Christ the King Parish

Dear Friends,

As Father Paulson wrote in his letter in the last bulletin, the month of October is a special month because it is the month of the Rosary - the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary being October 7th. Like the month of May, which is devoted to Mary, we should use this time to connect with our Blessed Mother, the first, and best disciple of Jesus. This can be an especially helpful endeavor now as we near the season of Advent, where we are drawn into those most intimate and sacred moments in the life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

On a personal note, the Rosary is a crucial element in my spiritual life, although that has not always been the case. As a child, I think I prayed the Rosary once with my eldest sister. Not until I was out of college did I discover how wonderful of a prayer it was. Like many young people, my life back then was not synched up to God’s as it ought to have been. I was driving. But gradually, three things were introduced into my life that changed my course for the better: daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, and the Rosary. What did these three things teach me?

It is difficult to condense into a concise letter here, but I would say that they taught me that my life is not my own. They taught me that God has a plan for me, and that his plan is far better than any plan I could ever conceive for myself. These things taught me that if I gave my life to God – as Mary had – that all the uncertainties of life, all the setbacks and disappointments, would eventually work together for something good. This is also why I try to pray an hour a day in front of the Blessed Sacrament. This is why I try to pray the Rosary every day. Chances are if you see me walking down Brandon Road, up Boyd, on the Canal Trail and down Gregory, I am praying the Rosary.

I want to encourage you, like Mary, to find time to welcome God into your life more and more. Maybe it is to attend daily Mass once a week, or to pray for 10 silent minutes in the church in between errands. Or maybe it is to begin praying the Rosary. One thing my family has started doing is a FaceTime Rosary. One of my sisters in Seattle asked us all if we would like to do this. Each Sunday night at 8:00, about six of us do a video call and pray the Rosary together.

And here is one of the most amazing things about this new practice; it isn’t just the adults praying together. On a few occasions my niece (3rd grade) and nephew (6th grade) have joined us. And they have not done so begrudgingly. They have a genuine desire to be included in these sacred moments, because they have a keen sense of God’s loving care for them. Likewise, they are eager to be united to their family in this activity that is something they cannot get from the outside world or culture. And what we often see is that they end up teaching us adults more than we teach them. On the last call, the group spoke with that niece about her family’s upcoming move from Seattle to Portland. Although saddened by the reality of leaving her familiar world behind, she affirmed for us what she had been taught at Vacation Bible Camp, “When life changes, when life is sad, God is good, God is always good.”

So, what can you do? One thing in particular that our parish offers is a family holy hour. Every first Friday of the month, from 4-5pm, several families gather with their children to pray before the Blessed Sacrament before Mass at 6pm. Perhaps this can jumpstart you and your family into discovering for yourselves a prayer routine that works for you. It doesn’t have to be a lot. God can work through the simplest, humblest, seemingly most insignificant moments and actions. Just look at what he did through Mary, who said, “behold, the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” Through the Rosary she teaches us how to say the same. May you have a blessed October, the month of the Rosary.

God Bless you,

Fr. Mario

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

prayerline@ctkph.org