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 The new church building at St. Michael Church in Palmer reflects some traditional elements of church layout and design, including a prominent display of the tabernacle, which can be seen just behind the main altar and located in the new chapel. — Photo by Joel Davidson Dedication at St. Michael’s on May 23
By JOEL DAVIDSON
CatholicAnchor.org
Parishioners of St. Michael Church in Palmer have their fingerprints all over the church’s the newly-constructed sanctuary, assembly area and parish chapel.
Most parishioners chipped in, logging thousands of volunteer hours in erecting a new place of worship for one of the oldest parish communities in Alaska.
“The total number of people that worked on the project is too large to count,” said Matthew Beck, parish life director at St. Michael.
In an email to the Catholic Anchor, Beck praised parishioners for stepping up to build a liturgical space that communicates with people entering that “this is a uniquely different space when you enter, set aside for something special.” more…
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 Dr. Kermit Gosnell BY BEN JOHNSON
PHILADELPHIA, PA. (LifeSiteNews.com) – Judge Jeffrey Minehart has imposed a third life sentence against Kermit Gosnell for first-degree murder during a ten-minute hearing May 15.
Gosnell will already serve two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders of Baby C, and D – newborns whom he allowed to be born and then killed with scissors.
Yesterday, Minehart passed sentence on the 72-year-old after jurors unanimously convicted him on three first-degree murder charges. But he withheld sentencing for the murder of “Baby A,” because the child’s mother said she wanted to address the court. more…
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 CNS photo Dean of St. Paul Seminary headed to Alaska for Theology & Brew presentations
CatholicAnchor.org
Later this month Dr. Christopher Thompson, academic dean of St/ Paul Seminary in Saint Paul, Minn. is traveling to Alaska where he will give two public presentations for the Theology & Brew speaker series in Palmer and Anchorage titled: ”Green Thomism.”
The upcoming talks will draw from theological principles — especially those of Saint Thomas Aquinas — to explore environmental issues in light of Catholic teaching. The upcoming events are presented by Theology & Brew — a speaker series sponsored by the Archdiocese of Anchorage to address issues of faith and culture in the public square.
The first talk will take place on Wednesday, May 29, from 7-9 p.m. at the Turkey Red Restaurant in downtown Palmer (550 South Alaska Street). For more information about the Palmer event, email tabmatsu@gmail.com or call (907) 240-5808.
The second presentation takes place the following night on Thursday, May 30, from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Sea Galley restaurant on C Street near the East Tudor Road intersection. For more information about the Anchorage talk, email theologyandbrew@yahoo.com.
Both presentations, which are free and open to the public, include a Q&A session with the audience.
Dr. Thompson is known for dynamic and engaging presentations. He holds a doctorate in theology from Marquette University and has been on faculty at St. Paul Seminary since 2006. His expertise is Thomistic moral theology and he has presented at several international conferences on various topics in moral theology. For more information on his work in “Green Thomism,” click here.
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 Fr. Michael Shields By FR. MICHAEL SHIELDS
CatholicAnchor.org
Olga is a 22-year-old Native woman here in Far East Siberia. She volunteers on our parish pro-life program and has recently risen from the dead. Let me explain.
When Olga got pregnant her boyfriend told her to either get an abortion or leave. She chose to leave him but had no place to live. Eventually she had to move in with her relatives — six people in a one-room apartment.
In order to pay for her older daughter’s schooling, Olga worked all winter in the outdoor Chinese market, even when it was 30 degrees below zero. Ultimately, she contracted pneumonia and fell so ill that she was taken to the hospital. Doctors could not treat her for fear they would harm the unborn baby, so they put her in a medically-induced coma and performed a cesarean to try and save both Olga and her baby who was eight months along. more…
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 Popular up and coming musician Pasquale Talarico is one of several new musicians and speakers scheduled to present at this years Alaska Catholic Youth Conference. — Image from ptmusiconline.com Annual statewide gathering set for June 3-6
By EFFIE CALDAROLA
CatholicAnchor.org
After more than a decade, the increasingly popular Alaska Catholic Youth Conference has become a much-loved tradition. This year the event aims to continue past successes with a blend of new and tried and true elements.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz said he looks forward to the annual youth gathering, which this year benefits from added enthusiams with the election of a new pope.
“Excitement fills the air as our newly elected Holy Father, Pope Francis, calls us to a more vibrant, simpler living out of our faith,” Archbishop Schwietz told the Catholic Anchor. “The spirit of newness in the church will pervade this year’s ACYC as we gather in a new space with new speakers and a new challenge to look beyond ourselves and to make disciples of all nations.”
“I am looking forward to joining our youth along with the other bishops of Alaska to celebrate our faith, grow in communion and rejoice in our love for Jesus Christ,” Archbishop Schwietz added. more…
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 The site for a proposed Catholic camp includes a quarter mile of lakefront property. CatholicAnchor.org
Catholic Camp and Conference Ministries of Alaska, Inc., an independent nonprofit, is still in the process of raising funds to purchase Camp Challenge from Alaska General Assembly of the Church of God — a group that has operated the camp since the mid-1960s.
The 57-acre campground outside Palmer may soon be home to a new Catholic summer camp — St. Therese’s Camp.
The Church of God has agreed to sell the camp for $1 million. The facility includes a quarter mile of lakefront property, 14 buildings and undeveloped land.
According to Rich Owens, vice president of the Catholic nonprofit, the group needs donors to step forward in order to finalize purchase of the property.
The plan is to launch an eight-week youth camp program in June 2013. Through the fall and winter, the facility would be available to rent for church and community groups.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz said he is pleased with the effort to establish a camp, although the archdiocese will not be running or financing it.
For more information, go online to c3ma.org or call Rich Owens at (907) 229-9104.
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 Fr. Leo Walsh Despite hurdles ecumenical officer expresses hope for greater Christian unity
By ALEXANDRA THEIS
CatholicAnchor.org
Saint John’s Gospel includes a famous account of Jesus’ prayer to God the Father on the night before he suffered and died: “I pray that they all may be one, as you Father are in me, and I in you, and that they may also be in us.”
These words resonate for Father Leo Walsh, pastor of St. Benedict Church in Anchorage and the ecumenical and interreligious officer for the Anchorage Archdiocese. Father Walsh sees his mission as one of helping to realize Christ’s prayer in Alaska.
“Ecumenical work is trying to work on the local level for what Christ prayed — that they all may be one,” Father Walsh said in a recent interview with the Catholic Anchor.
His interest in ecumenism intensified after taking a trip, many years ago, to the Holy Land. Seeing a divided Christianity there, Father Walsh realized, “This is not the will of Christ, and that the biggest stumbling block to the credibility of the Gospel is a divided Christianity.” more…
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 Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee uncaps his pen to sign the Marriage Equality Act into law at the State House in Providence, R.I., May 2. Rhode Island became the 10th U.S. state to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. — CNS photo PROVIDENCE (LifeSiteNews.com) – Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee has signed a law redefining “marriage” to include homosexual couples, making Rhode Island the tenth state to accept same-sex “marriages.”
The law takes effect Aug. 1 and contains a provision allowing those who entered same-sex civil unions to convert those legal partnerships to “marriages.”
Rhode Island’s new law redefines marriage by removing all gender-specific language from the state’s marriage laws. It also adds new language that permits a person to marry any other eligible person, regardless of sex. more…
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 Abby Johnson WASHINGTON D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — Although President Barack Obama told a Planned Parenthood conference last week that abortion opponents are stuck in the past, former clinic manager Abby Johnson says the youth of the pro-life movement suggests otherwise.
“We’ve seen the pro-life movement gaining. We see the abortion movement declining,” Johnson told CNA April 30.
She suggested that the president may not know those who are in the pro-life movement, such as members of Students for Life of America or the youthful pro-life investigative reporting group Live Action. more…
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 CNS photo WASHINGTON D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — Critics of the FDA’s decision to make the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill available without a prescription to teenagers as young as 15, expressed concern that the pill is dangerous for young women and can act as an abortion drug.
“Once again, the health of young women is being sacrificed on the altar of ‘choice,’” Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, said April 30.
Others warned that the easy availability of the drug means that the women at most risk for sexual abuse and sexually transmitted infections will be less likely to have medical supervision and medical screenings. more…
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