Dear Father Joe and all members of St. Katharine Drexel Parish,
The summer of 2007 has been a wonderful time for us. Not only have we had the opportunity to spend our summer touring the beautiful state of Alaska and the territories of Canada, we have also been privileged to be ambassadors from our parish to the missions of northern Alaska. Our trip has been filled with mild climates and awesome views.
Pete and Dawn Dubbelde
We arrived at Fairbanks, Alaska on July 23d. We were excited to meet the diocesan staff and see Bishop Kettler again and to meet with people of the parish.
We visited Sacred Heart Cathedral and met Deb Leibee, administrative assistant of the parish. The church is very nice and beautifully made. It is much larger on the inside than it looks on the outside. Then we went to the offices of the Bishop (just across from the church) and met Vicki Kinsey, the parish receptionist. Vicki told us that Bishop Kettler was away, flying to meetings and would return the 30th.
Next we met with Geraldine Jauhela, Bishop Kettler's "right hand woman". Gerri was very informative, answered all our questions and gave us a tour of the Bishops offices. We had a lovely conversation with her. Gerri is from Minnesota where she grew up in a small village. She soon felt that the area she lived in no longer gave her the challenge she needed in life or the growth she desired in her spiritual life. Gerri and her husband moved to Alaska to "seek their fortune". She told us her position here with Bishop Kettler is what she has wanted and she feels she was "called" here. Gerri loves the challenges her position provides. During our meeting with her, we also delivered the school supplies and other things sent by Christ the King Parish and St. Katharine Drexel Parish.
I would like to share a little about the Diocese of Fairbanks. It is the largest Roman Catholic Diocese in the U.S., spanning 409,849 square miles and has over 50 parishes. Five of those are urban road parishes, 4 are rural road parishes and 37 are mission non-road parishes (missions), which are funded through diocesan fund-raising efforts. It is also the only true (recognized by the Pope) mission diocese in the world. Fifty percent of the Roman Catholics of the Diocese of Fairbanks are Native Alaskans. Our parish is helping to fund the missions of the Diocese of Fairbanks. The Diocese of Fairbanks also contributes funds to the Catholic schools of Fairbanks. They have the only pre-school through 12th grade Catholic school in the state.
St. Theresa of the Child Jesus is the patron saint of the Diocese of Fairbanks and missions of Alaska. There is a house of prayer next to the Scared Heart Cathedral which is dedicated to St. Therese, the little flower.
On Sunday, we attended Mass at the Cathedral and met with Bishop Kettler after Mass. He was a very gracious host. We talked over coffee and dessert at a very nice restaurant. He then took us for a tour of Fairbanks, showed us around the outdoor Stations of the Cross on the parish grounds and also showed us where he lives with other priests. Some of the Boy Scouts in Fairbanks are repairing some of the Stations which have been damaged due to age.
We had a very pleasant and interesting evening. Bishop Kettler thanks us very much for our parish's contributions to his missions. And, we thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve as ambassadors to the missions.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Pete and Dawn Dubbelde
