Christ the King Church
195A Brandon Road
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Parish Newsletter
August 5, 2020
Keeping Us Connected
A Letter From Our Pastor - Fr. Paulson
Dear Friends:

I would like to thank so many of you who have already sent your donation to the Technology and Outdoor Mass fund. We are so blessed to have the perfect campus, and I am currently strategizing with our staff and Core Team for the fall and winter. On Monday, we celebrated the funeral of Michael, a police officer who died unexpectedly at the age of 24. We were able to offer them an amazing celebration outdoors with added shaded areas and a better sound system and FM Radio transmission. Everyone wants us to offer online Facebook transmission so that their relatives and friends from around the country can participate. Our experts are working on a superior online presence. We are making a difference during this pandemic. Thank You.

During these pandemic months, a number of St. Joseph’s Sisters celebrated their Jubilee rather quietly and simply. Sr. Carmel Garcia, who was our school principal for 10 years at CTK was one of the blessed nuns, who celebrated 60 years. The Sisters of St. Joseph titled the celebration as an invitation to “Remember the Past, Celebrate the Present and Embrace the Future.” Sr. Marietta Fahey SHF (Sisters of the Holy Family) is another blessed nun who also celebrated 60 years of religious life. We will be holding a celebration in the coming weeks, once we pin down a date with Sr. Carmel and others. In the brochure that was published on the occasion of the Jubilee, Sr. Carmel wrote:

“I loved being an elementary teacher, administrator and religious education coordinator while living in a supportive local community. I am currently a proud CSJ volunteer which provides a variety of “doings”. My goal is to continue to be a sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet like our dear patron St. Joseph, always moving towards a profound love of God and neighbor without distinction – always being ready and grateful for the opportunities to serve because I said “Yes” to my call as a CSJ. For my 60 years, I say “Thank You,” to the mission of Jesus (whom I endeavor to follow), to my family (whose roots I treasure), to my CSJ community for allowing me to grow and develop spiritually, to the people of God who helped me use my gifts in countless ways.”

The number of Roman Catholic Sisters in the U.S. peaked in 1965, when there were about 180,000. The current count is below 50,000. Research says less than 1% of the remaining sisters are younger than 40, and that number is shrinking fast. One projection estimates that by the year 2043, there will be fewer than 1,000 sisters left in the U.S. Some experts attribute the dwindling number of sisters to a growth of opportunity for women outside the church. Others point to an overall trend of Americans moving away from organized religions. Sisters in the United States have suffered greatly in the hands of our leaders who have at times minimized their contribution and viewed their ministry of justice and peace with suspicion and animosity.

The sisters have embraced Social Justice more than priests and religious men in the United States and abroad. They are animated by Catholic social teaching and their congregation’s charism (spiritual gift) to care for an individual’s mind, body and spirit, as well as the community around those individuals. Catholic social teaching rests in the idea that everyone is made in the image of God and therefore has inherent dignity. Development, therefore, must promote the dignity of the person. The Catholic Church speaks of “integral human development,” which promotes the interconnectedness of economic, cultural, ecological and spiritual health of people and communities. I have been fortunate to meet, to listen and to be inspired by so many nuns in my life. Sr. Carmel and Sr. Marietta have modeled God’s love in amazing ways during their 60 years of dedication to God and His people.

Fr. Paulson
Last Thursday's Speaker Series with
Fr. Aidan McAleenan
Below is the Youtube video of Fr. Aidan's talk - for those who missed it.
A Zoom Welcome Party for Fr. Lee
"Small Group Zooms" to Welcome Fr. Lee 

We are planning small group Zoom "Welcome Parties” to facilitate introducing to the parish our new priest, Fr. Lee. There will be several 30 minute Zoom meetings starting: 

Friday, August 7 at 10:30am for CTK
Monday, August 10 at 2pm for St. Stephen 

To keep the groups small and personal, we will limit them to 10 parishioners plus the host and Fr. Lee. More dates will be added!

If you would like to be invited, please send your email address to:
St. Stephen: SaintStephenWC@gmail.com
Baptisms Over the Weekend
Welcome to the Family!
On Saturday, through the sacrament of Baptism, we welcomed Emilia Serene to our CTK and St. Stephen Family. Emilia is the daughter of Joy & Don. Congratulations Emilia!
We also welcomed Marcus Alexander through the sacrament of Baptism. Marcus is the son of Corazon & Lawrence.
Congratulations Marcus!
May God grant your little ones all the blessings of His gentle love. Welcome to the family!
First Friday Exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament and
Evening Mass - All Live Streamed
This Friday, August 7 is our monthly
First Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

After the morning mass we will expose the Blessed Sacrament from 9:30am to 11am in our Ministry Center Chapel on Facebook Live. This will be a time for prayer and meditation in the quiet of your own space at home.
We will have First Friday Mass at 7:30pm
live streamed on our Facebook Page
Parish Database Update

We are in the process of updating our parish database with current information including phone numbers, emails, etc. Please click the link below to download a form and update your information.
Please see today's bulletin for more information.

Offertory Envelopes
For those of you who get offertory envelopes -
they are coming!

More information will be available in next week's newsletter.
Join us Every Thursday
For our Speaker Series followed by our
Outdoor Weekly Mass
Join us every Thursday at 5:00pm on Facebook Live

This Thursday, August 6 at 5:00pm, our speaker will be Maddie Stone. Maddie is a college student who is a social justice activist from our parish. She is very passionate about Black Lives Matter and other social issues. Rick Lejano will be interviewing her.
Thursday, 6pm Mass
Honoring Our Mother of Perpetual Help

After our speaker, stay on for our 6pm weekly mass where we honor Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
Either in your car,
on the lawn, or in your home on Facebook Live!
Outdoor Masses Continue This Weekend Both in our
Parking Lot and Grass Area
No Reservations or Sign Ups Required
You can get out of your car and onto the grass
(bring your own chairs/blankets)
Face Masks are required
Or continue to stay in the comfort of your car-tune into FM 106.7

All masses will be live streamed on Facebook
Weekday Mass:
Thursdays 6pm only
(Honoring Our Mother
of Perpetual Help)

Weekend Masses:
(Saturday) 5pm
(Sunday) 7:30am, 9am,10:30am & 6pm

Please Note:
7:30am mass will take place outside, on the patio, in front of the church.

Drive Through Holy Communion - Sundays
11:30am to 12 noon
(In front of the church)

Song Sheet for Mass Here
Readings for Mass Here

Streaming Live on Facebook

Monday - Saturday
9am - Chapel Mass

5:40pm - Holy Rosary
(except Thursdays, Saturdays)
St. Stephen Church
Walnut Creek

Sunday - Mass at 9:30am - Outdoors
Worship Aide Here

Drive Through Communion - 10:15am
Technology/Outdoor Donation
If you would like to make a donation for our technology/outdoor fund, we would be most grateful! Your donation would go toward enhancing our live streaming of masses and ministry for our parishioners, as well as a comfortable outdoor space. Please click the button below to donate. You can always write a check and mail it to CTK.
Thank you for your support!
Weekly Church Bulletin
Join our Faith Sharing Group
You are invited to join a "virtual" Faith sharing group on Zoom. We meet every Friday morning at 9:30 am to share our faith through reading and praying with the readings for the following Sunday. Everyone in the parish is welcome to participate in this opportunity to deepen your faith and increase your understanding of scripture. To try it out, email Diana Mackinson at dijoed@comcast.net and she will send you the Zoom invitation to enable you to join us on Friday morning. 
Weekly Reflection on Sunday Readings
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Welcome to our weekly reflections on
the Sunday Scriptures.

In times of crisis and sacrifice, we wonder, “Where is God? Where can I find the only one who can make all things right again?”
Thank you for your Continued Financial Support to CTK and St. Stephen Church
Keeping Connected
Sunday Offering

On-Line Giving: (click button below)

Online giving now includes St. Stephen Parish.

We depend upon your contributions!


Your generosity and prayers help ensure that CTK and St. Stephen can continue running its essential ministries and pay their staff.

Thank you again for your donations as we work together to sustain our community now and in the future.

Offertory Envelopes/Paper Checks:
Can be sent directly to CTK:
195A Brandon Rd.
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Can be sent directly to St. Stephen
1101 Keaveny Ct.
Walnut Creek, CA 94597

Thank you for your support!
Closing Prayer
Gracious and Holy Father,
give us the wisdom to discover You,
the intelligence to understand You,
the diligence to seek after You,
the patience to wait for You,
eyes to behold You,
a heart to meditate upon You,
and a life to proclaim You,
through the power of the Spirit of Jesus, our Lord.
Amen
"To Hear the Gospel and Make a Difference"