I am sad. I was looking at my sitemeter awhile ago, and saw that someone had Googled “Weddings in Alaska” and had ended up at my blog. I reread the post I wrote about RT’s and my wedding in Alaska in September 2006, and on impulse clicked on the link to the minister who performed our wedding ceremony. Michael Mitchell’s website was no longer there. So I Googled his name and found the following:

Michael K. Mitchell, Ph.D. lived in Anchorage, Alaska, and ran a church without walls - a wedding ministry to the greater Anchorage area. Michael Mitchell studied for the Methodist ministry, and was assistant to the senior minister for the First Methodist Church in Anchorage, Alaska for four years. He also took ministerial courses under Rev. Dr. Robert H. Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral in Southern California. Following this, Dr. Schuller asked Michael to be his minister on site as he instituted his Hour of Power services on 35 mm film and showed them in cinemas in Alaska (movie house churches). Michael’s PhD is in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas A&M. After years as a “closet Catholic,” studying Catholic theology, and participating in Catholic sacraments, he was ordained a Catholic priest by Bishop Jim Burch in March 2001, and continued his extraordinary schedule of wedding ministry in the Anchorage area, complimented by his wife, Nell. Michael passed on in 2007.

Michael performed Ron’s and my wedding ceremony, and it was a profoundly meaningful service. His wife, Nell, was one of the two witnesses. I’m very sad to know that this vibrant and energetic man died last year. May he rest in peace.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm and is filed under Alaska, Remembering. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.