April 18, 2008 - Issue #8
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Transformed Preacher
From Pentecostal preacher to Catholic deacon, Alex Jones shares how a pursuit of early Christian roots lead him to the Catholic Church
Alex Jones had no intention of becoming a Catholic. When everything started to change in the winter of 1998, the African-American preacher was at the height of his pastoral ministry, leading the vibrant Maranatha Christian Church in Detroit, a predominantly black evangelical church.
Jones founded the congregation in 1982 and said that in those circles, the Catholic Church was often viewed with suspicion. From the outside, it seemed to be a white man’s religion, which once segregated Communion lines and even held slaves.
No, Jones did not want to be Catholic. He did, however, love the Bible and wanted to explore it more deeply. He also wanted to explore the roots of his Christian heritage.
In January 1998, he led a Wednesday night Bible study with 35 members of his church. In the course of studying early church worship, Jones and several dozen members of his church embarked on a two-year journey that transformed their faith and eventually led them to the Catholic Church.
"It was a hunger to know and experience more and to place Christianity within it’s fullest and most complete reality that brought me to the Catholic Church," Jones explained in an interview last month with the Anchor. He was in Alaska to speak at Theology on Tap presentations in Anchorage and Kenai.
On April 14, 2001 Jones and 54 members of his church came into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Jones is now a deacon for the Archdiocese of Detroit, where he works with three different parishes. In May 2007, he retired after two years as director of evangelization. He now writes and travels the country to inspire fellow Catholics to embrace the fullness of their faith.
Deacon Jones’ new book, "No Price Too High," describes his faith journey, including the challenges and sufferings he experienced in leaving the evangelical church which he pastured for nearly 20 years.
The following is the first installment of a two-part interview with Deacon Jones.
Text is edited for length and clarity.
Well I’m a bible teacher – I love teaching the word of God — and I wanted to teach my people more about the church’s community. The church is a community of believers, a body. We live together and worship together. So, I had this idea of going through the Pastoral Epistles, First and Second Timothy and Titus. When we came to the second chapter of First Timothy and it talks about worship, I had this great brainstorm of an idea: Let’s experience early Christian worship so we get a feel of what St. Paul is saying to the church. That way we can get a better understanding of how Christians have always worshiped.
I challenged my class, about 35 people to it and they said, "Great, let’s do it." That was late January 1998. We were meeting in a classroom and so we set a date to meet in the church sanctuary and I’d set it up like early Christians and we’d worship.
What happened as you prepared for this worship session?
In doing research, that’s when the door slightly came ajar. I had read the seven letters of Ignatius. I began to read the apostolic fathers and church fathers. When I read Ignatius, he speaks of the flesh of Jesus and the blood of Jesus as though he believes that was literally his flesh and his blood. Here’s an apostolic father who knew St. John and he’s talking about Eucharist as the flesh of Jesus and the cup as his blood. This peaked my interest.
Three things came out of that. First, I discovered that the church was hierarchical by about the second century – bishop, priest and deacon. It was also liturgical as well as charismatic. They had a form of worship, pretty much how it is today but not exactly. The liturgy has evolved. The most eye opening was that it was Eucharistic centered. Eucharist was the center of worship, not preaching, not the gifts of the Spirit but the Eucharist. As I read more, I became excited because I was opening up a dimension of Christianity that I didn’t know existed.
I planned to have the Wednesday evening experiment along the lines of Justin Martyr. I got my hands on an early Christian liturgy book that goes back to the Upper Room and how that evolved to the love feast and the Eucharist. I could see the evolution as clear as day. We had our experiment on March 19, 1998 and it didn’t go over well at all – way too Catholic. But I had launched myself on a path to find out the truth. As I continued to examine historic Christianity further, and compared it to the Scriptures I had read for years, things began to fall into place.
We had about 200 families but as time went on it dwindled. People were saying, "He’s becoming Catholic, I can see it." I would say, "No I’m not, no I’m not." They would say, "Oh yes you are," and they began to leave.
When I changed Sunday worship to liturgy of the Eucharist and liturgy of the word, and I began to substitute real wine instead of grape juice and use the chalice instead of little cups, and use wafers instead of the little pieces of cracker, people got suspicious.
I was on a journey. When I uncovered the authenticity of the biblical church, I knew I had to be a part of it. At that point, I could have just resigned and come to the Catholic Church with my family or I could do something that had not been done. That was to take what I had learned to the church and tell them. As a loving pastor, how could I uncover truth and not share that with my people? It’s like finding a really green pasture and keeping the sheep from going into it. I asked the church to allow me to share my discovery with them and they said yes.
On the first Sunday of 2000, I called the whole church together and said I had been denying this for a year and a half but, yes, I am going to become Catholic because what I have uncovered is true and I want to share that with you. I want to answer your questions. I know you have many questions about the Catholic Church. I’ve understood that we have been mis-taught, mis-educated and misinformed. We have much prejudice against Catholics but just give me an opportunity to answer your questions and tell you what the church really teaches.For six months I taught about the faith. On Sundays I preached Christ and him crucified but on Wednesdays I talked about Mary, about purgatory, about worship, about Eucharist. The church gave me that opportunity. Those who didn’t come to hear me on Wednesday nights, gradually ended up going to other churches. Those who did attend ended up coming into the Catholic Church with me.
Marian apparition has Alaska connection
Rare statue makes mysterious journey to Talkeetna
An unusual figure of Mary stands outside St. Bernard Church in Talkeetna.
Brought to Alaska in 1980s by Father Thomas Powers, the slender statue with outstretched arms remains a mystery to local parishioners.
"For twenty-five years, we didn’t know anything about it," said pastoral administrator Renamary Rauchenstein.
For many years, the only oddity about the statue was that it was missing hand, she said.
"Father Powers was always known for saying that we were supposed to be her hand," said parishioner Suzy Kellard. "We thought she was made that way."
New revelations about the statue emerged when now retired Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley brought a friend of his, Msgr. John Sullivan, up from the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Msgr. Sullivan quickly noted that the statue was identical to one at St. Ann Church in Salt Lake City.
"He told us about a man who lived next door to the church who decided to do a study and find out more about the statues," Rauchenstein recalled.
She wrote the man, Steve Schaffer, and he revealed a fascinating history behind the Talkeetna statue.
"That was when we decided it was a little more special than we thought," Rauchenstein said.
According to Schaffer, the statue of Mary was cast from a Marian statue called Our Lady of Beauraing in Belgium.
Between Nov. 29, 1932 and Jan. 3, 1933, Mary reportedly appeared to five Belgian children in a hawthorn tree in Beauraing, Belgium. In 1949, the Catholic Church officially recognized the Marian apparitions.
In the course of his research, Schaffer learned that during World War II, U.S. soldier George Herter, served in Belgium and brought a piece of the hawthorn tree from Beauraing back with his wife and son. On the journey home, his son became deathly ill from typhoid. The soldier placed a piece of the tree under his son’s pillow and his son was healed, according to Schaffer’s research.
In thanksgiving, Herter cast 50 statues, placing a splinter of the hawthorn tree in each statue and distributed it around the U.S. from his native town of Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Schaffer managed to track down the location of six of those statues plus the one in Talkeetna. Five statues wound up in Minnesota including one in a church and another in a convent.
After hearing this story, Talkeetna parishioners decided to pay a bit more attention to their statue.
"We made a shelter to keep the snow off," said Kellard.
Another man fixed the statue’s broken hand, and a local artist built an encasement for the statue.
How the statue wound up in Alaska, however, continues to baffle parishioners.
"I’ve asked people, but no one knows," said Rauchenstein.
Parishioners said they hope people in Alaska come see their treasure, and maybe help offer insight into its intriguing history."It’s such a great mystery of how it even got to Alaska," Kellard said. "We hope to add to the story and find out!"
Lumen Christi receives national accreditation
Local Catholic school improves library, other areas
Lumen Christi Jr./ Sr. High School reached an academic landmark recently.
The Catholic school affiliated with St. Benedict Church in Anchorage received accreditation with the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.
Adrian Dominican Sister Ann Fallon said the recognition is "the gold standard" of accreditation.
Sister Fallon, superintendent of archdiocesan schools, said the Northwest Association is part of the nationwide network of accreditation, which serves as a benchmark for universities and colleges throughout the U.S.
The only other Catholic school in the archdiocese with this accreditation is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a K-6 school in South Anchorage.
Interviewers, who assessed the school, were impressed with both staff and students, Sister Fallon said.
"They were struck by the empowerment that the students felt, and by the student government program," she said. "They were also pleased with the library improvement."
The library at Lumen Christi was very limited when the accreditation team first arrived three years ago. But thanks to the resources of a friend of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, the library received a huge boost.
Along with volumes of books, the donor also provided three computers, computer desks and programs.
The assessment team suggested the schoolwork on improvement in two areas: a crisis plan for the school, and better in-service opportunities for teachers.
"Even the best school in the world will get things to work on," Sister Fallon said, while adding that her office is currently developing in-service programs for the new archdiocesan school system.
Jim Yeargan, Lumen Christi’s principal, said the school’s students made a big impression on the accreditation team.
"They were really impressed with their high verbal skills, their enthusiasm, their involvement in the school, and of course, their good manners," he said.
Senior Katy Portell was one of the students interviewed. She said the team wanted students to give their take on the school and staff.
"They wanted to know if the teachers engaged us in our classes," Portell said. "They even asked how we liked our uniforms."
This fall, Portell plans to attend the University of Portland, a Holy Cross school in Portland, Oregon.
Yeargan and Sister Fallon both said that accreditation plays a very small part in whether students are accepted at good colleges – more important are the student’s test scores, community service and involvement.
But, accreditation does lend credibility to a school, Yeargan said.
"You can put a lot of fancy words in a brochure," he explained. "But accreditation lets people know that you’re really doing what you say you are."
The three-person accreditation team included chairperson Jim Bailey, former principal at West High School and newly hired principal at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Don McDermott, retired dean of the school of education at University of Alaska Anchorage, and Chuck Fannon, principal of South Anchorage High School.
Irishman discerns Alaska priesthood
World traveler ready to settle in Alaska
A highly educated, world-traveling Irishman has finally decided that Alaska is the place where he’d like to finally join the priesthood.
And the Archdiocese of Anchorage is eager to get acquainted with Jordan McCambridge over the next couple of years.
"This will be a true gift from God if it works," said Father Jim Oberle, the pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Big Lake. Father Oberle will work with the seminarian as he acclimates to Alaska.
McCambridge, 43, comes from Larne, in Northern Ireland but hasn’t spent much of his life in the little port city 20 miles north of Belfast.
"I’ve worked in New Zealand, Australia, Peru, East Africa, and Mexico," he told the Anchor. Most of those stops have included teaching work.
McCambridge holds degrees in philosophy and literature, as well as a master’s degree in theology. He’s studied in England and completed work for ordination in Belgium at the Catholic University in Leuven. He also spent eight years as a monk, most of them in New Mexico.
He might be called a "priest-in-waiting."
But it’s not as easy as that, both McCambridge and Father Oberle agree.
First, McCambridge had to go through standard psychological tests and background checks. In addition, the archdiocese wants him to experience two Alaska winters before making a final decision.
"He certainly has all his academic work completed, and then some," Father Oberle said. "But the archdiocese needs a period of time to get to know him. We’ve certainly been very impressed so far.
McCambridge is serving in Wasilla at Sacred Heart Church for the summer. Over the next few months, he will receive mentoring from the trio of Mat-Su priests: Father Tom Brundage from St. Michael’s in Palmer, Father Bill Fornier from Sacred Heart in Wasilla and Father Oberle.
"He’ll do vacation bible school, youth and young adult ministry, hospital ministry, the soup kitchen, probably the prison," said Father Oberle – in other words, he’ll get a real taste of what it’s like to work as a parish priest in Alaska.
In the fall, he is scheduled to move into Anchorage to learn the ropes there.
If all goes well, McCambridge could be ordained a transitional deacon in the summer of 2009, with ordination to the priesthood in summer 2010, said Father Oberle.
McCambridge’s personal history includes first hand knowledge of the Irish "Troubles," as the Catholic-Protestant violence of the 1970s and beyond was called.
His father’s family was devoutly Catholic, but his mother grew up a Protestant and came from a village without a single resident Catholic. Her family wasn’t pleased with the wedding.
As a youngster, McCambridge saw violence strike his little village of Larne. Two cousins were killed, and an aunt survived nine bullets during an attack at her house.
The violence was so bad that even the village church was burned down, and for a while the McCambridge family sought refuge by moving to England.
Fortunately, the peace process has brought a measure of harmony to Northern Ireland, and McCambridge’s 74-year-old father is home again in Larne. His mother is deceased.
McCambridge said his decision to seek the priesthood in Anchorage – even though it’s one of the few places in the world he hadn’t visited – was made after much discernment and advice from priests he knew in the Lower-48.
"I couldn’t see myself in your average huge metropolis," the Irishman said. "And I felt called to a place that has more parishes than priests. In Ireland we still think the priest shortage means we have only one priest in a parish instead of two."
McCambridge said his great inspiration is Father Damien of Molokai, the Belgian missionary who gave his life working in a leper colony.
"He wrote to his mother whom he presumed – rightly – that he would never see again. He said, ‘those who truly seek God are happy anywhere.’"
Pioneer spirit helps run rural church
St. Bernard’s in Talkeetna is a volunteer effort
Nearly every parishioner at the rugged little church in Talkeetna is actively involved in running the rural Alaska parish.
And no one is paid.
Nestled at the foothills of the largest mountain in North America, St. Bernard Catholic Church consists of about 35 dedicated families.
Led by volunteer parish administrator Renamary Rauchenstein, the parish is reminiscent of Alaska’s pioneer days or perhaps even the early church.
A traveling priest visits the parish as often as possible but most parish decisions and responsibilities are decided once a month in town-hall style meetings.
"It’s been wonderful, not every parish can do this," Rauchenstein said. "Ninety percent of the people are involved in over 10 different committees."
"It’s a small parish, a small town, but Renamary is a great leader," echoed parishioner Suzy Kellard.
The two women liken their church to an extended family. When someone hears of a parishioner in need, people rally to help out, either through supplying meals, prayers or delivering Communion to the sick.
Keller describes a volunteer spirit would be the envy of many parishes.
"We have some really talented people here, like Tammy Reinhert — when she moved up here, right away she pitched in to help out with music," Kellard said.
And the helping hands reach far beyond the borders of Talkeetna.
"About a quarter of what we make here (collections, fundraisers) goes to outreach," Rauchenstein said.
Kellard and her daughter also help the less fortunate in the Upper Susitna Valley through a parish-run food bank.
"Between here and Trapper Creek, we serve over 100 to 130 families," she said.
The small church also takes on a giant task each summer, playing host to literally thousands of tourists and mountain climbers who come to the small town for its most famous landmark — the 20,320 foot Mt. McKinley. During the summer, tourists flock to the church to attend Mass or quietly pray.
"It’s a pretty full house," Kellard said. "We end up having two Masses so parishioners can go in the evening."
Parishioners say many climbers attend church to pray before attempting to summit McKinley.
"St. Bernard is actually the patron saint of mountain climbers," Rauchenstein said. "We have an ice axe in the church dedicated to St. Bernard from one man who successfully summited the mountain."
Rauchenstein credits the parish’s volunteer spirit to the work of Holy Name Sister Louise Tibbets, who served the church more than 20 years ago, when the summer crowds were just beginning to grow.
"She taught us all," Rauchenstein said. "She could see the writing on the wall, and knew we would have to take care of ourselves, but she inspired us to know that we could do this."
"People just started coming forward," Kellard agreed, while attributing part of the community atmosphere to Rauchenstein’s leadership. "Once people stepped forward, they enjoyed it and planned their Sunday’s around (volunteering)!"
Understanding Islamic-Christian relations
Local Catholic driven by familial and educational motives
It’s not everyday that someone travels more than 6,000 miles to answer a burning question.
But local Catholic schoolteacher Marie Nuar, 27, plans to do just that.
"How did Christianity and Islam, which started off so similar — end up so different," Nuar asked in a recent interview with the Anchor. It’s a question she often ponders.
To find answers, the Anchorage resident will pursue graduate level studies overseas next year, beginning in Cairo, Egypt, at the Dar Comboni Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies. The institute is run by the Comboni Missionaries, a Catholic order of priests and religious.
"Most of the professors are leaders in the Catholic-Islamic dialogue," Nuar said.
After spending a year refining her Arabic, she plans to head for Italy and enroll in the Pontifical Institute for Islamic relations.
Nuar, who holds a Masters degree in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, said her ambitious pursuit is driven by a desire to learn more about the world’s largest religion, especially in light of world events over the past few years.
"Islam is becoming a rising force in the world," she explained. "It’s pivotal for so many things, for foreign and world relations and we really need to understand (Islam)."
But Nuar also has a personal motive for her studies. Her father is from Egypt, and she still has family there.
"Really, honestly, I also want to learn the (Arabic) language, to talk to my cousins, so I can know what’s going on," she said. "I like comparative religions and studying them. It was a combination of learning Arabic and learning the comparative religion aspect."
Both Islam and Christianity have similar roots with Abraham and share some ancient philosophical roots, she explained. However, at some point a substantial shift in belief occurred between what are now the world’s two largest religions and Nuar said she hopes to find answers as to why.
"After three years, I will have a licentiate, basically a Masters in Islamic and Arabic studies," she said. "After that, all that’s left is the dissertation for a PhD, which I haven’t decided if I want to go for."
Crucial to her educational pursuit is the ability to study first hand in a place where locals prominently practice Islam.
"Just like Atticus said in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ ‘get into his skin and walk around,’" she said. "I want to talk to Muslims and Christians (who live there) — it’s a different story."
Living among those who practice other religions is the sort of critical first step, which Nuar believes is important for genuine dialogue between Christianity and other religions.
"For Christians, there is not much readily-available information for apologetics (with other religions) like there is for inter-Christian discussions," she said.
After the studies, Nuar said she might take up teaching again.
"I’m not sure, I want to learn more first," she said. "I can see myself teaching college down the road — I have a feeling that yes, I will end up working for the church."
Funeral home director makes work a family affair
Kenai man is third-generation funeral home director
Tim Wisniewski is well acquainted with death.
While most of his fellow Americans tend to avoid thinking about the inevitable, the Kenai resident is a third generation funeral home director, who draws on Catholic faith to carry out his vocation.
It doesn’t seem bother him that most people tend to look away and avoid his line of work. More important to the long-time parishioner of Our Lady of the Angels Church is that he treat every person who comes in — whether deceased or alive — as a brother or sister in Christ.
"It might sound a bit corny, but we like to take care of people as if they were our own family," Wisniewski explained during a recent interview at Peninsula Memorial Chapel in Kenai. "We build a rapport with families we come in contact with. That’s what I would want if I was on the other side of the desk."
With a long tradition of funeral directors in his family, Wisniewski moved from Ohio to Alaska in the late 1970’s. He and his wife, Terri Wisniewski, now own nine funeral homes across the state, as well as a cemetery in Fairbanks.
One of their four children, Grant Wisniewski, works with his father in carrying the family tradition into the fourth generation.
Working with the deceased has made Tim Wisniewski realize that death is an inevitable part of life.
"You know your days are numbered and it’s up to you to live your life," he said.
In his personal life, Wisniewski has seen just how fragile life and health can be. In 2004 he was diagnosed with M.S., which makes it a bit harder to run the business, but he presses on with faith and a positive outlook.
"Without any faith, I’m not sure how I would feel. What would I have to look forward to?" Wisniewski said. "I just try to figure out how I am going to do something, instead of how I can’t."
And while his work is a business, Wisniewski is clear with directors at his other funeral homes that the main focus cannot be the bottom line. Directors aren’t salespersons; they merely showcase what is available without pressing sales or a particular way of conducting the burial ceremonies, he explained.
In working with independent minded Alaskans, Wisniewski has seen a wide range of funeral services through the years. Some have been quite eclectic, with humanistic touches and other have been more formal religious ceremonies.
Families often participate in the funeral preparations, as well, whether to save a little money or to be more involved with the whole burial process as a way to bring closure and healing. Some families participate in dressing the body, digging the grave, even building the casket, Wisniewski explained.
A man of strong faith and heavily involved in his own parish, Wisniewski chooses not to evangelize with words when working with grieving families, unless they bring up matters of faith.
"Faith isn’t something you put on a to-do list, you have to walk the walk," he said.
In that vein, he offers some services free of charge, such as viewing the body because he understands that "when people see, they believe" and that "charging for that would possibly be denying them of that closure."
Wisniewski often encourages people to have a viewing even if the final remains are to be cremated. Viewing the body provides an importance last chance to say goodbye, he said.
Through his career, Wisniewski has had to bury many friends, including several priests.
Redemptorist Father Thaddeus Dean served as a priest on the Kenai Peninsula multiple times during the later part of the 20th century and even baptized some of Wisniewski’s children, before dying 1991.
"I had to pick him up at the rectory, and that was really hard." Wisniewski recalled.
His work has also changed with the times. He now buries more elderly people as Alaska’s pioneers grow older.
In the early years, after moving to Alaska, Wisniewski said he had to bury more young people in the frontier setting of Alaska. This made for difficult moments, especially early on. But for Wisniewski, those times were all part of an uncommon career in the northern most state.
"It’s challenging up here," Wisniewski said. "You almost feel like a missionary."
‘Papa Johnny’ imparts wisdom to kids
Mentors provide direction to at-risk youth
Years later, students from the Alaska Military Youth Academy still call the short but sturdy carpenter "Papa Johnny."
In return he calls them "my kids."
John Lopetrone is a carpentry instructor and mentor at the Academy, which is located at Fort Richardson near Anchorage. The burley Knight of Columbus said he relies on his Catholic faith to show troubled teens a good example while teaching them job skills.
"Faith is one of the things that makes me want to do this," he said.
Lopetrone, 75, has taught at the Academy for the past eight years, including seven as a volunteer. His faith actually led him to the Academy when a fellow Knight showed up at a meeting in uniform. When Lopetrone asked him why he was in uniform, he discovered the man was director of the Youth Academy and that they needed a carpentry teacher.
Lopetrone had recently retired from Air Force Civil Service, where he taught carpentry to young airmen.
"Papa John sees and works to develop the potential in every student," said Beth Summers, a fellow mentor and aftercare coordinator for the Academy. "His students return many years after they graduate, just to talk to and thank him. Papa John walks and talks his faith in devotion to our Lord, the Master Carpenter."
Founded in 1994 as part of the National Guard Youth Challenge program, the Academy uses military techniques to encourage at-risk young men and women, ages 16-19, to become successful citizens. The 22-week program provides youth with instruction in academics, fitness, life skills, job training and community service. They also work toward finishing their high school diploma or GED.
"We are not a ‘boot camp’ or some kind of a lock-down facility," Summers said. "Our definition of ‘at-risk’ students means that they are at risk of not graduating from high school. If they have no secondary degree from our school system, it means they are headed for a limited financial future."
Some cadets struggled in school due to learning disabilities, she said. Others were distracted by fellow students, or felt neglected by the school system. Some came to the Academy because they recognized the need for more structure and discipline in their lives. Still others excelled in school but just want a taste of the military to see if that might be a career or a lifestyle they want to pursue.
Mentors are key to the program since many of the students either come from broken homes or from outside Anchorage, which makes family visits difficult.
"They don’t go home while they’re here," Lopetrone said. "There’s no TV, no newspapers, nothing to distract them. Mentors can take them out for a few hours and talk to the kids."
Lopetrone’s carpentry students have tackled countless community service projects over the years. Projects include building new picnic tables for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church as well as constructing decorative platforms for two local parishes to install statues of the saints.
Most importantly, however, mentors give youth someone to talk to and confide in so they can keep on straight path, Lopetrone said.
"Mentors have enough life experience to help guide their mentee to make wholesome and positive decisions so the young adult has the tools needed to make good decisions for his or her future," Summers added.
While the Academy is not affiliated with any particular religion, the staff recognizes that faith is an important aspect of life and the Academy allows for church services on Sundays and Bible studies mid-week.
"A number of our young people find comfort, peace and meaning in life when they attend the services and begin to explore their spiritual roots," Summer said.
"It’s supposed to be a non-denominational thing, but I do a little preaching on the side," Lopetrone said. By that, he means living an example of the Catholic faith and encouraging the youth he works with to go to church. He would like to see more Catholics volunteer as mentors since, as he puts it, "the Catholics I know are upstanding people."
For more information about the Youth Academy, contact Lopetrone at (907) 345-9566 or call Summers at (907) 384-6101.
Religious Profile: Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series that highlights religious orders in the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
To seek peace through justice. The Congregation ministers in health care, education, social work, community building, counseling, political advocacy, housing for women and children, spiritual direction, pastoral care, work with Native Americans and immigrants.
Currently three sisters serve in Alaska
• Sr. Marilee Murphy - Pastoral Care at Providence Medical Center
• Sr. Betty Kane - Pastoral Care at Ketchikan General Hospital
• Sr. Charlotte Davenport – Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer of the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
The congregation came to Alaska in 1913 to open a hospital in Seward. The hospital was flooded twice between 1913 and 1916. After the second flood the hospital could not be sustained and the order left. The sisters later returned to open a school and hospital in Ketchikan. The order has also served in Fairbanks, providing vacation bible school and leadership in faith formation for the diocese until the early 1980s.
Interesting fact about the congregation: The founder of the Congregation, Margaret Anna Cusack, was a prolific author who penned dozens of books on the lives of the saints, social justice, women and other topics. The profits from these writing were donated to the poor during the Irish Famine and later for the founding of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace.
The congregation’s service is based on the call and discernment of where needs are and where a given sister’s gifts might best be utilized to further the order’s mission.
For more information about the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace visit www.csjp.org or contact Sister Charlotte Davenport at 297-7712.
Mass for founder of Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
On May 3, the Anchorage Archdiocese will celebrate a Mass in honor of the beatification of Mother Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation, who founded the Order of Perpetual Adoration. Sisters from the order have served the Monastery of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in South Anchorage for more than 20 years.
The Anchorage celebration, which is open to the public, is set for the same day as the beatification in Rome.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will begin the night before the celebration at 9 p.m. on May 2. Adoration is set to continue through the night until the 8 a.m. Mass on May 3. The official celebration Mass will begin at 11 a.m. with a reception following.
Those interested in participating in perpetual adoration may contact the Monastery at (907) 344- 3330. The Monastery is located at 2645 E. 72nd Avenue in Anchorage.
In addition to the celebration of their founder’s beatification, the order will also be welcoming two new sisters this spring.
Last summer retired Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley traveled to Mexico to attend the order’s 200th anniversary since its founding. While there, he invited sisters from the order to become a part of the monastery community in Anchorage.
News & Notes
Father Clementich officially retires
Longtime Alaska priest Father LeRoy Clementich has officially retired from active ministry in the Archdiocese of Anchorage. The Holy Cross priest has been reassigned to Holy Cross House, the orders retirement facility at Notre Dame, Indiana.
On March 29, Father Clementich was asked by his order to move to Notre Dame after suffering from lingering health problems for several months.
According to correspondence from the Holy Cross order, Father Clementich’s health is under control.
Due to his age, however, the 83-year-old priest "feels it is time to come back home," the order stated.
Father Clementich was canonical pastor for many rural Catholic parishes and missions in Alaska, during his 15 years in the Anchorage Archdiocese. His Scripture columns in Catholic Anchor have also won many national awards.
Local students offer gift to pope
Catholic School students across the Anchorage Archdiocese offered up hundreds of hours of community service and acts of kindness to Pope Benedict XVI, in honor of his birthday. The pontiff turned 81 years old on April 16, while visiting the U.S for the first time in his papacy. The offering of community service from Alaska joined thousands of others across the nation. Organized by the National Catholic Education Association, thousands of hours were presented to the pope on his birthday.
Archbishop to hold meeting on Catholic schools
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz will hold an informational town hall meeting about the Archdiocesan School system on April 30. The meeting will be held at Providence’s Cancer Center’s Media Room in order to simultaneously teleconference with people from St. Mary’s School in Kodiak. The Town Hall is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
"This is a meeting for all of the archdiocese, not just those parishioners who have a school attached to their parish," said Sister Ann Fallon, Superintendent of Catholic Schools. "I would like to invite everyone to hear abut the schools and learn more about our system."
Topics for discussion at the town hall meeting include looking at the curriculum for various schools and school finances.
"(This is) so we can give everyone a transparent record of where the money is going," Sister Fallon explained.
For more info about the town hall meeting, email nfredrick@caa-ak.org or call 297-7789. For the location of the teleconference in Kodiak, call (907) 486-3513.
Grant for Alaska’s 50th Anniversary
The Alaska Humanities Forum is offering a new grant program for historical state and local community projects to help launch the Alaska Statehood experience. The Rasmuson Foundation helped provide the forum with $1 million. The program encourages groups to come up with creative ideas to explore all the aspects of Alaska’s journey to statehood through a variety of ways, including media, art exhibits, panels and oral history. Schools will receive a portion of the funding. Students, classes, schools and youth clubs are encouraged to apply.
The deadline for grant applications is May 15. For more information, visit www.akhf.org, email grants@akhf.org or call Laura Schue at 907-272-5373.
Spaghetti dinner fundraiser
Lumen Christi High school will hold its final fund-raising event of the year with a Spaghetti Dinner on Friday, April 18. Chef Bernie Rapp of Kinley’s will prepare the Italian feast for two feedings at St. Benedict’s Church at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. For more information call 245-2195.
Speech contest in Eagle River
The public is invited to an evening of rhetoric and entertainment at the Old Saint Andrew Church. The sixth annual St. Andrew Gavel Club Speech Contest will be held on Wednesday, April 23, beginning with a Spaghetti dinner at 6 p.m. The event is also seeking volunteer judges. For more information, email Julie Galligan at jgalligan@caa-ak.org or call 297-7710.
ACYC Registration open
The Alaska Catholic Youth Conference is taking early registration for their conference this summer. The conference is scheduled for June 2-5 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage. Cost is $75 for pre-registration or $85 at the door. For more information, contact Matthew Beck at matthewb@st-mikeparish.org call him at 745-3229.
Columns
Annual Appeal allows Archdiocese to incarnate the Gospel
It’s time again to talk about our archdiocese’s annual appeal, One Bread, One Body.
In a recent issue of the Catholic Anchor, we published the annual report of the archdiocese’s finances. In that report we detailed the success of the annual appeal last year, which resulted in nearly $800,000 donated to help fund the ministries and programs of the archdiocese and local parishes.
Twenty percent of our parish families contributed an average of $400 to the appeal last year, which made possible our work in bringing the message of the Gospel across Southcentral Alaska.
The success of the annual appeal effort is important for two reasons. First, because it takes the involvement and commitment of us all to live out our mission. Secondly, because it solidifies for each of us that we are one church even though we worship and serve in different parishes.
The annual appeal is a request for all Catholics in the archdiocese to partner by sharing their treasures so that we can serve others throughout Southcentral Alaska.
I realize that parishioners face many of the same challenges that the archdiocese does: higher heating and fuel prices, increased health insurance costs, and the rising prices of just about everything at the grocery store. It costs more now to operate our archdiocesan ministries, just as it costs more for you to operate your households. However, I hope you view the ministries of our archdiocese and at your parish as important enough to warrant your investment.
Your contributions to the One Bread – One Body appeal help fund outreach to Hispanic, Alaska Native, and other minority communities; development of our Catholic school system; faith formation programs; vocations recruitment and support for seminarians; continuing education for priests and clergy; the programs of Catholic Social Services; ministries offered through the Office of Evangelization, Holy Spirit Center, and programs for youth and young adults.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage covers 138,985 square miles and encompasses an area larger than the six states in New England and New York combined. When we are so spread out, it’s easy to forget that we have common goals. In remote parishes, the work to serve people is much different than parishes nestled in urban neighborhoods.
Parishes that depend on traveling priests operate differently from parishes that have full-time pastors. We all, however, have a stake in vibrant parish communities, regardless of their locations and available local resources.
The annual appeal is one way to serve our larger faith family.
All we have comes from God and we do God’s work on earth by nurturing and sharing the gifts he gives. It’s critical that our financial stewardship extend beyond our parishes so that we can serve all people throughout the archdiocese and beyond.
What we accomplish at our parishes is vital; what we accomplish as the larger church is also vital. Each of us has a responsibility to be faithful stewards of our parishes and the larger faith community.
Thank you for your past support. I encourage you to learn more about the annual appeal and what it means for your parish and your archdiocese. I also ask that you and your family prayerfully consider supporting the work of our church by making a gift to the One Bread – One Body campaign. I am grateful for your generous and kind response.
The author is the Archbishop of Anchorage.
Catholics are called to advocacy
It occurred to me one day that of all the individuals of various careers who I have known during my lifetime, I have never had any close relationship, professional or otherwise, with an attorney.
Perhaps to some that may sound fortunate, realizing the sort of work that attorneys are called to do. I insist, nonetheless, that I have at least a passing deference for men and women of law. I assume that they feel that they are advocates, folks called to stand before and defend those who cannot defend themselves.
A person who comes to mind as a particularly adept advocate is Johnnie Cochran who became famous some years ago in the O.J. Simpson trial. Say what you will whether or not justice was served in that trial, it would seem true to say that Mr. Cochran worked hard to obtain a favorable verdict in his client’s behalf. (Remember the famous black glove scene?)
What some may not know, however, is that Johnnie Cochran did not always defend the rich and famous. For many years he was known as the "Saint of East L.A.," the man to whom ordinary folks could go if they needed someone to defend them. Realizing the high cost of legal defense, Mr. Cochran, soon became a popular man "I know my own better than any," he would often remark because he himself was born in the deep South, Shreveport, Louisiana, the great grandson of slaves, the grandson of sharecroppers, son of an insurance salesman. Defense of the poor was an intricate part of Johnnie’s Cochran’s character and calling.
Given this background, it has always seemed to me that advocacy is a special calling. If this is the task to which you feel you are called, you need to set aside your own feelings and preferences in order to think and feel like the one you are defending. Perhaps identification is the appropriate word in this context, becoming one in mind and heart with the victim who looks to you for support.
For obvious reasons, Jesus of Nazareth never thought of himself as a legalist (rabbis covered that task.) Nonetheless, it is clear from the gospels that Jesus had a fierce sense of justice for the poor. Many of his sermons were spoken specifically in favor of those who had no defense, the anawim (poor ones) of Yahweh.
It is interesting to note, therefore, that he also had a special concern for those who chose to join him on his great project called, "The proclamation of the Kingdom." These men, the apostles, were not particularly skilled in theology, much less the law. For that reason, Jesus had a particular affection for them. He acted as their advocate during all those days on the road. When the time came for him to depart, he promised them "another advocate," a permanent defender who would be with them always.
Theologically, this tells me that Christ’s Church still has its advocates: bishops, theologians, ordinary Christians too, the vox populi, who believe that there is something sacred, something mysterious, something beautiful and lasting that should be defended at all cost.
Granted, we Catholics are not a particularly contentious people; we do not go out looking for a religious battle. We do not ordinarily go from door to door making our spiel. Nonetheless, we are known to take firm and intelligent positions on issues that matter: Justice and peace, opposition to unjustified aggression, the death penalty, defense of life from the womb to the tomb.
So whether or not we are lawyers, let us insist, that the Spirit of Jesus still commits us to the holy work of advocacy. I don’t think Johnnie Cochran or most lawyers would have a problem with that.
The writer recently moved to Notre Dame in Indiana after serving the Anchorage Archdiocese as pastor and coordinator of parishes without resident priests.
Hope amidst miscarriage
With the miscarriage of our first child, I’ve had a difficult time relating to most anything I’ve read. I tend to be passionate and emotional, and with that comes much anger and sadness over the passing of our baby.
But I have a military background and my husband is military. These have helped me to occasionally see the other side of things.
I heard a question that made things clearer.
"What soldier feels sorry for another who goes home early from the war?"
I don’t understand everything, and I don’t think I ever will, but this question helped me write about my loss.
I would never feel sorry for a soldier who was sent home early from war to be with family and loved ones. I would, however, feel sorry for those soldiers who must stay behind until it is their turn to go home.
Is a miscarriage not much the same?
We want our children to grow and thrive — to be happy and healthy — but when it is not God’s will for our children to continue on to birth and into the world, we feel angry, depressed, sad and hurt and even deceived. That’s okay, we have to go through all of the human emotions to eventually find some peace.
For some, our faith may waiver. How could our God be so cruel and uncaring? What kind of God would allow us so much pain and heartache?
I believe the answer is a merciful, loving God.
Many of us have no explanation for the loss of our children. For some the heart just stopped beating, for others there was diagnosis of incurable disease, or the baby wasn’t growing properly. For the most part we just don’t know. Technology has come a long way but it cannot tell us God’s will.
I am not sorry for our little soldier who went home early. Instead, I am sorry that I didn’t have the opportunity to hold him in my arms while he slept or watch my husband teach him to play catch or wake up in the middle of the night to comfort him. I am sorry that we only got a short time with him.
Even though I mourn for his loss and still want him, I know that God has reasons for taking him back. I will miss our baby until he meets me in heaven, but I cannot feel sorry that he gets to go home early.
The writer is a Catholic and a journalist for the Alaska Army National Guard.
Editorials
He’s no stuffed suit
Some called him the "Vatican Watchdog" for guarding Catholic orthodoxy, others pegged him the "German Rottweiler" for censoring wayward theologians. When elected pope in 2005, he was hailed by some as "B16."
In his first papal trip to the United States, much of the media surrounding Pope Benedict XVI has focused on his work as a defender of orthodox Catholic theology during the years that he led the Vatican office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
While the word "orthodoxy" might inspire images of stuffy, tight-suited men who cringe at open-mindedness, it would be a mistake to lump Pope Benedict with this crowd. In fact, even his critics acknowledge the German pontiff’s creative wisdom and daring courage.
As the pope wraps up his much-anticipated visit to the U.S. this week, perhaps an excerpt from G.K. Chesterton’s book "Orthodoxy," would shed better light on the life and work of this theologian-pope who must tirelessly proclaim the true Gospel of Christ.
Chesterton, the great Catholic writer of the last century, penned the following quote exactly 100 years ago to describe why the historic church has always been an adventurous defender of orthodox theology.
It was only a matter of an inch; but an inch is everything when you are balancing. The Church could not afford to swerve a hair’s breadth on some things if she was to continue her great and daring experiment of the irregular equilibrium. Once let one idea become less powerful and some other idea would become too powerful. It was no flock of sheep the Christian shepherd was leading, but a herd of bulls and tigers, of terrible ideals and devouring doctrines, each one of them strong enough to turn to a false religion and lay waste the world. Remember that the Church went in specifically for dangerous ideas; she was a lion tamer.
The idea of birth through a Holy Spirit, of the death of a divine being, of the forgiveness of sins, or the fulfillment of prophecies, are ideas which, any one can see, need but a touch to turn them into something blasphemous or ferocious...
A sentence phrased wrong about the nature of symbolism would have broken all the best statues in Europe. A slip in the definitions might stop all the dances; might wither all the Christmas trees or break all the Easter eggs. Doctrines had to be defined within strict limits, even in order that man might enjoy general human liberties. The Church had to be careful, if only that the world might be careless.
This is the thrilling romance of Orthodoxy. People have fallen into a foolish habit of speaking of orthodoxy as something heavy, humdrum, and safe. There never was anything so perilous or so exciting as orthodoxy. It was sanity and to be sane is more dramatic than to be mad. It was the equilibrium of a man behind madly rushing horses, seeming to stoop this way and to sway that, yet in every attitude having the grace of statuary and the accuracy of arithmetic. The Church in its early days went fierce and fast with any warhorse; yet it is utterly unhistoric to say that she merely went mad along one idea, like a vulgar fanaticism. She swerved to left and right, so exactly as to avoid enormous obstacles. She left on one hand the huge bulk of Arianism, buttressed by all the worldly powers to make Christianity too worldly. The next instance she was swerving to avoid an orientalism, which would have made it too unworldly.
The orthodox Church never took the tame course or accepted the conventions; the orthodox Church was never respectable. It would have been easier to have accepted the earthly power of the Arians. It would have been easy, in the Calvinistic seventeenth century, to fall into the bottomless pit of predestination. It is easy to be a madman; it is easy to be a heretic. It is always easy to let the age have its head; the difficult thing is to keep one’s own. It is always easy to be a modernist; as it is easy to be a snob...
It is always simple to fall; there are an infinity of angles at which one falls, only one at which one stands. To have fallen into any one of the fads from Gnosticism to Christian Science would indeed have been obvious and tame. But to have avoided them all has been one whirling adventure; and in my vision the heavenly chariot flies thundering through the ages, the dull heresies sprawling and prostrate, the wild truth reeling but erect.
— Joel Davidson
Letter to the Editor
A key to marriage preparation
I recently read the article "Working With Nature" (March 8). On the whole I found it excellent, but I noticed a couple areas that need clarification.
Regarding claims of efficiency, modern methods of Natural Family Planning, namely the Ovulation Method and the Sympto-Thermal Method, can be up to 99 percent effective. Effectiveness of these methods, however, depends on a number of factors, namely: the couple’s motivation, competent teaching, good understanding and respect of the rules of the method. If any of these are lacking, the effectiveness for the particular couple will be less.
With regard to the article’s description of the Sympto-Thermal Method (which is the method that my husband and I teach), it is more than a temperature-based method but instead combines observation, charting, and analysis of several fertile and infertile signs including the woman’s basal body temperature and others signs.
The method that uses only basal body temperature is called the Temperature Method, which is less reliable than either the Ovulation Method or the Sympto-Thermal Method.
My husband and I are an accredited teacher-couple of the Sympto-Thermal Method, which we teach in Serena, British Columbia.
It is good that the recent article provided links to local teaching organizations in Alaska for both NFP methods. I am pleased to see that NFP courses are mandatory components of marriage preparation in some Alaska parishes. Here, NFP teachers simply provide an information session at marriage preparation courses and couples are given informational leaflets. They can then seek NFP instruction on their own but, since it’s not mandatory, many do not. It would be good if priests spoke on the church’s teaching about birth control more often, and in a positive way. Our priests also need to facilitate people being informed about the effectiveness and other benefits of modern NFP methods. There is much work to be done. Personally, I would love to see every engaged couple (except those advanced in years or otherwise infertile due to medical reasons) provide a certificate of completion for an NFP course to their pastor before marriage. We all need to pray.
Serena, British Columbia