Despite being inspired to become a Jesuit after attending his Jesuit high school in Houston, Texas, Fr. Rich Magner, SJ, never knew of Native ministry until he joined the Oregon Province of Jesuits.
"When I was a novice in Portland, one of the Jesuits, Fr. Pat Toohey, came to the novitiate to speak to the novices about his work with Native people," Magner said. "He was just very passionate about his ministry and his work with the Native people. And so I said, ‘oh gosh, I want to find out more about Native ministry!’"
Magner wanted to continue exploring the prospect of providing and adapting Catholic services to predominantly Indigenous American communities as part of his priesthood training. But following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he went to support the recovery work in New Orleans. While he said he was deeply moved by the experience, Magner’s interest in serving predominantly Indigenous communities persisted.
"Luckily, I had an opportunity to come to Alaska and spend three months up here in 2006 and spend time with the Jesuits who are up here and shadow them. And so I spent time with Gregg [Wood] for maybe two weeks in some of his villages, and then with Fr. Paul Cochran in some of his villages, and Fr. Ted Kessler in some of his villages," Magner said. "And it was really just a wonderful experience. I just fell in love with the Yup’ik [and] Cup’ik people here and the ministry that the Jesuits were doing with them. Ever since that experience, I have been wanting to return to Alaska."
The Jesuits West Province stationed Magner across various parts of the world, from various places in the United States to the Philippines, but he said he consistently made his desire to return to Alaska known. In 2016, Magner’s wish was granted and he has been serving the villages of Chevak, Hooper Bay, and Scammon Bay ever since. He is now the superior of the Brother Joe Prince Jesuit Community in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, representing him and his fellow two Jesuits in larger decision-making and maintaining well-being.
Magner said that the biggest learning curve was figuring out how to effectively serve multiple villages in two-week intervals.
"So during that two weeks that you're there, you've got to get everything done that you would normally have a month to [do]," Magner said. "So you got to get the bills paid, and you got to get the fuel tanks filled, and you got to do the preparations for the sacraments."
The generosity of the people
Similar to many Jesuit priests that came before him, Magner said that his favorite thing about serving in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta was receiving the generosity of the people he served. He fondly recalls when his friendship with Larry John, a grocery store owner in Hooper Bay, began in 2006 back when he was a novice.
"So basically I was in Hooper Bay for a couple of weeks on my own, and it was very typical to get a call during the day from Larry that would say, ‘come and eat!’" Magner said. "And so that was my invitation to go and have a nice dinner with Larry and Maggie and their family. Larry must’ve done that almost every day that I was there for those two weeks."
Ultimately, Magner feels grateful for getting to live in such a distinct location and culture, as well as getting to learn from its locals on how to adapt to its unique challenges.
"It is a wonderful, unique place, and very amazing people who can survive in a very harsh part of the world, and yet they do it so naturally and beautifully and for so long, living off the land, respecting the land and the sea and the air," Magner said. "They've got a lot for us to learn as a church and as a human family, and it's been my great privilege to be up here to admire it and to learn from it, and to appreciate this culture and these people."
Magner will continue to serve his communities and mentor incoming clergy members of the Diocese of Fairbanks in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta until the summer of 2026. Then, he will be reassigned to serve at a different location by Jesuits West, the congregation of Jesuits based in the western U.S. While he’s unsure where he will go next, Magner remains hopeful for the future. After all, he still has one more year to continue living his Alaska dreams sparked by that fateful Native ministry talk back in his youth.
