Monday, June 15, 2009

Announcements: 12th Sunday in Ordinary time

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements.

Funeral: There will be a funeral for William Tennyson tomorrow, June 16, at the 7th Day Adventist Church at 2:00 PM. After the Funeral Mass, we will meet in the Holy Rosary parking lot for a procession to the cemetery and burial ceremony. Please remember the Tennyson family in your prayers.

Thank you: Thank you Pat Durban and Bernie, Angie, and Brian Venua for helping tear down the Handicap ramp. It broke while Vic B. was standing on it. He was hurt, but fortunately, no broken bones. There were several places that showed rot after the ramp was torn apart. We need to start planning a new ramp, any suggestions?

Clarks Point Baptism: June 12, Samuel James Slattengren was baptized at Clarks Point. Congrats to Brittany and all the Clarks Point Community. Please see pictures on the Holy Rosary Home Page,
http://www.holyrosaryalaska.org/.

Gospel: The calming of a storm is not something we, as mere human beings, can do. Only God can calm a storm. Only Jesus can calm our inner storms. We must trust, have faith so we can build up our inner faith. Then we can weather any storm.

Rosary: Join us after mass as we, as a Catholic Community, pray the rosary together. We will dedicate the rosary to all of our generous benefactors, especially those Archdiocesan parishes who have helped with our fuel bill. The next rosary will be prayed after mass on Sunday, July 5th.

Catholic Youth to Visit Dillingham: Here is a rough draft of events that the youth will partake in while they are here at Holy Rosary. All are welcome to hook up with us, especially youth from Dillingham, Clarks, and King Salmon.

Holy Rosary Youth Visit
Monday July 6 2009 to Friday July 10 2009

July 6th
1. Youth arrive on morning Penair flight, load gear in truck, walk to Holy Rosary
2. Set up basement of church and basement of rectory (need mats or sleeping pad)
3. Meet youth from Dillingham, Clarks Point, King Salmon
4. Subsistence Fishing instruction, fishing

July 7th
1. Morning Mass at Holy Rosary 10:00 AM
2. Work day in the community (need ideas, pick up trash, stack wood, etc.)
3. Work day Holy Rosary

July 8th
1. Visit to Clarks Point (skiff or fly)
2. Mass at Saint Peter Fisherman, 11:30 AM
3. Bon Fire back at Holy Rosary

July 9th
1. Morning Mass, possibly at Senior center
2. Visit Senior center: Speaker on Alaska History?
3. Visit Grammas’ House for the dying?
4. Tour of Peter Pan?
5. Tour of Hospital?

July 10th – Youth depart on evening Penair Flight

Have a fantastic day and see you Sunday…Fr. Scott

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Announcements: Corpus Christi

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners here are a few announcements:

Blessing of the Fleet: Thank you to all who participated in the Blessing of the Fleet. I would like to say, “Thank you very much Angela Clark and the Clark family for organizing and coordinating this annual event.” Thank you especially to Aileen Walsh, the Venuas, June Ingram, Janice Shilanski, and Pat Durbin for helping out. This is a huge undertaking and your time and talent is greatly appreciated. FANTASTIC JOB!

Gospel: Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) is the center of our faith. Catholics believe that the priest, during the consecration, actually changes the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Other protestant religions believe that the bread and wine only represent Christ’s Body and Blood.

Need Some Work Done?: Youth from Anchorage will be in Dillingham the week of July 4th. They are scheduled to work in our Dillingham community July 7, Tuesday. If you, or if you know of anyone who needs some extra help around the house/yard, etc., please let me know and we will put you/them on our list.

Flowers: Flowers are starting to emerge around Holy Rosary church and rectory. Thank you to those who help to beautify our church.

Prayers: Please continue to keep the Tennyson family in your prayers. William continues to struggle with cancer. Toda, I have been invited by the family to come by and pray a rosary for William.

One Bread one Body: We have come close to our goal of $2,200. Thank you for supporting the missions of Alaska. The appeal will be over this week. If you would like to donate, please let me know.

Flying: Last week I flew to several villages in our town I have not flown to, including Valdez, Whittier, Seward, and Talkeetna. It was intense mountain flying. From Whittier to Valdez is very rugged. There is not any good place to land (water or mountain cliffs or glaciers), no VOR, and no radio contact. It was a bit un-nerving and I prayed that my GPS would not glitch out.


I was able to concelebrate Mass with Fr. Dick Tero and Deacon Wally Corrigan in Seward. Playing music at the Mass was the popular Christian family Shaelaurel. They were fabulous. Check them out - http://www.shaelaurel.com/ShaeLaurel/ShaeLaurel-Home.html

Below are a few pictures of my trip.


Have a great week and see you Sunday…Fr. Scott

Between Whittier and Valdez


Almost to Valdez! You can see the runway off to the right, a little over half way up.


Saint Francis Xavier, Catholic Church in Valdez. Sr. Maria Ann Brent S.H.F. Administrator.

Looks like the first catch of the season in Valdez.



Valdez Airport


On the way to Seward via Skilak lake pass.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Announcements: The Most Holy Trinity

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Lake Clark Pass: I took two pictures of Lake Clark Pass as I entered the West end. As you can see it was a gorgeous day. At the West end here I could either go left or straight ahead around the mountain. I went straight ahead. I had to turn the airplane side ways to get the pictures so the propeller would be out of the way. I was at 4,500 feet when I took the pictures.





Blessing of the Fleet: The blessing of the fleet is this Saturday, June 6th, at 2:00 PM. For more information please contact Angela Clark at 842-5331 for more information.

Prayers: Please keep William Tennyson in your prayers and all those who are struggling with cancer. After mass this Sunday, lets dedicate the Rosary to all those suffering from terminal illness.

Gospel: The Most Holy Trinity is one of the great mysteries in our Catholic tradition. God is one nature, yet three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Think of the roles of a woman who is a wife, mother, and Godparent. The Most Holy Trinity signifies the end of Easter Season and beginning of Ordinary Time.

Catholic Youth to Visit Dillingham: July 6-7-8-9-10 youth from Anchorage will be visiting Holy Rosary. If you know of someone who will lend us a van, please let me know. Also, please contact me if you know of any community service projects. The youth will be working in the community Tuesday, July 7.

My Schedule Next Week: I flew the airplane to Anchorage after the Memorial day blessing of the cemetery last week. I plan to return to Anchorage Monday, June first to help out with ACYC (a three day seminar and retreat for all youth of the Archdiocese of Anchorage) at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seaton. I will be at the vocations booth trying to interest young people in becoming religious brothers or sisters or priests. I also plan to fly the airplane to Valdez, Cordova, Glenallen, and Seward before flying back to Dillingham.

Thank you: Nora at Cracker box donated 50 Carnations for the cemetery Memorial Blessing. We put a carnation on every grave site. Thank you Nora H. Also, thank you Brian for volunteering to be altar server during the Blessing. For more about the Memorial Day Blessing of the cemetery see the pictures on
http://www.holyrosaryalaska.org/.

Have a wonderful week and God Bless you! Fr. Scott

Monday, May 25, 2009

Announcements: Pentecost

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Blessing of the Fleet: Saturday, June 6, at 2:00 PM is the blessing of the fleet. We need help that Saturday morning picking up chairs and tables at Holy Rosary, then taking them to the harbor. We also need help setting up the tent that same morning, Saturday June 6. Finally we need a volunteer to pick up the generator, amplifier, and microphone and set it up near the bell tower at the harbor, (Saturday morning right before the fleet blessing). Your time and talent will be greatly appreciated! Thank you Angela C. for your dedication and hard work!


Cement Pillar: A cement pillar over 1000 pounds has been, well, yanked out of the parking lot at Holy Rosary. It emerged as a small cement protrusion. After Mass on Sunday we dug around it. Pat D, Bernie V, and I found out it was a bit larger than we had expected. With Pat’s cable, knowledge, and tough old Ford, we basically yanked it out. It had frost on the bottom of it when we finally conquered it. Thank you for all the hard work! (see picture below, that is a yard stick not a ruler)


Pentecost: Pentecost is when Jesus sent his Holy Spirit among us. There are both Fruits and Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer and openness, we can enliven the spirit residing in our hearts to help us in our daily lives.

Confirmation Judy George: I will be confirming Judy George, Friday, May 29, at 11:30 AM at Saint Peter the Fisherman in Clarks Point, with permission from the Archbishop of course! Judy was supposed to be confirmed during Easter Vigil but sickness in the family forced her to delay the confirmation. Judy is converting from the Moravian faith.

Prayers: Please keep William Tennyson and the Tennyson family in your prayers. William continues to struggle with cancer. Saying a rosary for all victims of cancer would be an excellent way to help out spiritually. June 7 is the next time our church prays the rosary as a community after Mass. Lets dedicate this next one to William and all those struggling with cancer!

Youth to Visit: July 6-7-8-9-10 youth from St. Benedict and SEAS will be visiting Holy Rosary. We need transportation. If you know of a person that would lend us a van or drive us around, please let me know. Also we need some community service work to do on July 7th.

Enjoy the sun and have a fantastic week, and see you Sunday! Fr. Scott

Monday, May 18, 2009

Announcements: 7th Sunday of Easter

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Dillingham High School Graduation: Thomas Clark will be graduating from High School Friday at 7:00 P.M. Hope to see you there. Congratulations Thomas!

Blessing of the Fleet: Saturday, June 6, at 2:00 P.M., will be the Blessing of the fleet. Angela needs some help setting up the tent, tables, and chairs the morning of the blessing. Please let us know if you can help out. We would GREATLY appreciate it. Contact Angela at 842-5331 or Holy Rosary 842-5581.

Memorial Day Mass: I plan to set up a table/altar in our cemetery for a memorial mass for all of those who are buried. The Catholic Anchor is interested in doing a write up on the service. We will try to put a fresh flower from the Cracker Box on each grave site.

Thank you: Thank you Pat D. for fixing the sump pump. Thank you Mat O. for fixing the heater downstairs. Thank you Pat W. for picking up trash around Holy Rosary. Your time and talent is GREATLY appreciated.

Gospel: John tells us that Jesus did not leave us home alone when he was resurrected. We are never alone. Before he died on the cross, Jesus entrusted God’s Glory to us. Saint Irenaeus says, “The Glory of God is humanity fully alive.”

Youth Visit: Youth from Anchorage will be visiting July 6-10. There will be participating in a community service day July 7. If you have any projects for them please let me know. So far we only have one person that wants wood stacked. There will be approximately 12 youth to do work around the community…don’t be shy! Maybe you know someone who needs some help with something around the yard, house, garage?

Flying: Last week I flew to Clarks Point, Levelock, King Salmon, and back to Dillingham. The week before I also flew to Bethel for the first time.

Work around Holy Rosary last week: Gutters were repaired and put up. The basement floor in the rectory was re-painted. The parking lot was back plowed to get rid of holes. Noseum screens were put on the new storm windows. Flower beds and grass was raked. Fence was mended. The last new storm window in the rectory was installed.

This week to do list: Outside trim on new storm windows needs to be started. Clearing of space at the end of the driveway for second Holy Rosary sign and possible statue will begin. Will try to find help to level the statue in front of Holy Rosary. Repair gutters that ended up leaking after they were installed. Get flowers to hang along the rectory.

Have a fantastic week and God bless…Fr. Scott

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Announcements: 6th Sunday of Easter

Dear Holy Rosary parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Rosary: We will pray the next rosary together, after Mass, June 7. All are welcome to join us to pray for our generous benefactors.

Gospel: There are several different kinds of love, Philia, agape, and Eros, to name a few. With love, there is always sacrifice, i.e. loving one’s enemies is not an easy feat. In your life today, how can you use love to come one step closer to God?

Memorial grave side Mass: Monday, May 25 on Memorial day, we will celebrate a mass for all of those who have died and are buried in the grave yard. It will be the first outdoor mass I have done at Holy Rosary. It will begin at noon in the cemetery.

Annual Appeal: Thank you for your donations so far to “One Bread One Body.” I will ask for donations again this coming Sunday. We are about half way to our goal of $2000. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Catholic Youth Visit: There will be some Catholic youth coming to Dillingham. If you have windows do clean, wood to stack, yards to rake or mow, please let me know. I plan to have a community service day July 7th, Tuesday. July 8th we will be going to Clarks Point and July 9th to the Sr. Center and Grammas.

Statue and Rock: I need some help leveling the statue in front of the church. It has finally settled and is listing a little to the right and downhill. It weighs 2000+ pounds. If you have any suggestions, let me know, please!

Have a wonderful week and see you Sunday…Fr. Scott

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Announcements: 5th Sunday of Easter

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Gospel: Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches. Remain in me and you shall be fruitful.” This is a beautiful image from John’s gospel. It reminds me of all those dedicated Holy Rosary parishioners who have donated so much time and talent to our Church. One of those people was the late Father Jim Kelly. During the homily this Sunday, I will be showing a 12 minute video he made back in the early nineties.

One Bread One Body: I will be taking up a collection for the Archdiocesan annual appeal, One Bread and One Body. This money goes directly to missions like ours. We have a goal of $2000. I plan to give $100 myself. One can donate on-line as well. Go to my website, www.holyrosaryalaska.org, scroll down to the bottom, and click on the Archdiocesan web page.

Time and Talent: Use your special God given gifts to help our Church. Please let me know if you would like to donate time and talent to Holy Rosary.


Memorial Day Graveside Mass: The 25th of May, on a Monday, is Memorial Day. I am thinking about having a mass in the grave yard (outside) in remembrance of all those who have died. I would like to hear your ideas and input on this.

Youth to visit Holy Rosary: If you know any work that people need done in Dillingham, please let me know, i.e. call me or email me. I plan to have a work day for the youth who will be hear from Anchorage, Tuesday, July 7th. Pat already said he has some wood he needs packed and stacked.

Swine Flu: The swine flu has recently devastated Mexico City. We have been taking precaustions in the United States. Below is a memo that the Archdiocese came out with. Please read it carefully.

Have a wonderful week…Fr. Scott

MEMO about the swine flu from the Archbishop of Anchorage:

Please read the following at all of your weekend Masses and begin the implementation immediately.

With the rapid spread of the influenza/swine flu, I believe it wise at this time to take appropriate precautions at our Catholic Masses. Effective immediately, I would ask that the following measure be taken in the Catholic Churches of the Archdiocese of Anchorage for both Sunday and weekday Masses:

1) Suspend the handshake of peace. We will bow to each other at the Sign of Peace;
2) Suspend the holding of hands during the Lords Prayer;
3) Distribution of precious blood from a common cup is optional;
4) Eucharistic Ministers should use an alcohol based hand gel prior to distributing Communion and following.


These requests will be in effect until further notice. To date, no cases of the virus have been reported in Alaska. Hopefully this will continue to be the situation.

Finally, I encourage everyone to use common sense. If you feel ill or are ill, please do not come to Mass or participate in any parish activities. You are exempt from your obligation to participate in the Eucharist when you are ill.

If you or your parishioners are interested, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has more information on their web site. The link to that is: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy