The Eastern Catholic Church in A

In the later part of the 19^th century, Jesuits missionaries made attempts to convert the native Russian Orthodox in Alaska to Catholicism by using the Byzantine Rite. They met with little success. In 1957, the Most Reverend Nicholas Elko, Apostolic Exarch of the Exarchate of Pittsburgh for Byzantine Catholic, was approached by the Congregation for Eastern Churches to launch another attempt in Alaska. Bishop Elko sent two priests, the Reverend Demetrius Darin and the Reverend Robert Bayusik to Alaska in June of 1958. They were sent to Juneau and Anchorage respectively to work with the few scattered Byzantine Catholics living in Alaska as well as to work with the Orthodox Christians.

Father Darin in Juneau met with little success and returned by the end of the year. With six families, Father Bayusik remained in Anchorage where he began cultivating a small Byzantine Catholic Community. In the first years he used the Holy Family Church in Anchorage for Divine Services. With the help of local people, he purchased property on southwest corner of Arctic Boulevard and 22^nd Avenue in December of 1958. In March of 1959 he purchased a former mess hall from nearby Fort Richardson. The building was moved to the Arctic Boulevard site where it was renovated into a church with a rectory and small office. In September of 1959, Bishop Elko traveled from Pittsburgh to bless the newest church of the Exarchate: St. Nicholas of Myra.

The parish grew very slowly, but steady under the leadership of Father Bayusik. Roman Catholics joined the parish along with Byzantine Catholics. Since there were no Orthodox Churches in Anchorage proper, a number of local Orthodox families attend St. Nicholas. In time, St Nicholas would be the mother church of the St. Innocent Russian Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church of America) and of Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church since some Orthodox families left St. Nicholas to help found their own parishes. Also some Orthodox families chose to remain at St. Nicholas where they are still active to this very day.

After six years of priestly ministry in Alaska, Father Baysuik was transferred back to the lower 48 and Father John Kasarda was assigned as pastor.

Father Kasarda remained in Alaska for only two years. It was during his tenure that the 9.2 �Good Friday� Earthquake of 1964 struck Anchorage. While there was much damage to Anchorage and the south central part of Alaska, St. Nicholas suffered no major structural damage, except for a small crack in the floor of the church�s basement. Shortly after the earthquake, Father Kasarda was transferred back to the lower 48.

In July of 1964, the Reverend Michael Artim arrived at St. Nicholas as the third pastor. Father Artim was a late vocation in his early 40�s when ordained, and was only a year ordained when he was assigned to Anchorage. Prior to seminary studies and ordination, Father had been a pharmacist which would serve him well in his new mission field. Arriving in Anchorage Father found a parish with less than ten families with about nineteen dollars in the bank and a huge debt. This was a challenge to the new pastor.

With the transfer of Father Kasarda, Bishop Elko assets the situation in Anchorage and found that it had failed to convert the Orthodox, the number of parishioners had plummeted, and the debt was enormous. He concluded that St. Nicholas was a failure and that it should be closed. Unbeknown to Father Artim, Bishop Elko had sent him there to close St. Nicholas, hoping Father Artim would become discouraged enough to petition the Bishop to close St. Nicholas. Fortunately Father Artim faced the challenge ahead of him with determination as he saw a future for our Church in Alaska. He rolled up his sleeves, began organizing the parishioners, sought out new parishioners, promoted ethnic dinners and other events for fund raising to help retire the debt, organized religious education classes and sport teams for the children, and worked as a pharmacist for a time to support himself. Within a few short years, the membership had grown considerably and the debt was retired. During his tenure, he also remolded the church, installed an iconostas, and placed an onion-shaped dome on the church. From Kodiak Island in the south to Point Barrow in the north, he went around the State of Alaska celebrating the Divine Liturgy in order to minister to the far flung parishioners as well as educate the Latin Catholics that there were other legitimate ways to worship God in the Catholic Church.

A severe heart attack in 1985 forced Father Artim to retire form pastoral ministry. For his service to the Church Father Artim was elevated to the rank of Mitred Archpriest in June of 1995 by the Most Reverend George Kuzma, the Bishop of Van Nuys. He was the first priest of the Eparchy of Van Nuys to receive such an honor. Mitred Archpriest Michael remained in Anchorage, assisting his successors whenever possible until his death in 2001.

The Reverend Joseph Hutsko was appointed pastor of St. Nicholas in 1985. During his four tenure, Father Hutsko continued the work of Father Artim. While he attempted to bring the parish away from the Latinizations that had crept into the Church over the last three centuries, he met with resistance.

In 1989, the Reverend Stephen Grekowiak was appointed to St. Nicholas. During the next twelve years, he stressed education and slowly helped to bring the congregation back to its authentic Byzantine roots. During his administration, the parish continued to grow especially with young families. In 1994 he embarked on a building project with the help of a very generous benefactor who financed and build a new church hall with a full basement and garage and renovated the rectory. The renovation also included the only interiorly illuminated domes in the world. In his wisdom, Father Greskowiak told the congregation that it was their responsibility to pay for the renovation of the church. They wholeheartedly threw themselves into the project that produced a new iconostas, new altar furniture, a shrine area and new seating.

In 2001, the Right Reverend Archimandrite Wesley Izer, SDB was assigned to pastor St. Nicholas. He continued stressing the need to return to the authentic Byzantine Traditions while introducing adult education classes on Liturgy and Scripture.

Seeing the moment of twelve families from Anchorage to the Palmer-Wasilla area 45 miles northwest of Anchorage, Archimandrite Wesley established an Outreach with the monthly celebration of the Divine Liturgy in April of 2002. In June of 2003, the Divine Liturgy began to be celebrated every Sunday. The Outreach is currently meeting at old Sacred Heart Church in Wasilla. The Outreach Community is looking for property for the second Eastern Catholic Church in Alaska!

Today the Eastern Catholic Church is small in Alaska. Only one Eastern Catholic jurisdiction�the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Van Nuys established in 1982�has one parish in the whole State of Alaska--St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church in Anchorage with an Outreach located in the Palmer-Wasilla area. The parish is administered by one priest with the help of one bi-ritual priest, the Reverend Michael Hornick of the Anchorage Roman Catholic Archdiocese. The parish has 54 families�42 at the main parish and 12 at the Outreach. While our Church may be seen as small, we are a vital part of the Catholic Church to which we add the richness of our Rite and our Traditions.

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