St. Mary’s in the Diocese of Fairbanks is a Yupiaq community on the north bank of the Andreafsky River. Since 1893 missionary priests and women religious have established and staffed schools and provided pastoral care to community members. Over the years, the area’s lack of resources and extreme weather have forced closure of many schools. Yet, the community persevered, even building a church of their own: The Church of the Nativity.
Today, a Jesuit priest and two Franciscan sisters, along with a small support staff, oversee three vital diocesan ministry programs: the Native Ministry Training Program, the Rural Deacon Program, and the Coordination of Rural Ministry.
Fish, fuel and fear
While the COVID-19 pandemic would have made life challenging enough for people in St. Mary’s, the timing was particularly devastating. This community relies on the commercial fishing industry and the spring and summer fishing season to provide the food and income to sustain its residents all year long.
When the town processor stopped purchasing fish after the community had a confirmed case of COVID-19, local fishermen had to travel 60 miles downriver to sell their catch. That created an unanticipated added cost — with gas at more than $6 per gallon — significantly cutting into their earnings.
Low fish counts, the added expense of fuel and newly established Covid-19 regulations forced closure of the processing plants altogether. The commercial fishing season essentially closed before it began, leaving families in St. Mary’s without any income to buy food and other necessities for the upcoming the winter months.
Making matters worse, COVID-forced school closures and summer camp cancellations cut off access to the food programs they provide. This added food expense to family budgets already stretched thin.
We are willing to be a compassionate presence in our world, especially with women and children and those who have no voice.”
The Sisters of St. Francis
A people of gratitude
As the coordinator of Rural Ministries, Sr. Kathy Radich, OSF ministers to the Yupiaq community. She is also a licensed social worker and has seen the tremendous increase in need from the families of this village. With donations and grants, such as the $1,000 grant received from the Sisters on the Frontlines program, Sr. Kathy and the sisters of St. Francis are serving the most vulnerable who are living on the margins in the Diocese of Fairbanks.
Food and fuel assistance are among the most urgent needs of nearly every family suffering from the fishing season’s early end. While the families always appreciate the assistance, Sr. Kathy has noted how grateful they are for being heard when geography and the immense need around them could otherwise silence their cries.
[I am] more aware of the struggles, faith and gratitude of so many, even in a small remote village. The Yup’ik people are a ‘Quyana’ people, a people of gratitude even in difficult times.”
— Sr. Kathy Radich, OSF
