As a priest who flies to remote Alaskan villages in the largest Catholic mission in the world -- geographically, that is -- here is what a typical day looks like:

Wednesday, May 12, 2010.

Getting up at 4:10 a.m. every day allows for some quiet time to exercise, pray, and map out the day. By 7 a.m. I am ready to pull on my paint clothes and head across the parking lot to the church. First I boot up the computer and pay a few bills online. Then I enter some receipts into Microsoft Money, answer my e-mail, and head out the door.

Next I call the aviation weather at Kenai and get a weather briefing and file a flight plan for Clarks Point. It goes something like this: Tail number Cherokee N81809; type plane P28A; departure time 11 a.m.; Route of flight, Dillingham, Clarks Point, Dillingham; master flight plan on file with Kenai; three and a half hours en route (30 minute flight there and back, three hours on the ground); five hours of fuel on board; one person on board (me).

I paint for about two hours. Some parishioners patched up the bottom right front of the church with some wood siding.

I then walk back to the rectory, put on my clerics, and drive our 1995 Ford pick-up the short distance to our Cherokee Warrior II, which is parked at the Dillingham airport behind the DOT building.

While perfoming the preflight inspection I pay particular attention to a new and larger nose wheel that I had the A&P mechanic, Dave of Tucker Aviation, install the day before. I bought the tire from Mat at VanAir, who just purchased a new Cherokee Six, changed out his tires to bigger ones, and sold me the one he took off. It lifted the prop of our Warrior II off the ground an additional four inches. This will prevent fewer rocks from nicking the propeller when landing on gravel strips and add to the overall life of the propeller.

The old wheel that was taken off was a 500-5, which was a few inches smaller than the 600-5 I had installed. Now all three tires are the same size.

After completing a thorough preflight I am in the air right on schedule. I land at Clarks Point, where the village has invited me to a special end of the school year celebration at the Clarks Point School. I was picked up by Tom on his four-wheeler and taken up to the school.

After a nice potluck, I set up for Mass, villagers gather, and they sit in the bleachers in the gymnasium. Quite a mix of religions show up: Russian Orthodox, Moravian, Mormon, Catholic. Betty Gardiner stands and gives the first reading.

After the Mass in the gym, I take Communion to one of the elders in the village, Louise Gardener. Next I check out the church, Saint Peter the Fisherman. Judy George and Mariano Floresta had just cleaned it up, dusted, patched up some windows, swept the floor, and installed a wood stove. The church has not been used all winter because there is no heat. I usually offer Mass in a house during the winter. With the new wood stove installed, maybe we will be able to use Saint Peter in the winter! Next week we will definitely be celebrating Mass in the church.

Finally, I walk back to the airplane, which is parked about a mile and a half from the center of the village of Clarks Point. I fly the short 12 miles across the bay back to Dillingham, close my flight plan, refuel, tie the Cherokee down, unload my Mass kit, and head back to the rectory.

After fielding a few phone calls and talking with our handyman Pat Durbin, I drive to the post office, deposit some donations at the bank, go to the grocery store, and return home. I make a small dinner, read for a couple hours, and am in bed by 8 p.m. I am ready for another great Alaskan adventure!

Fly safe out there!

Father Scott Garrett is the pastor of the Holy Rosary Mission in Dillingham. His unique mode of transportation is a 160 Cherokee Warrior which he uses to fly to the many remote areas within his parish. With the unpredictable weather of southwest Alaska, Father Scott's schedule is always written lightly in pencil.