A couple of years ago, as the Church was reeling from the latest round of revelations about the clergy sex abuse scandal, it was announced that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was being suspended from ministry after a credible allegation of abuse against a minor.  He was eventually laicized after that claim was investigated, and Pope Francis announced that there would be a thorough investigation of how someone facing those kinds of accusations could have possibly risen through the ranks to become a Cardinal Archbishop. 

As you have probably seen in the news, that report was released last week.  It is thorough, coming in at well over 400 pages, and the investigation included interviews with more than 90 witnesses, including abuse survivors.  (The full report is available at http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_rapporto-card-mccarrick_20201110_en.pdf., and the first 14 pages are an executive summary.  A good summary of the article can also be found in last week’s edition of Today’s Catholic at https://todayscatholic.org/mccarrick-report-cites-lack-of-investigations-of-rumors/). 

Although the details of McCarrick’s abuse came to light two years ago, this report is sure to reopen many wounds among the faithful.  In particular, this report is different because it goes into more specific detail on how our leadership failed to investigate or address these accusations adequately.  The report concludes that Pope St. John Paul II was reluctant to believe the accusations because of his own relationship with McCarrick, among other factors, and thus didn’t insist on a more thorough investigation.  It also concludes that although Pope Benedict XVI asked McCarrick to step down in 2006 after new accusations came to light, he didn’t impose formal sanctions on him.  Instead he asked him to keep a lower profile, a request McCarrick promptly disregarded. 

It is painful to see that leaders we love and admire should have […]

As I write this column, we have just celebrated the dedication of our new addition.  What a great event for the parish.  Even though the weather didn’t cooperate very well, it couldn’t put a damper on a terrific day.  Bishop Rhoades celebrated the 12:15pm Mass, and immediately afterwards we went to the new rear entrance to the school for the blessing.  From there, Bishop Rhoades blessed each room in the new addition, and parishioners from the Campaign Committee and the Building Committee led parishioners on tours of the building.  Since COVID restrictions limited us to one tour per household, parishioners got a personalized tour! 

Many thanks to all those who made this great day possible, including:

· Bishop Rhoades, for blessing us with his presence and for the diocese’s support of this project since its inception.

· Jessica Roberts and the schola she assembled for the dedication Mass.  I can’t imagine the amount of work it must have taken to rehearse COVID-safe, four-part harmonies with singers in four different parts of the church (choir loft, cry room, Holy Cross Chapel, etc.), but it turned out beautifully and made the Mass extra special.

· Fr. Gil, who coordinated the dedication ceremony.

· Aimee Matthews and her crew of volunteers who organized some wonderful refreshments for the event.

· Members of the Building Committee and Campaign Committee, who graciously led parishioners on tours.

· All of you, for your support of the project and your enthusiasm at the dedication, despite the unkind weather conditions!

In this period of time where we don’t get to have parish events the same way we used to, I appreciated this afternoon so much and am so grateful to share this wonderful time in the life of our parish with all of you.  If you didn’t […]

 My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In July 2016, I arrived at Christ the King straight out of the seminary, wide-eyed and eager to go work in the vineyard. A few months later, as a brand-new deacon, I administered my very first Sacrament by baptizing three young siblings at CTK – talk about a “welcome to Holy Orders” moment! This triple Baptism foreshadowed a common theme during my time here: at every turn, God has surprised me by pouring out more blessings than I could’ve possibly hoped for. And during these past four years, I quickly grew to love the new family that God and Holy Cross sent me to serve – namely, all of you.

When pouring out the waters of Baptism and the sweet anointing of Confirmation, I have seen the Holy Spirit rush upon the very souls of our sons and daughters. In Reconciliation, I have seen Christ’s tender mercy heal impossible wounds and restore light to those in darkness. I have witnessed the radiance of Christ in the beaming eyes of First Communicants and on the joyful faces of a husband and wife being united in Holy Matrimony. And even on the very threshold of death, I have witnessed the triumph of Christ’s eternal hope that conquers all grief and sorrow. Praise God for His everlasting goodness!

I am incredibly grateful for so many people here at CTK. First and foremost, thank you to my brothers in Holy Cross: Fr. Steve, Fr. Michael, Fr. Gil, and Deacon Geoff. Your fraternal love and unwavering support have meant the world to me, especially as I learned how to live out my vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the parish. I could not ask for […]

As you are well aware, Election Day is fast approaching.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church stresses the importance of exercising our right to vote, but we’re also aware of how challenging it can be for a Catholic to cast their vote when neither political party fully embodies our beliefs as Catholics.  (This is especially striking in this year when the relationship between faith and politics is playing out so dramatically in Judge Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court.) 

Bishop Rhoades recently gave a talk entitled Faithful Citizenship in a Divided Nation:  The Political Responsibility of Catholics at Holy Cross College.  I encourage you to read the full text at https://todayscatholic.org/faithful-citizenship-in-a-divided-nation-the-political-responsibility-of-catholics/, but I’d like to summarize some very important points that he made.  I think he offers us a lot to think about as we discern our votes.

Bishop Rhoades says that “Faithful citizenship demands that Catholics hold fast to the teachings of the Church and not succumb to the temptation of adopting positions of either political party that are inimical to the truths of our faith”, and that this makes us “politically homeless” because neither party fully embraces the Catholic worldview.  He points out the extreme polarization that exists in politics and how this attitude of division has found its way into the Church.  He says, “Catholics should be part of the solution, not part of the problem that we face in our polarized society. We are called to be better.”

He continues that we need to have a well-formed conscience because “[t]here are parts of the traditional platforms of both the Republican and Democratic parties that are in accord with Catholic social teaching. There are also parts of each platform that are not.”  He also warns us about “the sad reality […]

There’s an awful lot going on at the parish these days, so this week’s bulletin column will be a little bit of a hodgepodge.  Here are a few things you should be aware of:

We finally have some definite information to pass onto you about Fr. Mike’s departure from Christ the King.  Fr. Mike is scheduled to begin his new assignment as an active-duty Army Chaplain at Fort Benning, Georgia, this November.  Therefore, his last day at Christ the King will be Sunday October 25th.  Fr. Mike will preside at all of the Masses on the weekend of October 24-25.  We won’t be able to have the kind of going-away reception that we usually do, but our Pastoral Team is thinking of some more creative ways to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to say good-bye.  Please keep Fr. Mike in your prayers during this time of transition.

We continue to make progress on our building.  As I mentioned in an earlier column, we moved into the four 1st-floor classrooms at the end of the August when we started school.  This week we’ll be able to move into the 2nd-floor classrooms!  That leaves the gym and a few more miscellaneous locations before we have total occupancy.  In the meantime, I think everyone agrees that the new rooms are beautiful!  I’m so grateful to the contractors who have worked so hard to make this new building a reality in such a challenging environment.  I’m also incredibly grateful to our teachers who have been so flexible as we’ve had to move into the new building in stages.

¨ We’re so excited to host our first in-person parish event in ages, a Living Rosary on Wednesday October 7th (the Memorial of Our […]