About St. John Neumann · Cooper Landing, Alaska
St. John Neumann Mission is a small Catholic mission church in the village of Cooper Landing, Alaska, on the Kenai Peninsula, serving the residents and visitors of Cooper Landing and the Kenai River area. It is a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in Seward, and is part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 12:30 PM in English, with the pastor of Sacred Heart driving up the Seward Highway roughly 42 miles to reach the Cooper Landing community. The mission is notable for its log-cabin church, an outdoor Stations of the Cross pilgrimage walk leading to a hilltop cross overlooking the Kenai River valley, a Marian shrine to 'Our Caring Mother of the Handicapped,' and a small parish cemetery that is the resting place of retired Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley.
- Patron
- St. John Neumann (Bishop of Philadelphia, Redemptorist, first American male citizen to be canonized)
- Rector
- Rev. Richard D. Tero, Pastor (Emeritus) of Sacred Heart Parish, Seward
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau
Why belong here
St. John Neumann Mission offers the small Cooper Landing and Kenai River community a true Catholic home in a stunning Alaskan setting, with weekly Sunday Mass and a remarkable pilgrimage campus. Worshippers can experience the mission's outdoor Stations of the Cross walk up to a hilltop cross overlooking the Kenai River valley, pray at the Marian shrine of 'Our Caring Mother of the Handicapped,' and visit the gravesite of Archbishop Francis Hurley — all features that make this modest log church a surprisingly rich spiritual destination on the Kenai Peninsula.
Mass times at St. John Neumann
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available by appointment (through Sacred Heart Parish, Seward)
About St. John Neumann Mission
St. John Neumann Mission is a small Catholic mission church in Cooper Landing, Alaska, on the Kenai Peninsula. It is a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in Seward and belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau. The mission serves the population of Cooper Landing and the surrounding Kenai River area, with Sunday Mass celebrated in English each week at 12:30 PM. Despite its modest size, the mission is widely regarded as a spiritually rich destination, combining a log-cabin church with an extensive pilgrimage campus of shrines, an outdoor Stations of the Cross, and a parish cemetery.
- Type: Mission church
- Parent parish: Sacred Heart, Seward, Alaska
- Archdiocese: Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau
- Sunday Mass: 12:30 PM (English)
History & Significance
According to the North Star Catholic, St. John Neumann Mission is reportedly the first church in the world to be named for the 19th-century Redemptorist bishop of Philadelphia after his canonization by Pope Paul VI in 1977. Since September 2002, the mission has been cared for by Rev. Richard D. Tero as visiting priest from Sacred Heart Parish in Seward, continuing the Archdiocese's long tradition of bringing the sacraments to the scattered communities of the Kenai Peninsula. In 2000, retired Archbishop Francis Hurley dedicated the mission's Marian shrine, and after Archbishop Hurley's death in 2016 he was buried in the mission cemetery at his own request.
- Reportedly the first church in the world dedicated to St. John Neumann after his 1977 canonization
- Visited weekly by Father Richard Tero since September 2002
- Marian shrine 'Our Caring Mother of the Handicapped' dedicated in 2000 by Archbishop Francis Hurley
- Archbishop Hurley's gravesite located on the mission grounds
The Patron: St. John Neumann
St. John Neumann (1811–1860) was born in Prachatice, Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic), emigrated to the United States, joined the Redemptorists in 1840, and was appointed Bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. He is credited with founding dozens of Catholic schools, building 89 churches, and promoting devotion to the Eucharist. He was beatified in 1963 and canonized by Pope Paul VI on June 19, 1977 — becoming the first American male citizen to be canonized. He is venerated as patron of teachers, educators, sick children, and immigrants.
- Feast day: January 5
- Religious order: Redemptorist (C.Ss.R.)
- Bishop of Philadelphia 1852–1860
- Patron of teachers, educators, sick children, and immigrants
- First American male citizen to be canonized (1977)
Mass & Liturgy
Weekly Mass is celebrated at St. John Neumann Mission on Sunday at 12:30 PM in English. The mission shares its sacramental life with the parent parish Sacred Heart in Seward, where daily Mass, Adoration, mid-morning prayers and the Rosary, and the Saturday Vigil Mass are offered.
- Sunday Mass — 12:30 PM, English, at St. John Neumann Church, Cooper Landing
- Saturday Vigil Mass — 5:30 PM, English, at Sacred Heart, Seward
- Tuesday–Friday — 9:00 AM Adoration, 9:30 AM Mid-Morning Prayers & Rosary, 10:00 AM Daily Mass at Sacred Heart, Seward
- Sunday — 9:00 AM Rosary, 9:30 AM Sunday Mass at Sacred Heart, Seward
- Confession: also available by appointment through Sacred Heart Parish
Mission Campus & Pilgrimage
The mission's grounds form an Alaskan-style pilgrimage campus set at the base of a forested hillside. The modest log church is surrounded by a Marian shrine with stained glass, an outdoor Stations of the Cross that climbs the foothill to a six-foot white cross overlooking the Kenai River valley, a smaller wheelchair-accessible Stations route, a separate Marian shrine of Our Lady of Grace set back in the woods, and a small parish cemetery.
- Log-cabin mission church
- Marian shrine: 'Our Caring Mother of the Handicapped' (dedicated 2000 by Archbishop Hurley, official Archdiocesan pilgrimage site)
- Outdoor Stations of the Cross climb to a six-foot hilltop cross with Kenai River valley views
- Wheelchair-accessible shorter Stations route
- Our Lady of Grace shrine in the wooded area of the grounds
- Parish cemetery (one of few on parish grounds in the Archdiocese)
Staff & Clergy
St. John Neumann Mission is served by the clergy and staff of Sacred Heart Parish, Seward. Father Richard D. Tero has been the visiting priest to Cooper Landing since September 2002. Deacon Walter Corrigan assists across both Sacred Heart and the mission.
- Rev. Richard D. Tero — Pastor (Emeritus) of Sacred Heart Parish, Seward; visiting priest to St. John Neumann Mission
- Rev. Mr. Walter Corrigan — Permanent Deacon
- Clare Sullivan — Parish Administrator
- Celeste Lemme — Religious Education Coordinator
- Charlie Ebenschweiger — Sacristan and Gardener
Visit & Contact
St. John Neumann Mission is located about one mile off the Sterling Highway on Snug Harbor Road in Cooper Landing, near the Kenai River Bridge. Visitors are warmly welcomed to stop by the grounds, walk the Stations of the Cross, pray at the Marian shrine, or attend Sunday Mass. Inquiries and appointments for the sacraments are handled through Sacred Heart Parish in Seward.
- Address: Mile 1 Snug Harbor Rd., Cooper Landing, Alaska 99572
- Mailing (via Sacred Heart): PO Box 207, Seward, Alaska 99664
- Phone: (907) 595-1300 (mission) / (907) 224-5414 (Sacred Heart Parish office)
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://sacredheartseward.org/missions
- Directions: from Sterling Hwy Mile 47.9, turn onto Snug Harbor Rd. (first road west of the Kenai River Bridge), proceed ~1 mile, turn right at sign for St. John Neumann Church
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Richard D. TeroSeptember 2002 – present
Visiting priest to St. John Neumann Mission from Sacred Heart Parish, Seward; drove ~42 miles up the Seward Highway each Sunday for over 20 years in all weather. Ordained June 4, 1974. Served Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spenard, 1974–78), St. Mary's (Kodiak, 1978–84), St. Patrick's (Muldoon, 1984–92), Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Soldotna, 1992–2002) before being assigned Sacred Heart / St. John Neumann.