About St. Christopher · Willow, Alaska
St. Christopher is a small Catholic mission parish in Willow, Alaska, located at milepost 67 of the Parks Highway. It belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau and is one of five parishes in the Mat-Su Valley clustered together, sharing priests and deacons. About twenty-four families form the worshipping community, most of them retirees, many of whom drive up from Anchorage for the weekend. The parish was founded in 1967 and worships today in a building dedicated in June 2002 that was made possible by the Catholic Extension Society and many donors.
- Established
- 1967
- Patron
- St. Christopher
- Rector
- Fr. Joseph McGilloway (cluster priest, shared with Sacred Heart, Wasilla, and the other four-parish group)
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau
Why belong here
St. Christopher is a small but warmly communal rural Alaskan mission where roughly twenty-four families worship together every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. There is no paid staff—almost everyone volunteers—and parishioners are active in the wider Willow community through the Willow Lions Club, Willow Library Association, Anchorage Kiwanis, Fur Rondy, the Willow Area Community Organization, and the Willow Food Pantry. It's the kind of place where a retired couple from Anchorage can drive up the Parks Highway, help with the fall garage sale, string rosaries for the missions during Lent, and find a real, lived-in Catholic family.
Mass times at St. Christopher
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Christopher Mission
St. Christopher Mission was established in 1967 in a double-wide trailer, with priests and deacons of St. Bernard Parish in Talkeetna traveling the "circuit" to serve it. The mission later came under the supervision of Sacred Heart Parish in Wasilla and is now part of a five-parish group serving the Mat-Su Valley. The present church building was dedicated in June 2002, funded by the Catholic Extension Society and many donors, with worship aids and furnishings gathered from across the country and Italy.
- Established 1967 in a double-wide trailer
- Originally supervised by St. Bernard Parish, Talkeetna
- Now supervised by Sacred Heart Parish, Wasilla
- Current church dedicated June 2002
Clergy and Five-Parish Cluster
St. Christopher is served by the same clergy as four other parishes in the Mat-Su Valley: Sacred Heart (Wasilla), Our Lady of the Lake (Big Lake), St. Bernard (Talkeetna), and St. Philip (Trapper Creek). Fr. Joseph McGilloway and Fr. Armand Dice tend all five parishes, with assistance from Deacon Jon Hermon and Deacon Scott Gunnell.
- Fr. Joseph McGilloway
- Fr. Armand Dice
- Deacon Jon Hermon
- Deacon Scott Gunnell
- Cluster parishes: Sacred Heart Wasilla, Our Lady of the Lake Big Lake, St. Christopher Willow, St. Bernard Talkeetna, St. Philip Trapper Creek
Mass and Worship Schedule
Mass or a Communion Service is held every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. The Knights of Columbus historically led a recitation of the Rosary before Mass each week, though that practice was paused during the pandemic.
- Sunday Mass or Communion Service: 9:00 AM
- Pre-Mass Rosary (Knights of Columbus, paused during pandemic)
Parish Building and Furnishings
The current building, dedicated in June 2002, is a patchwork of gifts and travels. Its Stations of the Cross are of Italian origin and came from a New England monastery that was replacing its own. The corpus of the crucifix behind the altar is also Italian, brought back by parishioners on vacation, and is mounted on a cross custom-made by a Wasilla craftsman. The altar and ambo were inherited from Anchorage, and a Willow craftsman and parish friend built other furnishings to match. Two notable stained-glass windows adorn the church: a Holy Spirit window made and donated by a pair of long-time parishioners, and a St. Christopher window commissioned in honor of Ray Lizotte (RIP), longtime parish liaison to the archdiocese.
- Italian-origin Stations of the Cross from a New England monastery
- Italian corpus on a cross custom-made in Wasilla
- Altar and ambo inherited from Anchorage
- Matching furnishings built by a Willow craftsman
- Holy Spirit stained-glass window donated by parishioners
- St. Christopher window honoring Ray Lizotte (RIP)
Parish Community Life
St. Christopher is a small, close-knit community of about twenty-four families. The majority are retirees, many of whom live in Anchorage and travel to Willow for the weekend. The parish has no paid staff; nearly everyone volunteers in some capacity. Ministry is loosely organized—people come together as needs arise—and parishioners are heavily involved in the wider Willow community.
- Approximately twenty-four families
- Majority are retirees, many commuting from Anchorage
- No paid staff—all volunteer
- Ministries organized informally around need
Ministries and Outreach
The parish supports the Willow Food Pantry both financially and through personal service. Parishioners participate in the Willow Lions Club, Willow Library Association, Anchorage Kiwanis, and Fur Rondy, attend Willow Area Community Organization meetings, and clean a one-mile stretch of the Parks Highway during spring clean-up week. Each fall the parish hosts a garage sale that benefits both the church and the broader community.
- Willow Food Pantry support
- Willow Lions Club
- Willow Library Association
- Anchorage Kiwanis
- Fur Rondy organization
- Willow Area Community Organization
- Spring highway cleanup
- Fall community garage sale
Faith Formation and Rosary Mission
Religious education at St. Christopher is home-based with support from the parish. The parish also maintains a lending library with several bookcases housing board books for toddlers through complex theological works, drawn from many families' collections. For nearly twenty years, parishioners have made mission rosaries at home during Lent, sending them to military chaplains, nursing homes, and Fr. Dustan Sitta in Tanzania.
- Home-based religious education
- Parish lending library (toddler to theological)
- Lenten Mission Rosary making (≈20 years)
- Rosaries sent to military chaplains, nursing homes, and Fr. Dustan Sitta in Tanzania