Diocese of Fairbanks
PASTORAL SUPPORT OF NATIVE MISSIONS
St. John Berchmans Catholic Church in Galena has scheduled a one-day workshop on suicide prevention for May 2020 for middle and high school students. The workshop, which will be led by young adult missionaries from the Fairbanks-based Alaska Mission group, has had to be rescheduled twice since November due to staff scheduling conflicts.
Two missionary priests from Nigeria, Frs. Alphonsus and Aiden, traveled to their home country in fall 2019 to visit family, but were prevented from returning to Alaska due to unforeseen immigration issues. The two priests serve six parishes in the Y-K Delta region, which are now without consistent pastoral support. The diocese’s Rural Deacon program coordinator, Fr. Mark Hoelsken, has traveled to St. Mary’s, Mountain Village, and Pilot Station about once a month to provide the Mass and sacraments for Fr. Aiden’s parishes, but no clergy have been able to visit Fr. Alphonsus’s three coastal parishes for several months. The diocese is awaiting the approval of their new visas from customs and immigration, which is currently backlogged five to seven months for the approval process.
Y-K REGIONAL COORDINATOR
Sister Kathy Radich is working with rural faith leaders to plan two family conferences for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region. These events will require significant planning and are expected to take place in Emmonak and Bethel over the next 18 months, assuming weather allows members to travel for adequate planning.
INTERIOR REGION COORDINATOR
Brother Bob Ruzicka recently established a committee scheduled to meet once a month in the village of Galena to plan a family conference for the diocese’s eight interior region parishes, which serve mostly Athabaskan Catholics. The three-day event is tentatively planned for April 2021 in Galena and focus on how the Church can holistically support Catholic families.
OFFICE OF FAITH AND FAMILY FORMATION
There is a strong possibility the Archdiocese of Anchorage will discontinue its support of the annual Alaska Catholic Youth Conference in 2020, since the archdiocese is moving toward social work-style mission experiences for high school students. Because of this, OFFF Coordinator Fred Villa is investigating the possibility of hosting an annual statewide youth conference beginning in fall 2021.
The OFFF has started a prolife advocacy group with representatives from parishes around Fairbanks. The office is working closely with the FYNDout Free Pregnancy Center (FYND=For your next decision) to build momentum for prolife advocacy and increased support of pregnant women and growing families.
The Feast & Faith program continues to draw approximately 30-50 young adults 18-35 to its monthly meeting at a local restaurant for fellowship and catechesis.
The Alaska Mission team of young adults continues to lead teen youth groups at Sacred Heart Cathedral and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fairbanks. They also led a group of four teens to the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. in January 2020.
