Bishop Zielinski’s initial visits to Nulato and Koyukuk were well received and allowed him to experience firsthand the dynamics of village life. Most rural Alaskan communities now have running water and boast a school, health clinic, village council building and at least a small runway for flights. Cell phone coverage is expanding slowly across the state.

These modern amenities are welcomed, yet age-old traditions remain. The diocese is home to at least three distinct Alaska Native peoples: the Yup’ik/Cup’ik Eskimo, the Athabaskan Indian people, and the Inupiat Eskimo. Each people possesses its own rich culture and language.

Bishop Zielinski has observed there is something reminiscent of early Christian communities in the generosity of Alaska Native peoples.

“The people are warm and welcoming, and they are excited about their faith,” Bishop Zielinski said. “You see villages of 800 people, and 200 show up for Mass. All these people have blessed my life.”

Each summer, other activities are put on hold so the harvest of salmon can be caught, dried and stored for the year. And in the villages, if someone catches an abundance of fish, or brings down a moose, no one lacks for meat. The bounty is shared. The traditional potlatch gathering likewise provides an opportunity for people from various villages to share food, gifts and song.

There are many challenges facing the people of Alaska, too. Rural Alaska sees high rates of suicide, substance abuse, violence and sexual assaults. Media influence has contributed to a further erosion of values and cultural identity. There are economic hurdles as well, as most villages are only partly run on cash economies. Jobs are scarce, and prices would stagger the average American consumer: $11 for a gallon of milk, $8 for a pound of ground beef or gallon of gas. What isn’t grown or harvested must be flown or barged in before ice locks up rivers.

As a result, rather than parishes supporting the bishop’s programs, the diocese must financially support parish life in most of its communities. Besides being the nation’s geographically largest diocese, Fairbanks is also the only one to fall under the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Church’s missionary wing. Without the generosity of donors from around the United States, the Church in northern Alaska would not exist as it is.

However, Bishop Zielinski identifies an even more pressing need: priests. In the 19th century, the Society of Jesus served the entire territory. As recently as the 1980s, parishes were likely assigned their own Jesuit priest and were assisted by other men and women religious. Over time, the number of priests serving in the region decreased, and there are currently only 15 serving the diocese’s 46 parishes.

Some priests must circulate among six or eight remote villages, and Mass is a rarity for most rural Catholics in the diocese. Priests stationed in Fairbanks now routinely fly out to parishes across the diocese, and Bishop Zielinski says he has learned that travel is an essential part of serving the people of God in the last frontier.

“It’s wearing on your system,” he said, “and flying is one of our largest expenses. But it is what we are called to do.”

If he is daunted by the task before him, Bishop Zielinski doesn’t show it. He has discussed his needs with his brother bishops in the United States, and he has also established contacts with missionary dioceses around the world that are blessed with an abundance of priests. But he knows he must move with discernment.

“Not every priest is called to serve in the far north, because winters are dark and cold,” he said. “But the hospitality of the people is warm and gracious, and we invite priests who feel drawn to serve here to contact us. For the right servant, who will walk with the people, this frontier can be a paradise.”

ROBERT HANNON is the former chancellor of the Diocese of Fairbanks and continues to assist the diocese with special projects.Kn