Former Archbishop of Anchorage Francis Hurley dies at 88

By Patrick Enslow
KTUU
January 11, 2016

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/former-archbishop-of-anchorage-francis-hurley-dies-at-88/37385740

ANCHORAGE -

Members of the Catholic Church and those around Anchorage are mourning the loss of former Archbishop of Anchorage Francis Hurley. The Archdiocese of Anchorage says the 88-year-old “peacefully passed away at home” on Jan. 10th.

Parishioners at Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Anchorage said a prayer for Hurley during mass on Monday. Down the road, those who knew him remember the legacy he left in Anchorage like the Brother Francis Shelter, Covenant House, and Clare House.

Bob Flint, a friend of Hurley's, recalled telling the archbishop a story about a homeless man.

“It happened one day that a homeless man crawled in the cathedral dumpster, and was then crushed when the garbage truck came and picked him up," Flint said.

According to Flint, Hurley took this tragic event as motivation to establish Brother Francis Shelter.

“Sometimes god speaks in a whispering sound, and sometime god hits you in the head with a sledge hammer. This time it was a sledge hammer," Flint said.

Catholic Social Services says Hurley was dedicated to those who are poor and vulnerable in Anchorage and around the world.

After retiring from the Archdiocese, Hurley apologized in 2003 saying he could have done more to help an abuse victim, after the victim reported abuse by a priest 20 years earlier.

Highlights from Hurley’s tenure include mass with Pope John Paul II on the Delaney Park strip in 1981, and creating a "cloistered monastery" with 7 new churches.

Funeral Arrangements will be held from January 21-24, and more information can be found at the archdiocese's website.