Christ the King Parish

Dear Friends,

Recently Catholic Cemeteries invited Sr. Dominic to offer their staff training in how they can best offer their services to the parishes they serve. One of the directors had pointed out to me while doing a committal at Queen of Heaven that they loved the way Christ the King conducts funerals. He said, “You have a team that works seamlessly to bring closure and comfort to the family.” And it is true. From meeting the grieving families to printing the funeral program, from welcoming the families at the doors to Eucharistic celebration, from good music to PowerPoint and video after communion, from putting out funeral parking signs to cleaning the Church and the surroundings, CTK offers a variety of services including grief counseling. Last week at the end of a Funeral Mass, one of our local morticians stopped me after mass, and told me how much they loved coming to CTK for funeral Masses. I am grateful to the staff and volunteers for their ministry especially to the grieving. Thank you.

Many people who attend a Catholic funeral for the first time will often remark how beautiful it is. Steeped in centuries-old custom and ritual as Catholic funeral rites are, that’s understandable. But the most important aspect about Catholic funerals is that they express the Christian hope in eternal life and the resurrection of the body on the last day. Every component of the Catholic funeral rites should express these fundamental beliefs and hopes. Our funeral rites are not “a celebration of life,” as they are referred to sometimes, but a privileged opportunity to return to God the gift of the deceased, hoping to usher them into paradise with the aid of our prayers. Our love for the departed is expressed after death, above all else, in our prayer for them.

One of the most inspiring things I have seen and done is to help people plan their own funeral before they die. It reminds us of our own mortality and our acceptance of it. There are many reasons why one should pre-plan one’s funeral. You want to ease the burden on your family. You want to assume the financial responsibility for your funeral. You want your family to have the benefit of a meaningful funeral. You want your final wishes to be followed. You want to be self-reliant and have your affairs in order at the end of your life. Once you have made your plans, it is important to share that with someone in your family as well as your parish priest or a parish staff. Sr. Dominic can assist you in this faith-filled decision of transitioning to God’s house.

What does our Leadership say about immigration: Pope Francis expressed his "immense sadness" upon seeing the image of the migrant father and child who drowned in their attempt to cross the Rio Grande, a Vatican spokesman said on June 26. At least 283 migrants died while attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border last year, according to U.S. border patrol. Leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops echoed the pope’s grief and said the image of the drowned father and daughter demand action. “This image cries to heaven for justice. This image silences politics. Who can look on this picture and not see the results of the failures of all of us to find a humane and just solution to the immigration crisis?” said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin. “Sadly, this picture shows the daily plight of our brothers and sisters. Not only does their cry reach heaven. It reaches us. And it must now reach our federal government,” they said.

The bishops stressed the respect due to every human person, created in the image of God, no matter their legal status or country of origin. “Recent reports of overcrowded and unsanitary conditions are appalling and unacceptable for any person in U.S. custody, but particularly for children, who are uniquely vulnerable,” they said. “Such conditions cannot be used as tools of deterrence. We can and must remain a country that provides refuge for children and families fleeing violence, persecution, and acute poverty.”

Paulson

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