Kodiak Islanders have a special place in their hearts for bush pilots. Not only do these navigators of the skies transport their passengers from one destination to another, but they also become their friends.
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way teachers teach and students learn. Online classes have become the normal means of educating. But this distance learning has its advantages, said Fr. Vasilly Fisher, acting dean of St. Herman’s Theological Seminary
Christmas. All the amenities of domestic life converge during this season of “peace on earth, good will toward men”: gift giving, great food, beautiful music and family gatherings.
It’s that “most wonderful time of the year,” the seasonal songs tell us. We’re in the thick of Advent, the days which foreshadow the birth of Christ in Bethlehem.
The names Teacon, Masha, Ephrezenia, Lazon and Davis may not mean a great deal to most of our readers. But if you’re from Akhiok, they are part of your genealogy, your historical narrative and culture.
When we leave this world to enter the Afterlife, we will be remembered by our character, our values, by how we treated others. His Eminence, Archbishop David Mahaffey, spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church in America’s Alaska Diocese, was fondly remembered by his flock this past week follo…
No sooner had St. Mary’s Catholic parishioners said goodbye to their priest, Fr. Frank Reitter, than they welcomed Fr. Mark Stronach, who came to assist the parish. Stronach is known as the parish administrator.
National attention has been riveted on the presidential election these past two weeks. This preoccupation with politics reminded me that Kodiak Island, although not a campaign stop, has been visited by presidents or their staffers, as well as a presidential hopeful.
What would we do without King’s Diner? When we reached the peak of the coronavirus restrictions, people worried that Eleanor King, the diner’s proprietor, would be forced to close down. But Eleanor, like other restaurateurs, circumvented the negative impact of the COVID shutdowns by offering…
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The name Marie Rice is synonymous with gardening, but Marie is also known as a teacher who loves sharing her knowledge of horticulture with young and old alike.
She spent years as a classroom and home-school teacher, and now Sena Rogers is overseeing the academic and spiritual training of young minds at the Kodiak Christian School. Rogers is the school’s new principal, replacing Katherine Baquero who resigned last year.
Kodiak Island bear hunting season begins Oct. 25. The spring hunt was canceled due to COVID.
We’re in the season of change. Darkness comes earlier and light is delayed. Kids are back in school. Salmon fishermen have put away their gear, and crab fishermen are preparing to head south in pursuit of king crab, a fishery that has been closed on Kodiak Island since 1983.
You’ve probably seen him on “Deadliest Catch,” blurting the lines of limericks and other poems while working on the deck of a fishing boat. Or you’ve most likely read or heard his poetry at a memorial service paying homage to a beloved community member who had passed.
Parishioners at St. Paul Lutheran and St. Mary’s Catholic Churches will be looking for spiritual leaders to replace departing shepherds.
He was tall; he was gentle; and he loved to be a part of Kodiak, especially the wilderness. Now that Larry Amox Sr. has departed this life for the Great Adventure in the Hereafter, those who loved him are left with the memories of his friendliness and the stories he told.
Back in the day when readers loved novels with a rural setting, French writer Georges Bernanos wrote “The Diary of a Country Priest.”
Cole Scott and Simon Corriere didn’t let the COVID-19 lockdown stifle their creativity. It stoked it.
According to a deal recently brokered by the Trump administration, the United Arab Emirates and Israel are establishing full diplomatic relations, which could mean inroads for tourism, direct flights and embassies.
This summer, two fishermen on the F/V Dynasty lost their lives after they paddled their inflatable boat to Tugidak Island, where they planned to beachcomb. A search party found the dog they took with them running down the beach. The bodies of the fishermen were discovered later.
This weekend, Orthodox faithful throughout the world will join Kodiak Orthodox in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the canonization of St. Herman of Alaska, one of the first Russian missionaries who brought the Gospel to Alaska.
A postscript to my recent Tapestry column about the Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park squatters who peacefully left the premises after being told to evacuate by amiable new park ranger, Ed Apperson:
Numerous times, I approached the late Kate Ballenger about writing her story. Kate responded with that modest “nothing to write about here” remark. But she made it known that she wanted me to write her obituary.
For five years, television viewers were taken on colorful tours of Alaska rural communities through KTVA television’s weekly show, “Frontiers,” hosted by Rhonda McBride.
In a letter to his wife Abagail, John Adams, the second president of the United States, foresaw a grand celebration of America’s independence, which occurs on the Fourth of July.
The eyes of the nation are on Seattle’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone, or CHOP, a gathering of radicals who have an agenda to push.
Sonny Chichenoff’s kids and kid grandkids will have to give him two cards on Father’s Day.
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s murder of George Floyd, an African American man, triggered mayhem across the nation, inspired a number of peaceful marches and demonstrations that drew attention to the motto that “Black lives matter,” and raised awareness of systemic racism and the…
April was Child Abuse Prevention month. Intending to bring more awareness to cases of child physical and sexual abuse and neglect, members of the Kodiak Area Native Association’s Kodiak Child Advocacy Center (KCAC) placed colorful pinwheels on the lawn near the city Police Department headqua…
If it wasn’t for the restrictions imposed by the threat of coronavirus, I’d visit Neil Sargent on May 25 to wish him a happy birthday.
This past Sunday, May 10, mothers were thanked, embraced and bestowed with flowers in appreciation of doing one of the most important jobs in the world: being a mother.
Hunkering down during the coronavirus crisis gives us a lot of time for reflection. Lately I’ve been thinking about the Kodiak people who have departed this life, taking some of the color and charm with them.
This Sunday, April 19, the Orthodox faithful will be proclaiming the message of Pascha (also known as Easter), which is the brightest holiday of the year. The proclamation says, “Christ is risen, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.”
“We’ll get through this together” is a motto that reminds us that the fight against the devastating coronavirus is not a solitary battle. It takes a household, a neighborhood, a community, a country and the global community to work together to find treatments, vaccines and practices that c…
Local churches have turned to social media to reach their people in a time when gatherings of more than 10 are discouraged.
The World Health Oganization has declared the coronavirus outbreak an international emergency. On a local level, the threat of the virus has altered our lives. It has made us more aware of hygiene, has limited our visits to crowded events and has changed the way we greet each other.
Guest priest Fr. David Subu of St. Mary’s Orthodox parish of Falls Church, Virginia, gave the homily at Holy Resurrection Cathedral on the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, based on Christ’s parable that distinguishes self-righteous pride from God-fearing humility. His sermon set the tone…
When we lost Dr. Bob Johnson, we lost not only a big piece of history but also an advocate for the preservation of our local history.
Wednesday’s blizzard shut down roads, schools, places of business and important events, such as Ed Apperson’s 90th birthday party. If you don’t know who Ed Apperson is, you should. You can get an idea of his significance by looking at a statue of him at the Alaska State Parks Abercrombie Par…
When Ron and Vanessa Bryant leave the island Jan. 30 for St. Louis, Missouri, they’ll be saying goodbye to a host of friends, a house and familiar places,
Much of the news this past week has been dominated by United States conflicts with the government of Iran. Older folks such as myself, recall the tense situation in the late 1970s when the Shah of Iran was ousted and militant students stormed the US embassy in Tehran, demanding the extraditi…
2020 came crashing into the lives of this island community with furious mayhem and heavy sorrow wrought by the sinking of the F/V Scandies Rose off Sutwik Island on the Alaska Peninsula.
Judi Kidder is an activist who initiates projects that address her pet causes, such as keeping Kodiak litter-free and helping the homeless.
It may appear that The Kodiak Assembly of God church has not changed much over the years. It is still located on East Rezanof. Each week the church marque features a Bible verse or Christian saying. But the scrutinizing eye will notice its new name — Oceans United. The church on East Rezanof…
Ever since she was a 20-something lass living in Ireland, Peggy Cross has been on the move. Her first big journey took her across the Atlantic on the ship, the St.Mary, to the United States, where she settled in Seattle, Washington. There she met Junior Cross while she worked in a restaurant…
Mike Olsen couldn’t have picked a nicer day to turn 50. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday in July when family and friends gathered around him and his sister, Cherise — who also was turning a corner in years — to congratulate them. The party took place at the Buskin beach house on a bluff ove…
As I sat mesmerized by the battle scenes in the film “Midway,” which aired at the Orpheum this past week, I couldn’t get my mind off of Bill Ross, a World War II veteran who died last month at age 99.
If the congregation of Community Baptist Church is interested in creating a classy eye-catching website, they have the right man to do the job. In fact, he’s got his own office in the church.
I never knew Pete Walter Muller, the young man who died in an ATV accident in the village of Larsen Bay on Oct. 19. But I did know family members. His mother, Mary Nelson, was a little girl when I went to the villages of Larsen Bay and Karluk to write stories for the Kadiak Times. I also got…
There was a time when Kodiak had more bars than churches. But through the years, the scales have been tipped in favor of the Almighty. Some of the churches are relatively new to the neighborhood. Others, such as St. Paul Lutheran Church, have some history here. At least 50 years of it.
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