Christ the King Parish

Dear Christ the King Parishioners,

The month of November has us preparing for one of the most Holy seasons of our liturgical year. From All Saints and All Souls Day Masses, to Veteran’s Day, and Thanksgiving we are called to give glory and thanks to God. What does God request from us? God yearns for a loving relationship. This relationship is fueled and nourished by the sacraments, His holy word, and prayer. So many blessings come from God. Often times we find ourselves fixating on the perceived and real challenges in our lives, and miss the wonderful opportunities to continually thank God for His abundant blessings….that fall from heaven like the autumn leaves that are so colorful and compelling this time of the year.

Personally, I lose sight of God in my life, and oftentimes find that I have missed morning prayer, or the reflective words of hope, from Sarah Young’s Daily Prayer Book, that sits upon my desk at school. The days that I am in continual prayer with God are the days that I clearly see his hands and feet working in my life and the lives of others. I find during these days, it is far easier to thank God for his tremendous care and grace. Why do I lose sight? Is it the busyness of the day? Is it the comforts that give way? The diversions that keep me swirling? Or, simply the innocence of meeting the challenges and joys of life head on each day? What truly grounds me are the continual examples and reminders from others to walk by faith, see by hope, and hear and feel by God’s unending love. One such example is a beautiful email that I receive twice a month from Steve and Ana Shawl who live in Chicago. Their ministry being to send Mary’s beautiful message from Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, to many people throughout the world via their website and email distribution listing.

Mary continues to appear to Mirjana in apparition on the 2nd and 25th of each month. Our Holy Mother’s simple yet beautiful message always steers me back on track. Here is an excerpt from Mary’s November 2nd message, “My children, the spirit is mightier than the flesh and carried by love and actions, it overcomes all obstacles. Do not forget: my Son has loved you and loves you. His love is with you and in you when you are one with Him. He is the light of the world and no one and nothing will be able to stop Him in the final glory. Therefore, apostles of my love, do not be afraid to witness the truth. Witness it with enthusiasm, with works, with love, with your sacrifice, and above all, in humility.”

Mary’s message gave me, via the phone this weekend, perspective and strength to listen and pray for a beloved friend of our family, Fred Crowell. Fred is a husband, father, grandfather, Christian author, retired president of NBC Sports, and a man who loves God with an unquenchable thirst. Fred has been a great mentor to our son, Joseph, and has led countless individuals to follow in the footsteps of Christ. As Fred awaits an important operation in early January at his hospital and home in Spokane, Washington his unwavering faith and love for God inspires me most. Fred has embraced the Protestant faith with open arms toward his journey with God. What truly amazes me is that he has just completed a 30 day silent, Saint Ignatian, retreat and tells of his longstanding spiritual mentor, a Catholic priest from the Monterey Diocese, who has been ravaged by the disease of Multiple Sclerosis, as giving him the strength and perspective to live life to its fullest and conquer the odds.

Our hope and great anticipation is to have Fred present his beautiful faith and testimony to our (CTK and Saint Stephen’s) men’s group in the latter part of January. As we approach Thanksgiving, may we silence our hearts from the clamor in our lives, knock down the bowling pins that blur our vision, and see clearly the blessings that God has so lovingly bestowed upon each of us. In turn, may we fill our hearts with gratitude and joy, as we await the innocence of the baby Jesus, and respond with a perpetual thank you and resounding, Amen! Abundant blessings to you and your loved ones,

Joe Silveira
Principal, Christ the King School

Weekday
8:00am
Saturday
8:00am, 5:00pm (vigil)
Sunday
7:00am, 8:00am, 9:15am, 10:45am, 12:15pm, 6:00pm - Youth Mass
Holy Days
8:00am, 12:00pm, 7:00pm
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
First Friday - 4:00pm-6:00 p.m. 
First Friday Mass
8:00 am, 6:00pm
Reconciliation:
Saturdays, 3:30-4:30pm

Christ the King Parish is offering to all parishioners an opportunity to donate a personalized engraved brick to help with our capital campaign. Personalized bricks are available for a donation of $250 and will become part of the Brandon Street entrance walkway to the remodeled Ministry Center building.   Forms are available after mass and on-line for you to participate. A personalized brick is a beautiful and long-lasting way to show your support for Christ the King Parish and help finance our Ministry Center Remodeling Project. There are a limited number of bricks and there is a deadline for getting these to the fabricator so act quickly to secure your personalized brick.

/documents/2018/2/DedicationBricksOrderFormV1.1-1.pdf