In June, the Jesuits ended more than 100 years of missionary activity in Alaska. It's a chapter that began in 1887, when two members of the Society of Jesus, Father Pascal Tosi and Father Aloysius Robaut, set up a mission a few hundred miles west of Fairbanks. They came to serve the Native communities in the territory's most isolated areas, and for decades that's what they and the Jesuits who followed them and the sisters who joined them did. In the process, they helped build the Church in Alaska.
As Bill Bole writes in the Summer 2026 issue of Jesuits West (pdf here):
They pitched in as census takers, first aid providers, interpreters, recorders of culture and language, ham radio operators, and pilots, while serving as baptizers, confessors, liturgical celebrants and even bishops.
By the 100th anniversary of that first mission, in 1987, Jesuits who had served or were serving in Alaska numbered 265. Among them were the last vicar apostolic of Alaska, Father Francis D. Gleason, SJ.
In August 1962, Fr. Gleason received a letter he had long hoped for from Pope John XXIII. "Today," the Holy Father wrote, "we have established the new Diocese of Fairbanks. We have planted the bright seed of hope in the land of Alaska and have kindled a bright flame by which people of that land may be illuminated."
There had already been Jesuit priests, brothers, and even bishops in Alaska. Now there would be Jesuit priests, brothers, and bishops of Alaska.
So why leave in 2026?
The Jesuits' hope realized
Although there's no denying that decreased vocations to religious life and the shortage of priests throughout the US play a part in the province's decision to bring Jesuits back to the Lower 48, the principle reason is a good one. As they hoped from the beginning, the Jesuits missionaries are no longer needed because their churches are no longer missions.
The work done by Jesuits in Alaska for well over a century "has prepared us for this day," Father Sean Carroll, SJ, the Jesuits West provincial, said when he announced last year that Jesuits on mission to the state would be returning to the Lower 48. Fr. Carroll pointed out that over the decades, missionary areas had become independent dioceses in Alaska, and he cited Jesuit initiatives such as the training of Native deacons and lay pastoral ministers, which helped "the Church grow in a vineyard as vast as the 49th state."
At a farewell Mass in June, Fairbanks Bishop Steven J. Maekawa, OP, acknowledged the Jesuits' legacy:
“All of the 46 churches of the Diocese of Fairbanks that we currently have were established by either the Jesuit fathers or by direction of a Jesuit bishop,” Maekawa said. “We have a long history of the Society of Jesus' presence and ministry here in all of Alaska.”
Father Dick Case, SJ, who served in Alaska at various times from the early 1970s through 2008, told Jesuits West: "I'm filled with great satisfaction and with great hope for the people. We did the best we could, and now we just have to let it go."
The Jesuits' bond with the people
Most Jesuits interviewed by Bill Bole noted the bond with the Native people as the aspect of their mission they will miss the most. Sister Kathy Radich, OSF, who worked with Jesuits for three-quarters of her 40 years in Alaska, says, "They had a real sense of the Yup'ik people. And they were always among the people. That is a great gift of the Jesuits."
Sr. Radich also noted the Jesuits' respect for the culture of the people, and their willingness to blend Indigenous cultural and religious practices, such as having grandmothers distribute incense and bless the babies at Baptism, into Catholic ritual.
Fr. Case says of his time in Alaska: "I suddenly realized there were only 500,000 people in the state, but they all look out for each other. Life could be hard and isolating in those remote villages, and from the outside they may have appeared godforsaken. But I came to know they were deeply God-filled."
Father Richard Magner, SJ, was one of the last Jesuits to leave Alaska. He told Jesuits West:
"I just fell in love with the Native people. They have an amazing ability to live in this harsh environment. And they are strong in their faith."
A legacy not without blemishes
For all the blessings of today, the Jesuits' history in Alaska -- like that of all missionary efforts -- is not without blemishes. Earlier Jesuits attempted forced conversions, or banned Native cultural practices among converts. Native students in Jesuit-run boarding schools were subjected to harsh discipline in the past, and there are substantiated cases of abuse by Jesuits in Alaska.
Provincial Father Sean Carroll acknowledged these sins in his address at the farewell Mass:
“Thank you for all that you have taught us about who Jesus is and how to love and serve Him wholeheartedly,” Carroll said. “I also thank you for your patience with us. For there have been times when we have sinned and when we have hurt you. I ask for your forgiveness for all that we have done that was not rooted in Christ and love for Him, and for when we did not value your culture nor recognize the presence of God in you.”
Hope for the future
Fr. Manger closes the Jesuits West article with an insight shared by many called to be missionaries: that they learn from the people they serve as much as they teach.
"They have much to teach the Church and the world about perseverance, caring for the planet, loving God and serving one another in the faith community. I will miss them very much."
As KNOM Radio Mission reported, the final prayer at the farewell Mass was given by a Yu'pik deacon, Dominic Hunt. His prayer asked God's blessing on both the Jesuits leaving Alaska and the Church who will carry on:
“Bless them with your wisdom, that they may be a word of hope in a world in need. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen."
