Happy Feast Day!  And Happy 89th Anniversary, Christ the King!  Today is the Feast of Christ the King (or, more formally, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe; you can’t get much bigger than that!), and so it’s a special day for us to celebrate our parish and give thanks for being a part of this wonderful parish community.  I hope you’re able to do something special to acknowledge this feast.  (And don’t forget about our special Vespers service tonight at 7pm.)

The Feast of Christ the King is a relatively new addition to the Church calendar.  It was established in the 1920’s by Pope Pius XI in the aftermath of World War I.  This was a difficult time that led to the rise of fascists and Nazis, and the Church was in many ways being pushed to the side.  In short, it was a time when many people were putting their hope in earthly powers rather than in Jesus Christ.  It was in this environment that the Church sought to reaffirm that the power to overcome the ills of this world ultimately lies with Christ, and we ultimately owe our allegiance to Him more than to any earthly power.

In many ways, our world faces challenges similar to those that existed a century ago, when this feast was added to the calendar.  Without going into a laundry list of social ills, with which we’re sadly all too familiar, it’s safe to say that our culture largely fails to worship Christ as Our King, and to put our ultimate trust in Him.  Here at Christ the King Parish, though, we have an advantage.  Every time we pull into our parking lot, we are […]

Well, it’s that time of year again: time for our annual financial summary.  (Actually it’s coming out a few weeks later than usual this year, as there were a few factors that caused it to take longer than usual to close out our fiscal year.)  I hope you take some time to read this weekend’s bulletin insert, which gives you a summary-level picture of how our parish did financially for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022.

Overall, here are some highlights to point out from these statements:

You’ll notice that some adjustments have been made. The unadjusted income includes $2.4 million that was raised both to pay off our bridge loan for the 2020 addition, as well as to put towards our vestibule expansion. It also includes about $250,000 that was received in grant money and spent on technology purchases for the school.  We included adjusted figures that removed these amounts since this money is not available to pay for operating expenses, so the adjusted figures should give you an accurate picture of how we’ve done.
You’ll notice that the bottom line is a deficit of about $47,000. This is a tremendous improvement over past years, as we’ve been working steadily over the last several years to decrease our budget deficit.  We’ve submitted a balanced budget for the current fiscal year, and this will put us in a good position to save for future capital expenditures, such as the church roof that will need to be replaced in a few years; and the electrical work we are doing in the 1955 wing of the school.
You’ll notice that both income and expenses tend to be over budget in most categories. One big reason for […]

This is Kickoff Weekend for our new St. Vincent de Paul Conference here at Christ the King!  I am so excited that we are undertaking this tremendous new ministry, which has the potential to do so much good for our community.  In accompanying our parishioners who have laid the groundwork for this ministry, I have become aware of so much need right here in our own parish boundaries (the 46637 ZIP code).  This team of parishioners has already started making home visits (including food delivery) to some of our neighbors over these past few weeks as they’ve been getting us ready to launch the Conference, and I’m incredibly grateful that we’ll now be able to help many more of our neighbors as we launch this ministry parish-wide.

This is a big undertaking for our parish, so I encourage each of you to get involved.  Here are some ways you can help:

Talk to a parishioner at the St. Vincent de Paul table after Mass. They can give you all sorts of information about their own experience so far and suggest ways that you can get involved.
Consider coming to our first meeting, tomorrow (Monday October 17th) at 7pm in the Fr. Tripi Room. This will be a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this ministry and to help get our Conference started.
Consider getting trained for home visits with food deliveries. The parishioners in the back of the church after Mass can tell you how to do this.  Since home visitors always serve in groups of 2, this is a perfect way for couples to serve together, or friends, or even parents with their high school children.  (Think Service Hours!)
Keep the […]

I have some very exciting news to report:  Christ the King will be launching a St. Vincent de Paul Conference later this month!  What is a St. Vincent de Paul Conference?  As many of you are aware, St. Vincent de Paul reaches out to the poor and needy in our community, providing them not only with material assistance but with the respect and dignity that is their due as our brothers and sisters in Christ.  I am very excited about the potential for this Conference to help us greatly expand the way we serve the poor and marginalized in our area.

Our parish already does many wonderful things to provide this kind of outreach, most especially due to the dedication of our parishioners on the Christian Action Commission.  We operate an active Food Pantry, provide for people in need through the Casserole and Pack-a-Lunch Programs, and have so many other great ministries to reach out to those in need in our communities:  Thanksgiving & Christmas Baskets, Giving Tree, Dismas House, and activities to support the Women’s Care Center and Right to Life Michiana, just to name a few.  I’m so grateful for the tireless work our parishioners have put into making these ministries so fruitful.

When we did our strategic plan in 2018, one thing we recognized was the potential we had to build upon these ministries and grow them dramatically.  If this dedicated group of parishioners was already accomplishing so much, imagine what we could do if we doubled or tripled the number of parishioners involved?  The need is definitely there in our community.  (In fact, we discovered in our investigation of the St. Vincent de Paul Conference that many food deliveries are made by other […]

Saturday, January 22nd marked the 49th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that essentially legalized abortion on demand in our nation.  It’s always a sobering time of the year, a reminder of this horrific sin that has allowed 62 million babies to be killed legally.  It’s also a reminder of the deep divisions that exist in our nation and in our world, and of our need for healing and conversion.

As people of faith, we know that sin of this magnitude must call us to prayer, both individually and collectively.  (I’m especially grateful for the Monday Rosary for Life that so many of our parishioners have participated in for decades.)  This year, there is reason to pray even more fervently as the Supreme Court considers the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case, in which it will consider a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks.  This is a critically important case that could have far-reaching implications for the pro-life movement.  Essentially, this decision has the potential to overturn Roe v. Wade and return the abortion issue to the states.

There are many opportunities for us to join our individual prayers with the prayers of other people of faith throughout the nation.  The USCCB began a novena called 9 Days for Life, and it’s not too late to sign up at https://www.respectlife.org/9-days-signup.  You can also go to prayfordobbs.com and sign up to join this prayer movement.  You can also find a Novena to End Abortion at https://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-to-end-abortion.  These are just a few resources – many more are out there.  The most important thing to know is that our prayers are part of something much bigger, as people of faith join together to ask God for His mercy and for the grace of conversion for our world.

I […]