About Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church in Kenai, Alaska:
The Catholic presence on the Kenai Peninsula began in 1905 with Fathers Tunnel and Handley ministering to Alaska Railroad workers in Seward. In 1910, following the construction of the first Sacred Heart Church, a succession of priests to include Father Arnold Custer, staffed the church and newly constructed hospital. Father Custer became known as the “Trap Line Priest,” and was responsible for missions across the ten thousand square mile Kenai Peninsula.
The Kenai area grew dramatically in the 1950’s, leading Father Custer to decide that Kenai needed a permanent place for the Catholic community to worship. A donation from the Seaman family in memory of their son, David, and supplemental donations from Anchorage benefactors allowed the parish to purchase three lots on Willow Street in December 1952. It was at this site, that parishioners labored between 1954 and 1955 to erect the log church. In the spring of 1955, Father Thompson celebrated the first mass in the new church.
In 1953, Our Lady of The Angels (OLA) was officially named, and was the only Catholic Church on the western Kenai Peninsula.
In 2002, the parish was able to reclaim the original log church from the Salvation Army. A committee was formed and on April 12, 2002, the church was moved, and renovation began to return the log church to as close to its original condition as possible. In the spring of 2004, renovation was completed, and it is now being used for a variety of purposes.
Traveling to Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church in Kenai, Alaska:
Kenai is located on the Western Kenai Peninsula, 158 miles southwest of Anchorage (by road). The population was 7,424 as of the 2020 census, up from 7,100 in 2010.
Address: 225 S Spruce St., Kenai, Alaska 99611
Phone: +1 (907) 283-4555,
Email: ladyoftheangels@gmail.com
Click here for the official website of Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Kenai, Alaska