Fr. Provinsal currently serves the villages of Chevak, Nightmute, and Toksook Bay. He will be staying in the region until the summer of 2026, drawing upon his half a century of expertise to mentor incoming clergy members on how to effectively serve the faithful of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

While Magner said he’s been passionate about the faith since he was a teenager, it wasn’t until a fateful talk on Native ministry that he was inspired to pursue a life serving Indigenous communities.

In his nearly 30 years as a Jesuit priest in the region, Wood said the highlight of serving in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta was getting to build relationships with his community.

The three final Jesuit priests in the state leave behind a complicated legacy, and are the culmination of a mission begun in 1887 to establish the Catholic Church in Alaska.