Province
of ANCHORAGE
Pope Paul VI created the Province of Anchorage Alaska
Map of the Province
Catholic History of Alaska
The first European to see Alaska was likely Vitus Bering, a
Dane who led a Russian exploration team to Alaska in 1741. Russian colonization began later in the 18th
Century at Sitka, the Russian capital of Alaska. The first Catholics to visit Alaska were Spanish Franciscan missionaries who said the
first Mass in 1779 on Prince of Wales Island . However, the early Christian history of Alaska
Catholic activity in Alaska
was largely non-existent until after the United
States purchased Alaska
from Russia British Columbia ),
visited the missions in the Yukon River valley
in 1877. Seghars sent two of his
priests, John Althoff and William Heynen, to Southeastern Alaska where they
established churches in Wrangel in 1879 and in Juneau and Sitka in 1885. Seghars, who served as Archbishop of Oregon
City (now Portland Yukon River
valley in 1886. Archbishop Seghars was
murdered by a guide during that trip.
Pope Leo XIII made the Alaskan territory a Prefecture
Apostolic in 1894 under the care of the Jesuits. Father Tosi was appointed as the first
Prefect Apostolic and he established his headquarters in Juneau
Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Juneau in 1951—making
Alaska Alaska Alaska , headquartered at Fairbanks Province of Anchorage Juneau
and Fairbanks U.S.
Please note that I had difficulty finding much information
on Alaska’s bishops and cathedrals.
Archdiocese of Anchorage
The Archdiocese of Anchorage consists of the 7 boroughs and
3 census areas that make up the Third Judicial District in southcentral Alaska.
The archdiocese has 44,000 Catholics (7 percent of the total population) in 23
parishes. The archdiocese is the second
largest Latin-rite diocese in the United States
Archbishops of Anchorage
Joseph T. Ryan (1913-2000), first Archbishop of Anchorage
(1966-1975).
Archbishop Ryan was born in New York and was ordained a
priest for the Diocese of Albany in 1939.
Ryan also served as national secretary of the Catholic Near East Welfare
Association (1960-1965), coadjutor military vicar of the U.S. Armed Forces (1975-1985),
and first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Military Services (1985-1991).
When Ryan became Archbishop in 1966, there were 17,000
Catholics in the Archdiocese. Ryan
established a Diaconate program in 1970 especially aimed at serving Native
Americans. He also opened the Holy
Spirit Center in 1971 for retreats and conferences. He left Anchorage in 1975
to become the coadjutor military vicar of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Francis T. Hurley (1927-2016), Archbishop of Anchorage
(1976-2001).
Archbishop Hurley was born in San Francisco and was ordained
a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1951. He also served as auxiliary bishop of Juneau
(1970-1971) and Bishop of Juneau (1971-1976).
Archbishop Hurley piloted his own airplane to minister to the
Archdiocese’s Catholics. Hurley
established the Church of the Nativity in Magadan, Russia, to serve Catholics
there, many of whom were survivors of Soviet labor camps. He also established the Catholic Anchor
newspaper in 1999. He resigned as
Archbishop in 2001.
Roger L. Schwietz, O.M.I. (1940- ), Archbishop of Anchorage (2001-2016).
Archbishop Schwietz was born in Minnesota and was ordained a
priest for the Oblates of Mary in 1967.
He also served as seminary director for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate
at Creighton University, Bishop of Duluth, Minnesota (1989-2000), and coadjutor
archbishop of Anchorage (2000-2001).
I was not able to find out anything about Archbishop
Schwietz other than that he retired in 2016.
Current Archbishop
Paul D. Etienne was appointed Archbishop of Anchorage by
Pope Francis in 2016. He was born in
Indiana in 1959 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in
1992. He previously served as Bishop of
Cheyenne, Wyoming (2009-2016).
The Cathedrals
Holy Family Cathedral
Fifth Avenue and H
Street
The Holy Family—Jesus, Mary, and Joseph serve as a model for
all families. The feast of the Holy
Family is celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless us and grant us the grace to
share in the defense and propagation of the Faith whether by word or by the
sacrifice of our fortunes and our lives.
The Holy Family Cathedral parish dates to the early days of Anchorage Anchorage Seattle
The Cathedral has a three manual, Allen digital organ. Six windows in the nave were recently
replaced with 100-year-old stained glass windows from a church in Philadelphia. Five of the windows, depicting the Joyful
Mysteries of the Rosary, were made in Munich, Germany. The other window, depicting St. Therese of
the Little Flower, was made by the Kase Studio of Pennsylvania. The Cathedral website has pictures of these beautiful
windows, which I was not able to copy to this blog. The Cathedral’s website is holyfamilycathedral.org and the
Archdiocesan website is archdioceseofanchorage.org. The Cathedral is located in downtown Anchorage
and has seven weekend masses—including one in Spanish and one in Latin.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral
3900 Wisconsin St.
Anchorage, Alaska 99517
In December 1531,
our Blessed Mother appeared to a Mexican peasant named Juan Diego and told him
that she wanted a church built on that spot (Tepeyac hill). Juan Diego went to the local bishop and
delivered Our Lady’s message, but the bishop did not believe him and asked for
a sign. When Juan Diego told Our Lady of
the bishop’s request, she told him to gather some nearby roses (which bloomed
despite the rocky soil and the winter season) and wrap them in his cloak. Our Lady rearranged the roses and told Juan
Diego to take them to the bishop. When
he met with the bishop, he unfurled his cloak and a picture of our Blessed
Mother appeared—as a pregnant teenaged Mexican girl. The bishop and his aides were the first to
venerate this miraculous picture, and millions continue to do so today at the
basilica built on Tepeyac hill and around the world. The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is
celebrated on December 12.
Holy Mary, who
under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe are invoked as Mother by the men and
women of Mexico and of Latin America, encouraged by the love that you inspire
in us, we once again place our life in your motherly hands. May you hold sway in the hearts of all the
mothers of the world and in our own heart. With great hope, we turn to you and
trust in you.
Our Lady of Guadalupe parish was established in 1970 and met
in temporary buildings until the completion of the current church in 2005. It was raised to the status co-cathedral in
2014. The need for a co-Cathedral was
based on the desire for a larger cathedral parish and better parking for
special Archdiocesan events.
The Spanish-mission style building has two bell towers. The Archbishop’s cathedra was used by St.
John Paul II in 1981. The co-Cathedral
also has a metropolitan cross made from linden wood.
All are from the internet.
The Co-Cathedral’s website is olgakcocathedral.org. The Cathedral is located four miles southwest
of downtown Anchorage and has four weekend masses to serve a largely Filipino
and Hispanic community.
416 5th
Street Juneau , Alaska 99801
All pictures are from the Cathedral website.Diocese of Juneau
The Diocese of Juneau consists of the 5 boroughs and 3
census areas that make up the First Judicial District in southeastern Alaska.
The diocese has 10,000 Catholics (13 percent of the total population) in 9
parishes. The diocese has the second smallest
Catholic population of any diocese in the United States
Vicar Apostolics of Alaska
Joseph R. Crimont, S.J., (1858-1945), Vicar Apostolic of
Alaska (1917-1945).
Bishop Crimont was born in France and was ordained a Jesuit priest
in 1888. He also served as Prefect of
Alaska (1904-1917).
Bishop Crimont established several new parishes and sent
missionaries to remote parts of Alaska.
He also established the Shrine of Saint Therese near Juneau. He died in 1945.
Walter J. Fitzgerald, S.J., (1883-1947), Vicar Apostolic
of Alaska (1945-1947).
Bishop Fitzgerald was born in Peola, Washington, and
ordained a Jesuit priest in 1918. He also
served as coadjutor vicar apostolic of Alaska (1938-1945).
Bishop Fitzgerald served as Vicar for only two years before
his death.
Francis D. Gleeson, S.J. (1895-1983), Vicar Apostolic of
Alaska—based in Juneau—(1948 -1951), Vicar Apostolic of Northern Alaska—based
in Fairbanks—(1951-1962), and first Bishop of Fairbanks (1962-1968).
Bishop Gleeson was born in Missouri, grew up in Yakima,
Washington, and was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1926.
Francis Gleeson became Vicar Apostolic of
Alaska in 1948. Gleeson focused his
attention on upgrading parish and mission facilities, improving Catholic
education, and emphasizing the need for more permanent deacons, which are
especially important in Alaska. He was name Vicar Apostolic of Northern Alaska in 1951.
Bishops of Juneau
Dermot O’Flanagan (1901-1973), first Bishop of Juneau
(1951-1968).
Bishop O’Flanagan was born in Ireland and ordained a priest
for the Alaska vicariate apostolic in 1929.
Bishop O’Flanagan attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican
Council between 1962 and 1965. In 1961,
the Diocese 20,000 Catholics, 10 Diocesan priests, five Jesuit priests, 11
parishes, 15 missions, four schools, and four hospitals. He resigned as bishop in 1968 due to poor
health.
The Diocese of Juneau was administered directly by the
Archbishop of Anchorage from 1968 to 1971.
Francis T. Hurley (1927-2016), Bishop of Juneau
(1971-1976).
Bishop Hurley was born in San Francisco and was ordained a
priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1951. He also served as auxiliary bishop of Juneau
(1970-1971) and Archbishop of Anchorage (1976-2001).
Bishop Hurley expanded pastoral facilities in remote parts
of the diocese aided by his ability to fly an airplane. Hurley implemented the changes from the
Second Vatican Council, including the encouragement of greater involvement by
the laity in church affairs, especially in the more remote parishes and
missions. Hurley also established a
second parish in Juneau. Hurley was appointed
Archbishop of Anchorage in 1976, but continued to administer the Diocese until
1979.
Michael H. Kenny (1937-1995), Bishop of Juneau
(1979-1995).
Bishop Kenny was born in California and ordained a priest
for the Diocese of Santa Rosa, California, in 1963.
Bishop Kenny sought to better serve Catholics and others in
small communities by sending teams of priests and nuns from larger towns to
serve them. He also started efforts to
develop lay ministry. He was a strong
advocate for peace and justice—he opposed nuclear weapons, the death penalty
and abortion, but favored the ordination of women. Kenny conducted a reconciliation service in
1991 to apologize for the church's past wrongs against Native Alaskans. He died of a brain aneurism in 1995.
Michael W. Warfel (1948- ), Bishop of Juneau (1996-2007).
Bishop Warfel was born in Indiana, became a Catholic at age
12, and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Anchorage in 1980. Since 2007, he has served as the Bishop of Great
Falls-Billings, Montana.
Bishop Warfel was ordained Bishop in Juneau, the first such
ceremony ever held there. He also served
for less than a year as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Fairbanks
while also serving in Juneau. As Bishop
of Juneau, Bishop Warfel successfully dealt with two cases of clergy sexual
abuse. He also constructed a new St.
Paul’s Catholic Church in the Mendenhall Valley and renovated the Shrine of St
Therese. He settled a dispute over
subsistence hunting and fishing rights. He
also emphasized evangelization, saying the “holiness of life is our greatest
and most effective tool, if the Church is going to be effective in its
essential mission of evangelization.” He
was appointed Bishop of Great Falls-Billings, Montana, in 2007.
Edward J. Burns (1957-
), Bishop of Juneau (2009-2016).
Bishop Burns was born in Pennsylvania and ordained a priest
for the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1983.
I was not able to find much information about Bishop Burns,
other than that he was appointed Bishop of Dallas, Texas, in 2016.
Current Bishop
Currently vacant.
The Cathedral
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Little is known for sure about the birth of Mary, the Mother
of Jesus. Her parents are thought to be
named Joachim and Anna (or Anne) and she was probably born in either Nazareth or Jerusalem
Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of
heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring
deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of
salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with
you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Nativity parish was founded in 1885 by Father John
Althoff. The first church was replaced
by the current wooden building in 1910.
It became the Cathedral church for the Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska in
1916 and the Cathedral for the Diocese of Juneau in 1951.
The Cathedral website, juneaucathedral.org, has pictures of
the Cathedral’s windows and other objects.
The Diocesan website is dioceseofjuneau.org. The Cathedral is located near downtown Juneau
and has four weekend masses.
Diocese of Fairbanks
The Diocese of Fairbanks consists of the 4 boroughs and 5
census areas that make up the Second and Fourth Judicial Districts in northern
Alaska. The diocese has 9,000 Catholics (8 percent of the total population) in 46
parishes. The diocese is the largest
Latin-rite diocese in the United States in terms of land area—its 410,000
square miles make it larger than the states of California, Arizona, and New
Mexico combined. Yet, the diocese has
the smallest Catholic population of any Latin-rite diocese in the United States
Bishops of Fairbanks (Northern Alaska)
Francis D. Gleeson, S.J. (1895-1983), Vicar Apostolic of
Alaska—based in Juneau—(1948 -1951), Vicar Apostolic of Northern Alaska—based
in Fairbanks—(1951-1962), and first Bishop of Fairbanks (1962-1968).
Bishop Gleeson was born in Missouri, grew up in Yakima,
Washington, and was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1926.
Francis Gleeson became the first and only Vicar Apostolic of
Northern Alaska in 1951 and was named the first Bishop of Fairbanks in
1962. As bishop, he focused his
attention on upgrading parish and mission facilities, improving Catholic
education, and emphasizing the need for more permanent deacons, which are
especially important in Alaska. Bishop
Gleeson attended all sessions of the Second Vatican Council. He resigned as bishop in 1968.
Robert L. Whelan, S.J. (1912-2001), Bishop of Fairbanks
(1968-1985).
Bishop Whelan was born in Idaho and ordained a Jesuit priest
in 1944. He also served as coadjutor
bishop of Fairbanks (1968).
Like all of the Bishops of Fairbanks, he spent much of his
time traveling to parishes and missions throughout his large diocese. He also strengthened the permanent diaconate
program especially for Native Americans.
He retired in 1985, but served for ten years as director of the House of
Prayer in Fairbanks.
Michael J. Kaniecki, S.J. (1935-2000), Bishop of
Fairbanks (1985-2000).
Bishop Kaniecki was born in Michigan and ordained a Jesuit
priest in 1965. He also served as
Religious Superior of the Jesuits in Alaska (1982-1984) and coadjutor bishop of
Fairbanks (1984-1985).
A trained pilot, he flew himself to serve the remote parts
of the Diocese and he worked to improve the diaconate program, Catholic
schools, and the diocesan radio station.
He also was successful in bringing financial stability to the
Diocese. He welcomed Pope John Paul II
and President Ronald Reagan to Fairbanks in 1985. Bishop Kaniecki died of a heart attack in
2000.
Donald Kettler (1944-
), Bishop of Fairbanks (2002-2013).
Bishop Kettler was born in Minnesota and ordained a priest for
the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1970.
Kettler was the first non-Jesuit Bishop of Fairbanks. He led the Diocese through bankruptcy
proceedings in 2008 because of numerous sexual abuse claims against Diocesan
clergy and staff. He also visited
communities most affected by the abuse scandal and apologized for the harm
done. Kettler was appointed Bishop of
St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 2013.
Current Bishop
Chad Zielinski was
appointed Bishop of Fairbanks by Pope Francis in 2014. He was born in Detroit in 1964 and was
ordained a priest for the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, in 1996. He previously served as a pastor in the
Diocese of Gaylord and as an Air Force chaplain. Bishop Zielinski leads the only missionary
diocese in the United States.
The Cathedral
Sacred Heart Cathedral
2501 Airport Way
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
St. John Eudes was a 17th Century French priest
who preached the loving nature of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Later in the same century, a French nun, St.
Margaret Mary Alacoque had visions of Jesus revealing that his Sacred Heart was
filled with love and mercy for all people.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the Friday after
the second Sunday after Pentecost. Many
Catholics also show devotion to the Sacred Heart by attending Mass and
receiving the Body and Blood of Christ on the first Friday of each month.
O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and
you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to
you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (here name your
request). Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place
all my trust in you.
Francis Gleeson became the first Bishop of Fairbanks in
1962. His first cathedral was Immaculate
Conception—the first and at that time only Catholic church in Fairbanks (and
listed on the National Register of Historic Places).
From the Diocesan website
Bishop Gleeson immediately began making plans
for a new cathedral and construction began in 1962 on Sacred Heart
Cathedral. The first Mass was celebrated
in the new Cathedral in 1966. The
Cathedral is built in a modern style. It
was designed by Father James C. Spils, S.J., and built with the help of
volunteer labor. The Cathedral measures
55 feet by 170 feet.
From the Cathedral website
From momn3boys.blogspot
The Cathedral website is sacredheartak.org and the Diocesan
website is dioceseoffairbanks.org. The
Cathedral is located about two miles west of downtown Fairbanks and has three
weekend masses and a Spanish mass during the winter.
Cathedral Names
In case you were wondering
about the most popular names for U.S. cathedrals, they are as follows: Immaculate Conception (of Mary)—25; St.
Peter, St. Paul, or both—19; St. Joseph—16; and the Sacred Heart (of
Jesus)—15. Altogether, there are 33
cathedrals dedicated to Jesus under his various titles, one dedicated to the
Holy Spirit, one to the Holy Trinity, 64 dedicated to Our Lady under her
various titles, 2 to the Holy Family, 6 to angels, 33 to one or more Apostles,
and 75 dedicated to other saints.
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