral Education. He also serves as canonical pastor and coordinator of parishes without resident priests.
Denzel Washington ‘tugged’ by God
I was driving around town returning Christmas presents during the last week of the holidays. It’s ironic that I hustled about in December buying gifts and now in January I was trudging back returning some of those same gifts which I thought I’d passed on to others.
I wasn’t returning things for my daughters, of course. Hand a girl a sweater in the wrong color along with the gift receipt and she’s at the mall before you can say, "more eggnog?"
But my son, a male of the species, is confused by gift receipts and more than happy to let Mom do it. And to be honest, like my daughters, I see returns as a useful excuse to check out the post-holiday sales.
I was also on my way to do a return of my own — a thoughtful child had heard me remark about the lovely beer glasses I’d seen at a friend’s party. The kid, of course, hadn’t seen the elegantly tapered lines of these particular beer glasses, and I’d ended up with all she could find, clunky iced tea glasses.
In the midst of my mundane tasks, I had a moment of inspiration when I heard the Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington talking on National Public Radio about his journey with God.
Sometimes we get so busy decrying our "secular" society that we don’t notice God shaking people up all around us. I thought Washington’s interview was just such a spiritual inroad and I wished my own son, and other kids who admire Denzel Washington, could hear him talking.
The interviewer asked him about how he came to develop his talent, and the star was pretty emphatic in saying, "It’s a gift from God." He went on to talk about how God has gifted us all — he even referred to it as our "ministry" — and talked about his own pilgrimage towards God.
Listening to the radio while driving around town is a frustrating experience. First of all, you’re in and out of the car, and secondly, you can’t exactly reach for pen and paper and take notes.
So I won’t quote Washington too specifically. But he talked about his own journey, which like the journeys of many today has taken him down several roads — exploring all the major religions and experimenting with faith. He talked about how he had, as a youth, rejected the religion of his childhood because it had been imposed upon him. Yet, he advised the interviewer, if you think something is tugging at you, if you feel there’s something there, it’s because there is something there.
I’m a big fan of the acting of Denzel Washington. And yet, I have to admit I can’t stomach the violence of many of his movies. "Training Day," for instance, is a movie for which he’s probably received the most acclaim, and yet I had to look away.
So it was interesting to hear him say that he rewrote the ending to "Training Day" after he read the script. He felt his character, a real bad guy, needed to suffer a real bad ending, an ending that would emphasize that justice had been done. "The wages of sin are death," said Washington.
Well, Washington’s genre may not be my cup of tea, and after I had exchanged my iced tea glasses the interview was over. But his words lingered, because it made me so aware of God’s tugging at all of us, and of how important it is in our society for a conversation about faith to continue.
The writer is a stewardship and hospitality coordinator at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage
Editorials
Pain is a warning that something is physically wrong with our health. Bodily aches don’t necessarily pinpoint the cause of our ailments but they serve as red flags that something is not right.
Social surveys act the same way when they highlight painful cultural realities that stem from underlying social problems.
According to Alaska’s 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, nearly 40 percent of high school students drank alcohol in the past month; 20 percent used marijuana; 25 percent were offered, sold or given illegal drugs; 12.4 percent were physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the past year, and 45 percent had sexual intercourse.
Most disturbing, however, was that more than 1 out of 10 high school students surveyed said that they tried to kill themselves last year.
The state report does not speculate as to why so many of Alaska’s high schoolers are so troubled but it does say that one goal of the survey is to achieve "healthy people."
To this end, a good doctor will look for the root causes of an illness rather than merely treat symptoms. Unfortunately, social programs aimed to serve at-risk youth often do not deal with root problems. Instead, they often provide increased funding for crisis counseling, sex-ed classes, bullying workshops, and anti-drug campaigns.
While some of these programs serve a legitimate purpose, many of them are merely aspirins for a cancer that continues to eat at the lives of our youth.
When looking for an underlying cause, some researchers point to the widespread abuse of perhaps the most powerful force in nature – human sexuality.
It has the power to bring new life but when misused it can also disfigure an entire culture.
In the case of our hurting youth, their problems can often be traced back to their home life. Ultimately, many of these problems come back to the misuse of sex.
Nothing is free of consequences – not even sex.
It might be possible to have sex and still avoid raising a child, changing a diaper or making a wedding vow but eventually sexual intimacy will exact a price. The only question is, "What are we willing to pay?"
The idea of "free love" lost much of its luster in the face of unplanned pregnancies, nearly 50 million U.S. abortions since 1973, and the explosion of sexually transmitted diseases across college campuses. That’s not to mention the growing number of children with single parents who now spend large portions of their day raised by state-funded childcare workers so their mom or dad can hold down a fulltime job to make ends meet.
Once sex is unhinged from the context of a marriage between a man and a woman, it begins to wreck havoc human lives.
The cultural journal, "First Things," recently published a review of Kay Mymowitz’s new book "Marriage and Caste in America," in which reviewer W. Bradford Wilcox rightly highlights the fact that sex is not a duty-free pastime.
There are conditions that must be met before one approaches this mystery.
Even "safe-sex" often leads to babies, who grow into children and ultimately teenagers who will long for both a mom and a dad to love them. When that doesn’t happen, they suffer.
As our culture continues to weaken the tie between marriage and sex, we shouldn’t be surprised to see the inevitable, homes that struggle with finances, parents who are forced to spend long hours apart from their children and hurting kids who bury their pain in delinquency, depression, drug abuse and even suicide.
As Alaskans grapple with findings from the latest youth survey, we must not let talk needed education programs and teen outreaches drown out the reality that strong families are foundational to raising healthy kids. The most effective response to this report is to strengthen and empower marriage and affirm the honorable duties that flow from it.
Questioning the pope
As American Catholics look forward to Pope Benedict XVI’s first U.S. visit in April, the Holy Father will be preparing to answer some tough questions from U.S. bishops.
In preparation for the pontiff’s visit, to Washington D.C. and New York City April 15-20, Cardinal Francis George, head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops asked bishops from across the U.S. to submit questions to the pope for their meeting with the pontiff on April 16. The questions will be narrowed down to a handful, which the pope plans to answer during his visit.
As chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz submitted the following two questions:
In light of your recent Encyclical on hope, how can the church supply hope for many Catholics, especially young Catholics, who see life as hopeless and who are discouraged by war, violence and other signs of hopelessness?
How do we as bishops help Catholics appreciate the value of the Eucharist in a society that does not appreciate the priesthood and marriage?
The Catholic Anchor recently asked several people in the Anchorage Archdiocese the same question. See their responses below.
Letters to the Editor
There are no letters to the editor for this issue.