May 2, 2008 - Issue #9
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
The Humanity of Benedict
Q & A with Archbishop Schwietz
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz saw Pope Benedict XVI twice during his papal visit to the United States last month, once at the White House and then later during a meeting with U.S. bishops. The Anchor spoke with Archbishop Schwietz about the significance of the papal trip, both for the nation and for Catholics in Alaska.
He is saying that faith and reason can go together and in fact must go together because that is how we are made as human beings. That is really a challenge to those who are trying to secularize this country to the extent that faith becomes meaningless and religious practice becomes meaningless when it has to be private and no one can talk about it. We cannot afford to privatize religion. That is not part of our founding fathers’ attitude and it would destroy our country as we conceive of it.
He showed both a knowledge and admiration for our history as a country. He was there to affirm us as both Christians and Americans. He didn’t come as someone to scold us or berate us. He came as a person to bolster our faith and to encourage us to be a people of hope.
He very courageously addressed the issue directly but didn’t stop there. He acknowledged the victims and their pain and then he invited all of us to move forward with a sense of hope. He didn’t simply look back at the scandal, but encouraged us to move on, knowing that God is in the midst of the pain and suffering. He called us to once again become an evangelizing church. He also modeled for us bishops what we have struggled to do the last several years."
He called us to move ahead in the spirit of the ‘New Evangelization’ of Pope John Paul II. I found his words an affirmation of what we have been trying to do here in the archdiocese. We are trying to be as open as possible about the diocese, the finances, the ways in which we are dealing with the sexual abuse issue and to honestly address those who have been affected by the scandal. We are committed to creating an atmosphere that is safe for children and he didn’t say that we had gone too far or are being overly zealous.
As head of this new U.S. bishops’ super committee on the laity, family and married life, I’m interested in the fact that he came back again and again to the theme of family. He encouraged us strongly to focus on supporting family life. He is doing this as a remedy for dealing with barriers to faith. He names these barriers as secularism, materialism and individualism and he is challenging the bishops to deal with these barriers from the perspective of supporting family life.
He came to us, not only as the successor of Peter but also as a human being who has many wonderful human qualities that people did not seem to recognize before. A number of people expressed some kind of dismay when he was elected pope but they did not experience him in ways that I have before he became pope. He is a very gentle man, very respectful of others, a tremendous listener and very much aware of people who come to him. As the successor of Peter, he dealt with the president and the United Nations and brought a message of hope and challenge and defended the dignity of the human person and the human family. On the other hand, he showed his compassion and genuine care for us as people. It was a marvelous combination. It was genius. He is a wonderful teacher but we had more than Benedict the teacher, here, we had Benedict the pastor."
When he met with people with handicaps, he made a point to go to each one of them and touch them. He showed there a gentleness that was a tremendous message."
Changing with Vatican II
50th Anniversaries: Alaskan priests, religious describe Vatican II impact
Four archdiocesan priests and religious are celebrating 50th anniversaries of ministry this year. The Anchor took the occasion to ask the group what it was like to serve during the momentous years of change brought about by the Second Vatican Council.
Father Stan Allie, 78, calls Alaska "home," even though he’s still incardinated in the Diocese of Albany, New York, where he was ordained in May, 1958.
Father Allie said the years immediately following Vatican II were challenging.
"It was tough," the pastor admits. "There was so much confusion and everything seemed in turmoil."
As a young priest, the New Yorker dreamed of Alaska, and decided to write to the archbishop of the new Archdiocese of Anchorage, Joseph Ryan.
"I sat down to write, and there was a window by my desk," Father Allie recalled. "I looked out and there was Archbishop Ryan walking into the rectory."
The prelate was there to visit Father Allie’s pastor, but the young priest took advantage of the coincidence to tell the Archbishop Ryan of his interest.
By 1969, Father Allie was in Alaska. He has served in rural missions and large city parishes all across Southcentral Alaska.
Following the council, it was hard to educate Catholics about the rapid changes in the liturgy, Father Allie recalled. This was compounded by the fact that great cultural changes in the U.S. coincided with the conciliar changes.
"So many religious were leaving, and for some it was a sheer hanging on," he said.
"But the Holy Spirit is in charge," he added. "And ultimately, it was a good thing. It clarified a lot of things. And those who stayed became stronger."
Jesuit Father Vincent Beuzer saw the council’s changes from an entirely different perspective. The life-long academic was a graduate student in Rome at Gregorian University the year before, and two years during the council.
"I didn’t find the intimidation many priests felt," the Jesuit recalled. He studied the changes as they happened and also studied the sources of many of the council’s writings.
Father Beuzer began his formation with the Society of Jesus in 1945 and was ordained in 1958 — four years before Vatican II began. As a young Jesuit, he served as academic vice principal at Seattle Preparatory School, and later spent 22 years at Gonzaga University, where he chaired the theology department.
Father Beuzer spent the last 22 years ministering in Alaska at Holy Spirit Center, including 11 years as executive director.
A well-known spiritual director, he’s developed a spiritual directors’ training program, and helped bring the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius into the lives of many through Center programs.
With most of his 50 years as a priest coming after Vatican II, Father Beuzer sees the council as a return to original sources.
"The Council says very specifically that theology should be rooted soundly in Scripture," said the theologian. "Go back to the sources. It was the same with religious life, with the Jesuits – go back to your founders, go back to the sources."
Has the council been implemented well, or is there more to do?
"Yes and yes," Father Beuzer laughed. "We’ve come a million miles. But we have a lot to do."
Like Father Allie, Mercy Sister Jean Pyper was in the trenches when the tidal wave of change hit the church. She took her first vows in 1958, and wore the old habit, complete with rosary beads hanging to the floor.
While academics and theologians debated in rarefied air, Catholics who experienced the nuts and bolts changes sometimes found them "traumatic," said the Pennsylvania native. The change in dress was especially difficult for some older religious, she said.
"But I see it (the council changes) as a very good thing. As religious, we’re much more involved with the people. We’re off that pedestal, and people see us as we really are," she said.
Although Sister Pyper dreamed of being a missionary, the Mercies had other plans for her, and she spent 33 years teaching school.
"As you grow older, you look for a new vision," she recalls. That vision brought her to Alaska, where’s she worked at St. Francis House, a program of Catholic Social Services, since 1989.
"I’m definitely happy with the ‘new’ church," she said. "Women have more freedom to go about and do things we never did before.
Also celebrating her 50th this year is Little Sister of Jesus Marie Josephe Brin, who made her first profession in 1958 in Montreal, Canada.
Still speaking with a lilting French accent, Sister Brin has spent a half-century in the ministry of presence and humility that characterize her religious order. Most recently, she’s devoted time to visiting the sick at the Alaska Native Medical Center.
"I like the spirit that came from Vatican Council II," Sister Brin said simply.
She compared the church today to the church which received her into first vows 50 years ago."Personally I like it better now," she said softly. "I thank God for the times I’ve had and the time I still have."
Walking the pro-life talk
Down syndrome: Palin’s new baby born with disability
Local Catholic leaders and advocates for the disabled praised Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband Todd for fully embracing the arrival of their fifth child, who was born with Down syndrome on April 18.
In a public statement, the Palin family said they knew, through early testing, that Trig Paxon Van Palin "would face special challenges."
Despite Trig’s disability, the Palins said they felt "privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives."
The Palin family’s public comments stand in contrast to the stark reality that prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome typically results in a 90 percent chance that a woman will choose to abort her child.
Several Catholic leaders expressed admiration for the way the governor and her family embraced their new baby.
"It is a beautiful witness, especially for someone who is so public like the governor," Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz told the Anchor. "Clearly her actions are a public witness to the fact that every child is a gift. This is what the pro-abortion people don’t want to admit to."
Sister Kathleen O’Hara assists people with disabilities at the Joy Community of Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. Two days after Palin gave birth to her son, members of the Joy Community and their families gathered to celebrate Mass at the hospital.
"People who had Down syndrome births were so thrilled with Palin’s response," Sister O’Hara said. "It says a great deal for their deep and abiding faith that they knew they were going to have a hard road ahead and they were willing to do this."
Anchorage resident Natalie Carey has a son in his 30s with Down syndrome and is an active supporter of the Joy Community.
At age 44, Palin was roughly the same age as Carey was when she gave birth to her son three decades ago. Carey was well aware that the chances of having a Down syndrome child increase substantially after age 35.
"When I found out Palin was pregnant, I was concerned about that," Carey said, "but I had every confidence in her because of her right-to-life stance."
"They are such untold blessings," Carey said of children with Down syndrome. "It is a very special world."
As one of the most popular governors in the country, Palin’s decisions are watched closely and scores of media outlets and internet sites around the country have already reported on the birth of her child. Several reports noted the governor’s public witness to the dignity of all human life.
Last year, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that all pregnant women receive the option to test for Down syndrome. Previously, only women 35 years and older were offered the test.
The lead author of that recommendation told the New York Times last year, that "There are many couples who do not want to have a baby with Down syndrome."
She added, that wider testing gives parents a choice on whether to abort.
With the total Down syndrome population now at 350,000 in the U.S., the article stated that many parents worry that dwindling numbers might lead to less medical research and lonelier lives for those who remain.
Judy Waldron is president of the Alaska Chapter of the National Down Syndrome Congress, a local support group for families.
"It is a fact," she said, "that as they detect Down syndrome more, they are being aborted more and more."
While her organization does not take a stand on the abortion issue, Waldron said parents should know that many resources are available to help parents of children with Down syndrome.
"We offer parent-to-parent counseling and support," she said.
Waldron has a 19-year-old daughter with Down syndrome and said she has experienced great joys as a parent.
"It is really rewarding," she said. "With a lot of the normal developmental things, you have to work harder on but they are also more rewarding."
With training and family support, people with Down syndrome can hold jobs and participate in a wide range of social and religious activities.
At the Joy Community, for instance, Sister O’Hara sees people with Down syndrome read Scripture and serve as ministers during Mass.Sister O’Hara noted that the day after Palin gave birth, Pope Benedict XVI met a group of disabled youths in New York.
After blessing each of the 56 children, the pope said that every human has dignity because of "God’s unconditional love, which bathes every human individual."
Archbishop Schwietz saw Palin as a living example of a theme the pope touched on in his recent visit: That people of faith can and should be witnesses in the public square."The Palins are a beautiful example of faith in our society," he said. "They even talked about trusting in God as they move forward."
Terri Schiavo’s brother: ‘Things are getting worse’
Bobby Schindler: On-going efforts bring him to Alaska
The United States will see many more people die of starvation and dehydration unless there is a profound shift in how society views people with severe disabilities, said Bobby Schindler, brother of the late Terri Schiavo.
"We have to change people’s hearts," Schindler told the Anchor in an April 16 interview in Anchorage. He was in Alaska for Theology on Tap speaking engagements in Anchorage, Wasilla and Kenai.
His sister, Terri Schiavo, was a severely mentally handicapped woman, who died three years ago after a widely publicized legal battle, which pitted her husband, who sought to deny her nutrition and hydration, against her parents and siblings who wanted to preserve her life and care for her at home.
Ultimately, a Florida judge ruled in favor of Terri Schiavo’s husband, Michael Schiavo, and issued a court order requiring the removal of all nutrition and hydration. After 14 days, Terri Schiavo died of severe dehydration on March 31, 2005.
Her death ended a nearly 15-year legal battle that began shortly after she mysteriously collapsed and suffered oxygen loss to her brain in 1990.
Bobby Schindler was only 25 when his sister collapsed. He said he never imagined that at age 43 he would spend his days speaking out for the most vulnerable members of society.
"Going into this we were pretty naïve about what is going on in our country today and how people with disabilities like my sister were being treated," he said.
Bobby Schindler now works full time for the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation, a non-profit which advocates for rights of severely handicapped people and their families.
Families across the country call the foundation for assistance.
"The issue didn’t die with Terri," Schindler said. "We get all kinds of calls for help but we try to focus on people whose lives are immediately threatened."
The most common cases they see are slightly different from what Terri Schiavo faced.
Whereas in his sister’s case the struggle was with Terri Schiavo’s husband, now families are fighting the hospitals, Schindler explained.
"The thing we fight more than anything else is dealing with medical futility cases," Schindler said. "That is, doctors in hospitals who are threatening to stop life-sustaining treatment."
"Hospitals might give someone two weeks. If the family doesn’t find another facility for their loved one, they are going to lose treatment," he added.
Many times this might mean losing access to nutrition or hydration, Schindler explained. In a lot of these cases, people have only a short amount of time to find another place for treatment."
The foundation tries to put pressure on hospitals, locate attorneys for families, and contact media outlets to spread awareness of specific cases. But Schindler points out that opposing currents are strong and there is only so much one fledgling non-profit can accomplish in the face of a legal system and a growing medical philosophy that fails to protect the life of the severely disabled.
Media reports about his sister’s mental and physical state also led many to believe that she was comatose and hooked to a ventilator.
In reality, she received only nutrition and hydration and could interact on a basic level with family members, he said.
Schindler makes a distinction between end-of-life issues and the kind of life-sustaining care that his sister needed.
"Terri was not dying," he explained. "She was being sustained by what sustains all of us – basic care – food and water."
But the problem goes deeper than confusing media reports, he said.
The growing calls for voluntary euthanasia, which now includes a ballot measure push in Washington State, are part of a larger social shift regarding the value of people who suffer from disabilities, Schindler said.
"Once we accept that killing is an acceptable answer to human suffering, we lose any type of parameters," he said. "Euthanasia is a form of abandonment. It is not compassion."
While his sister’s case was not technically a case of euthanasia because she was not actively killed, it had the same effect by denying her food and water, he said.
The message that death is the answer to suffering is not one that society should be promoting, he said.
"What does that say to people with disabilities or people who are depressed?" he asked. "What is the threshold of suffering that makes killing an acceptable solution?"
While Schiavo sees hope in many college students and pro-life groups, he still sees a difficult road in the future.
"I don’t want to sound pessimistic or negative but so many nurses and doctors are being taught to have this view, where they think there are situations where it is okay to stop life-sustaining treatment or maybe hasten death," he said. "It’s hard to look at this issue and not think that it is going to get worse."
Part of the problem is the way society views burdens, he explained.
"We don’t want to be dependent on anyone for care and it leads people to end their lives so others don’t have to care for them," Schindler said.
To change this mentality, laws must change, he said.
"I think it comes down to our elected officials and finding those people who value the dignity of all life and don’t look at people with disabilities as losing their human rights," he said.
People in positions to care for others also need to begin viewing vulnerable members of society differently, he said.
"We are a self absorbed society that is used to getting whatever it wants," he said. "We don’t want to be burdened by someone who will change our lives drastically."
Evangelism 101
Deacon debunks misunderstandings about ‘The New Evangelism’
It’s no secret that many Catholics are confused when it comes to sharing their faith with non-Christians and non-Catholics.
In eight years since joining the Catholic Church, Deacon Alex Jones has seen, first hand, his share of Catholics, reluctant to share their faith.
After a quarter century being an evangelical preacher in predominantly African-American churches, Deacon Jones became a Catholic in 2001 but the shift hasn’t always been easy – especially when it comes to evangelization.
Deacon Jones spent two years as the director of evangelization for the Archdiocese of Detroit. He retired from the post last summer and now serves as a deacon for three Detroit parishes.
Last month, while on a trip to Alaska, he sat down with the Anchor and spoke about the challenges, fears and often utter confusion that Catholics experience when trying to share their faith.
He was in Alaska to speak at Theology on Tap presentations in Anchorage and Kenai. The following is the second of a two-part interview.
"I was the director of the office of Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Detroit so I know the problem. Most Catholics think of evangelization as Protestant evangelism and are horrified because they just can’t go knocking on doors or go up to people standing on street corners and ask them if they are saved or if they know Jesus. That just doesn’t work with Catholics.
But evangelization is more than that. In essence, evangelization from a Catholic perspective is a turning to the Gospel, not only for non-Catholics but primarily and fundamentally for Catholics.
Father Pablo Martin, OFM, wrote one time that Catholics in many areas are cultural Catholics. They were sacramentalized and catechized but never evangelized. They never had the Gospel set on fire in their hearts and minds. They were raised Catholic, accepted that and moved on with life but the explosive dynamism of transformation in the Gospel is woefully missing.
The Holy Spirit moved on Pope John XXIII to call Vatican II and change the mentality of Catholics from being so concerned about our own personal salvation to bringing the Gospel to the world in ways we had not done before.
Evangelization has always been a part of the Catholic Church, that’s why the faith is around the world. But the new evangelization is about new goals, with new people and new methods. This is not about just being a good Catholic. Now we are called to be more assertive and aim for the conversion of others. We are not called to merely rely on the religious or the priestly or the professionals to bring this about but we are called to rely on the Holy Spirit acting explosively in the lives of laity.
Our ministry is not in the church but in the secular sphere. This is what evangelicals discovered. That is why their faith is growing so fast. We need to take religion out of these beautiful churches and into the community to preach the Gospel.
Our life view is to live and let live. Most Catholics I run into have a ho-hum attitude about those who are not Catholic. They view evangelization as ramming their faith down the throat of others. I think a lot of times this is fostered by priesthood that tries to be ecumenical, understanding and open-minded, which is good but taken to extremes, it renders one impotent to preach the Gospel.
One of the most misused and misunderstood phrases I come across is accorded to St. Francis: "Preach the Gospel at all times, when necessary use words." People think that means we shouldn’t use words. We should just try to feed people, clothe them and be a good Christian and they will come. Well, they don’t come. They don’t become Catholics, they don’t become Christians.
A story is told of a small parish in South America where the priests built schools, built hospitals and dug water wells so they could get clean water. They really improved the community’s quality of life. Then one day, a nondenominational church moved into the village and set up shop and everybody went to the church and the priests were very dismayed about that. This is a true story. The priests went to the people and asked why they went to this other church when they had done all this for them. The response was, "Father we needed that and thank God you gave it to us, but we need religion too."
The point is that works of charity are great and we are called to do that. Having said that, Paul VI said that without the proclamation of the life of Jesus, the suffering of Jesus, the death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus there is no proclamation of the Gospel.
There is a way to do that. Of course, the church teaches that if you try to proselytize like a zealot, you’re wrong. But we can dialogue. I can talk about our faith and clarify misunderstandings. In that clarification, non-Catholics have an opportunity to see if there is something to this. Maybe they’ll want to look into it.
For example, in dialoging with a very strong evangelical, that’s great. We’re already brothers in Christ by view of our common baptism. I can understand and respect what they believe and not try to change them. The idea of changing people or downplaying their belief is what engenders argument.Instead, we can talk about the history of the faith, we can talk about the development of doctrine, we can talk about the Bible and how it was given. All these things come to the table in a non-threatening atmosphere because I’m only trying to clarify what the church believes.
Rural Catholics rally to support larger archdiocese
Willow parishioners marked by generosity
By now, most Catholics in the Anchorage Archdiocese have probably heard about the archdiocesan annual appeal, "One Bread, One Body."
The question now is how will they respond?
If St. Christopher Church in Willow is any indicator, sometimes the smaller communities dig deepest when it comes to supporting the larger church in Alaska.
St. Christopher doesn’t have a pastor or even a pastoral associate but last year, these rural parishioners reached more than 144 percent of the goal set by the archdiocese, and almost 97 percent of the total goal the community hoped for.
What’s more, St. Christopher’s participation rate was more than 61 percent — best in the archdiocese. What’s their secret?
"There’s an advantage to being a small parish," said Jim Huettl, who heads this year’s campaign effort in Willow. "Everybody’s involved, everybody’s at Mass. I suspect that makes them feel involved in the appeal as well."
Last year’s annual appeal chairperson, Mary Ellen Grohol, concurs.
St. Christopher, she said, has a monthly town-hall style meeting where decisions are made. No pastor or pastoral administrator calls the shot at the parish, and there’s no paid staff. It’s a parishioner-run church, which relies on traveling priests to celebrate Mass.
"About one third to one half of the parish show up (at the town-hall meetings)," Grohol said, and everybody has their say.
In facilitating the church’s campaign effort last year, Grohol took the approach of thoroughly explaining the appeal at the start, and then assuring the congregation "I will not bug you about this."
She did, however, post the goal and current figures on the bulletin board each week, and spoke to the parish twice more on their progress.
Everyone applauded when she announced they exceeded the archdiocesan goal.
Huettl offers another tip: "It helps to have a parish goal. Once we meet the archdiocesan goal this year, we are planning improvements to our parking lots." They hope to raise $1,500 beyond the archdiocesan goal for that project.
The money that exceeded last year’s archdiocesan goal went to fund a stained glass window to replace the plain window above the altar.
Although the window isn’t completed yet, plans are progressing.
Willow is a small community that stretches along the Parks Highway, about a 90-minute drive north of Anchorage. Approximately 2,300 residents live there with roughly 30 families attending St. Christopher’s.
The real answer to the church’s success lies in the generosity of those 30 families.
"Not everybody’s in a position that they can give," Grohol said. And some, she said, clearly sacrificed to give more than might be expected.St. Christopher’s raised $4,375 last year. This year, they are aiming for $5,002.
Little Sisters of Jesus
Religious Profile
Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series of profiles that highlight religious orders in the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
To live lives of contemplative prayer in ordinary life settings, rather than in a monastic setting, especially among people who are living with the effects of racism, religious persecution, economic distress, or ethnic conflicts. The sisters are present in many of the "flash points" of the world such as the Mid-East where sisters have communities among the Arab, Christian, Palestinian, and Hebrew people. An important aspect of the order’s mission is to support themselves financially by holding down ordinary jobs. Most often, sisters choose to work outside of the normal parish setting of teaching, catechism, etc… in order to reach people outside the institutional church.
Three sisters live in Nome: Damiene Hoehn, Alice Ann Sullivan, and Nirmala Soyza. Five sisters live in Anchorage: Nobu Terasawa, Mary Jo Brin, Odette Beurrier, Monique Theurillat, and Yoshie Takaoka.
Historically, the sisters’ mission in Alaska was to people farthest removed from ordinary means of hearing the Christian message. This led to foundations in Western Alaska among the King Island and Diomede people. The first community in Alaska was established in Nome in 1952. A central house for rest and times of renewal and retreat was established in Fairbanks and later moved to Anchorage.
Alaska was the first foundation of the Little Sisters of Jesus in the United States. The intuitions and spirituality of Blessed Charles de Foucauld are at the origins of the Little Sisters’ way of life.
The mission to Alaska has matured with changes in the state as well as the increasing age of the order’s members. The largest effort is now directed at maintaining ties of friendship with the Alaska Native community and to maintain contact with the many ethnic minorities in Anchorage. Several sisters are retired from paid employment and now volunteer locally.
For more information about the Little Sisters of Jesus, call them in Anchorage at (907) 258-6655 or log on to their Web site at www.rc.net/org/littlesisters.
Vicar General’s term ends in June
Effective June 1, Father Donald Bramble’s current term as vicar-general of the Anchorage Archdiocese will end. Father Bramble has served in the post since last fall, when Father Leo Walsh pursued graduate work in Rome.
"It’s been a pleasure serving as vicar general and serving the Archbishop," Father Bramble told the Anchor.
He had previously served a three-year term as vicar general from 2003-2006. Father Bramble plans to move to Las Vegas at the end of the summer for a one-year sabbatical. After that, his community will determine his next assignment.The archbishop is still consulting with advisors on Father Bramble’s replacement, said Father Tom Brundage, Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese. His replacement will be named before June 1.
Anchor wins Alaska Press Club awards
The Catholic Anchor continued its tradition of winning awards at the annual Alaska Press Club Conference. This year, the Anchor took two honors, while competing against professional journalists from across the state.
Anchor editor Joel Davidson took second place for "Best Education Story" in the small newspaper division for an article he wrote that explored the Engaging Islam program, an interreligious forum that was facilitated this past year by the Cardinal Newman Chair of Catholic Theology at Alaska Pacific University.
Davidson also won second place in "Best Reporting on Crime and the Courts" for a story about freedom of religious practice in state prisons. Judges wrote: "An interesting and quirky story about a priest’s failed attempt to use wine to celebrate Mass in prison. The reporter asked the right questions (Were the misinformed officers disciplined?) even if corrections officials refused to answer them."The Alaska Press Club is an independent professional organization of Alaska journalists.
News & Notes
Vocation of the single life
Dominican Father John Mellein will lead a discussion entitled "Being Single and Living for Christ" on May 7, 7 p.m., at the Holy Family Cathedral Education Center. Single adults, ages 18 and older are invited to attend the evening, and are asked to bring a dish to share. For more information, call Holy Family Cathedral at 276-3455.
Multicultural event at St. Anthony’s
St. Anthony’s Church will hold a Multicultural celebration on May 2 at the parish.
The program, entitled, "Many Images, One Heart," begins at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per person or a donation. Various ethnic groups will display art and share food, stories, traditions and talents for the community. For more information, call 333-5287.
Mass to celebrate beatification of foundress
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 more than 20 years ago.
The Anchorage celebration is open to the public.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will begin the night before the celebration at 9 p.m. on May 2. Adoration will 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.
Marriage encounter opportunity
Couples are invited to attend a worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. The group’s mission is to help couples establish healthy relationships by providing them with a Catholic experience and ongoing community support. For more information, call 907-644-8677.
CSS needs milk, baby supplies
Catholic Social Services’ Clare House—an emergency homeless shelter for women and children—needs donations of fresh milk. Drop donations at 420 West 54th Avenue.
Baby clothing in good condition is also needed for the new Catholic Social Services’ Pregnancy Support Baby Boutique. For more info call Debbie Sell at 222-7315. Items can also be dropped off at 3710 East 20th Avenue between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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 or call him at 745-3229.
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 develop creative ideas to explore 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 or call 272-5373.
Columns
An ‘unforgettable’ day with the pope
It was 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, in Washington, DC, as the Oblate who offered to give me a ride, pulled into the driveway of Theological College, across from Catholic University.
We were picking up Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, who had stayed overnight at Theological College because there were no rooms available at the hotel in Arlington near the airport where the majority of U.S. Bishops were staying. I myself had a room at the nearby Provincial House of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate — much cheaper than the hotel.
The day was dawning clear and calm, the promise of an auspicious beginning to the first U.S. visit of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. Thus began what became a remarkable and unforgettable day for us.
All the bishops had to meet at the hotel where we were served breakfast and then processed by the USCCB staff, our shepherds for the day, and the secret service, our kindly but very serious guardians of the day.
Those of us invited to the White House welcome of the pope (about 80 of the 300 bishops gathered) were then put on busses. We promptly took off on a wild ride through town with some 20 police on motorcycles ahead of us, another twenty behind, with police cruisers in between, all with sirens and lights blazing.
The arrival at the White House was remarkable. Thousands of people gathered both outside and inside the White House Gates. The media were everywhere.
We were quickly escorted through the crowds, through the Rose Garden, and to the White House South Lawn to our place beside the platform where the president and pope would sit.
We waited in the warming sunshine for about an hour, watching more people gather. Then came the military carrying flags of all the states, plus another dozen carrying alternating papal and U.S. flags. Next came the military with impressive looking trumpets as they took their places on the White House Balcony to welcome the president. (I wondered what it would be like to have all those trumpets at our cathedral in Anchorage.)
Finally, the dignitaries arrived. The vice-president, secretary of state and other political leaders.
At last, President and Mrs. Bush arrived to the thrilling fanfare of the dozen or so trumpets and "Hail to the Chief." The two of them waited while the pope’s caravan arrived and then the pope himself. The Bush family greeted the pope warmly and then the president and the pope took to the platform where they stood for the Vatican anthem (I didn’t know they had one) and our own national anthem.
Then began a truly remarkable, precisely orchestrated ceremony which had to have been the result of orders by the president, to "pull out all the stops." Those of you who saw it on T.V. have some idea of the grandeur of it all.
This was just the beginning of a remarkable day and a hugely successful visit by the pope. There is insufficient space to recount all that I experienced during the pope’s visit, but I would like to comment briefly on his address to us bishops later that first day. Again, we arrived by another wild ride through Washington, sirens and lights blazing.
Besides addressing openly and courageously the recent scandal of the church in the U.S., the pope also pointed out the blessings and accomplishments of our faith community, beginning with the fact that "American Catholics are noted for their loyal devotion to the See of Peter."
He then pointed out the barriers found in our society which inhibit our encounter with God: secularism, materialism and individualism. Addressing the latter, individualism, the pope lamented the "form of piety which sometimes emphasizes our private relationship with God at the expense of our calling to be members of a redeemed community." In calling us to a greater sense of community, I felt the pope was affirming the direction we have set out upon in the Archdiocese pastoral plan. He also affirmed two other priorities we have adopted: "American Catholics have traditionally placed a high value on religious education, both in schools and in the context of adult formation programs. These need to be maintained and expanded."
The pope also exhorted us to support family life in every way we can which, he pointed out, is one of the priorities of our Bishops Conference.
The Pope, through the packed days of his time with us, continually affirmed and challenged us as Catholics in the U.S. Perhaps his central message through it all can be summed up in some of the final words he addressed to us bishops:
"There is need for all of us to move beyond sterile divisions, disagreements and preconceptions,, and to listen together to the voice of the Spirit who is guiding the church into a future of hope."
The writer is the Archbishop of Anchorage.
Bible timeline inspires Ninilchik Catholics
"Overwhelmingly powerful."
"A wonderful story. I had no idea."
"An enlightening experience."
"I was raised a Catholic, educated by nuns in a Catholic School in my youth, and have remained a devotee to Catholicism into my golden years. This is the first time I have read so much of the bible, understood what I was reading in the context of a larger story, and enjoyed it so thoroughly. This class has made all the difference for me."
These are just a few comments from parishioners at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Ninilchik about the Jeff Cavins 24-week bible study, which they began about a year ago.
The idea was born out of a strong desire by Ed and Judy Harper and Norbert Miller, of Ninilchik, to foster adult education and strengthen our faith formation in this little parish by the sea, where God and neighbor are first and foremost but fishing is a strong third.
With great zeal, they searched to find a program that could capture our imagination, strengthen our faith, and make us better people of God. They found "The Great Adventure," by Jeff Cavins, Tim Gray, and Sarah Christmyer. If you ask any one of the people who attend this class (more than 55 percent of the parish), they will tell you that they couldn’t have done any better.
We meet every Wednesday night, except during the summer months when most parishioners are fishing or trying to make their seasonal income. Brother Craig Bonham, OMI, joined the Bible study and has "coined" Wednesday nights at St. Peter’s as the night of the three S’. That is, "soup, stations, and study." Our parish gets together for soup and bread at 6 p.m. At 6:30 sharp, Stations of the Cross begin. After Stations, we file upstairs for Bible study, where you better have your homework done! Taskmaster Ed Harper is the leader of the Bible study and he may call on you!
Before class, we read key Bible passages and answer study questions using the unique study tools and aids provided by the course. These include a historic timeline that relates events in the Bible to other world events, a geographic map of the Middle East where the Bible stories took place, and a chart that traces Jesus’ bloodline through the Bible up to his birth.
During class, Ed and Judy lead us in discussions about our various questions and the readings.
Then we break for dessert and coffee and then watch the Jeff Cavins video. An entertaining and humorous speaker, Cavins is also an educated scholar, who helps us understand the readings, especially from the perspective of the Jews and Gentiles of that time.
Whether reading about God’s "stiff-necked" people, led through the desert by Moses, or Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree trying to get a glimpse of Jesus, Cavins helps us see the Scriptures in the context of the bigger picture — the story of God’s relationship with man since creation. We love it. It brings the Sunday Scripture readings to new life and meaning.
If you ever visit the Kenai Peninsula on a Wednesday evening, we would love to share our Bible study with you. Just don’t be late or you might miss out on Joyce Mahoney’s special blackberry cobbler!
For more about this program visit www.greatadventureonline.com.
The writer is a parishioner at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Ninilchik.
Orthodox pope is not the Terminator
Let’s be honest: when Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Supreme Pontiff, it was a moment of great emotion for the Catholic Church.
Perhaps it would be more exact to say "emotions," plural, because people who find themselves poles apart in the church reacted in entirely different ways.
Some people were elated and the elation they conveyed spoke of their sure belief that it was "crack-down" time. The sheriff had ridden into Dodge, not on a white horse but on the back of a white popemobile. Things would be different now. The crazies would be roped in, the dissidents silenced, infractions would be punished.
It may seem hard to recall now, but I actually remember columnists talking seriously about how the church might become composed of a "remnant" under the rule of Benedict XVI, a band of real believers who adhered to rigid orthodoxy, and that would be good for the church because it would weed out the baddies – those amusingly termed "cafeteria Catholics."
At another pole — and I am truly talking poles apart here — I remember the people who were devastated when white smoke appeared and the German cardinal appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s. You might have thought we’d seen the election of the Holy Inquisitor.
A person very close to me called, and told me how she had rushed to the bathroom at her place of employment and sobbed – yes, sobbed – at the news.
"Then," she continued with conviction, "I said ‘no.’ No, they aren’t going to make me leave my church. I’m staying. It’s my church, too."
Yes, I actually had that conversation with someone, and it gave me pause.
Well, clearly both extremes, in their own ways believing that the Terminator was coming to town, were imagining the pope that wasn’t.
I love Pope Benedict XVI, and I hope everybody else does, too. Oh sure, if (in my wildest dreams) I were to be whisked away to Rome to be an adviser, sitting around the advice-giving table, I’d have a few things to say. Maybe first I’d ask, hey, where are all the women who should be at this table? I’d have a few other questions, too.
But leaving my dreams aside, I’m grateful for the wonderful things he’s done, like starting his papacy with two truly beautiful, broad encyclicals, literally of love and hope.
Let’s be thankful for his total Christ-centeredness. Contrary to anyone’s hopes or fears, this is not a nit-picky, rule-obsessed papacy. This is a papacy of openness and hope.
This all came through to me strongly on his recent visit to the U.S. He was the impeccable guest. He did not wag his finger at anyone, or scold anyone. He urged Catholic academics to adhere to orthodoxy, but he did not threaten them. He reminded us of the importance of life issues, but he praised the American system, particularly the vitality of the American Catholic church. He paid a courtesy call at the synagogue.
But in his most wonderful gesture, he met with the victims of abuse. The nay-sayers will pout that this should have been done by the pope and bishops long ago. But I remember a priest-theologian who said, "The Holy Spirit only moves forward."
So instead of rehashing the debacle of abuse, let us move forward with this wonderful octogenarian, this scholar who speaks of reason and faith, who listened kindly as an abused woman’s tears and cries filled an otherwise silent room.
Let’s recall the words of one of those present, a man who had left the church as a result of his childhood pain. Speaking of the pontiff, he said: "He gets it."
The writer is a stewardship and hospitality coordinator at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage.
Preachers should loosen up, speak from the heart
One of my all-time favorite actors has to be the great Robert Duval. He is best remembered, of course, for his role in "Lonesome Dove."
But, to my mind, the role that served him best over his long career is his portrayal of Eulis "Sonny" Dewey in "The Apostle." Sonny is a well-respected preacher at a large and predominantly white Pentecostal church in East Texas. He is a happy man, Sonny, living with his wife Jessie, who, as it turns out, has been having an affair with Horace, a young associate minister. When all this comes to light, Sonny becomes enraged and hits Horace over the head with a baseball bat, putting him in a coma.
Under those circumstances, of course, Sonny must make his escape under cover of darkness, eventually ending up in the Bayou country of Louisiana where, by pure accident, he discovers an old abandoned, ramshackle church in the Negro district of a small town. There he decides to continue his fiery Pentecostal ministry and the preaching he loves so much. The Negro folks in the community love him, flock to him. Sonny is a free and happy man once again.
Eventually, of course, " civil righteousness" descends upon Sonny and he is carried off to jail for his misdeed. But the local folks, Black and White alike, will never forget those glory-days when the Holy Ghost blew through their little town and through their lives in the person of Sonny.
What fascinated me most about Duval’s performance was his most exact rendering of the blistering, sweltering manner of the traditional Southern Holiness Preachers. Watching the film, I nearly got to my feet and yelled: "Do it ‘Sonny,’ do it!"
For many of us who are Catholic, of course, the image of church described in the film may appear a bit over the top. Our liturgy, our preaching, is generally more formal, more subdued, more ancient. Our liturgical leaders and preachers have never quite learned the art and practice of allowing the Holy Spirit to exert its power in emotional exuberance and physical gesture. To many of us, this might appear contrived, even disingenuous.
Nonetheless, there seems to be something that we Catholics might learn from the likes of Sonny and those holiness preachers who are so filled with the Holy Ghost.
Perhaps it could be described as "speaking from the heart," allowing the Holy Spirit to have sway with us even though we might feel uncomfortable and embarrassed in the public confines of the church.
When one reads again the story of the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles, we are left with the impression that they, like ourselves, were not quite ready for the wind and fire. Had they decided that all this was not quite their style, had they decided to return to the synagogue-style of liturgy they knew best, who knows where this would have led the church?
Finally, one must say that it is the Holy Spirit who makes the first move in our lives and it is up to us to pay attention to what the Spirit is saying, without feeling embarrassed in public.
If the Holy Spirit has a word for us on this day of Pentecost, it might be something like… "Hey, loosen up a little; I’ve got something for you to do."
Perhaps that’s what Eulis, "Sonny" Dewey found out the day he headed out of East Texas for Louisiana: Despite his past, he had a feeling that the Holy Spirit still had some plans for him.
That may also be the question for us to ponder on Pentecost Day: Are we really ever ready when the Holy Spirit comes blow’in through?
The writer recently moved to Notre Dame, Indiana after serving the Anchorage Archdiocese for 15 years.
Editorial
Governor and family back up pro-life talk
Kudos to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and her husband Todd for their decision to bring Baby Trig into the world, despite the challenges he will face with Down’s syndrome.
In welcoming Trig into the world, the Palin family once again serves as an incredible witness by embracing all life as a blessing — even the challenges.
The governor proves again that she not only talks the talk about pro-life issues, she also walks the walk. She is a shining example and steward of life as a politician, unfortunately one of the few entrusted with public office.
And yet, looking a bit further into the issue, why the big hoopla over Baby Trig?
Why all the media attention and rhetoric about a decision to bring a special needs child into the world?
By having Trig, isn’t the governor simply fulfilling her duty as a mother? Like Luke’s passage, what master invites his servant to the table for merely doing his job (Lk 17: 7-10)?
All life is precious, at all stages, regardless.
A child is a child, period.
Even though the number of talents or gifts might differ, all children bring unique blessings that only they can offer. A child destined for the Ivy League is just as precious as one with a significantly lower IQ.
Pope Benedict spoke along these lines when he met with youngsters dealing with disabilities in New York.
"While some people’s contributions seem greater and others seem more modest, the witness value of our efforts is always a sign of hope for everyone," Pope Benedict said. "God’s unconditional love…points to a meaning and purpose for all human life."
In the Anchorage Archdiocese, we are blessed with a special needs group called the Joy Community. These young men and women offer tremendous gifts and unconditional love to the church. Their unique outlook and approach to life is refreshing and most assuredly innocent. Spending time with people in this community is an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience.
The big fuss over the Governor’s decision to continue with her pregnancy, despite knowing the challenges her child might face, is sobering.
The majority of Americans — an astonishing 92 percent — decide to terminate a pregnancy upon learning that their child has Down’s syndrome (Psychology and Genetics Research Group, 1999, London).
Governor Palin and her husband are in a distinct minority in their decision, both as Americans and as public figures.
As a politician, Governor Palin is an incredible example, both locally and beyond. She also continues to fight for life as a politician.
For that, she is to be commended.
— James DeCrane
Letters to the Editor
There are no letters to the editor for this issue.