Diocese of Fairbanks
In spring 2019, young adults around Fairbanks took our Feast & Faith program to a new level when they started gathering on their own for weekly Bible study, Mass, and social events. They have even formed a “Catholic Beer Club” that meets monthly at a local brewery! Our deacon candidate in Fairbanks, Warren Shier, took one step closer to the dioaconate when he was ordained as an Acolyte in May. In the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region, our regional coordinator trained all 24 of our village churches on Quicken, which will enable the diocese to better coordinate and oversee the financial health of our rural parishes, since all depend on the chancery for financial support to remain open. Faith leaders in the Y-K Delta also started a new weekly radio program that broadcasts Gospel reflections through the region’s Catholic radio station in Nome. The reflections were written to resonate with Yup’ik Eskimo Catholics and frequently referenced village life and Yup’ik traditions. Nearly three dozen rural deacons and their wives also attended a three-day Scripture workshop on the Book of Revelation in early September in the village of Bethel. “The End Times” workshop prepared attendees to respond to increasingly aggressive proselytizing by other Christian denominations in the villages.
