Announcements: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Holy Rosary parishioners, here are a few announcements:

September 22 Statue Blessing: This Sunday, before the final blessing, we will process out to the Our Lady of Fatima statue to bless it with holy water. The Mass will end outside with the final prayer and blessing. Let’s have a reception afterward with food!

October 4 Animal Blessing: The Saint Francis blessing of animals will be at noon on Saturday, October 4, at the Lutheran Church. Bring your pets for a blessing. Any pets, i.e. reptile, mammal, fish…anything you consider a pet.

Gospel: What is the biblical meaning of obedience? What does it mean for Catholics to be a leaven in society. What is the most important part of the Mass? These questions will be answered during the homily at Mass this Sunday.

Rosary: A rosary will be prayed after the October 5th Mass. All are welcome to join us. Will dedicate this rosary to all who have donated to our fuel fund.

First Communion and Reconciliation: I have began working with a few children to prepare them for these two sacraments. If you know of any children who are seven years of age or older, and have not received First Communion, please let me know.

Airplane update: The new engine for my Warrior II should be in Anchorage by now and will be shipped to King Salmon this week where Larry Tibbetts, of Tibbetts Airmotive, will install it. The Archdiocese is still trying to raise money for the airplane. The first request fell through, which motivated them to contact Catholic Extension. So far, only Saint Theresa in Naknek has donated money.

Winterization: I am currently waiting for more windows so I can replace all ten windows in the Rectory. I am praying that I will complete the removal and replacement of the windows before the snow flies.

Pastoral Council for the Archdiocese: Angela Clark has attended several meetings in Anchorage for training on Pastoral Councils. I elected her to be the representative for Bristol Bay. She attended a two-hour meeting at Our Lady of Guadeloupe last Friday, and an all day session at the Holy Spirit Retreat house on Saturday. Angela will be a member on the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council in Anchorage. They will meet a few times a year in Anchorage. Thank you Angela for accepting this ministry!

Logos Holy Rosary Accounting: Angie Venua has been spending hours working on the Holy Rosary Accounting. The system is very complicated and we have been corresponding with Monica Scott at the archdiocese and a programmer from Logos Accounting Software. We are making great progress and Angie has been learning this complicated system inside and out. We are very lucky to have her helping us out in this extremely important ministry. Thank you very much Angie for all of your time!

Here are three of the people who went to Mount Angel Seminary with me. The picture was taken at the Priest Retreat in Anchorage two weeks ago. We have all been priests about five years. From left to right, Tom Lilly, SEAS in Anchorage, Ross Tozzi, Fairbanks Diocese, North Pole, Thomas Weise, Cathedral in Juneau, and me. After ordination, Tom Lilly got the largest parish with regard to number of people and I got the largest parish with regard to territory.





Have a great week and God bless you, Fr. Scott

Announcements: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Holy Rosary parishioners, here are a few announcements and a some pictures. To make pictures larger, click on them:

Sunday, Sep. 28 Blessing: The blessing of the Our Lady of Fatima statue will be right after mass, to be followed by a reception with FOOD. Also, I would like to start taking pictures of families next to the statue to post in the vestibule.

Gospel: The bible is full of surprises. This Sunday it is about a landowner who pays a person who worked one hour the same wage as a person who worked eight hours. Now why would he do that?

Build a Manger: The nativity scene has been ordered. I need someone to build a manger for the pieces and also to figure out where best to put the Nativity Scene. If you are interested in donating your time and talent to building a manger, please let me know.

Confirmation: If you know of anyone who has not been confirmed, please contact me. Confirmation training will begin in October.

Rosary: We will be praying to rosary the first Sunday of every month for all of our generous benefactors, YOU included. The next rosary will be after Mass, October 5th.

Community Day: I would like to designate a day in October as a community service day for Holy rosary. There are many people who need help and several services we, as members of Holy Rosary, can perform. Please email your suggestions to me.

Comments on Website: I always check the comments at the bottom of each posting. If you have comments, please leave them. You can remain anonymous if you want. I will answer them after I read them. This can be an effective way to communicate, especially if you have something important to say and want to be heard. www.holyrosaryalaska.org. Please note the comment section at the bottom of these announcements.

Pastoral Day: I will be in Anchorage September 16-17 for one of six pastoral days the archdiocese offers every year.

Brian Venua poses beside the Our Lady of Fatima Statue



Dillinghammers bike to Mass



Parishioners enjoy the time after mass to catch up.


God bless and have a great week…Fr. Scott

Feast of the Triumph of the Cross

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

1. Nativity Scene: The plaque with the names of those who donated nativity scene pieces is hanging by the door of the sacristy. The nativity scene pieces all have been ordered and should be here in a couple of weeks.

2. Statue of Our Lady of Fatima: I should have the statue permanently attached to the rock when you come to church this week. There is a write up in Bristol Bay times about the statue.

3. Marriage couples: I am currently working with two couples who are moving toward getting married in the church. These two couples would benefit if they could meet with another catholic married couple. Are you interested? If so, please contact me for more details.

4. Rosary: Thank you to all who stayed after mass and prayed the rosary. Praying the rosary as a community is a fantastic way to build the Kingdom of God. Next rosary will be the first Sunday of October after Mass.

5. Gospel: The Feast of the Exaltation or Triumphant of the cross will be celebrated this Sunday. The story of finding the true cross is remarkable and I will share that story at Mass this Sunday.

6. Website: If you have an interesting topic you would like to see on the website, holyrosaryalaska.org, please let me know. I will do what I can to discuss it. If you would like to write something about the church, scripture, of anything relating to the Catholic faith, send it my way and I will post it.

Have a fantastic week…Fr. Scott

Announcements: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few important announcements:

September 7th Rosary: This Sunday is the first Sunday of the month. Sean White will lead a rosary after mass. We will dedicate the rosary to all our generous benefactors and all of you who donate so generously to Holy Rosary.

September 28th Blessing: The Blessing of our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima statue will be at Holy Rosary Catholic Church at Airport Road and Emperor Way on Sunday, September 28th after Mass at 1:30 p.m. The public is (always) invited and welcome to attend. Refreshments and snacks will be served following the Blessing. For pictures of the moving of the 2120 pound rock (Rock Solid in Catholic Faith) please click here.

Airplane Grant: The archdiocese has written a grant to help raise money for the airplane. We are trying to raise enough for an engine, paint, propeller, shipping, and installation. The grant proposal is below.

Catholic Marriage Counselors: The Archdiocese has drawn up a report with recommended Catholic Marriage counselors. Please see below.

Priest Retreat: I will be in Anchorage September 2 through September 5 and will be checking phone messages, long distance from Anchorage, periodically.

Nativity Set: A plaque of the people who donated the nativity set is being made at Bovey Trophies. Please see the list below. If your name is spelled wrong you may have time to contact BREANNE at 277-9323 or Pamela at boveytrf@yahoo.com. I have already found a couple of errors. The nativity set has been ordered. Thank you all for your generosity and kindness. Total donations were around $2000.

Gospel: What do you love most about yourself? If you can answer that question with ease then you should have no problem helping those who have strayed from the church. Jesus says we must love ourselves before we can love others.

Have a wonderful week and may God bless you all! Fr. Scott

GRANT REQUEST FOR AIRPLANE

August 28, 2008
Ms. Maggie Hackett
Grant Program Officer
PO Box 693
Pittstown NJ 08867-0693

Dear Ms. Hackett,

The Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, established on February 9, 1966, encompasses the Third Judicial District of Alaska, known as Southcentral Alaska. This includes the area south of the Alaska Mountain Range including the Mat-Su and Copper River basins, the Alaskan and Kenai Peninsulas, the Aleutian Islands and Kodiak Island. This 138,965 square mile area is larger than the all of the Mid-Atlantic States combined and nearly the size of Montana. The Archdiocese covers a vast geographic area with severe climate conditions and tremendous cost barriers to effective ministry.

A total of 32 priests work here in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, including 12 priests on loan from other dioceses. They are dedicated men who minister attentively in brutal weather conditions, bringing the Word of God to people to villages in extreme remote areas. Winter months, between September and May, are bitterly cold and dark and most often are dangerous for travel.

There are 29 parishes and missions throughout the Archdiocese. Of these, 9 can only be reached by airplane or boat due to the limited road system in Alaska. The estimated Catholic population in the Archdiocese is 32,170, approximately 8% of the overall population.

It is nearly one thousand miles from the Chancery Office in Anchorage to St. Christopher-by-the-Sea Parish at Dutch Harbor in Unalaska, midway down the Aleutian Chain. Air travel in the winter to Unalaska can run as high as $954, roundtrip. This flight on a commercial jet is approximately an hour and a half from Anchorage, and is sometimes unavailable due to wind, fog, or snow. Additionally, it is not uncommon for those who travel there to be stuck on the ground for days at a time.

The drive from the Chancery Office, here in Anchorage, to Holy Family Parish in Glennallen is yet another example of the impact that harsh climate has on the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese. This trip is a five-hour drive on a two-lane road through numerous mountain passes (which may be closed due to snow), or by private aircraft since there is no scheduled air service to the community.

The Archdiocese of Anchorage has two Piper aircraft that enable me and other priests of the Archdiocese to provide liturgies and the sacraments in these distant and difficult areas to reach. I have a private pilot’s license and sometimes use a Piper Cherokee 180 to visit parishes and missions in remote areas. I share this plane with Brother Craig Bonham, OMI who works in ministry on the Kenai Peninsula.

The other plane, a 1980 Piper Warrior II 160, donated to us in 2004, is a low wing, single engine, four seat aircraft perfectly suited for “bush flying” in Alaska. At the time of the donation, the engine of the airplane had approximately 3,520 hours of use – not an excessive amount of time, but certainly a “used” aircraft.

Initially, the Piper Warrior was kept at a hangar in Anchorage and was used by several priests and deacon pilots to reach our rural and remote parishes and missions of the Archdiocese. In June 2005, when Fr. Scott Garrett was assigned to Holy Rosary Parish in Dillingham and the Bristol Bay region in western Alaska known as St. Paul Mission, the Piper Warrior was made available to him for his flying ministry.

Fr. Garrett keeps the airplane in Dillingham and uses it weekly to travel the St. Paul circuit in Bristol Bay, visiting small Eskimo Yupik villages and fishing communities during the week and flying a circuit between Dillingham, King Salmon and Naknek, and then to Clark’s Point on weekends. His Mass schedule gives you an idea of his extensive travel:

Dillingham Holy Rosary: Sundays 12:30 PM Mass or Communion service
King Salmon Saint Theresa: Sundays 9:00 AM Mass or Communion service
Clarks Point Saint Peter: Fridays 12:30 PM Mass or Communion service
Levelock Mass once every two months date and dime-depends on weather
Iliamna Mass once every two months date and dime-depends on weather

Villages periodically visited include: Chignik Lagoon, Chignik Bay, Cold Bay, Egegik, Koliganek, Manokotak, New Stuyahok, Port Alsworth, Port Heiden, Sand Point, South Naknek, Togiak, Ugashik

While in King Salmon last month, Fr. Garrett found himself in an emergency situation. While in the middle of take off, the aircraft suddenly began to lose power. He was forced to abort the takeoff and, thanks be to God, was able to safely taxi to a hangar. Metal filings were discovered in the engine filter and oil, and it was determined that the engine lost RPM’s due to a camshaft failure, and must be replaced.

PIPER WARRIOR

Cost per hour to fly $154.74
Type of Engine Lycoming 0320D3G
Age of Engine 28 years

Cost of new/refurbished Engine $20,400
Shipping expense $1,000
Installation Labor $3,000
Total $24,400
Funds raised locally $5,400

GRANT REQUEST $19,000

As a mission diocese, the Archdiocese must rely on outside support to maintain ministries that are critical to our Catholic population. The Catholic Church Extension Society, the Committee on Home Missions of the USCCB, and other funding entities generously work with us in meeting our challenges in ministry, evangelization and seminarian education. For this very unique and urgent need, however, I request a grant of $19,000 to replace the engine in the Piper Warrior. A grant from the Hackett Foundation will enable Fr. Garrett to return to the air to serve the St. Paul Mission area, and once again celebrate Mass in these scattered outlying areas, which are now heavier populated due to the fishing season.

I write to you today, not only to request an application for funding toward our critical need of an airplane engine, but also to invite you to visit us here in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, to give you an opportunity to meet personally with those whose ministry and faith are impacted through the generosity of others.

Enclosed is a copy of our IRS Letter of Determination as well as a copy of the Archdiocese of Anchorage pages in the Official Catholic Directory. Should you have any further questions, feel free to contact me or Jim Caldarola, Director of Development, at (907) 297-7704. May God continue to abundantly bless you and your family, and all the grant recipients of the Hackett Foundation.

Sincerely yours in Christ and Mary,



+ Roger L Schwietz, OMI
Archbishop of Anchorage

Enc.

Marriage counsiling Referral List, August 28, 2008
Archdiocese of Anchorage

Dr. Phillip Baker, MBA, EDD, PSYCH
4325 Laurel Street #215
Anchorage, AK 99504
Ph: (907) 562-2392

Susan H. Bomalaski, Ph.D., LPC
3710 E. 20th St., Anchorage, AK 99508
(907) 222-7351 ph.

Mr. Jim Brenner, MS
4325 Laurel Street #265
Anchorage, AK 99504
Ph: (907) 561-4779

Dr. Maureen Christensen, MED, LMFT
4325 Laurel Street
Anchorage, AK 99504
Ph: (907) 561-3210

Valerie Demming, MED, LPC
2550 Denali #1608
Anchorage, AK 99504
Ph: (907) 561-3171

Dr. Christine Eberhardt, Ph.D.
4325 Laurel Street
Anchorage, AK 99508
Ph: (907) 688-7350

Providence Behavioral Health
3801 Lake Otis Pkwy
Anchorage, AK 99508
907-212-6900


Mat-Su Valley Referral List

Vivian C. Finlay, M.Ed, LMFT
Susitna Family Services
P.O.Box 872433
Wasilla, AK 99687
O: 907-373-6006

Providence Behavioral Medicine Group (PBMG
Mailing Address:
1700 East Bogard Road
Suite 201
Wasilla, Alaska 99654
Phone: (907) 373-8080

Providence Behavioral Medicine
Outside of the Anchorage Area

Kodiak Counseling Center
(907) 481-2400

Valdez Behavioral Health
(907) 835-2838


NATIVITY DONATIONS AND PLAQUE
Holy Rosary Catholic Church
Nativity Scene Donations
2008

Mary
Donated by Yolanda Gage
Joseph
Donated by Marita Young
Baby Jesus
Donated by Bernina Venua
Kneeling Angel
Donated by Michael & Dianna Swaim
Shepherds (should be sheep and camels)
Donated by Pat Mcadoo
Donkey
Donated by Johanna bouker (should be a capitol B)
King Balthazer and Dogs
Donated by Eric & Dawn Williams
Kings Malchior and Gaspar
Donated by Tom & Janet Schlagel