About St. Philip Benizi · Trapper Creek, Alaska
St. Philip Benizi is a small Catholic mission church located at Mile 115 of the Parks Highway in Trapper Creek, Alaska. It serves as a mission of St. Bernard of Menthon Catholic Church in nearby Talkeetna, within the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau. Neither St. Bernard nor St. Philip Benizi has a resident priest; the archdiocese provides a "circuit" priest who celebrates Mass roughly twice a month, with a Communion and Word Service led by a deacon or lay presider on the other Sundays. The mission sits in the Mat-Su Valley north of Anchorage and is part of a five-parish grouping overseen by the Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission) team, which took over the Alaska mission in the summer of 2023.
- Patron
- St. Philip Benizi (Philip Benizi de Damiani, OSM, 1233–1285), the fifth Prior General of the Servite Order, canonized in 1671.
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau
Why belong here
St. Philip Benizi offers the Catholic faithful of the upper Mat-Su Valley — Trapper Creek, Willow, Petersville, and the surrounding backcountry — a regular Sunday Eucharist and a Communion service when no priest can be present. As part of the St. Bernard of Menthon Catholic community, the mission connects parishioners to a broader regional Catholic family served by the Vincentian Fathers of the Western Province.
Mass times at St. Philip Benizi
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Philip Benizi Mission
St. Philip Benizi is a mission church of St. Bernard of Menthon Catholic Parish in Talkeetna, both of which fall under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau. The mission is located at Mile 115 of the Parks Highway in the small community of Trapper Creek, Alaska, and serves Catholics across the upper Mat-Su Valley. Because neither church has a resident priest, the Archdiocese supplies a 'circuit' priest who celebrates Mass roughly twice a month. On the Sundays when no priest is available, a deacon or lay presider leads a Communion and Word Service.
Mass and Service Schedule
Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:30 AM when the circuit priest is present (about twice a month). On the remaining Sundays the community gathers for a Communion and Word Service led by a deacon or lay presider. The mailing address is PO Box 510, Talkeetna, AK 99676.
- Sunday Mass: 11:30 AM (English)
- Communion and Word Service on non-priest Sundays
Diocese and Pastoral Care
St. Philip Benizi belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau, whose current metropolitan archbishop is Andrew E. Bellisario, C.M. (a Vincentian). Beginning in summer 2023, the Archdiocese's Mat-Su missions — Sacred Heart in Wasilla, Our Lady of the Lake in Big Lake, St. Christopher in Willow, St. Bernard in Talkeetna, and St. Philip Benizi in Trapper Creek — were turned over to the Vincentian Congregation of the Mission, Western Province, which had previously been ministering to Spanish-speaking communities in Alaska through an international mission launched in 2014.
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau
- Archbishop: Most Rev. Andrew E. Bellisario, C.M.
- Pastoral care: Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), Western Province
The Patron: St. Philip Benizi
The mission's name honors St. Philip Benizi (1233–1285), a Florentine who became the fifth Prior General of the Servite Order and is credited with reviving the order during a time of suppression. He was a renowned peacemaker who reconciled warring Guelph and Ghibelline factions in 13th-century Italy and helped found the Servite Third Order with St. Juliana in 1284. He died at Todi on August 22, 1285, and was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671. His feast day is celebrated on August 23.
- Born: August 15, 1233, Florence
- Died: August 22, 1285, Todi, Italy
- Canonized: 1671 by Pope Clement X
- Religious order: Servites (OSM)
- Feast day: August 23
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the mission through the St. Bernard of Menthon parish office. The mailing address for the mission is PO Box 510, Talkeetna, AK 99676. The church is located at Mile 115 Parks Highway, Trapper Creek, Alaska 99683.
- Phone: (907) 733-2442
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing address: PO Box 510, Talkeetna, AK 99676
- Physical location: Mile 115 Parks Highway, Trapper Creek, AK 99683