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…
JUNEAU (LifeSiteNews.com) — Governor Sean Parnell and the American Civil Liberties Union are not often on the same side, but they both agree state employees violated the constitutional rights of state citizens when they used state vehicles to block signs held by pro-life protesters in the state capital.
Trucks and vans from the state’s Department of Administration and the Legislature kept peaceful demonstrators from being seen for two days in early April.
Protesters with the Center for Bioethical Reform stood in front of the state capitol building in Juneau on April 2-3, holding graphic images of aborted children. more…
In a week or so a newly elected pontiff will emerge from behind the thick curtains and onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to offer his blessing to the tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in the square below and millions of television viewers around the world.
The questions, however, that began the moment Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, will persist. Will the new pope address the AIDS epidemic in Africa? How will he engage other religions? What might he say about the role of women in the church? Will he further articulate the church’s position on human sexuality? How will he deal with sex abuse scandals?
These and other issues preoccupy much of the discussion and media coverage leading up to the impending papal election. Hopes, fears and considerable anxiety abound.
Deacon Ken Bolin assists Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz moments after being ordained a transitional deacon on Nov. 24. He will be ordained to the priesthood on March 7. — CatholicAnchor.org
Former Anglican priest and Fort Richardson Army Base Chaplain Deacon Ken Bolin will be ordained as a Catholic priest on Thursday, March 7, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Anchorage at 4 p.m.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz will ordain the 38-year-old Deacon Bolin who is coming into the priesthood as part of the new Anglican personal ordinariate established by Pope Benedict XVI in January 2012.
The new structure — formally known as the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter — allows former members of the Anglican church to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church, both as individuals and as whole communities, while preserving many of their Anglican traditions and forms of worship.
The new ordinariate has about 36 priests serving 1,500 people in approximately 35 communities in North America. Similar ordinariates exist in England and Australia. more…
On Thursday, Feb. 21, Theology & Brew in Anchorage will host a talk by Father Leo Walsh, pastor of St. Benedict Church and the ecumenical and inter-religious officer for the Anchorage Archdiocese. Father Walsh recently served two years as associate director at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs in Washington, D.C. His upcoming talk is titled: “Who is My Neighbor?: Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Dialogue in the United States.” The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Sea Galley restaurant on C Street near the E. Tudor Road intersection in Anchorage.
Students from Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School in Wasilla pack items for orphans living in Christ Hope Orphanage in Tanzania, East Africa. — Submitted photo
Language, culture, extreme poverty and more than 11,000 miles separate a group of 30 orphans in Tanzania from the 30 students at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School (OLV) in Wasilla.
But last month, the distance and differences were partially bridged when OLV students sent gift boxes to the children at Christ Hope Orphanage in Tanzania, East Africa.
Below, children from Christ Hope Orphanage are pictured at the orphanage. — Screen capture from christhopeorphanage.com
The effort was born out of a request from Elaine Bradford of International Evangelism Outreach, an Evangelical Christian organization that runs schools, hospitals, trade schools and churches in Tanzania.
The students and staff at OLV answered ecumenical the call for help with zeal. Beginning in the fall, students and teachers worked on the project, earning money for practical necessities as well as requesting donations from local businesses for toys to place in the gift boxes. more…
No believing Muslim, Orthodox Jew, practicing Catholic or any true Christian would agree that all religions are equally valid paths to God.
They would agree that we share some truths and realities in common, but none of them would say that all religions are equally true.
That assertion in fact is rather arrogant. You might say it is a secular faith statement that comes from a worldview that wants to impose its “faith” on others. This view sees religion at its best as a bother that should be kept at home or in church. At worst, religion is the cause of all human strife.
The propagators of this anti-religious worldview want to convert those of us who claim an ultimate truth and an ultimate path to God. Attempts to convert us are happening everywhere in today’s society. more…
On Saturday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m., all are invited to the closing ceremonies for this fall’s 40 Days for Life pro-life campaign. The events – including Vespers, remarks by Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz and a reception – will take place at Holy Family Cathedral.
On Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 6:30 p.m., all are invited to the 40 Days for Life midway rally, that will mark the midpoint of the 40-day pro-life campaign of prayer, fasting and standing vigil to end abortion. The campaign lasts until Sunday, Nov. 4.
The midway rally takes place outside Planned Parenthood, at 4100 Lake Otis Parkway.
Rebecca Kiessling, a family law attorney who was conceived out of a brutal rape, is the featured guest. Kiessling believes her life was spared for a purpose and has devoted herself to advocating for the rights of other innocent unborn children and to raising her children to know their own value, identity and purpose in Christ.
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