Christ the King - St. Stephen Parish

www.ctkph.org

www.saintstephenparish.org

Parish Newsletter

"Staying Connected"

April 10, 2024

Dear Friends,

We continue to celebrate the Easter Season. The Easter Season is fifty days, not forty days, like Lent, or four weeks or slightly less, like Advent. The Easter Season extends from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. It is sometimes known as the “Festival of Weeks,” seven weeks of seven days (49 days), plus one, the fiftieth day, Pentecost.

The foremost symbol of Easter is the Christ Candle, also known as the Easter Candle or the Paschal Candle. It represents the Risen Christ who is the Light of the World (Jn 8:12; see also 1:4-5,9 and 12:46). The candle is given a prominent location during the Easter Season, usually in the sanctuary or somewhere in the front of the church, and after Pentecost it is moved back to its usual place.

Bill Ritter, a great Christian preacher writes, “Resurrection means the worst thing that happens is not necessarily the last thing that happens. The resurrection is God’s 'yes' to life and God’s 'yes' to us.” “But the ultimate argument for resurrection,” says Ritter, “always consists in the change the resurrection produces in the lives of those who believe it.”

On Monday after Easter, the world will still be pretty much the way it was on Friday—the homeless will still be homeless, mean-spirited and fear-mongering political rhetoric will still fill the air waves and war will still ravage our world. But because of Easter, on Monday the people who believe in resurrection will go back to work to change all that. Would you go out there to change the world?

On Easter Sunday we came together to witness to the hope of new life coming out of death. On Easter Sunday, we came together to say, “Yes, death still stalks us and darkness still surrounds us, but we have found hope in the one who has been through it all and has come back to give new life. Easter has changed us, now we will go about the business of changing the world.”

In all honesty, I can’t vouch for it. Human as we are, change and transformation is hard, unless one is intentionally committed to it. But we must commit to it. We are an Easter people. Alleluia is our song.

This month Sr. Noreen O’Connor CSJ, who was one of our pioneer nuns who worked at Christ the King School is celebrating her 70^th (Platinum Jubilee) of her religious calling as a nun. I sent her the following note on behalf of our community. “God has blessed you. Congratulations to you as you celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of your religious profession. Wow! Amazing! When we look around us in this contemporary society today, we are indeed bewildered at the rate of break-ups in relationships and divorce in marriages. Permanent commitment in the relationship or in any other aspect of life is unfortunately becoming irrelevant – a thing of the past.”

“You are a living testimony of ‘Remaining in Love’ ‘Perseverance in calling’ and “Perpetual commitment”. Your first love is Jesus and that first love has remained till today the only love and that is what we celebrate with you today – Remaining in Jesus in these last 70 years. You have put your hand to the plough and not looked back since then. Praise be to God!”

I wish we all could be like Sr. Noreen, fully committed to Our Lord. Jesus is our First Love and He should always be. Let us celebrate the life-changing feast of Easter every day.

~Fr. Paulson

What does “Home” mean to you?

Unhoused clients defined home as “safety, healing, and sanctuary.” Losing one’s home often means isolation and a loss of community.

Hope Solutions, formerly known as Contra Costa Interfaith Housing, is a leading homeless services provider that provides permanent housing to over 750 households and provides professional supportive services to over 3000 clients annually in Contra Costa County. Hope Solutions has become a proven partner that seeks to end homelessness in our area. 98% of their residents remain housed, 75% maintain or grow their income, and 100% of children in their enrichment move to the next grade level.

Over the past two years, Hope Solutions in partnership with faith communities, cities, the county and housing development partners has embarked on a new and innovative solution to help address our homelessness: Cottage Communities on Faith Owned Land.

Faith partners all around the county are supporting Hope Solutions with land, volunteerism, advocacy and philanthropy. While Christ the King is not planning to build affordable housing on their land, there are hundreds of other faith institutions that are preparing to do so, and we are already working with several to create cottage communities for the unhoused.

CTK-St. Stephen Parish can, however, make a meaningful impact through donations to the building and support of these cottage communities.

Please support Hope Solutions in their goal to raise a final $1M to close their $7M Capital Campaign to provide unhoused individuals and families with hope, new possibilities, and new beginnings by creating new permanent affordable housing with critical supportive services.



To give please designate your gift by writing “Hope Solutions” on your envelope or in the memo line of your check. We shall take the second collection during the weekend of April 20-21.

Sunday Coffee & Donuts begins again

this weekend, April 14th

at CTK and St. Stephen.

At CTK: Join us after the 7:30am, 9am and 10:30am masses on the outside patio.

 At St. Stephen: After the 9:30am mass.

CLOW for Young Children

The next CLOW is this Sunday, April 14.

At the 9:00am mass, children will have the opportunity to join other children in a special Children's Liturgy. Children will listen to the readings of the day in an interactive, child-friendly way so they can better understand God's Word and strengthen their faith.

CLOW Details:

Time: Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Mass

Ages: Kindergarten - 4th Grade

Upcoming Dates: April 14, April 21, May 5, May 19

No registration necessary. Children will be called forward at the start of mass, and will return to the church to present the Gifts and sit near the Altar during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. They will return to their families during Peace be with You.  CLOW is optional, children may participate if they'd like, or remain with their families throughout mass in the church. Questions? Please contact Heidi Nuti

Come Join us for our Annual

Cinco De Mayo Celebration!

Sunday, May 5th on CTK's Lawn

Mexican Cuisine, Margaritas and a

Live Mariachi Band!

5:00pm to 8:00pm

All profits from this event will be donated to Christ the King - St. Stephen

Youth Ministry in support of their summer service trip.

Each ticket comes with:

• Entry to event, Mexican cuisine,1 Margarita ticket, Free bottled water
• Live entertainment from a mariachi band

Cost is $30 for Adults and $15 ages 3-12. To purchase tickets click here

You believe in Christ, you are worthy to serve Him!

Eucharistic ministry is a way to serve the community during your attendance at Mass. You choose how often

you’d like to serve and at which Masses.

Please consider joining us on

Monday, April 15, 7 pm in the Church at CTK.



Questions - Kieran Chan, kierankc@pacbell.net,

925-212-9035

Presentation of “Our Father”

By: Fr. Paulson

In this presentation Fr. Paulson examines the

six petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.

This series is specifically designed for the Catholic community and will provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of

this important prayer. 

On Thursdays:

April 18, 25, May 2, 9 and 16.

St. Stephen Parish Hall - 10am and

 CTK Church - 7pm

No Registration Required

Join us for a discussion of Raymond E. Brown's

 "A Once and Coming Spirit at Pentecost:

Essays on the Liturgical Readings

between Easter and Pentecost."



 Mondays: 10:30am -11:30am

April 15, Chapters 3 & 4

April 22, Chapter 5

Beautiful Eucharist, the free Dynamic Catholic book given at Christmas,

will be discussed on Monday, April 29, 10:30am - 11:30am.

Reflections on the upcoming Sunday readings continues

Monday, April 15, 9:45am - 10:30am.

In May we will discuss Pope Francis's The Joy of the Gospel.

All will be held in the CTK Ministry Center Chapel.

Have you considered becoming Catholic

but are not sure how to proceed?



Or have you just wondered what the process might be? Possibly married to a Catholic or have children in Christ the King School – or just looking to clarify your own faith journey? 

Investigate our RCIA program, which facilitates your consideration of baptism or conversion.

Learn more at our RCIA information session on Wednesday, May 15 at 7pm. Interested? Email Tom Bobich at RCIA@CTKPH.ORG

3rd Sunday of Easter

Welcome to our weekly reflections on

the Sunday Scriptures.



This weekend, Jesus transports us back to that locked upper room, hidden somewhere deep in the back alleys of Jerusalem. After spending his entire public life convincing people of his divinity-in-human-flesh, he then spent forty post Resurrection days convincing his closest friends and disciples of his post-death humanity.  Read More

Over the last few years, there has been a greater emphasis on the social teachings of the Catholic Church, often referred to as

“the Church’s best kept secret.” The U.S. Catholic Bishops have restated the Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Principles.

They are:

• Life and Dignity of the Human Person
• Call to Family, Community, and Participation
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
• Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
• Solidarity
• Care of God’s Creation

Join us in Faith In Action as we work towards that solidarity. We meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 7pm in Room C of the Parish Hall.

We meet this month on Tuesday April 16^th at 7 pm in Room C.

For more information contact Carolyn Peters

peterscaja@protonmail.com

• The April 2024 Issue of The Catholic Voice is online HERE.
•  Pope Francis' Monthly Prayer Intentions: April 2024 - For the role of women.

Weekly School Newsletter here

To donate a one-time/on-line donation.

Or regular and/or second collections.

CTK Weekday Masses

Monday - Friday

9am Mass

(9am Masses will be livestreamed)

CTK Weekend Masses

Saturday

9am and 4pm Vigil

(Saturday 4pm Mass will be livestreamed)

CTK Sunday Masses

7:30am, 9am, 10:30am and 4pm

(10:30am Mass will be livestreamed).

Readings for Sunday Mass Here

Links to our services (livestreamed or archived) can be found at ctkph.org

or by clicking the Facebook or YouTube images below.

Ongoing Services at CTK & St. Stephen

Sacrament of Reconciliation - Private Confessions every Saturday from 3pm to 3:30pm at CTK and Saturday before the 5pm mass at St. Stephen.

CTK Thursday Morning Mass - 9am - Honoring our Mother of Perpetual Help, Worship Aide Here (Also livestreamed).

Closing Prayer

Source: Pope Benedict XVI, 2010

Brothers and sisters...

Easter does not work magic.

As the Israelites found the desert awaiting them

on the far side of the Red Sea,

so the Church, after the resurrection,

always finds history filled with joy and hope...

grief and anguish.

Yet, this history is changed... marked by a new

and eternal covenant, truly open to the future.

For this reason, saved by hope...

let us continue our pilgrimage,

bearing in our hearts the song that is

ancient yet ever new:

“Let us sing to the Lord: glorious his triumph!”

(edited, abridged, and adapted for use here)