I went to church Sunday morning at the Catholic church in the village, appropriately named St. Michael's Church. I know the pastor there, Fr. Mariusz (don't remember his last name), as he is a friend of my pastor in Anchorage, Fr. James Barrand. Fr. Mariusz is based out of Unalakleet, a village of about 600 people (and the location of the school district headquarters), and is responsible for four different parishes, including St. Michael's. This is a reduced load for him--this past year he had been pastoring seven village parishes. With "only" four, he thinks he will be able to be in St. Michael one week a month, and when he's in Stebbins, he'll be able to drive from there, so we'll have Mass twice a month. The other two Sundays we'll have Communion services let by parish administrator and local elder Rita, whom I met on Sunday. Fr. Mariusz is visiting family in Poland for a month, so it will be a while before we see him again.
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| St. Michael Catholic Church St. Michael, Alaska |
When I got to church at 10:00 on Sunday for the 10:30 service, Rita and another parishioner (who now lives in Anchorage) were sweeping up a plague of flies that had infested the church; I picked up a broom. Once the flies had been removed, we were about ready for church to start. There were 15 people there on Sunday--more than have attended in Fr. Maruisz's memory, if I remember his statistics correctly. Rita, the villager/ visitor from Anchorage and her one-year-old grandson, two local village boys, two other adults from the village, a large family from Stebbins, Jessica (the other Catholic teacher), and myself. I had volunteered to help however Rita wanted me to, so when it was time for the first reading, she nodded to me, and I went up. I read the reading very confidently--except I was on the wrong page and had read last Sunday's reading! Rita came up and straightened me out, then told me that she wanted me to do the Psalm and let another parishioner do the rest. Rita read the Gospel, the homily that had been sent out from the diocese, and then moved straight to Communion--without any of the intervening prayers. Right before distributing Communion, she realized her mistake and apologized, but we continued on. After church, Rita fixed coffee and punch (but apologized for having forgotten the cookies--at which point the two boys left), and we chatted for half an hour or so.
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| The entrance to the church |
When Rita was growing up in the village, she said, the entire village was Catholic. She told stories about going to Catechism class immediately after school each day, and it was obvious how important the Church--and her faith--was to her. What a shame--in the literal sense of the word--that abusive priests so thoroughly changed the Catholic nature of the village! Is it arrogant to hope that God will use me and Jessica to help bring the people of St. Michael back to the Church? Rita and Peter, another village parishioner, talked about how much better things were "back in their days," and although part of that may be nostalgia, I know that the people in St. Michael need to know God.
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| The view from the church--visible from the nave, but not from my picture below |
We'll see how I can be helpful--maybe with the music, maybe with the catechesis, maybe with leading the services at some point in time--Rita mentioned that she'd "like to retire, but there's no one else to do it." Jessica and I both agreed that Rita is awesome.
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| Rita (l) getting the church ready for the service |
Tomorrow is the Solemnity (feast) of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary--the commemoration of the day when Mary was taken, at the end of her life, body and soul into Heaven--or, as Rita put it, "when Mary went up." Because Fr. Mariusz isn't around, I almost certainly won't be able to go to church to celebrate the day--another sad marker of the weakened condition of the Church in 21st-century western Alaska. So, dear Catholic reader, as you attend Mass tomorrow, please pray for all the people in St. Michael, western Alaska, and all unchurched people that they can experience the same love that our Blessed Mother now perpetually enjoys, and through her intercession, be brought closer to the Lord.
AMDG
Tim
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