Archbishop Paul Etienne
At St. Peter’s in Rome today, Pope Francis created several new saints, among them Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Oscar Romero. In his homily, the Holy Father, with great insight, expounds upon Mark’s Gospel story of the Rich Young Man (10: 17-22). Following Jesus is above all a matter of love. May each of us know this uncompromising love of Jesus. May our response to this love be equally generous. Below is the full text of today’s homily by Pope Francis. The second reading tells us that “the word of God is living and active, […]
After three months of painful revelations of sexual misconduct of priests and bishops, along with allegations that some bishops covered up these criminal behaviors, this weekend we are seeing some positive developments. Before I spell out these new developments, it bears saying once again, that as Church, and as an Archbishop, we apologize again to victims of sexual abuse. My prayer and plea during these past few months is that by our actions we give clear evidence that we are listening compassionately to victims while at the same time taking actions to report their claims […]
As I fly out of Anchorage this evening, the view from the window is spectacular! It is a gorgeous evening here, and as the plane climbs, we leave the Cook Inlet behind, and begin to enjoy the vista of the mountains, the snow caps, quickly revealing glaciers. In short order, we are following the coast of the Pacific Ocean as it gently caresses the shores of Alaska. Since I am destined for Louisville, Kentucky for some time with brother bishops over the next few days, I am transported by this scenery to the shores of […]
Today, Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement updating the public to recent actions taken by USCCB leaders to address the issues of abuse and accountability of bishops. It is important that the faithful people of God hear that the USCCB is taking action in these days. With that in mind, I share the statement of Cardinal DiNardo here: “In communion with the Holy Father, I join the Executive Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in taking upon ourselves […]
Today was practically like celebrating the Easter Vigil. Yesterday I flew to Dillingham for the weekend. In addition to Holy Rosary Parish, there are numerous villages also served by the pastor, Fr. Scott Garrett. Today, in the face of minimum flying conditions, we had a pilot fly us out to one of those villages, Clarks Point, for a beautiful celebration. The celebration began with a Baptism – pictured left. In all, we celebrated the Eucharist, had a Profession of Faith of an adult joining the Catholic Church, Convalidated a Marriage, celebrated two Confirmations, and three […]
The Archdiocese of Anchorage dedicated Wednesday, the Feast of the Queenship of Mary as a Day of Prayer for Healing. The Co-Cathedral was nearly full for the 9:00 am Mass. Many people visited throughout the day to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, and the church began to fill again around 4:30 for the 7:00 Prayer Service. The church was perhaps three fourths full for the prayer service. I am grateful for the many people who came to join us in prayer, and for all those around the Archdiocese participated in the prayer services at their […]
Please allow me to share with you a letter that I have asked to be read at all Masses throughout the Archdiocese of Anchorage this weekend. Note that this Wednesday, on the Queenship of Mary, is declared a Day of Prayer and Penance for Healing of victims of sexual abuse and for the whole Body of Christ, the Church.
Most of you have heard about the recent news of one of our US Cardinals, Theodore McCarrick being removed from public ministry following a credible, substantiated accusation that he sexually abused a minor as a priest, and a subsequent allegation that he had abused another child for nearly two decades. In an unprecedented step signaling the gravity of these reports, Pope Francis has accepted Archbishop Theodore McCarrick’s resignation from the College of Cardinals. The Holy Father has also directed him to observe a life of prayer and penance in seclusion until the completion of the […]
Last week, one of the committees I serve on within the USCCB met in Washington, DC. Knowing this meeting would coincide with the visit of Cardinal Quevedo of the Archdiocese of Cotabato in the Philippines, staff of Catholic Relief Services worked with the Catholic Conference Executive Directors from both Wyoming and Alaska to schedule some meetings with their respective Congressional delegations. Both Alaska and Wyoming have two Senators and one Representative; thus six meetings were scheduled. Before the end of September, Congress must make decisions regarding the distribution of numerous Appropriations Accounts. Our purposes during […]
June 29, every year the Church celebrates the great Feast of Saints Peter & Paul. As a sign of the significance of this feast, every year on this date, the Holy Father invites to Rome all the newly created Archbishops from the previous year to receive their pallium, which is a sign of their unity, thus the entire Church’s unity, with the successor of Peter. While the Church is certainly capable of great solemnity, and a Mass with the Holy Father at St. Peter’s Basilica is one such moment, we must look very closely to […]