The Stations of the Cross bring us closer to Christ as we meditate on the great love He showed for us in His most sorrowful Passion!

Tradition traces this loving tribute to our Lord back to the Blessed Mother’s retracing her son’s last steps along what became known as the Via Dolorosa (the Sorrowful Way) on His way to His Crucifixion at Calvary in Jerusalem. Pilgrims to the Holy Land commemorated Christ’s Passion in a similar manner as early as the 4th century A.D. The Stations of the Cross developed as a devotion in earnest, however, around the 13th to 14th centuries. It became a way of allowing those who could not make the long, expensive, arduous journey to Jerusalem to make a pilgrimage in prayer, at least, in their church!

The Stations of the Cross themselves are usually represented in churches by a series of 14 pictures or sculptures covering our Lord's Passion. They are meant to be “stopping points” along the journey, and provide us with great material for prayer and meditation. Tracing Jesus’s journey from condemnation to crucifixion increases both our sorrow for our sins and our desire for His help in avoiding temptations and in bearing our own crosses. Meditating on Christ’s passion can help us become more like Him in imitating His virtues of obedience, humility, charity, patience and perseverance.

You can pray the Stations of the Cross (also known as the Way of the Cross) alone at anytime, but people most often pray them in a group setting Friday evenings during Lent.

At St. Nick’s, the Stations are prayed each Friday during Lent in the Chapel at 7:00 PM. -Beth

Youth & Teens (from EDGE & HSYG) are invited to join us at St. Nick's 5:30-8:30pm on Friday, March 1st!

RSVP in the form below for EACH youth & teen attending.

This will be an opportunity for the Youth & Teens to join our parish community for a Simple Supper (a potluck of meatless meals held each Friday during Lent) and attend Stations of the Cross (led by Teens), with Social Time to follow. Please bring a MEATLESS dish to share.

All are invited to the Farewell Gathering THIS SUNDAY for Deacon Ron & Betsy Jones!

Join us for a potluck in the Social Hall after the noon Mass on Sunday, March 3rd.

*Please bring a dish to share.*

Betsy & Dcn. Ron would love to have mementos from their church family members to take with them when they leave. Parishioners are encouraged to bring in personal cards/letters, pictures, poems, stories, etc. to give them.

We will begin the first half of our 8th session of Symbolon, The Paschal Mystery.

After my 10 day whirlwind trip between Seattle & Anchorage, I was so happy to be back in the Youth Room with the Teens! And we had a fun start celebrating another birthday together! (see video below)

We took some time for the Teens to fill me in on all the things I had missed and their news from the past week, then began the 2nd session of their Lent Study, Transfigured on the Mountain.

First, they divided into pairs to guide each other down the mountain, BLINDFOLDED and only giving verbal instructions. It was tricky, and they each had a different way of provinding instructions. But they found their way by listening and trusting each other. (see video below)

This led into the focus of this session that coincided with the Gospel from the 2nd Sunday of Lent... recognizing God's voice and learning to listen to His guidance. The Teens were very curious in this session as we discussed the Transfiguration, the presence of Moses, Elijah, and the 3 Disciples, and how they can not only be impacted by faith, but how the faithful can impact others.

Please click the link below to view the discussion slides.

The Teens then chose a format for the readings at Stations of the Cross for First Friday this week, and voted to continue having HSYG during Spring Break! (more info coming soon.) We finished with more of one of my favorite things... Teens chatting and having fun being together!

Special thanks to Jack's Dad for joining in with the Teens!

We will continue Transformed by Grace (a Lent Study), with Session 3, Cleansing the Temple.

All families and ages are invited to attend!

Please bring a dessert to share.

Registration due May 5th.

To Register:

-click this link to register online https://dioceseoffairbanks.org/summer-oratory

-click the PDF link below to print a form

-pick up a form from the tables outside the Chapel

Completed forms with payment can be given to Beth or the Servidoras Sisters.

No class this week.

Next class will be on Sunday, March 24th.

For all Children and Youth (ages 5-17) from all parishes.

Every Saturday at Sacred Heart Cathedral from 1pm-2:45pm.

Per the Diocese policy for the safety of everyone, a minimum of 2 adults are required to be present for all Youth Ministry activities.

Ideally we would have at least 4-6 volunteers (preferably more), allowing for at least 1 assistant present for the HSYG one Sunday per month. We are also still in need of at least 1 more assistant for the EDGE class.

While the search to locate others who have current certification with the Diocese is ongoing, we have reached a point where we need to request that parents assist on a rotating basis so that we can continue to safely offer HSYG.

Please consider completing your certification, and/ or asking individuals who you think would be a willing volunteer. Or, you can submit suggestions for me to contact.

All youth ministry volunteers must have current certification for the course of Serving Vulnerable Populations and a Criminal History Record Check on file with the Diocese. More information can be found by visiting Adult Training on the Diocese of Fairbanks website. Diocese of Fairbanks - Adult Training - Fairbanks, AK

Call or Text 907-978-4786

Email stnicksym@cbna.org

Office hours are as follows:

Sunday 10am-7pm

Wednesday 3:30pm-5:30pm

It is a privilege to work with St. Nick's Youth!

As always, please never hesitate to contact me for any reason.

I pray you are having a blessed week.

In Christ's love, Beth