I went to Alaska, really, I did!

 

Several months ago, Wendy says, we are going to Alaska in September, so I said sure, never believing she could make it happen.  She made it happen.  Up to the day or two before we left, I still figured that something would get in the way.  Nothing did.  She made it happen.  She really, really wanted this bad.  I know she is concerned as her mobility gets harder, but she really wanted to see Alaska.  So, we flew to Seattle, jumped on the Norwegian Encore and by sometime Monday, we were in Alaskan waters.  We made our first stop in Juneau, went dog sledding with some Huskies, saw some awesome terrain and drove past the Mendenhall Glacier.  We even saw an Eagle.  Next stop was Skagway, and we took the White Pass train line through some mountains and all the way to a place called Fraser, Canada.  There, we stopped at a pretty cool suspension bridge, took a picture at the welcome to Alaska sign and purchased something called Ketchup chips.  Delicious!  Thursday was utterly spectacular.  Without having to leave our stateroom, we saw the beauty of Glacier Bay.  The scenic views were breathtaking, as was the incredible sight of ice floating in the water.  We spotted one small whale playing in the water, some kind of sea creature, like an otter, a couple of mountain goats and one lone bear playing on a beach.  The ice in many spots looked blue and then we witnessed about 5 calvings.  This is when large amounts of ice give way and slide into the water.  The sound is incredibly loud.  Friday, we started back south to Ketchikan where we took a Deadliest Catch adventure.  We boarded the Aleutian Ballad that was actually in the show about 17 years ago.  We saw how the equipment worked, watched them haul in a pot of crabs, fed some eagles, such a majestic bird, and held something called a box crab.  We saw a 50lb. octopus and so much more.  This was my favorite excursion.  Ketchikan was incredibly wet and cold that day, it was a struggle for Wendy, but she endured.  We cruised south from Ketchikan to Victoria, British Columbia, in some incredible gales and swells.  Made for an interesting ride, although overnight, I slept like a baby because of the rocking motion.  After spending all day on the water, we had a very late evening stop in Victoria but we decided to stay in.  All we really missed was a carriage ride around the town.  We were busy participating in the Olympic sport of packing, where Wendy excels at cramming a houseful of stuff into several suitcases.  It's actually quite exhausting.  We returned to Seattle today, have been chilling in the Alaska Airlines Lounge all day awaiting an overnight redeye into New Orleans.  Despite my doubts and disbelief, Wendy made sure this all happened and now I can say that I have been to 49 states, including the two that are the youngest, Alaska & Hawaii.

Hopefully, after an all-night flight into New Orleans, we restart all our various routines and get back to normal.  Even though a trip of a lifetime, there is no place like home.  Thanks for reading.

A new Bishop up in Alaska

 

Pope Francis names Dominican priest and former military chaplain as Alaska’s next bishop  

Pope Francis has named Dominican Father Steven Maekawa, a former active duty military chaplain, as the next bishop of Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Vatican announced the appointment on July 11. Maekawa will take on the role of leading a diocese that spans more than 400,000 square miles, the largest diocese in the United States geographically.

The 55-year-old Dominican friar has been based in Alaska since 2016, serving as the pastor of Holy Family Old Cathedral in Anchorage. 

Maekawa was awarded a special medal in active duty for his work as a military chaplain in the U.S. Navy Reserve, serving a tour of duty with ground troops in Afghanistan in 2004.

Born in Seattle on Nov. 22, 1967, Maekawa earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture at the University of Washington before entering religious life in the Dominicans’ Western U.S. province. 

He studied at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California, where he earned a master of divinity degree in 1998, the same year he was ordained to the priesthood.

Maekawa has served as the chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Washington (1998–2002) and as the vocations director of the Western Dominican Province (2007–2015). He ministered in San Francisco and Seattle before moving to Anchorage seven years ago.

In Fairbanks, Maekawa will succeed Bishop Chad Zielinski, whom Pope Francis appointed as the bishop of New Ulm, Minnesota, last year.

The Diocese of Fairbanks has 46 Catholic parishes, only nine of which can be reached by car. The new bishop will need to use a bush plane to reach some remote Catholic parishes, including in native Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Inupiat communities.

The northernmost diocese in the U.S. has a total population of 166,800 people, roughly 11,500 of whom are Catholics. It is also a poor diocese with only eight parishes that are self-supporting. In some remote churches, parishioners are only able to receive sacraments from a priest every two or three months with priests traveling long distances over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions.

Catholic hatred on display in Alaska

 

Alaska archbishop condemns attacks on Catholic church

By Peter Pinedo

Washington D.C., Dec 21, 2022 / 16:00 pm

Recent incidents of vandalism committed against a church in Alaska represent an “attack on the dignity of each person and their religious practice,” wrote Archbishop Andrew Bellisario of the Diocese of the Anchorage-Juneau in a letter to parishioners.  

In his Dec. 9 letter, Bellisario called attention to two recent acts of vandalism that took place at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Eagle River. 

“We do not know what has motivated people to do these serious and disturbing actions,” Bellisario wrote. “These are especially significant in the context of the many expressions of anger that have become so commonplace in our society, our political system, and even our Church. This must be called out for its attack on the dignity of each person and their religious practice.”

Last month vandals spray-painted profane images on the church walls and doors, according to a report by the Alaska Watchman. The images were identical to those painted on the church in May, two days after the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade went public. At that time vandals also scattered nails across the church’s parking lot. 

Father Arthur Roraff, pastor of St. Andrew’s, told CNA that whoever committed these crimes is in need of help.

“It has been very disappointing that we have been the target of someone’s anger. There is obviously some frustration and sadness in someone’s life that they feel the desire to vent it on a church, the one place the exists for their healing. What they truly seek is in the church they desecrate,” Roraff said.

“While there is true sadness for the individual or individuals, we can never condone such actions. They should be brought to justice because it is often through justice that one finds contrition and forgiveness. We continue to cooperate with the police to find whoever is responsible for this,” he added.

CatholicVote reports that there have been over 250 attacks against Catholic churches in the U.S. since 2020. A large percentage of those attacks occurred this year, with at least 100 attacks being committed after the Supreme Court leak in May, according to CatholicVote. 

In addition to the attack on St. Andrew’s, on June 2 a pro-life pregnancy center in Anchorage, Community Pregnancy Center, was vandalized with spray-painted pro-abortion messages, a door was broken, and upright nails were placed in the parking lot. 

“The seasons of Advent and Christmas offer the chance to renew the love, respect, and friendship that bind us together,” Archbishop Bellisario noted in his letter. 

“It is especially important for us to do this when these bonds are challenged by those who would disrupt them and sow the division and hatred that Our Lord came to earth to heal,” he wrote. 

“We, as Catholics,” Bellisario said, “must do what we can to promote peace and respect and restore the trust and security upon which healthy human relationships depend.”

Bellisario called on Christians to “pray for all this Advent and Christmas season, especially those who find themselves consumed with feelings of hopelessness, despair, and paralyzing anger.”

The bishop also noted that the archdiocese will be taking steps to increase security.

“In these measures, and in any response to disruptive and violent actions that do take place, our ministers and staff members will cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities, seeking their immediate and sustained intervention and assisting in any criminal investigations,” Bellisario wrote.  

North to Alaska; the Catholic Church shakes things up

Bishop Andrew Bellisario with Pope Francis on his ad limina visit, February 2020 

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Pope merges Dioceses of Anchorage and Juneau and names first bishop

Pope Francis makes the Archdiocese of Anchorage and the Diocese of Juneau one ecclesiastical territory of Anchorage-Juneau (United States) and appoints Bishop Andrew Bellisario, CM, Apostolic Administrator of Anchorage as its first Metropolitan Archbishop.

By Vatican News

On Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that Pope Francis has merged the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, with the Diocese of Juneau. The new Archdocese of Anchorage-Juneau will be led by its first Archbishop, Andrew Bellisario, Bishop of the Diocese of Juneau and Apostolic Administrator of Anchorage.

Andrew Eugene Bellisario was born in 1956 in Los Angeles, California. He attended primary school at St Stephen's Elementary School in Monterey Park, California.

He entered the minor seminary of St Vincent de Paul in Montebello, California in 1971. In 1975 he entered the Congregation of the Missions (Vincentians) in Santa Barbara. He undertook philosophical studies at St Mary's Seminary in Perryville, Missouri, beginning in 1976, followed by theological studies at DeAndreis Seminary in Lemont, Illinois (1980-1984), after which he was ordained a Vincentian priest on 16 June 1984.

He first served as Dean of Students at St Vincent de Paul Minor Seminary in Montebello, California (1984-1986), followed by various parish assignments: parrochial vicar (1986- 1989) and parish administrator (1989-1990) of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Montebello; pastor of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish in Huntington Beach, California (1990-1995) and Sacred Heart Parish in Patterson, California (1995-1998). He then became Treasurer and Provincial Councilor for the Vincentians (1996-2002), followed by the position of Director of the De Paul Evangelization Center in Montebello (1998-2002); Superior of the De Paul Center Residence in Montebello (2001-2002); Provincial Superior (2002-2010); Director of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul in Los Altos, California (2003-2015); Pastor of the Co-Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Anchorage, Alaska (2014-2017); and Superior of the International Missions in Alaska (2015-2017).

Pope Francis appointed him the Bishop of Juneau, Alaska in July 2017. He was consecrated Bishop on 10 October that same year. On June 7th, 2019 the Pope Francis appointed Bishop Bellisario as Apostolic Administrator of the Anchorage Archdiocese. 

From Wyoming to Alaska and now to Seattle; a U.S. Bishop on the move

Archbishop Etienne

US: Pope Francis Appoints Coadjutor Archbishop of Seattle

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, Currently Archbishop of Anchorage

April 29, 2019 16:40Jim FairCatholic Church

Pope Francis has appointed as coadjutor archbishop of Seattle, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, currently archbishop of Anchorage. Archbishop Etienne was born on June 15, 1959, in Tell City, Indiana. He attended the North American College in Rome and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in 1992.

Archbishop Etienne holds a bachelors and licentiate of theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. After ordination, he served in several Indianapolis parishes and was the director of vocations for the archdiocese. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named him bishop of Cheyenne where he was ordained as bishop on December 14, 2009. Archbishop Etienne was named Archbishop of Anchorage on October 4, 2016, by Pope Francis and was installed, November 9, 2016.

Archbishop Etienne currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on National Collections.

The Archdiocese of Seattle comprises of 64,269 square miles and has a total population of 5,501,540 of which 863,000 or 15.7 percent, are Catholic. The Most Reverend James Peter Sartain is the fifth and current Archbishop of Seattle.

A new Bishop appointed for Alaska

USA: Appointment of the Bishop of Juneau (Alaska)

Father Andrew E. Bellisario, C.M., was up to now Rector Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral at Anchorage

July 11, 2017ZENIT StaffPope and Holy See

Mount Juneau, Alaska / Wikimedia Commons - Photograph by Robert A. Estremo, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Pope appointed Reverend Father Andrew E. Bellisario, C.M., Bishop of Juneau (Alaska, U.S.A.). Up to now he was Rector Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral at Anchorage.
The Reverend Father Andrew E. Bellisario, C.M., was born on December 19, 1956 at Los Angeles, California, in the Archdiocese of the same name. After frequenting Saint Stephen’s Elementary School at Monterey Park (1963-1971) and Saint Vincent’s Minor Seminary at Montebello (1971-1975), he entered the Congregation of the Mission at Santa Barbara. He did his philosophical studies at Saint Mary’s, Perryville, Missouri (1976-1980) and his theological studies at the DeAndreis Seminary at Lemont, Illinois (1980-1984).
He was ordained priest on June 16, 1984 for the Congregation of the Mission.
After his priestly Ordination, he held the following posts: Dean of Students at Saint Vincent’s Minor Seminary at Montebello (1984-1986); Parish Vicar (1986-1989) and Parish Administrator (1989-1990) of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at Montebello; Parish priest of Saint Vincent de Paul’s Parish at Huntington Beach (1990-1995) and of the Sacred Heart Parish at Patterson (1995-1998); Bursar and Consultor of the Province (1996-2002); Director of the De Paul Evangelization Center at Montebello (1998-2002); Superior of the De Paul Center Residence at Montebello (2001-2002); Provincial  (2002-2010); Director of the Daughters of Charity at los Altos (2003-2015); Rector of Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral at Anchorage (from 2014) and Superior of the International Missions in Alaska (from 2015

A new Bishop for Alaska

Pope Francis names new archbishop of Anchorage    

                                  

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ANCHORAGE, AK — Pope Francis has named Bishop Paul Dennis Etienne to be the next archbishop of Anchorage, Alaska and accepted the resignation of Archbishop Roger Schwietz who submitted his resignation last year upon turning 75-years-old as required by the church’s canon law.
Archbishop-elect Etienne has served as the bishop of Cheyenne Wyoming for the past seven years.

The new appointment was announced at noon in Rome today. Archbishop Schwietz will introduce Archbishop-elect Etienne at an 11am press conference this morning. The installation date for Archbishop-elect Etienne is yet to be announced, but Archbishop Schwietz will serve as apostolic administrator during the interim.
Archbishop-elect Etienne’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas/St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He also has a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and a License in Spiritual Theology from Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on June 27, 1992. Assignments after ordination include, associate pastor of St. Barnabas Church in Indianapolis; associate vocation director for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in 1992; vocation director for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis from 1995-1998; pastor of St. Anne Church and St. Joseph Church in Jennings County from 1995 to 1998; pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in New Albany from 1998 to 2007 and many more.
In 2009 he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the bishop of Cheyenne Wyoming and was ordained a bishop in December 2009.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage comprises 138,000 square miles in Southcentral Alaska and the population of the archdiocese is approximately 400,000, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the population of Alaska. There are eight parishes in the Anchorage urban area. The other 13 parishes and missions are in more rural parts of the archdiocese. Many are accessible only by airplane or boat. Archbishop-elect Etienne will be the fourth archbishop of Anchorage.