Christ the King Church
195A Brandon Road
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
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Parish Newsletter
January 19, 2022
Staying Connected
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Dear Friends,
During this pandemic, Our Bishop Barber has encouraged parishioners to receive communion in hand, and have asked us priests to give communion on the tongue, in case some insist on it. Our ministers of communion are mostly senior and belong to the vulnerable category. There is a great level of discomfort and fear among them, which is real. We have retired priests among us who have underlying conditions and it is also important to respect their health and wellbeing. And so, it becomes difficult under the given circumstances, and there is no disrespect intended in asking folks to receive communion in the hand. We do intend to respect those who want to receive communion on the tongue.
If we look to the first Mass — the Last Supper — to see how Communion was given, we find that Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and said to his disciples: “Take it; this is my body.” (Mk 14:22) We can safely assume that they took it with their hands. When the fledgling Church broke bread in their homes, it’s believed they followed these same practices and received in their hands.
It’s unclear exactly when the practice of receiving communion on the tongue emerged. In his Dialogues, St. Gregory the Great chronicles the 6th century Pope Agapitus healing a lame man, then administering Communion to him on the tongue: “He came from the altar, took the lame man by the hand, and straightaways, in the presence and sight of all the people, he restored him to the use of his legs: and after he had put our Lord’s body into his mouth, that tongue, which long time before had not spoken, was loosed.” (St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues, Book 3, Ch. 3)
By about 878, the Council of Rouen decreed: “Let not the Eucharist be put in the hand of any lay man or woman, but only in the mouth.” But, being a provincial Council, the mandates of Rouen did not establish universal norms — that power is reserved for the Church of Rome. By the 16th century, the universal norm of receiving Communion in the hand was replaced in the Western Church with receiving Communion from the priest on the tongue.
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It wasn’t until the 1960s that some episcopal conferences requested permission from the Holy See to once again place the consecrated host directly in the hands of the faithful. Permission for administering Communion in the hand was granted by the Holy See to the United States on June 17, 1977 and has since become almost the universal norm in the Ordinary Form.
Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, touched on the debate over Communion during the coronavirus crisis in a letter to bishops. "In times of difficulty (e.g. wars, pandemics), bishops and episcopal conferences can give provisional norms which must be obeyed. These measures given by the bishops and episcopal conferences expire when the situation returns to normal," Cardinal Sarah wrote. "A sure principle in order not to err is obedience. Obedience to the norms of the Church, obedience to the bishops."
Catholics have debated whether it’s better to receive the Eucharist on the tongue or in our hands during the past decades. Anytime the Church gives us a choice, we tend to have a habit of believing our way — or the tradition we follow — is best. I want to thank many of you who have opted to receive Jesus in communion in the hand during this pandemic. If you want to receive communion on the tongue, kindly approach one of the clergy members or Sr. Dominic, who will be distributing communion when Fr. Brian celebrates mass. And whatever way you choose to receive communion, your inner disposition is what counts and not whether it is in the hand or on the tongue. Blessings!
Fr. Paulson
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As our Parish Prepares for the Synod... |
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Synod Update - Jan. 20, 2022
Our Parish Plan for the Synod
In previous messages about the Synod, you have heard the invitation from Pope Francis for all members of the Church and for those disconnected from the Church to participate in listening sessions at the parish level. This is in preparation for the Synod of Bishops to be held in 2023. It is input from all of us, you included, that will help form the agenda for the Synod. Read More
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Dear Parents of
CTK Religious Education Students:
Welcome back! As announced earlier, we are resuming in-person Religious Education classes for your elementary school students on Sunday January 23, 2022. While there are new cases of Covid-19 reported in Contra Costa County, we feel that we can resume our classes safely. Read More
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Anointing of the Sick
This Saturday, January 22 at 10:30 am
"Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the Church and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord
(James 5:14).
All are welcome to join us for a parish Mass and celebration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Bring relatives and friends from local care facilities – those who are able to come. Questions?
Sr. Dominic Marie 925-246-1122.
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Enrollment for the 2022-2023 School Year is here!
We are looking forward to meeting the class of 2031 and all those interested in the upcoming school year! Applications are available here and on the school website at ctkschool.org.
Due to Covid-19, we will not have an Open House this year. If you have any questions regarding applications, enrollment or our school, please call our office and we will be able to assist you at 925-685-1109.
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Save the New Date for the
School Auction:
Friday, May 13, 2022!
Given the recent climate of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the guidance of our school administration, we have decided to move the date for Auction 2022 to Friday, May 13, 2022. Doors open at 5pm. Dinner is at 7pm. Please set your calendars and save the new date.
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Christ the King’s St. Vincent De Paul
Sock Drive
New socks for homeless men and women are needed for the distribution bags.
(only socks for adults/not children)
A bin is located in front of the church until
Monday, February 7th where you can donate socks.
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The Feast of Santo Niño took place on Sunday at the 4pm mass.
Thank you to all who participated and coordinated this
beautiful liturgy.
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Congratulations to Joaquin and Cruz who were baptized on Saturday.
Welcome to the Christ the King and St. Stephen Family!
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Parents: Gabby & Joaquin
Baby: Joaquin Leandro
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Parents: Kathryn & Travis
Baby: Cruz
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Join the #9DaysForLife Novena, praying with people around the US for the protection of human life. You can sign up to receive the daily prayers, intentions, and action in your inbox or by text message:
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Weekly Reflections on Sunday Readings |
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Welcome to our weekly reflections on
the Sunday Scriptures.
3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Some call this gospel reading Jesus’ “inaugural address.” In it he reveals his identity, his world vision, and what he expects of his followers Read More
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Thank You From Concern America |
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On November 28 – December 24, 2021, Christ the King Church hosted a virtual craft sale where handcrafted textiles, baskets, ceramics and wood products were sold on Concern America’s online marketplace. See Thank You
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All Masses are Inside the Church.
Face Masks are required.
Weekday Masses
9am Mass - Monday - Friday
(9am Masses will be livestreamed)
6pm - Thursdays (Rosary begins at 5:40pm)
(Rosary and Mass will be livestreamed)
Weekend Masses
Saturday
9am and 4pm Vigil
(Saturday 4pm Mass will be livestreamed)
Sunday
7:30am, 9am, 10:30am and 4pm
(10:30am Mass will be livestreamed).
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Worship Aide for Mass - Jan. 22/23 Here
Readings for Sunday Mass Here
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Links to our services (live or archived) can be found at ctkph.org
or clicking the Facebook or YouTube images below.
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Sacrament of Reconciliation - Private Confessions every Saturday from 3pm to 3:30pm, in the church.
Drive-Thru Holy Communion - Every Sunday 11:30am to 12 noon, in front of the church.
Thursday Mass - 6pm - Honoring our Mother of Perpetual Help, Rosary begins at 5:40pm, in the church. Worship Aide Here
Holy Rosary - Livestreamed on Facebook at 5:40pm, Monday - Friday
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St. Stephen Church - Masses |
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St. Stephen Church
1101 Keaveny Ct.
Walnut Creek 94597
Saturday - Mass 5pm
Sunday - Mass at 9:30am
Worship Aide for mass can be found Here
St. Stephen Daily Mass: Monday - Friday at 8am
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Thank You for Your Continued Financial Support to CTK and St. Stephen Church |
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On-Line Giving: (click button below) |
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Offertory Envelopes and
Paper Checks
Can be sent directly to:
Christ the King Church
195A Brandon Rd.
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
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Offertory Envelopes and
Paper Checks
Can be sent directly to:
St. Stephen Church
1101 Keaveny Ct.
Walnut Creek, CA 94597
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Upcoming Second Collection
January 30 - St. Vincent DePaul 5th Sunday Collection
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Prayer for Christian Unity.
Join Christians around the world this week praying:
Lord God, illumine our path by the light of Christ
who moves us and leads us.
Guide us to discover a small manger in our hearts
where a great light still sleeps.
Creator of light, we thank you
for the gift of that unfading Star, Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
Heal our divisions and draw us closer to the Light
that we may find our unity in him.
Amen.
More resources can be found here:
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"To Hear the Gospel and Make a Difference" |
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