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Diocese of Fairbanks

Frigid temperatures and no roads – ministry in the remote Alaskan wilderness

“It may be weeks, sometimes even a couple months before you see a brother priest.”

Jack Figge
Jan 02, 2026
∙ Paid

Getting to St. Jude Catholic Church on Little Diomede – a small Alaskan island in the Bering Strait – is no easy feat.

The priests who serve at the parish must first fly from Fairbanks to Anchorage, then Anchorage to Bethel. After that, they take a bush plane from Bethel to a small native village. There, they hop on a helicopter for a flight to the islan…

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