Dear Friends,
I have noticed more and more that many of you ask for letters or other documentation from our parish office, but you are not registered. Remember, Your Parish Needs You and You Need Your Parish!
Registering in your parish is an important first step to becoming an active member in the local church community. Children are considered members with their parents. Please register your entire family. Registration brings with it tangible benefits that can help a person become more fully engaged in the local church. Letters from the church are often considered legal. If your name appears in our registration, this may help immigrants in future immigration law-related matters. The bishops have now mandated letters for sponsors of baptism and confirmation, or letters for sacraments celebrated outside the parish. Therefore, we must check if those individuals are registered or not. So, please register.
Top Reasons to Register at a Parish
· A sense of belonging and identity in a parish community.
· It is a commitment to practice your faith.
· Registration enables the parish pastor and staff to get to know you better, to welcome you and to minister to you. This is especially important during a time of crisis so that the pastoral staff can attend to your spiritual needs and the needs of your family.
· Registration helps you stay connected with your parish and helps your parish stay connected with you. Providing your contact information is important so that parishes provide you timely updates via email, direct mail, phone, etc. Also, if you use offertory envelopes or online giving, you will receive a year-end statement of your donations for income tax purposes. Once you are registered, please notify the parish office of any changes in address or phone number.
· Registered active members are eligible for sponsor/godparent validation.
· Registered active members are sometimes eligible to rent parish facilities.
And more..
Please note that parish leadership will not share the registration information with any governmental or law enforcement agency. The registration process is completely confidential. We do not even give your information to fellow parishioners.
You can register by visiting ctkph.org and then clicking on the I’m New button on the top of the website. You can also call the parish office and they will guide you through registering on Realm.
We celebrated our First Scrutiny for the RCIA last Sunday. We have two more rites within the mass; one next Sunday at CTK and the third at St. Stephen Church on March 17th. Lent is a period of preparation marked by prayer, study, and spiritual direction. As a parish community we pray for those preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation. The celebration will take place during the Easter Vigil Liturgy on Holy Saturday. At that time the Elect will become fully initiated through Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.
As a newly-initiated Catholic, they continue their formation and education in the Period of Post-Baptismal Catechesis, called Mystagogy. This period continues at least until Pentecost. During this time the newly-baptized members reflect on their experiences at the Easter Vigil and continue to learn more about the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and the teachings of the Catholic Church. In addition, they reflect on how they will serve Christ and help in the Church's mission and outreach activities. Please pray for them as they continue their preparation.
Fr. Paulson
