 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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 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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 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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 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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 The top portion of the front page of the May 2013 issue of the Catholic Anchor. — CatholicAnchor.org CatholicAnchor.org
The Catholic Anchor is the newspaper and news website of the Archdiocese of Anchorage. It is mailed each month to every registered Catholic home in the archdiocese. Area parishes pay for parishioners’ yearly subscriptions and total circulation is about 11,000.
The paper aims to inform Catholics about the church and the modern world and their roles in both. The paper contains primarily local news, along with national and world news, columns, editorials, letters and paid advertising.
The website (CatholicAnchor.org) is updated throughout each week and provides breaking local and national news, beyond what is contained in the printed edition. Additionally, the Catholic Anchor maintains a Facebook page, YouTube channel and Twitter account.
To receive the print edition of the paper, contact your local parish. You may also contact the newspaper directly by emailing your name, address and parish affiliation to CatholicAnchor@gci.net or by calling (907) 297-7730.
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 Retired Pope Benedict XVI greets Pope Francis at the Vatican May 2. The 86-year-old retired pontiff, who had been staying at the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo since retiring Feb. 28, returned to the Vatican to live in a monastery in the Vatican. — CNS photo VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) — Benedict XVI has returned to the Vatican after moving to the papal summer household outside of Rome to not interfere with the papal election.
“He is now pleased to return to the Vatican, where he intends to devote himself, as he announced on Feb. 11, to the service of the church in prayer,” said a Vatican statement released on May 2.
The former Pope was picked up by helicopter at 4:30 p.m. from the grounds of Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence that is located on the edge of a volcanic crater lake, about 15 miles southeast of Rome.
He had been living in the house for two months as a temporary arrangement since he resigned on February 28. more…
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 Mikael Hilario, a third-grader at Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage, showcases a rosary and personal letter he received from Cardinal Raymond Burke. — Photo by Alexandra Theis CatholicAnchor.org
Mikael Hilario, a third-grader at Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage, recently received a rosary and personal letter from Cardinal Raymond Burke, head of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature — the Vatican’s highest court.
During the March papal conclave in which 115 elector cardinals selected Pope Francis to succeed the retired Pope Benedict XVI, the third graders at Holy Rosary each adopted a cardinal for whom they prayed. The students also researched their chosen cardinal and made cards for him.
Hilario prayed for Cardinal Burke. In his letter to the cardinal, Hilario said he, “wondered what it was like to be the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature.” Cardinal Burke wrote back thanking Hilario for his prayers, and explaining his duties. He said, “I am happy to serve as Prefect of the Apostolic Signature, because I do so in obedience to the Holy Father, and in that way I serve the Church.”
The cardinal closed the letter by invoking God’s blessing upon Hilario and his family, confiding his intentions to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Joseph.
 Cardinal Burke As a sign of his gratitude for Hilario’s prayers, he sent a blue rosary, which was blessed by Pope Francis on March 13, the evening he was elected as the new pope.
Upon receiving the letter, Hilario told the Catholic Anchor that he was “very surprised and excited.” He enjoyed the project, “because it meant a lot to me that I was sending it to someone who is very high in the church.”
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 Third-grader and First Communicant Giovanna Mercurio stands next to the statue Our Lady after her crowning. — Submitted photo CatholicAnchor.org
Students at Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage observed a traditional May Crowning ceremony on May 1. As part of the celebration, students offered prayers and placed flowers around a statue of the Blessed Virgin.
The event was one of many gatherings across the month May in which Catholics in Alaska and around the world honor the Mother of God.
Honoring Mary is a practice that goes back to the time of the Apostles, who revered the Blessed Mother. In fact, Saint John treated Mary as his own mother when at the Crucifixion, Christ placed her into his care.
Many of the Early Church Fathers of the first centuries venerated Mary and stressed her powerful advocacy in heaven on behalf of humankind.
Because she conceived, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and bore the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” Christians have long acknowledged Mary’s supreme royal dignity while reserving worship for her Divine Son alone. more…
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