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

Announcements: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

1. Nativity Scene Update: I have decided to order the Nativity scene this week. Three more pieces still need to be donated. Thank you so much for participating. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Those Donated
$95 Mary Yolanda G$95 Joseph Marita Y$95 Baby Jesus Bernina V$115 Shepherd 1 Fr. Scott $18 Sheep Seated Pat M$18 Sheep Standing Pat M$18 Sheep Head Bent Pat M $115 Donkey Johanna B$200 Standing Camel Pat M$225 Seated Camel Pat M$120 King Balthazar Eric and Dawn W$45 Two Dogs Eric and Dawn W $120 Kneeling Angel Dianna and Michael S $120 King Malchior Janet and Tom$120 King Gaspar Janet and Tom

Those available
$115 Shepherd 2 Available
$115 Ox Standing Available
$115 Ox Seated Available

2. Thank you: Thanks to Pat Durbin for extending my entry way steps so that I can attach a storm door. Thanks to Angie who has been working long hours to close the fiscal year books. Your sharing of time and talent is a great gift to Holy Rosary.

3. Rosary: The next rosary our community will pray together will take place after Mass the first Sunday of September. We will pray for all our generous benefactors.

4. Priest Retreat: I will be in Anchorage for a priest retreat from Tuesday Sep 2 to Friday Sep 5.

5. Storm Windows: I have six storm windows that I need to sell. They are Pella storm windows, 30 inches wide by 46 inches high ($250 Each). They are brand new, never used and are currently being stored in the old church. Please let me know if you would like to purchase one or know anyone who would.

6. Gospel: Suffering is spiritual graduate class on learning how to love. All three readings will give us insight on suffering and love.

7. Rock and Statue: I am still trying to get the 2000 to 3000 pound rock moved from Horizon to Holy Rosary. If you have any ideas, let me know. The Fatima Statue is here. After consulting with Nora Harder, Bobbie at Horizon, and Angela Clark, we have decided to put it on the grass in front of the church.

Click Home Page to see new pictures of the Holy Rosary flowers. Take care, God bless, and enjoy the sunshine…Fr. Scott

Announcements: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

1. Baptism: To see pictures of Katelynn’s baptism, please go to the Holy Rosary Home Page or Click Here.

2. Statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima: Preparations are being made to move a 2000 to 3000 pound rock from Horizon Construction (Nome Rock) to Holy Rosary. The statue will be mounted on this rock. I have asked the advice Nora H, Bobbie B, and Angela C, concerning the location of the huge rock. I wanted to put it on the lawn in front of the church and wanted to be sure it did not look “too busy” or “too cluttered.” From my consultants, the lawn looks like a perfect place to put it.

3. Gospel: This coming Sunday, Jesus says to Peter, “On this rock I shall build my church.” Why does Jesus use the analogy of a rock?

4. Nativity Scene: Only a shepherd and two oxen remain to be donated. If you would like to donate one of these pieces, please contact me. Thank you to all who have donated so far.

5. Plane: The airplane engine should be ordered soon. We are currently trying to raise money for engine, paint, propeller, and maintenance.

6. Thank You: Thanx to Thomas C. who has donated some of his time trimming the trees and splitting wood. Also, thank you very much to the weed fairies who, during the night, completely weeded my flower beds. I know how tedious weeding is and I greatly appreciate it.

Take care, God bless, and have a great week…Fr. Scott

Announcements: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1. August 15 - Assumption: This Holy Day of obligation will be this Friday at 5:30 PM. I hope to see you all there.

2. Clarks Point Funeral: For Clarks Point Funeral Pictures, click here. Also, for pictures of Saint Theresa in King Salmon, go to the home page, mass schedule, and click on Saint Theresa King Salmon.

3. Nativity Scene Update: Please consider purchasing one of only five pieces of the nativity set. King Malchior and King Gaspar (120 each; Shepherd and Ox standing/sitting (115 each). Thank you for your generosity.

4. Baptism this Sunday: Katelynn will be baptized this Sunday. Reception and Potluck to follow. Please bring your favorite dish. If weather does not cooperate, the baptism will be in September or October.

5. Gospel: Jesus heals a little girl. As Christians, how do we heal others?

6. Subscribe to Announcements: I do not plan to put any big pictures in the announcements. So, it will not be cumbersome when the announcements are automatically sent to you. Please, put in your email address where it says subscribe, click on subscribe and then go to your email box and click on the link to confirm. Whenever I update the announcement, you will get a copy.

7. Plane: Saint Theresa in King Salmon has donated money for a new engine for the plane. I went to Anchorage last week and we have contacted several other possible donors. We still neen money to remove and replace the engine, new paint, and new propeller, which will be another 20,000 dollars.

8. Needed Volunteer: I have been working with a couple for the past year who decided not to get married in the Catholic Church. However, they want to use Holy Rosary for the wedding, to perform a non-catholic ceremony. I thought long and hard about this, under the many circumstances that surround this issue, I have decided to let them use our church for the marriage. It is this week, Saturday, August 16. I NEED SOMEONE to be available during the service to help out, lock up, etc. Please let me know if you are available.

9. Fr. Clemm Article About Fr. Kelly: Fr. Clem recently sent me a story he wrote about Fr. Kelly. It is very good. Please scroll down to read it.

Take care, God Bless, and have a great week...Fr. Scott


Story by Fr. Leroy Clementich, August 2008
Bush Pilot Captain

Actually, it was lousy day for flying in western Alaska on that weekend of March 23, 2002. For Catholics, it also happened to be the weekend of Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.

The young pilots who fly the Piper Saratoga’s for Pen Air in Dillingham were sitting around the cargo hanger, playing cards, waiting for the weather to clear.

So, Kelley walks in, Father Jim Kelley “What’s up guys?” he says to anybody who’s listening. “Not a lot, Father, we’re just sorta hanging out here waiting for blue sky.”

“Well, listen, will one of you guys take that Mass kit over there and that bundle of palms and put them in the cargo bin of my plane, it’s the Cherokee over there? I’ll go over to ops and file a flight plan?” “Ok,” one guy says. “By the way, Father, where you heading?” “Togiak”, Kelley says, “We have Palm Sunday services over there tomorrow.” “Hey, you’re not really going out in that stuff, are you father? The weather’s below the minimums: It’s 800 and a thousand feet, worse on the west side of the range.” “Hey, no problem,” Kelley says. “Once I get over Tukalung Mountain, it’ll be a piece of cake.” “Well, you’re a braver guy than we are, Father. We’re gonna stick around here and sit it out.” “Ok”, Kelley says, see y’all later.”

Kelley zips up his down jacket and heads for the plane, brushes the snow off the wings, puts on his mittens, piles into the airplane and heads out.

Couple hour’s later, some Catholic folks in Togiak call Pen Air ops in Dillingham and ask if anybody’s seen Kelley. “No,” the dispatcher says, “all we know is that he left here about an hour ago, heading west.” “Well, we’re kinda worried because the weather over on this side of the mountain is really bad: high winds and blowing snow. Anyway, let us know if you hear anything, ok? Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and we need him bad.” “Ok,” the dispatcher says, “we’ll get back with you if we find out anything.”

By then, it was already early evening, and the weather was not getting any better. By morning’s light, everybody knew that something had gone wrong. Kelley never got to Togiak.

After the weather finally lifted, search pilots from Pen Air and other local pilots flew out over the mountains west of Dillingham to check out the situation.

The search did not take long: Up on the top of Tukalung, lay a crumpled-up, green and white PA 28-181, Kelly’s plane, the Dakota. No sign of life. It took nearly until noon until they finally got a chopper up there to bring the body home.

The news of Kelley’s death hit Bristol Bay and western Alaska pretty hard. Kelley was the pastor of some 25 or so little villages from Dillingham to Naknek to King Salmon and all the way out the chain to Dutch Harbor. He occasionally would boast that he was pastor of the largest parish in the world with over 139,000 square miles of territory.

He was one gutsy guy, Kelley. Weather never seemed to bother him much: With his twin Cessna, for instance, he’d fly the 500 mile, one-way trip to Dutch in weather even the “professional guys” wouldn’t touch. “God is my co-pilot”, he’d say. Hmmm!

Of course, there were also other villages closer in, like Chignik Bay, Perryville, Nelson Lagoon, Sand Point and Cold Bay and others that he could easily reach with his Cherokee, the Dakota. For Dutch, of course, he always used the twin.

Father Jim Kelley was both a dedicated pastor and a superb pilot. He learned how to fly as a kid in New Bedford, Massachusetts. After he was ordained, he joined the Navy and served as a chaplain, retiring with the rank of Captain.

Always on the hunt for new pastoral and flying challenges, he came to the Archdiocese of Anchorage and began serving the Church in the bush, the dozens of those little villages out on the Aleutian Chain.

Stories still abound, describing his dedication to these western-Alaska outposts. He would regularly fly into one small village, for instance, where only a single Catholic lived.

On many occasions, when weather was threatening, he would radio ahead to a contact person in the village and say: “Father Kelley here folks, I’m ten minutes out. Weather’s not looking good; be out on the end of the strip and we’ll have a communion service on the wing of the Cherokee.

And so it was. Kelley would come in, do a 360, land and hand his Mass kit out to the closest person, get out and spread a white corporal on the wing and begin: “Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to His supper…. The Body of Christ” “Amen.” Then there’d be a short thanksgiving; a hug all around and Kelley would head out for the next village just ahead of the weather.

Well, that’s the story of “The Captain”, the priest-pilot, whatever; they both meant the same thing to him. It was all about flying out to “do liturgy.”

In the weeks and months after Father Kelley’s death, I would often fly the route from Dillingham to Togiak with those young Pen Air pilots. Often, as we'd fly over Tukalung Mountain, we’d slow the plane down to minimum airspeed, do a 360 and say a prayer for “The Captain.”

As I reflect on it, my intuition tells me that even after six years have gone by, a certain sacredness, a grace, still clings to that rocky crest over which a dedicated priest-pilot tried to fly so that some Catholic folks in Togiak could celebrate Palm Sunday.

On one occasion afterwards, a young pilot, flying with me over Tukalung, said. “You know, Father, if he had not tried to make that turn and if he’d flown a couple hundred feet higher, he would easily have made it. “That close? I asked. “Yup”, he said. “Take another swing around the summit”, I say. “I want to take a closer look.” The light wasn’t very good, but I’m pretty sure I could see some palms still scattered and lying there in the brush. Together, the pilot and I say “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.” We both say, “Amen.”

LeRoy E. Clementich C.S.C.