Parish Newsletter

March 8, 2023

Staying Connected

Dear Friends:

Bishop Barber has launched his appeal for donations from every parish in the diocese, known as Bishop’s Ministries Appeal. We have scheduled a collection in the month of April (April 22/23). Christ the King and St. Stephen parishes have not met the goal in the past few years. I would really love for us to do our share in supporting the various ministries in the diocese. The diocesan website summarizes the appeal:

The Bishop’s Ministries Appeal is an annual campaign to generate funds to cover the costs of the Diocese of Oakland’s ministries, programs, and services. It is a direct appeal to the people of the diocese, urging their support in the form of a pledge or a gift to supplement the ministry budget.

The total budget for the diocesan-wide ministries and services is roughly $5.8 million. While income is generated to support the budget through parish assessments, rent collection on property, service fees and interest on the diocesan investments, this income does not fully meet the budgetary needs of all diocesan ministries, programs, and services. The Bishop’s Ministries Appeal was established to raise funds to meet the shortfall.

What does the Bishop’s Ministries Appeal Fund? The Bishop’s Ministries Appeal supports the following vital ministries: Pastoral Ministries & Services, Diocesan pastoral ministries and services focusing on strengthening our faith, our families, and building up our parish communities by engaging our people in the daily life of the Church as they strive to live as faithful disciples of Christ. Specifically it supports:

• Liturgy • Youth Retreat Center
• Respect Life & Justice Programs • Catholic Youth Organization (CYO)
• Vietnamese, Filipino & Latino Ministries • Catholic Scouting
• Ethnic Pastoral Centers • Young Adult Ministries
• Marriage & Family Life • Children & Youth Ministries
• Marriage Preparation Programs • Safe Environment Programs
• Religious Education & Formation: Gifts to the Appeal help support religious education and formation programs for thousands of youth and adults annually. RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), Religious Education Teachers’ Training, Serra Catechetical Institute
• St. Francis de Sales School for Pastoral Ministry
• Clergy Formation & Support: From initial formation into retirement, the diocese provides support for our priests. Additionally, continued updating and renewal for priests and deacons who faithfully serve our people is supported by your gift to the Bishop’s Ministries Appeal.
• Permanent Diaconate Program • Office of Vocations: Seminarian Education & Formation
• Priest Retirement & Long-term Care • Continuing Education Programs
• Support for Catholic Schools & Parishes in Need: Each year, the diocese provides subsidies and grants to assist with operating expenses at our inner-city catholic schools and for parishes and faith communities who are facing extraordinary and immediate financial challenges.
• Operating Subsidies and more

You can click here to donate.

A special thank you to Fr. Mike Moore for another grace-filled parish mission! We benefited greatly from his presence and his insights shared with us during our Lenten retreat! Thank you, Fr. Mike and thank you to all who attended!

Fr. Paulson

Parish Lenten Mission

Compassion on our Spiritual Journey

Join us tonight or tomorrow for the

remainder of the mission

March 8-9 dates (Wednesday & Thursday)

In the church

9am & 6:30pm (repeat of morning)

Led by: Fr. Michael Moore, St. Patrick Fathers

Please note: On Thursday, March 9 because of the Parish Mission, our normal 6pm mass will begin at 6:30pm and we will not have rosary that evening.

Christ the King Church

Please join us every Friday in Lent to pray

The Stations of the Cross

 6:30pm in the church

From St. Stephen Church: Our outdoor Stations path is available from Noon - 6pm on Fridays. An audio guide and a PDF file of the Stations is available on the home page of our website: www.saintstephenparish.org

This 14-step devotion commemorates

Jesus’ passion and death.

Christ the King/St. Stephen Church

Adult Faith Formation

Lenten Series 2023

Our Adult Faith Formation Lenten Series

Continues this Week!

Our Lenten Scripture Study continues this Friday, March 10 at 10am

in the Ministry Center Chapel.

Our next Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) of the upcoming Sunday readings

Tuesday, March 14 10am-11am in the Parish Hall.

Attend one or all of the sessions.

Please see more information and other events by clicking here

Save the Date:

Thursday, March 30 at 6:30pm

Lenten Soup & Video Presentation of "The Passion of the Christ"

St. Stephen Parish Hall

Christ the King Church is excited to bring youth

back into our weekend masses!

as well as our Friday School 8:00 am mass. 

We invite boys and girls, 4th Grade through Teens, to join the Altar Server Ministry.   

Father Lee will conduct frequent training sessions for new Altar Servers. We hope to have three or four Altar Servers scheduled for each mass. Altar Servers should be available to serve a minimum of one weekend mass each month.

If you are interested, please fill out the Altar Server Registration Form, and return it to Christ the King School office, or Christ the King Parish office.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Father Lee or Heidi Nuti. Registration forms can be found here.

Email: lleescj49@hotmail.com

Heidi Nuti: hnuti@ctkschool.org

Don't forget to set your clock ahead

1 hour before you go to bed this

Saturday night, March 11.

Congratulations to our newly baptized.

Welcome to Christ the King and St. Stephen Family!

Parents: Stephanie & Andrew

Baby: Sofia Isabelle

3rd Sunday in Lent

Welcome to our weekly reflections on

the Sunday Scriptures.



A shunned Samaritan woman’s life turned upside-down during a chance—but lifechanging—one-on-one with Jesus. Why did Jesus reveal his true identity to this “female heretic”?  Read More

• St. Patrick's Day Dispensation
• The March 2023 Issue of the Catholic Voice is online.

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

Or regular and/or second collections.

Stock Donations: If you are donating stocks to our parish via the diocese, please be sure that a Stock and Securities Donation Form is used. Please see procedures for giving stocks and securities by clicking here.

Currently the diocese has stock donations from Stryker Corp and Visa that do not have names. If you have donated this stock, please call the office at 925-682-2486.

Face Masks are encouraged.

Readings for Sunday Mass Here

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

or by clicking the Facebook or YouTube images below.

Ongoing Services

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  (Also livestreamed).

St. Frances of Rome (1384-1440) was born to a noble family in Rome. As a young girl her desire to become a nun was refused by her father, who instead arranged her marriage at the age of 12. St. Frances accepted this as God’s will for her life. She was married for 40 years and had children, two of whom died from the plague. In her time Rome was at war and the city was in chaos from political disarray and widespread disease. St. Frances responded by converting her home into a hospital. She drove with a wagon into the streets and collected the sick and stranded in order to care for them. She miraculously cured many people, and also began the city's first orphanage. She inspired many women to join her in this life of prayer and good works, and eventually founded a congregation of lay oblates attached to the Benedictine monastery known as the Oblates of St. Frances of Rome. After her husband's death she entered religious life as the group's superior. One of the great mystics of her time, she dictated 97 visions and was visibly guided by her guardian angel throughout her life. St. Frances of Rome is the patron saint of many causes, including motorists, pilots, women, widows, and against plague and the death of children. On her feast day many priests bless cars due to her patronage of cars and drivers. Her feast day is March 9th.