About Me

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Douglas, Alaska, United States
I have lived in Alaska since 1978, having come to Juneau as a Jesuit Volunteer. I fell in love with Alaska and now live on Douglas Island with my husband and two dogs.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Memorial Day at the Shrine of St. Therese

I had a brief moment of panic last night when I was unable to download photos to my computer..."There goes my blogging career!", I thought.  But this morning, after some tinkering, I was glad to see that I was again able to put the photos on the laptop.

Here are some pictures of our Memorial Day Mass at the Shrine of St. Therese here in Juneau, AK.  The Shrine is one of the most beautiful places in the world, with the Lodge, the Shrine Chapel, The Little Flower Cabin, and the Jubilee Cabin, it is a wonderful place for a retreat, a family reunion, weekly Mass during the summer months, fishing off the rocks, whale watching, or just sitting quietly, soaking up the beauty!


The view from the Columbarium


Rock cairns on the beach


Cairns with mountains in the background


Shrine Island


The Shrine Columbarium - a beautiful final resting place


Charles prepares to proclaim the Gospel at Mass


Fr. Pat, Fr. Pat (we have two!) and Fr. Jean Paulin concelebrated


The Labyrinth at the Shrine.  The Labyrinth is the same pattern as the one at Chartes Cathedral.  The labyrinth was a way for poor pilgrims who couldn't travel to the Holy Land to participate in a pilgrimage.  By walking the labyrinth and praying, they were able to join with other pilgrims on their journey.  Our Labyrinth is formed with local rocks and plants, rather than the stone of a cathedral floor.


Flora.....



...and fauna


What a beautiful place!

Come and visit, and I'll give you a personal tour!











10 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous day! And I heard there were whales frolicking during the mass. Thanks for the blog.

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  2. Never been to Alaska, but you sure are a great tour guide. So lovely.

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  3. Nice to "meet" you blog to blog. Love your beautiful Alaska pictures. One day I'll get to see some of it.

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  4. It looks gorgeous there!

    I LOVE finding Alaskan bloggers, especially Catholic ones!, and am glad you found me. My husband has traveled to other parts of the state, but so far the boys and I have not ventured outside southcentral AK. Just too costly for some trips right now.

    Laura O in AK
    daybydayinourworld.blogspot.com

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  5. Hey, I see my new friend Laura was here today too. I just left her a message about my~sort of~ ties to Alaska.

    My Dad worked in Alaska when I was growing up. Jobs were scarce in Michigan and he would be gone for months at a time. He spent time in Anchorage, Happy Horse and Pedro Bay. I remember his photos spectacular, just like yours!

    One of my good Catholic friends—good Catholic and good friend—moved here from Alaska about five years ago.
    I’m so happy to meet you. What exactly is it your husband does? Iconographer?

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  7. “Pay it Forward” is posted. I hope you’ll be able to participate. I’m hoping to be able to build “Pay It Forward” up to be a meaningful event, but I need your help to do it. If you can find the time to join in, it would“ really help to grow the movement! Pay It Forward: http://alife-sizecatholicblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/pay-it-forward.html
    Thanks! Holly

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  8. How pretty all your photos are here. I've never toured Juneau just stopped on the ferry in 96. On the seal I posted on my blog. She had been on the beach several days near the Russian Village and they just left her. So my friends called and they said to bring her in as it was obvious she would just lie there and die otherwise her mom was not coming back for her.

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  9. Thanks Nan, for the info about the little seal! Any time you want to visit us, just let me know! We'll give you a tour!

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