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 […]

Just a couple of notes about Masses this weekend:

Mission Appeal.  This weekend is our annual Mission Appeal.  Normally we have a speaker who comes in to preach about their firsthand experience in the mission territory to which our appeal is directed that year.  This year, our guest was supposed to have been Fr. Tad Balinda, who currently serves in our diocese at St. Patrick’s Parish in Angola, Indiana.  This year our appeal is going to the Diocese of Kasese in the East African nation of Uganda, where Fr. Tad is originally from.  More information about the diocese can be found at www.kasesediocese.org, and the appeal this year will go towards the construction of their new cathedral.  Because of COVID restrictions, Fr. Tad won’t be able to join us in person, so we will instead give you a message he has prepared for us.

Typically, we have special envelopes in the pews for the Mission Appeal (since this isn’t included in your regular envelope set) so that you can offer your donation during Mass.  This year, however, since we’re not leaving any materials in the pews or taking up collections in the same way, we’ll do things a little differently.  We’ll have a second collection box near the back of the church that will be clearly marked for Mission Appeal donations.  We’ll leave that box out for a few more weeks in order to give you plenty of time to contribute.  If you’re mailing in your contribution or dropping it off at the rectory, either place it in a separate envelope clearly marked “MISSION APPEAL” or write it in the memo line of your check so that your donation is sent to the proper place.  Thanks so much […]