Archbishop Paul Etienne
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 […]
Jesus gives us some great one liners in today’s Gospel. (Matthew 7: 6, 12-14) Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few. The bottom line to these ‘pearls’ of wisdom and divine instruction […]
On this Nativity of John The Baptist, we look to a critical moment in the history of salvation. On this solemnity, our minds are drawn as much to the holy couples of Elizabeth and Zechariah & Joseph and Mary as they are to John the Baptist. This is a seminal moment in history when God is choosing through the lives of ‘ordinary couples’ to bring his Son into the world, as well as the one who would go before him to prepare His way, to Baptize Him and proclaim Him the Lamb of God. As […]
It’s been a long time since I have had material to post on a day afield. Yesterday morning, I headed up to the Mat-Su Valley and spent time on Lazy Mountain as well as some hiking in Hatcher Pass, home of the former Independence Gold Mine in the Talkeetna Mountains. Friday morning after finishing my prayers and Mass, I made the hour long drive to Palmer, where I connected with my host for the next 24 hours. I had a room / small cabin at a local Bed & Breakfast up on Lazy Mountain. It […]
In so many ways, it is clear God’s grace is active and alive in the Church today, and it has been on full display this week in the Archdiocese of Anchorage! Our week began with the annual Alaska Catholic Youth Conference. For four days, approximately 250 youth, ministers and chaperones gathered in Anchorage from around the state of Alaska. These young people are full of energy and especially, faith! We prayed together, played together, and took time to learn even more about our faith from a variety of speakers. I’m particularly grateful that all four […]
The Archdiocese of Anchorage is pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. Nathan J. McCabe as the new Director of Stewardship and Development. Nathan was born and raised in South Texas, but recently made Anchorage his new home. His business experience is primarily in bank management, so the work of development and stewardship will be a new endeavor for him. His outgoing personality and people skills combined with his strong faith and desire to serve the Church will serve him well in his new capacity. Likewise, his love of the outdoors will help make connections with […]
I recently heard a father speak about his daughter’s upcoming wedding. He said: “I’ll be glad when it is over.” He was excited for his daughter and son-in-law-to-be, but was also frustrated with how the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony was getting lost in all the other details of planning for the day. That seems to be a good analogy for young parents today who have many other challenging, but less important matters to contend with in fulfilling their greatest responsibility of raising their children in the faith. It can be difficult to keep this priority […]
In February, Pope Francis decreed a new, universal, obligatory memorial of our Blessed Mother under the title, Mother of the Church. For over five years, our Holy Father has been championing a greater engagement of the Church’s heart as we carry out our Mission of bearing witness to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pope Francis has consistently beat the drum calling us to greater warmth, compassion, mercy, and love. These are clearly characteristics of the life and ministry of Jesus, but are they not at the same time the same traits of a Mother’s heart? […]
Deacon Ordination Homily May 18, 2018 Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral – Anchorage Acts 6: 1-7; Ephesians 4: 1-7, 11-13; John 15: 9-17 Love – Charity – Service I wish to welcome all of you to this Deacon Ordination Mass. It is great to have such a broad representation of this local Church, from our priests and deacons, to our women religious and so many of our lay faithful. In a very special way, we welcome all the family and friends of our soon-to-be deacons. And most especially, we welcome you: Gustavo & Cristine Scott […]