Editor’s Note: This article was sent to print on July 10, 2025. On July 21, 2025, the Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks announced that Fr. Alphonsus Afina has been safely released and is unharmed.
Many of you have reached out to ask about Fr. Alphonsus Afina, who served as a priest at St. Joseph Parish in Nome and was a familiar voice on KNOM’s airwaves.
In 2024, Fr. Afina returned to his home country of Nigeria. In June 2025, he was among several individuals kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram. He was the 15th religious leader abducted by the group this year.
At the time this issue went to print, Fr. Afina’s whereabouts and condition were unknown. After news of his kidnapping reached Alaska, Bishop Steve Maekawa celebrated a Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Fairbanks, praying for Fr. Afina’s safety and well-being.
Please continue to keep Fr. Afina and all those affected by this violence in your prayers.
