June 13, 2008 - Issue #12
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Teens challenged to elevate views of sex, relationships
The chance to talk about intimacy, sex and relationships had more than 60 high school teens packed into a conference room June 3 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. They came to hear the second workshop presented by Bob Bartlett.
"Okay what do you remember from the first workshop," the youth psychologist from Minnesota asked teens at this year’s Alaska Catholic Youth Conference.
"I’m a sex symbol," shouted one young man in the front.
"Great, you were paying attention," Bartlett responded. "Remember that every human being is a sex symbol, created that way by God."
Bartlett told the teens that the need for intimacy starts at infancy and is something learned very early on from both family and the larger culture.
"Even now we are not that different from babies — we need to be loved," he said. "You are going to get that one way or another."
The approach, however, makes all the difference and that is where the fundamental difference between love and intimacy comes into play, he said.
"Sex is easy, intimacy is the scary stuff," Bartlett said. "You can be intimate and never have had sex."
Sex should be "a celebration of an intimate, committed relationship," Bartlett said, adding that intimacy is the crucial piece to a healthy relationship.
The vulnerability of intimacy, however, is that you might get hurt, he said.
"If you are familiar with this you can understand — because no one can hurt you more than someone you are intimate with."
Intimacy is truly understanding another person — letting someone all the way in on all levels, he explained. When people open up with someone, it is when they are most vulnerable.
"It is scary, but you haven’t lived unless you have been hurt," Bartlett explained. "It is painful and it is worth it."
Because intimacy is scary and requires vulnerability, people often try to substitute sex for intimacy, he said.
"And that is where people run into trouble," he added.
Bartlett shared specific examples from people he had counseled in the past who turned to all sorts of things to try and satisfy their basic need for intimacy. He spoke of people who ran into serious problems with addiction to pornography in trying to satiate their need for intimacy.
"People settle for sex. Intimacy is too hard — it is too scary," Bartlett said. "But they never satisfy their most basic need for intimacy."
It is important to set good patterns for intimacy early on, Bartlett told the teens.
"Like it or not, even if you are not dating right now, you are setting patterns for intimacy," he said.
Bartlett said the first step is for people to work hard to accept themselves for who they are.
"You are made in the likeness and image of God and your are sacred — and if you ever believe it, it will fundamentally change you," he said.
The next steps are to build healthy relationships with people from both sexes, learning first how to be friends with one another.
"Girls, do you have any guy friends that you can share anything with and not have to worry about what they will say?" Bartlett asked. "Guys, do you have any friends who are female that you could share the loss of a loved one with?"
Another key to healthy intimacy is to build a relationship with God.
"If you are Catholic or Christian you are involved in an intimate religion," Bartlett said. "This religion is based on love and intimacy — God wants you to go all the way with him in the truest sense of the world."
At that point the teens were absolutely silent and focused intently on the middle-age psychologist.
"Folks I’m not here to ruin your fun," he said. "I tell you this because I am sick and tired of having to work with kids – more than 20 kids a year — who have been sexually assaulted in some way or have dealt with some scary situations.
Bartlett shared several vivid examples of the types of issues he had to address when counseling teens. Problems range from sexual disease to rape, he said.
Most of these issues could have been avoided if there was a clearer understanding and commitment to work towards healthy intimacy, he said.
"If you remember nothing else from these workshops, remember this," Bartlett
concluded."Love will get you through times of
no sex better than sex will get you through times of no love."
Next session to begin in the fall
Another "season" of SALT has come and gone but enthusiasm for the Scripture program developed by Jesuit-run Seattle University is building, according to Anchorage coordinators.
SALT — Scripture and Leadership Training — is more than a typical Scripture lecture class, according to coordinator Barbara Block.
"When people first get involved, they come strictly for Scripture study," she said. But now, "I feel a sense of the formation of a real community."
"It’s the critical approach," she said of the program. "When we studied Exodus, we immersed ourselves in Hebrew culture so you got a real idea of who these people were, where they were coming from."
The program also exposes participants to new prayer forms, she said.
Fellow coordinator, Adrian Dominican Sister Jo Gaugier, said the "leadership" component enables people to discuss their own faith and understanding of Scripture.
While some students may become facilitators of future SALT courses, "no one is expected to do anymore with SALT than they choose," Sister Gaugier added.
The leadership aspect of the program aims to develop Catholics who are more conversant and knowledgeable about Hebrew and Christian Scripture.
Here’s how it works: materials are prepared and trademarked by Seattle University, but facilitators and presenters are from the local area. SALT in Anchorage has benefited from the expertise of Dominican Fathers Donald Bramble, John Mellein and Vincent Kelber, as well as Father Leroy Clementich, Deacon Ted Greene, Jesuit Father Armand Nigro, Ursuline Sister Lorene Griffin, Candace Bell, and others.
Each session lasts nine weeks, with a total of two per year — one in the late fall and one in early spring. Participants may commit to one session at a time and can join whenever they want.
So far, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Holy Spirit Center, and Our Lady of the Lake Church in Big Lake have all experienced either one or two seasons of SALT and will continue this fall. Two other parishes in the archdiocese are considering the program for this fall.
The leadership component feels "like being involved in mentorship," said Block, who said participants learn life skills involving leadership, Scripture and spirituality.
"People have a sense of ownership after they’ve been involved in it," said Sister Gaugier.
The first season focuses on the Pentateuch, with an emphasis on Exodus, and on the Synoptic Gospels, especially the Gospel of Mark. In season two, participants explore the prophets, with a focus on Isaiah, and the Epistles, with the emphasis on Paul.
The third season explores the Psalms and the Gospel of John.
Each parish runs the program on a different afternoon or evening, making
it available to more individuals. To date, between 40-45 people have
participated in SALT.For more information about SALT call Sister Gaugier at 297-7741.
Alaska weighs in on California same-sex marriage
In 1998, Alaska became the first U.S. state to approve a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. It is uncertain, however, whether a recent California Supreme Court ruling to allow same-sex couples from any state to legally marrying in California will affect marriage laws in Alaska and elsewhere.
The California high court ruled May 15 that gay couples had a right, under the state’s constitution, to marry.
Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg signed a court brief along with attorney generals from nine other states, requesting that implementation of the ruling be delayed, due to the fact that in November California residents will vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage across their state. Allowing same-sex marriages to go forward until then might cause confusion if voters reverse the decision.
The court denied the request on June 4, which means gay couples can begin marrying in California on June 17.
The 10 attorney generals maintained that they had an interest in the case because California will allow same-sex couples from other states to marry. That may require the more than 40 states that currently ban same-sex marriage to determine what status a same-sex marriage performed in California would have in their own state.
California is set to join Massachusetts as the only U.S. states that recognizes same-sex marriage. Unlike California, however, the Massachusetts law has residency requirements which prohibit same-sex couples from other states from marrying there.
In a signal of how state governments might respond to the new ruling, New York announced that it will recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries. New York is one of three U.S. states, along with New Mexico and Rhode Island, which have no laws prohibiting or allowing same-sex marriage.
The California ruling may also force Alaska to clarify its stance regarding same-sex couples that opt to obtain a marriage license in California. Attempts to reach Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg were unsuccessful before press time but Alaska’s request that California delay implementing its ruling, indicates that there is some concern in the 49th state.
BentAlaska, a news and information service that advocates for homosexual rights in Alaska, stated May 29 that 66 percent of respondents to their informal online survey said they "are already planning" or are "thinking about" traveling out of Alaska with a gay partner to legally marry in California.
Liberty Council, a nonprofit legal corporation, which argued against
the recent ruling in California, stated in a June 4 press release that
they might petition the California Court of Appeals, to delay implementing
the ruling until California residents have a chance to vote on the constitutional
amendment in the fall.The amendment can pass with a simple majority of votes.
Samoan choir fills in the cracks
Polynesian flavor draws families to church
He who sings prays twice, the old saying goes. If that’s true, then the Archdiocese of Anchorage prays mightily — in several languages and many cultures.
The Samoan Choir at St. Anthony Church is one expression of how Anchorage’s growing cultural diversity is finding increased expression in the liturgical music of area parishes. The choir also shows how culturally relevant liturgy can draw people into the church.
"Since we started singing at St. Anthony, we’ve seen a lot of new (Samoan) faces," said Viliamu Pili, a choir member who serves on the pastoral council. "People heard we have a community here. We’ve probably seen 17 new families come."
Father Fred Bugarin, said the Samoan Choir at his parish averages between 30 to 50 people of all ages, and sings at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass every week. The choir sings the usual Sunday morning fare at most Masses, but the last Sunday of the month, they sing in the Samoan language, a reading is done in Samoan and the liturgy takes on a uniquely Samoan cultural flavor.
"When I first came to St. Anthony’s in March, 2003, we started listening through community organizing," Father Bugarin said. "What surfaced was that we had a lot of Samoan people just sitting in the background. There was a lament — we have no singing, nothing that is integral to our culture."
At the same time, the pastor said it became obvious that there were young people in the Samoan community "falling through the cracks" — not receiving sacraments.
Father Bugarin had been called to anoint an elderly Samoan woman. He responded that he would be happy to, and that he would pay a visit. He didn’t realize what a big deal it was to a Samoan family to have the parish priest call on the family.
"It was big — a clan event," he said, with food and lots of family members present. It became apparent that many of the youth there had not received the church’s sacraments.
"So we got them on a fast track to receive the sacraments, and we invited Archbishop (Roger) Schwietz to a first communion," Father Bugarin added. "In preparation, we asked the Samoans if they could provide a choir for that event."
The church was packed for the liturgy and around that same time a need arose for a choir for the mid-morning Sunday Mass.
"We asked the Samoans, ‘Would you be interested in providing music for this Mass?’ The answer was ‘oh, yes!’" said Father Burgarin.
Parochial vicar Father Eric Wiseman has learned the Eucharistic Prayer in Samoan, adding to the cultural flavor of the Mass. And according to choir member Pili, he does a "real good" job.
Pili said Father Wiseman sounds like the white missionary priests he used to hear in his native Samoa – very understandable.
Pili moved to the U.S. as a teenager in 1977, and came to Alaska with the military in 1989. He sings bass in the choir, along with his wife and two of his seven children.
Pili said St. Anthony Parish is a welcoming community because of its
great diversity. On May 2, he joined director of faith formation Bonnie
Cler and others from the community to put on a Multicultural night. Native
Alaskans, Filipinos, African Americans, Samoans and others attended the
event."We have a lot of diversity at St. Anthony," said Pili. "Everybody
comes together."
Alaska’s bishops call youth to exemplify faith
More than 200 youth and 75 adult volunteers from across Alaska packed St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church June 2-5 during the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference. The four-day conference had a special focus on the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the week, youth attended workshops, prayer sessions, Masses, service projects and social activities together.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz and Fairbanks Bishop Donald Kettler both challenged the teens to put their faith into action.
"Before we can witness to Christ, we must somehow experience what we are witnessing to," Bishop Kettler said in the opening Mass. "People are looking to you to see if you are experiencing what you are proclaiming."
Bishop Kettler said the conference offered a perfect opportunity to encounter Christ.
"You do that through the sacraments…through learning more about God….through community," he said.
The youth, some of whom traveled from as far away as Nome, learned about God through dozens of workshops put on by local church leaders and lay and religious from out of state.
Archbishop Schwietz had a mischievous grin as he addressed the youth at the conference’s closing Mass.
"So just like school, we’re going to have a final exam now," he said as he began his homily. "What are some of the things that we learned this week?"
Several youth piped up about learning new teachings of the church, figuring out how to make rosaries and learning how to do a "Catholic dance."
"Catholic dance, huh?" Archbishop Schwietz grinned. "We’ll have to invite the pope here for you to teach him how to do it."
He went on to highlight the most important aspect of the youth conference.
"Like you heard in our Gospel today, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord above all things and to love your neighbor," Archbishop Schwietz said. "You have done both this week."
This commandment of love is something the pope wrote about in the first encyclical, he explained.
"God should always come first and then we should love one another," he said.
That community of Christian brotherhood is what will help keep the faith alive, Archbishop Schwietz continued.
"We need that love of our faith community to help the faith," he said. "You, (the youth) can be the seed for that in our state.
He ended the homily with a challenge for the youth."I challenge you to be the heart in the state," he said. "Don’t
be afraid — put into action what you took from here."
Training ground for heaven
Life of athletics can build faith, says monk
Several dozen athletic teens watched the screen, mesmerized during one of the workshops at this year’s Alaska Catholic Youth Conference.
Images played in time with the seventies hit "Dream On," by Aerosmith, as some of the greatest moments in American sports history flashed across a television screen.
Legends from Mohammad Ali to Tiger Woods were profiled in some of their most triumphant moments.
At the end of the six-minute video, Brother John Mary Ignatius looked at the crowd gathered to hear the workshop about Sports and God.
"Did this video make an impact?" he asked the crowd. "Tell me what you thought."
The teens shared words like "passion," "excitement," and "adrenaline" to describe their experience.
"It affected me too," the lanky athletic religious brother admitted. "In fact, I had tears in my eyes the first couple of times."
He paused for a moment and then brought home the spiritual point.
"This should impact you — we are body and soul as humans," he explained. "God gave us sports as a tool — a tactic to work for a goal."
That goal, is virtue, relationship and ultimately heaven, he added.
"I have a question for you," Brother Ignatius said. "How many of you have run or trained so hard that you puked?"
About half the room raised their hand.
"Wow," he said. "I have another question for you — how many of you have pushed yourself that hard to avoid sin?"
Only a couple of people raised their hands.
"It’s tough, I know I myself haven’t done that," he said. "But sports can help lead us to God."
Successful athletes push themselves to the limit, he said. They humble themselves to learn from a coach or someone that’s better skilled than they are. As a team, players encourage others to be the best they can, often times in ways that might be hard to take.
"But like Saint Paul said in his letters, we are in this to win," Brother Ignatius said.
Through training, Christians, just like athletes
learn to ‘steel
their mind’ and grow in character and virtue to achieve the ultimate
goal of being with God, he added."If you don’t have character all y’all are a bunch
of wanabes, and wanabes don’t make it to the Kingdom of Heaven," he
said. "God Almighty asks us to live our faith to the fullest — sports
is an avenue to reach him."Brother Ignatius recommended that young athletes check out the Web site
www.catholicathletesforchrist.com for more resources about sports and
God.
‘Holy Sponges’
Monk urges youth to fight modern distractions and soak in the spiritual
life
New communication technologies sometimes makes the most important type of communication more difficult, said a monk from the Community of St. John, during a keynote talk June 5 at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference.
"Many of you have experienced the Lord Jesus in a special way this week," Brother John Mary Ignatius said, pointing to the fact that many of the youth have had real conversations, without the use of the Internet, cell phones or the iPod.
"We are a culture based in living in the imagination," he explained, "And not living in the moment."
Living in the imaginary world of media takes away from meaningful time with God and meaningful time with people, Brother Ignatius explained.
"Allow yourself the freedom to turn off the phone, drop the iPod and live in the moment," he said. "When you allow yourself to live, your soul becomes alive."
Like a sponge that gradually grows fuller with water, our lives grow fuller from meaningful moments in prayer or conversation in Christian community, Brother Ignatius added.
"Jesus calls us to be a holy sponge that allows God to seep in," he said.
Ipods, video games and technology aren’t inherently bad but they often act as a distraction," the monk continued — and prayer is hard enough without added distractions.
The trick is to step away from that, and develop a habit of saying yes, even when it is difficult.
Brother Ignatius encouraged the youth to set up positive distractions, like having a prayer corner with a crucifix.
"Why not have something as big as that cross," he
said, pointing to the six-foot crucifix behind the altar.Healthy
distractions help set patterns, Brother Ignatius said, especially when
it’s challenging.
Snapshots
What is the most challenging thing you learned at ACYC this year?
Teens challenged to seek ‘real power’
Catholic teens were challenged to resist the temptation to substitute worldly or demonic power for the power that comes only from God.
In a June 4 address at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference, Father Jim Oberle pointed to St. Paul as a prime example of a man who experienced a radical transformation that allowed him to tap into God’s power rather than his own as he evangelized much of the Roman Empire.
"He moves from relying on himself to relying on God," Father Oberle said of the man who once tracked down and killed Christians but later gave his life to spreading the Gospel.
"(St. Paul) perceives himself as weak so that the power of God can be manifest," he told a gathering of 200 teens and dozens of adult volunteers at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage. "God is power and that power is now available to each of us through Jesus Christ."
Father Oberle urged teens not to be lured by the promise of false power – which will ultimately lead to great disappointment.
"All other power is weak," he said. "Even Satan’s power – and that is real supernatural power."
"But even Satan’s power must give way to the power of Jesus Christ," he added.
The paradox, however, is that Christians must become weak before they can become strong, Father Oberle explained. Only by acknowledging our finite limits will we ever be able to embrace the power of God.
"How many of us are willing to acknowledge our weaknesses," Father Oberle asked the packed sanctuary.
He then pointed back to St. Paul, who wrote that "when
I am weak, I am strong.""When we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to descend on us, we
have it all," Father Oberle concluded. "You have already received
the power… allow that power to come into your lives."
Vocation stories offer twists and turns
Tales of joining priestly or religious are full of surprises
What does a hard-core marine bodyguard, a former Beverly Hills socialite, an extreme dirt-biker and a biologist have in common?
All are now men and women serving in special vocations for the Catholic Church in Alaska.
A dozen priests, deacons, sisters, brothers and religious from around the state shared their vocation stories and discernment with youth at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference this year.
For the final workshop on June 5 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, teens split by gender into two groups to hear the stories that led these adults into full-time service for the church.
And while the vocation stories differed in approach, all the accounts shared similar threads to encourage younger Catholics to follow suit.
Growing up with Hollywood legends Jimmy Stewart and Lucille Ball as neighbors, it might have been easy for a young girl to want to pursue the life of fame and fortune.
But from an early age, Sister Kathleen Powers felt a deeper calling.
"I was living with all the glitz, but I knew there was more," Sister Powers said.
Part of that might have been from her younger brother’s battle with leukemia — which helped her realize that things of this Earth are temporal.
Her older sister pursued a vocation with the Daughters of Charity, which ran a local hospital in the Los Angeles area. Sister Powers looked into the religious order but didn’t feel she was called to become a nun.
"I even told my mother, I’ll never be dressed like that," she said with a grin.
An inner spark and inkling, however, continued to grow into a large flame. In college she felt increasingly drawn to religious life and was especially drawn by daily Mass.
She finally took the issue up with the local priest.
"I actually talked to him in the confessional, and I started crying," Sister Powers recalled. "He probably thought I committed murder," she said jokingly.
Her talks with the priest eventually helped her discern a calling. That fall she entered the Daughters of Charity and later became a sister. It was a decision that has left her with a distinct sense of peace, she said.
Newly ordained transitional Deacon Fred Bayler told teens about how he found his vocation after a bit of a detour, which took him through many careers and a marriage.
Before entering seminary, Deacon Bayler served as a Marine diplomatic bodyguard on several continents. He also worked as a teacher, college professor, North Slope engineer, and border patrol agent, among other jobs.
Through it all, something was always lacking.
"All through my life I felt unsettled, like something was missing," he said.
He even gave seminary a try early on, but didn’t pursue it. That call persisted later on in life, so he decided to give seminary another chance and began studies for the Diocese of Fairbanks. His marriage ended and was annulled earlier in life, which allowed him to enter seminary, he said.
"When I finally said yes, I was overwhelmed with a sense of grace and peace," he said.
He and his biological son, who is 22 and in college, have grown closer through his newly found vocation.
"We were driving on a road trip, just laughing and enjoying the moment, overwhelmed again with joy," Deacon Bayler said.
In that moment, he said he realized a great understanding of Trinitarian love.
"When the father laughs at the son and the son laughs at the father, that is love and the Holy Spirit," Deacon Bayler said.
That moment he shared with his son gave him and insight into what he
will face as a priest when he is ordained next summer."We want to be spiritual fathers to give you the love and joy of
God, he said. "It is all because of love!"
Speaker: Don’t abandon those who have abortions
Forty percent of women between the ages of 19-45 have had an abortion. For many of those women, it is not their first. Carol Szopa quoted those statistics from Dave Reardon of the Elliot Institute in answering why it is so important to talk about the aftereffects of abortion, especially with younger people. Szopa is a registered nurse and was one of three women who participated in a Project Rachel panel discussion at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference about how to talk to a friend who has had an abortion and how to help them begin the healing process. The Anchor had the opportunity to speak with Szopa at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church during the youth conference. The following interview is edited for length and clarity.
Kids talk to each other about a lot of personal issues like sex. It’s not something they confide in with more than one or two people.
How do you recognize if a friend has had an abortion or how do you get them to open up? If you are good friends, you will notice changes. A person might be drinking or doing drugs, or might be acting more promiscuous. A good question to ask is, "Is there anything in your past that you might be ashamed of?" It can really lead to a person opening up. Another question that might be good to ask: "Have you had any pregnancy losses?"
One of the biggest concerns for young people is that they might not know how to help a friend. First of all they need to know that someone loves them and cares that they are suffering. They need someone to recognize that this is a loss for them.
For a younger person, it is good to refer them to the sacrament of confession if they are Catholic, or if they are Christian to go to a minister that they know will be forgiving. Project Rachel is another resource, where we help people grieve through the shame and the loss. For many, they have a hard time sharing their pain.
It is important not to take your friend to get an abortion. Women say, later on, that they often experience anger to those who took them to have an abortion.
It is best to refer a pregnant friend to parents, a minister or a priest.
There are physical effects. An abortion can complicate pregnancies later on in life. An abortion raises the risk of breast cancer and it also raises the risk of miscarriage. Alcohol and drug abuse is also something many suffer from.
Emotionally, abortion has lasting effects. It can affect how people have families. It affects future relationships with future spouses. It can affect how people parent — they might either be overprotective or aloof.
Sadly, parents often don’t play a role. The Alaska Supreme Court recently ruled that parents do not have to give permission for a minor to receive it an abortion. This is going to have huge effects for the state.
Communication is important. It is important for youth to know that they can trust adults. Most parents might be angry, but most parents will come around.
Men have a harder time dealing with the anger — for many, it is
expressed in depression. Men can feel helpless after an abortion because
they really don’t have much of a say in the matter. It is important
to realize that men suffer from the effects of abortion as well.For
more information about the side effects of abortion or for advice in
helping someone who has had an abortion, call Project Rachel at 297-7781
or toll free at (800)-694-532.
Hotline to God
Each person on earth has a direct hotline to God.
"God is always waiting for us to pick up the phone in prayer," said Adrian Dominican Sister Lorraine Reaume. "You don’t have to dial, you just have to pick up the phone."
Sister Reaume, who works in Hispanic ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, offered a workshop to youth June 4 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church during the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference. The purpose was to highlight the options open to teens when it comes to prayer.
"There are many ways to pray and different prayers out there," Sister Reaume explained. "I want to expose you to a couple today."
One method is through journaling. "It’s a way to have a dialogue with God," she said. "Make sure you give him an opportunity to respond."
For those who are more visual, Sister Reaume challenged them to use every day objects or certain paintings or drawings to help lead them into prayer.
As an example, she pulled out a bag of kitchen cooking utensils.
Several youth immediately perked up.
"I don’t know what that thing is, " as she pointed to an egg yolk separator. "But that’s how I feel sometimes, I’m confused."
Sister Reaume said using ordinary objects or artwork is a way to keep in constant contact with God. She also challenged the youth to go deeper into their spirituality, using St. Ignatius’s contemplative prayer with Scripture.
"Read Scripture, then meditate on it," Sister Reaume guided
the youth. "Imagine yourself there and hear Jesus speak to you.""One final way to always keep the direct line open with God is
to have a phrase in your head that you can always go back to," Sister
Reaume said at the close of her workshop.
ACYC 2008
Photo by James DeCrane
Sydney Wells takes a break June 3, after preparing a meal for residents
of the Hickel House at Providence Alaska Center. The effort was one of
several service projects at this years Alaska Catholic Youth Conference
in Anchorage. |
Photo by James DeCrane
Brother John Mary Ignatius joins in the "Our Father" at
the opening Mass at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference June 2 at St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage. |
Photo by James DeCrane Photo by James DeCrane
Brother Craig Bonham catches a hotdog in a pitcher as part of a game
during lunch June 4 at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference at St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton Church in Anchorage. |
St. Patrick’s Craig Gould leads the crowd in
some after dinner entertainment June 3 during the Alaska Catholic Youth
Conference at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage |
Photo by James DeCrane
From left Veronica Herron from St. Patrick competes against Rudy Martinez
in a DDR video game competition June 3 at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference
at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage. |
Photo by James DeCrane
Youth at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Church in Anchorage laugh and cheer on the participants of a dance competition
on stage. |
Photo by James DeCrane
Youth participate at the opening Mass of the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference
June 2 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in south Anchorage. |
Photo by James DeCrane
From left, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton youth Emerick McCormick, Ted Sturgulewski
and Eli Portell have fun while waiting for the bus for the social activity
June 4 at the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference in Anchorage. |
Photo by James DeCrane
From left Rita Covel, Jennesa Borodokin, Roshelle Renner and Elizabeth
Collins help cook a meal for the Hickel House June 3 at Providence Alaska
Medical Center as part of a service project for the Alaska Catholic Youth
Conference. |
Photo by James DeCrane
More than 250 youth enjoy after lunch entertainment June 2 at St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton Church for the opening day of the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference. |
-Source: Catholic Encyclopedia
From left, Deacon James Hostman, Cassie Bartholomew, Tara Bartholomew, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, Tess O’Neill, and Ben Smith pose after the teens received the prestigious religious emblem award as members of Venturing Crew 229. Sarah O’Neill (not pictured) also earned the award. The five members of Venturing Crew 229 at St. Andrew Church received the Pope Pius XII Emblem on May 31 in Eagle River. Venturing is a new part of the Boy Scouts program, and the religious emblem is a vocations-based program designed for high school and college students. Historically, very few Scouts earn the award. Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schweitz was also an emblem recipient. He was awarded the adult lifetime achievement award — the St. George Emblem.
Franciscan Community of The Brothers and Sisters of Charity
Religious Profile
Editor’s note: This is the tenth in a series of profiles that highlight religious communities in the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
The community works to be a vehicle for authentic renewal of traditional religious life in the church, and a source of renewal for the whole church as well. The community lives integrated lives that include both charismatic and contemplative elements. They practice solitude and community contemplative prayer and apostolic activity. Those members outside "monastic walls" are called to bring monasticism to the world. Non-monastic members support themselves financially and choose to reach people outside the institutional church as well as those within.
Sister Jimmie Sue Woelke is the only member in Alaska and the founder and director of "A Voice in the Wilderness Ministries," a non-profit ministry dedicated to fostering renewal and revival within the body of Christ. Sister Woelke also places an emphasis on evangelism and teaching and sharing Catholic faith with Protestants.
Sister Woelke lived in Anchorage as the Anchorage Archdiocese helped her discern her vocation towards religious life. She left the state in the 1980’s for her formation and training. She returned to Alaska in the early 1990’s.
Returning to the original rule of Saint Francis, the community strives to be an integrated community of men, women and families. They are considered a new form of consecrated life within the church. While there are some ten such communities throughout the world, the U.S. community is the only one of their kind with canonical status in North America. Singer and songwriter, John Michael Talbot, is perhaps the community’s most famous member.
The order’s plans are to continue fostering ecumenical relationships within the church in Alaska.
In Anchorage call Sister Jimmie
Sue Woelke at (907) 278-3994 or log on to www.littleportion.org.
For more information on Sister Woelke’s
ministry log on to www.viwministries.org
Memorial Mass for Father Giebel
St. Benedict Church will hold a memorial Mass for
Father Alfred Giebel on Tuesday, June 17, at 7 p.m. The Mass will mark
the one-year anniversary since the death of Father Giebel, who served
as pastor at St. Benedict’s
for more than 16 years. All are invited to the Mass. For more information
contact the church at 243-2195.
Archdiocese severs tie with seminary candidate
On May 22, the Archdiocese of Anchorage sent a formal letter to Jordan
McCambridge, informing him that they would no longer sponsor him as a
seminarian candidate for the archdiocese. Moderator of the Curia, Father
Tom Brundage said that the archdiocese did not want to comment further
due to reasons of employment confidentiality.McCambridge, who originally came from Ireland, arrived in Alaska in
April and was stationed at Sacred Heart Church in Wasilla. He left the
country late last month.
Farewell potluck for Father Bramble
Holy Family Cathedral will host a farewell potluck for outgoing pastor,
Dominican Father Donald Bramble, on Aug. 8 at the cathedral. Father Bramble
will be leaving Alaska to begin a year sabbatical in Nevada. His next
assignment with the Dominicans is not finalized. The potluck will also
celebrate the feast day of St. Dominic Guzman, the founder of the Dominican
Order.
News & Notes
Memorial held for crash victims
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz led a June 4 memorial service and funeral rite for the three crewmembers and one passenger who died when the Providence Alaska Lifeguard helicopter crashed Dec. 3, 2007. The helicopter was enroute on a medical transport mission from Anchorage from Cordova.
Traveling to the crash site outside of Whittier by boat with dozens of family members and colleagues, Archbishop Schwietz led prayers at the place where the helicopter rescue crew was last heard from and also at the location of the crash.
Of the four-member crew, only one body was ever recovered. Archbishop Schwietz blessed the location of the tragedy, sprinkled it with holy water, and said a prayer of commitment for burial at sea.
"It was very reflective – very somber," Archbishop Schwietz told the Anchor. "I hope it had a healing effect."
Archbishop Schwietz added that Alaskans should be thankful for the heroic service of all Lifeguard members who serve the state. He also invited people to pray for their safety.
Those who died in the crash were 47-year-old flight nurse John Stumpff, 42-year-old pilot Lance Brabham, 24-year-old Cameron Carter, and 60-year-old patient Gaye McDowell of Cordova. Only Stumpff’s body was recovered.
Anchor awarded by Catholic press
The Catholic Anchor won three awards at the 2008 Press Awards, which took place at the Catholic Media Convention in Toronto last month.
More than 3,000 entries were submitted for the contest from Catholic newspapers around the country. A total of 225 awards were issued.
For the third time in four years, long-time Anchor columnist, Father LeRoy Clementich took first place in the category for "Best Regular Column" on Scripture.
Judges’ said Father Clementich’s columns "were thought provoking and "inspirational." They added that, "He was effective in tying Scripture to every day life…"
Anchor staff writer Effie Caldarola took second place in the "Best Feature Writing" category for newspapers with less than 17,000 subscribers.
Caldarola’s winning entry described the work of hospital volunteers who spent time holding prematurely born babies.
Judges praised Caldarola’s article for having a "human touch" as well as a "snappy lead that draws attention" and guides readers through the story.
Under "Best News Writing" category for a national event, Anchor Editor Joel Davidson took third place for an informative article about a pending vote last year in Alaska on a proposed constitutional amendment involving state benefits for same-sex couples.
"In the finest journalistic tradition, Davidson provides insight and information in a tightly written report," judges wrote.
The annual Catholic Media Convention brings together representatives from hundreds of national and international Catholic media outlets.
Columns
Have you ever heard of a place named Ouagadougou?
A few years ago, while I was serving on the Board of Directors for Catholic Relief Services (the International Relief and Development organization for U.S. Catholics), I saw the destination on my plane ticket and I was sure some computer had jumbled up some foreign capital’s name. As it turned out, Ouagadougou is the capital city of the African country Burkina Faso. With some serious concerns about what I might find when my plane landed, I went ahead on my site visit for CRS and was deeply impressed by the commendable work the people of our agency are accomplishing for the poor
CNS photoAn employee at a produce and grocery store displays bulk dried corn for sale in Tijuana, Mexico, April 22. As protests over rising food costs spread around the globe, bishops are calling for governments to take emergency measures to keep their poorest citizens from going hungry.
Today I reflect with concern on the good people I met in Burkina Faso as I read what the global food crisis is doing to food prices there and in other developing countries. In Ouagadougou and other major cities in Burkina Faso, according to CRS, people are taking to the streets to protest against the high cost of living. The price of a 50-kilogram bag of ordinary rice increased by 25 percent in the first three months of this year. Local cottonseed oil is up by 33 percent and imported oil is up 67 percent.
For a typical middle class family, food costs that used to consume 60 percent of their revenue now take up 75 percent. CRS quoted several statistics from around the world: Haiti, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Guatemala, etc. "What we are seeing is unprecedented" says CRS food aid expert Lisa Kuennen-Asfaw. "If immediate needs are not met, and if resources and policies supporting increased agricultural production are not put in place soon, we are heading for a cascade of hunger the world over."
The U.S government is responding to this emergency. The Bush administration last month decided to tap $200 million from the nation’ s food aid reserve (at the recommendation of CRS). This is only a start, however. (More information is available on CRS’s web site: www.crs.org)
Can each of us do something about this? I was impressed by a suggestion made by Deacon Charles Rohrbacher in the May 9th edition of "The Inside Passage," the Juneau Diocese’s paper. Out of a sense of solidarity with our hungry brothers and sisters around the world, why not do a voluntary return to meatless Fridays, or abstain from some other food, or perhaps fast as we do on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday? Money we save could be donated to CRS’s Global Food Crisis Fund. When I was growing up, meatless Fridays were not something I looked forward to (fish sticks were not what they are now) but perhaps this voluntary action could accomplish some good and bolster our solidarity with the poor. Think about it.
The writer is the Archbishop of Anchorage.
The divine grace of humor
As many Anchor readers already know, I have recently left the Archdiocese of Anchorage to return to the Holy Cross community at Notre Dame for health reasons. When I arrived here at Holy Cross House, a retirement home, I asked myself what I might be able to do to enhance the spirit of the house. Actually, the spirit was already very good. However, because I have always liked pastoral work, I felt that there must be something personal that I could add.
My first thought was humor. Many of the priests here suffer from various illnesses. Others are in wheelchairs or on walkers. My sense was that I could make the day more bearable for them by pushing their wheelchairs to the dining room or the chapel. Secondly, inasmuch as I have generally been a happy person, I decided to appeal to some friends for cartoons and other kinds of humor which I could place on the bulletin board. I was pleased to note how many priests stopped, looked and laughed. A good way to start the day on the way to breakfast! So, my new ministry seems to be working.
Could all this truly be called a ministry? Any thing that brings health and good spirits to an individual could be interpreted as healing, whether of mind or body.
Jesus, as we know, healed many people physically, but he also told stories that surely must have made people laugh because of their contradictory nature. The synoptic gospels contain some 40 different parables that use images from farming, nature, weather, money, food and family. All these stories were told to people who had little to laugh about in their daily life. They were poor, they lived under Roman occupation, the temple authorities seemed to care little for them. It was for that reason that Jesus often loaded his parables with nuance and subtle humor.
Did his audience laugh out loud? I doubt it, but they did know the underlying meaning of his words. Think, for instance about the question of whether a camel could pass through the eye of a needle, or whether new wine can be contained in old wine skins. These images and others convey the sense that there is a natural contradiction in life, things are not always what they seem.
I don’t claim Jesus was a stand-up comic or that he had nothing better to do than tell jokes, but it seems to me that he did have a sense of the tragic-comic element in human life. Oftentimes, we realize that we cannot control the circumstances of our daily life. However, the way we think of it, how we choose to perceive it, whether as tragedy or comedy can make all the difference.
The problem, of course, is that we sometimes cannot do this alone. We don’t have the energy or the will. That is where friends and associates come into the picture. If this person also has the sense of tragedy and comedy in human life, he or she might do "miracles" to help us get our day started in a happy and hopeful way.
Finally, it is my sense that Jesus was an acute observer both of life in general and of human joys and ills as well. He did whatever he could to make the day better for those who heard him speak.
So all this gives me all the more reason to assist my brothers in their wheelchairs and to hunt for good humor on the Internet. By the way, if you would like to assist me in my "good humor ministry, you can reach me at clementich@hotmail.com.
I like a few laughs myself occasionally.
The writer recently moved to Notre Dame, Indiana after serving the Anchorage
Archdiocese for 15 years. He can be reached at clementich@hotmail.com
Editorials
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CNS File
True Fatherhood
There is a rather significant difference between creating children and fully embracing the duties and responsibilities of fatherhood. Most fathers (even the best) fall somewhere between these two spectrums.
But as the annual tribute to fathers draws near, it seems appropriate to highlight those qualities that are most honorable.
What are the rights and responsibilities of a father? What do they entail? What does the Catholic Church ask of fathers?
Admittedly, there is a risk of feeling inadequate or unworthy when holding up ideals. But ideals are just that – the ultimate goal to which we stumble and strive toward. Most people are not yet there and might only fully attain the ideal on the other side of glory.
That said, the Catholic Church has blessed earthly fathers (and mothers) with many inspired teachings, especially as they relate to the rearing of children. Here are a few pointers taken from the pages of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Encourage Vocations: (Parents) should encourage (their children) in the vocation which is proper to each child, fostering with special care any religious vocation. (CCC 1656)
Moral Education: The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute. The right and duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable. (CCC 2221)
Virtue Training: The home is well suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment and self-mastery – the preconditions of all true freedom. (CCC 2223)
Good Examples: Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children. By knowing how to acknowledge their own failings to their children, parents will be better able to guide and correct them. (CCC 2223)
Evangelization: Parents should initiate their children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith of which they are the ‘first heralds’ for their children. They should associate them from their tenderest years with the life of the Church. (CCC 2225)
Family Catecheses: Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. (CCC 2226)
School Choice: (Parents) have the right to choose a school for (their children) which corresponds to their own convictions. This right is fundamental. As far as possible parents have the duty of choosing schools that will best help them in their task as Christian educators. (CCC 2229)
These are a few of the nuggets contained in the Catechism. For more information visit www.vatican.va/archive/ or www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm to search by subject matter.
Letters to the editor
Newman Guide 2007I read with great interest and much dismay your centerfold pages entitled, "Catholic Universities" (May 16, 2008).
The dismay arose when I noted that not one Jesuit University was on the list. Not one! Nor other highly respected Catholic universities. There are over 220 Catholic colleges and universities in the United States. Apparently 200 do not meet the criteria of the Cardinal Newman Society.
Who or what is the Cardinal Newman Society? That is not clear from the story. But, I was puzzled. This list is almost identical with the one released in the fall of 2007 by the National Catholic Register.
The editor of the Newman Guide, Joseph Esposito, was quoted saying that, "These 20 U.S. institutions represent, in our opinion, the strongest and most faithful adherence to Catholic identity in all aspects of the campus experience."
It would be helpful to know where the other 200 campuses failed.
"Each recommended college…will help prepare graduates for success as practicing Catholics, parents, citizens and professionals."
The other 200 do not? Do these 20, many of which have very small enrollment, offer the number and variety of professional studies the larges ones do?
Mr. Esposito speculates that the second edition of the Newman Guide will include additional Catholic colleges. Will that depend upon what the National Catholic Register publishes next year? Will the guide contain what it found and did not find in the survey of over 200 colleges?
The National Catholic Register describes its list as a Catholic identity survey. How is Catholic identity described? The guide for students needs much more detail and substance than this Newman Society Guide.
Editor’s note: The May 16 article, "Newman Society’s top 21 Catholic Colleges" listed 20 U.S. colleges and 1 from Canada, which are recommended as having a strong Catholic identity and a firm commitment to the doctrinal teachings and intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church.
The Cardinal Newman Society was founded 15 years ago as a nonprofit organization aimed at renewing and strengthening Catholic higher education. "The Newman Guide" of recommended colleges is the latest project of the society.
This college guide is endorsed by numerous Catholic intellectuals and writers, including Dr. Peter Kreeft, Father Benedict Groeschel, Father Richard John Neuhaus, Dr. Janet Smith, and Kenneth D. Whitehead, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education.
The research methodology and criteria for how the 21 colleges were selected as well as reasons why other colleges were omitted is available at the Cardinal Newman Society Web site at www.cardinalnewmansociety.org.
"The Newman Guide" can also be ordered from the Web site.
Take care of our priests
I had the great fortune to meet a wonderful priest, Father Augustine, a chaplain from Nigeria, who served at Providence Hospital (where he’s called Father Austin). Father Augustine, a former Boy Scout, was willing to drive out to the Mat-Su Valley from Anchorage on his day off to celebrate Mass in a hayfield for a bunch of Scouts at their Spring Camporee.
To my shock and dismay, I learned that he had been in Alaska nine months and had never been as far out of Anchorage as Eagle River! Never been to Wasilla, to Fairbanks, to Seward, down the Kenai Peninsula. Even sadder was learning that he would be leaving Alaska in less than two weeks and would never see Denali. Imagine coming all the way from Nigeria to Alaska and never seeing Denali.
By the time you read this, Father George will have arrived at Providence to replace Father Augustine, joining Fr. Aloysius there. Father George will have come directly from Ghana in West Africa. I cannot imagine the culture shock he will be experiencing. Without a driver’s license or car, how will he get to the store to buy groceries or find a place to live? Who will help him discover Western food and learn to cook it? Who will ease his homesickness and loneliness while he gives of himself to the sick and dying? If you would like to be Christ to Father George or Father Aloysius, call the Chaplain’s Office at Providence Hospital.
While we pray for vocations, what are we doing for the priests we have? Why have so many priests left here saying that they didn’t ever feel welcomed or like part of the team?
There are two things we’re short of in Alaska: summer and priests. Let’s each of us invite a priest over for dinner or for a drive while we still have both.
Wasilla
Pro-abortion politicians and Communion
I wish to express my disappointment with Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl and other bishops who allow well-known, pro-abortion politicians to receive Holy Communion.
In most, if not all cases, we are dealing with politicians who are fully aware that the church teaches that abortion is a grave sin and they also know that they are co-operating in it by promoting it both publicly and legally. Common sense dictates that when gravely immoral policies find themselves into law, they begin to incrementally and almost invisibly, impose themselves on society by coercion and force. This marginalizes both religion and those of religious faith.
When bishops allow such politicians to receive Holy Communion under the guise that all culpability for guilt lies solely with the communicant rather than also with the minister of Communion, these bishops foster and encourage a dictatorship of relativism. At the papal Mass in Washington, for example, pro-abortion politicians were provided with choice seats and invited to receive Holy Communion.
Wuerl’s claim that bishops should only be responsible for people in their own dioceses is a claim to "territorial morality" - in essence the same slogan and formula used by politicians who claim the right to lead a double life - a private life in which they supposedly oppose the evil of abortion and a public life in which they allow and even promote this evil in others. What form of mental ‘compartmentalization’ can allow an intelligent thinking human to rationalize this way? Scripture says, "no man can serve two masters" (Matt. 6: 24).
Ontario, Canada