Alaska in June

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Catholic Answers has been doing cruises for a number of years now, and they’ve proved very popular. They provide a valuable experience for the participants, and the proceeds benefit the apostolic work of Catholic Answers.

This June we’re going to be doing a cruise to Alaska, which is going to be a lot of fun. The theme of the cruise is apologetics, and we’ll be having apologetic talks by me, Tim Staples, Mark Shea, and Jim Blackburn.

We’ll also be getting to see the natural beauty of Alaska in the summer, which is truly stunning. I was on our previous Alaska cruise, and I remember when we arrived at our first port of call and I got off the boat. The port village was tiny, but the mountain behind it was enormous–thousands of feet tall, covered with evergreens, with water falls high up its slopes. The water falls looked tiny in the distance, which just added to the sense of enormity.

We also cruised past fjords, which I’ve always felt give a lovely baroque feel to a continent, and got to climb on a glacier, as well as a bunch of other activities.

And now we’re going to do it again.

It’ll be great!

So I thought I’d write a post about it and invite readers who might want to come along to do so. I know that some readers have been with us on previous cruises, and this one will be a lot of fun.

Fun is important.

It’s a key part of the human experience. God meant us to have it. But he also meant us to have it in a wholesome, constructive way. That’s one of the things that makes Catholic cruises such excellent vacations. They combine the human need for rest and recreation with the spiritual dimension that must always be fundamental to our lives.

Shortly after he was elected pontiff, Pope Benedict spoke of these two dimensions combining in the ideal of the Christian vacation, while he was taking his own vacation in the Alps (and writing his book on Jesus):

In the world in which we live, the need to be physically and mentally
replenished has become as it were essential, especially to those who
dwell in cities where the often frenzied pace of life leaves little
room for silence, reflection and relaxing contact with nature.
Moreover, holidays are days on which we can give even more time to
prayer, reading and meditation on the profound meaning of life in the
peaceful context of our own family and loved ones.

The vacation period
affords unique opportunities for reflection as we face the stirring
views of nature, a marvelous "book" within the reach of everyone,
adults or children. In contact with nature, individuals rediscover
their proper dimension, they recognize that they are creatures but at
the same time unique, "capable of God" since they are inwardly open to
the Infinite. Driven by the heartfelt need for meaning that urges them
onwards, they perceive the mark of goodness and divine Providence in
the world that surrounds them and open themselves almost spontaneously
to praise and prayer [SOURCE].

A Catholic cruise to Alaska offers precisely the kind of encounter with nature and spiritual experience that Pope Benedict is talking about, as not only will there be the grandeur of Alaska’s God-given beauty but also faith-building talks, daily Mass, confession, and travel with like-minded Catholics in an enriching, family-friendly environment.

Whether you’ve never been on a cruise before or whether you’re an experienced cruiser, I hope you’ll consider joining me on the 2008 Catholic Answers apologetics cruise to Alaska.

For more information, click the icon in the right hand margin or VISIT THIS SITE.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

75 thoughts on “Alaska in June”

  1. Bon Voyage! I’ve never been to Alaska but my friends who have tell me it is spectacular, no matter what time of year.

  2. Jimmy,
    Will there a priest on board the Alaskan excursion who can offer the Extraordinary Rite Mass daily?
    If so I’d love to go!
    God bless you.

  3. “fjords, which I’ve always felt give a lovely baroque feel to a continent,” Did you look for Slartibartfast’s signature? It’s supposed to be in Norway.

  4. If you watch Jimmy carefully in Alaska, you may catch him practicing Tlingit. Oh the Humanity!

  8. Wow. the Trolls and Harpies are out in force. I guess it’s a sign that their own blogs aren’t doing so well, eh? Neither is their candidate…

  9. Wow. the Trolls and Harpies are out in force. I guess it’s a sign that their own blogs aren’t doing so well, eh? Neither is their candidate…
    Curious — why do you always speak like this — even in the other thread?
    Is there some sort of vastly Protestant affiliation you are a member of that actually advocates your heretical beliefs to the extent that you often project these in your comments to others?

  12. Hello,
    I’m a long time reader and Catholic convert living in rural Alaska. That’s great news about the cruise through Alaska. I imagine you’ll be stopping in Juneau. If so, I strongly suggest you visit the Shrine of St. Therese. It’s on a small island off-shore (accessible via a causeway) has a beautiful stone chapel and a spectacular Stations of the Cross. Visitors are always pleased and come away feeling they’ve been immersed in God and his beautiful natural wonders. It’s really not to be missed.
    Hugh

  13. Hello,
    I’m a long time reader and Catholic convert living in rural Alaska. That’s great news about the cruise through Alaska. I imagine you’ll be stopping in Juneau. If so, I strongly suggest you visit the Shrine of St. Therese. It’s on a small island off-shore (accessible via a causeway) has a beautiful stone chapel and a spectacular Stations of the Cross. Visitors are always pleased and come away feeling they’ve been immersed in God and his beautiful natural wonders. It’s really not to be missed. Here’s a link <http://www.shrineofsainttherese.org/>
    Hugh

  14. I took this type of cruise several years back on Norwegian w/ Patrick Madrid, Jonette Benkovic, and Carl Olson. It has been one of best vacations I took. Hugh is right abou the pilgrimage to St. Therese, it was beautiful and well worth the side trip.

  16. More time for prayer and reflection during a vacation?! The Pope should take my kids on his next trip. ;P

  17. I took this trip with FUS and Fr. Benedict Groeschel (5 months before his accident). During the tour of Juneau, the guide kept calling it a city. I’m thinking, “Nyack is bigger than this place!” New York is a city. Boston is a city. Juneau is a small town.

  21. “…and the proceeds benefit the apostolic work of Catholic Answers.” — Jimmy Akin
    And I imagine some of those proceeds will also benefit Jimmy Akin’s personal checking account as well.

  23. And I imagine some of those proceeds will also benefit Jimmy Akin’s personal checking account as well.
    Are you insinuating something insidious or are you simply being silly?
    English translation of Ray’s comment: “Waaaahhhh!”
    Is that really English?

  25. Hebrew translation of Larry’s German translation of Bill12’s English translation: “Oyyyyyyy!!!”
    KJV translation of my Hebrew translation of Larry’s German translation of Bill12’s English translation: “unicorn.”

  26. Why why why why why are these cruises always at a time of year I can’t go? That’s the week my kids have their high school final exams, and one is graduating this year.
    Just one week later would have been okay.
    Why is there never anything like this in the middle of summer when parents who have kids in a traditional school can go?

  29. Ha. Norwegian blue.
    By the way, I was just thinking, isn’t June a bit early for Alaska? At least here in Upstate NY it can be a bit chilly in June still (less than the full summer heat anyway). Is it late June at least?

  30. Went to the site and it’s June 8-15. Pack a sweater.
    By the way, I gotta wonder what that third picture from the right on the very top of the page is…

  34. And I imagine some of those proceeds will also benefit Jimmy Akin’s personal checking account as well.
    Well, duh. Jimmy needs money for clothes, food, and shelter. Just like you.

  35. David B: The guy is just a jerk who pops in here every once in a while and makes similar-type comments under various handles. He’s got a bug about Jimmy, Karl Keating, and Catholic Answers. He proves his smallness, jealously, and other faults every time he posts. He tries to be a hemmoroid, but fails even at that.

  36. I don’t know why you folks get so uptight about people earning a basic wage for the evangelization work they do.
    Evangelists who gouge their congregation practically millions of dollars for their evangelization work and live in the lap of luxury because of it should be the more pressing concern.
    Matthew 6:21 reads: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
    Indeed, the hearts of these folks seem far from the Lord of Heaven and closer to the lord of this world.
    In comparison, Jimmy and his Catholic Answers counterparts earn peanuts.
    I doubt that the Catholic Answers folks live a comparable lifestyle as these evangelists (particularly protestant evangelists, as the ones you see on television) with their chauffeured limos and extravagant villas scattered across all of Europe.
    Maybe Karl Keating…and even perhaps David B…bill912?

  37. I’d love to go on a CA cruise someday… unfortunately, some day is a long ways off, as we are poor at the moment. Maybe for our 15 or 20-year anniversary (that are, respectively, nine and twelve years away) we’ll treat ourselves. 🙂

  38. “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.”
    Luke 6:20

  39. I’m with you, JoAnna. For us it’s somewhat money, and mostly about kiddies. DH & I keep saying “someday” we’ll take an Alaskan cruise. We celebrated our fifteenth anniversary last spring. I think, though, unless God has other plans, that there will still be babies underfoot for our twentieth anniversary. So… maybe our thirtieth??? 🙂

  40. “ He’s got a bug about Jimmy, Karl Keating, and Catholic Answers. He proves his smallness, jealously, and other faults every time he posts. He tries to be a hemmoroid, but fails even at that. ”
    Mmm.

  41. I doubt that the Catholic Answers folks live a comparable lifestyle as these evangelists (particularly protestant evangelists, as the ones you see on television) with their chauffeured limos and extravagant villas scattered across all of Europe.
    Maybe Karl Keating…and even perhaps David B…bill912?
    I’m not so sure about Bill912. I can imagine him in the Hamptons… 😉
    Though I can’t complain, I am definitely not wealthy. Not by ze long shot.

  42. “Maybe for our 15 or 20-year anniversary (that are, respectively, nine and twelve years away) ”
    Interesting math, JoAnna 😉
    Someone said: “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.”
    Then you must not own a computer, bub. I don’t know how you’re posting here, because, while the library has free internet access, one must have I.D. to get a card. An I.D. which costs money (gasp! sob! you TOO!?).
    I assume you beg for food and clothing, and would condemn any pastor of yours for drawing a salary, correct?

  45. My grandmother lives in Southampton (my great grandparents baught a worthless piece of land there in the 20s and guess what happened). She is very liberal but most of her friends out there are conservative. Just saying it’s not a good idea to steriotype areas like that, or at least keep in mind the diversity that will be in any area.

  47. Interesting math, JoAnna 😉

    … and that’s why my degree is in English and not mathematics. 😀
    Nine and fourteen years apart.

  48. Vesa/RIP: Just because we all know who you are regardless of your sig doesn’t mean you shouldn’t honor the rules. One handle per thread please.

  49. The website/blog the Lion and the Cardinal by Daniel Mitsui had the very colorful I believe graves, coffins and Orthodox Churches by the indigeneous peoples in Alaska.

  50. Come visit your brother Catholics in Lebanon sometimes and see the suffering because of Israel.

  51. We all suffer, not because of Israel but because of sin. We all sin.
    Jesus died for my sins and your sins and He rose from the grave to return to the Father so that all of God’s children, whom He loves, dearly, and especially his Chosen People, the Jews, could spend eternity in Heaven if they but follow Him, who is the Truth, by seeking just that…the Truth, which leads to Him, ultimately.

  52. KARL, you say so that all of God’s children, whom He loves, dearly, and especially his Chosen People, the Jews, since the Jews are part of God’s children (i.e. everyone who has ever lived, is living or will live on this earth), isn’t that statement a bit redundant?
    Incidentally, Archibishop Macram Gassis of Sudan often talked about the concept of co-redeemers: people who suffer in the name of Christ to the benefit of the salvation of the rest of us. Meaning, that their suffering could possibly turn those of us who become aware of it to live the gospels out of gratitude, pity or humility. I think that is what ميشال عون may have been referring to.

  53. Redundant, I did not think about, I just recalled that Jesus came to/through the Jews, His own people, first, and the prophets, Jews not Gentiles, where those who taught that the Messiah was coming, at least as far as I understand.
    I really can’t even guess about the motive of the post. Paul, mentioned the same in the Bible, where, I do not recall, and are we not called to do the same when we offer our sufferings to God?
    I hope you are right about this.
    Thanks.

  54. SDG Vesa/RIP: Just because we all know who you are regardless of your sig doesn’t mean you shouldn’t honor the rules.
    So VESA is RIP? That certainly makes a lot of sense. Internet trolls and harpies love getting attention; be it positive or negative, which is essentially the only consistency in their posts.
    The sad part is most of them are still clueless about the concept of a static IP…

  55. There is much we can all learn from each other.
    My people were Catholic before most others but it does not give me a since of superiority.
    I realize many of you have animosity to Islam, and it is not completely irrational–but when I grew up there was no difference in my friends whether Ali or Pierre–I learned French and Arabic–my family was devout but we co-existed peacebly.

  57. SDG: Huh?
    Deusdonat: As much as I abhor trolls and harpies (and am frequently annoyed by them here and elsewhere — especially when it comes to serious discussions), they’re made of much better stuff than a heretic assuming the guise of a Catholic.
    hint: Why don’t you simply go off and attend your “service” and leave actual Catholics and potential converts alone. Thank-you.

  58. SDG,
    Why does your handle link to your review of “The Ten Commandments? Is there some connection between RIP’s post and the artistic merit(?) of said film?
    P.S. Who knew my joke about the Hamptons would lead to a discussion of its political sense (or lack thereof)?

  60. P.S. Who knew my joke about the Hamptons would lead to a discussion of its political sense (or lack thereof)?
    Not to go OT, but bill912 and J.R. Stoodley actually come from affluent families?
    Whoa!

  74. David and Bill, as long as it’s harpy season, you may have to continue your thwartin’ skills on a regular basis. Maybe we can entice you two to form a blogging militia.
    Your motto can be: “post first- ask questions later”.

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