Christ the King - St. Stephen Parish

195A Brandon Road

Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

www.ctkph.org

www.saintstephenparish.org

Parish Newsletter

April 19, 2023

Staying Connected

Dear Friends,



After four years of working together – the day is here that we are One Parish with two campuses. From now on, we will be known as “Christ the King – St. Stephen Parish.” I want to welcome Bishop Barber to our campus for the 10.30am Mass this Sunday. May he bless us as we begin this new journey towards oneness and growth.  Like it or not, this merger is intended to provide a vibrant community for us to grow and flourish in the Catholic faith. It is meant to provide a structure that ideally is going to be a strong foundation for the future. There is only one word that should define this moment, “Collaboration.” I am so grateful for our leadership on both campuses for their gentle, but deliberate management of the process. God is good!

We are planning a Townhall Meeting to explore ways to help the poor: I would like to schedule this meeting for Tuesday, May 23 at 6:30pm. We will explore together as a community about our calling to serve the poor and needy. If the poor cannot come to our church, then the church must go to where they are. For too long we have outsourced this compassionate ministry to our older parishioners. God is challenging us to step up. We are not a church if we do not serve the poor. So, I invite everyone, RE parents, School parents, our young adults, everyone - to work together and decide together on the immense possibilities out there. This meeting will focus only on our step forward, and nothing else. Thank you.

The Catholic faith calls us to live out a “preferential option for the poor and vulnerable.” What that means in the simplest of terms is that we, as a society, must put first the needs of people living in poverty and vulnerable situations. By ‘option’ the church does not mean “optional” but rather that we need to opt, or choose, to act on behalf of people living in poverty. 



From the very beginning, caring for people who are poor has been part of what it means to be a Christian. Since its’ earliest days, the church has drawn inspiration from Old Testament prophets and none other than Jesus himself in discerning the Christian response to poverty. In the Gospel of Luke, when Jesus began his public ministry, he was handed a scroll of the Prophet Isaiah and read these words aloud in the synagogue: “‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord’” (Luke 4:18-19). I believe Jesus is asking us to redefine who we are as a people of mercy and compassion.

Remember charity is very important. That is who we are as a church. As the encyclical Deus Caritas Est states the “church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the Sacraments and the Word” (no. 22). When we volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, we remember the words of Jesus: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). 

We have a few great events that are coming up – our School Auction and our Parish Festival. I want to thank our school for providing leadership for these two events. The festival will be on Friday/Saturday, June 2/3, and it is important to gather together again to bring back our vibrant community after 3 years of alienation and fear. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer and assist at this event. Please do reach out to the parish or school office for more information.

Also, I hope to see you for the Cinco de Mayo Celebration on Friday, May 5 - with Mariachis and margaritas.

Healing Mass will be this Saturday, April 22 at 10:30 am at St. Stephen Parish. All are welcome to join for the celebration of Mass, during which we will offer the Anointing of the Sick; a sacrament for the elderly, for those who bear any kind of illness in mind, body or spirit.

Fr. Paulson

We Welcome

Bishop Michael Barber

Sunday, April 23rd

10:30am Outdoor Mass at CTK.



Bishop Barber will preside at mass for the official

merging of our two parishes

Christ the King - St. Stephen



All are welcome!

Cinco De Mayo Celebration

Friday, May 5th, at 6pm

Come join us on the Christ the King lawn for our annual Cinco De Mayo Celebration!

All profits from this event will be donated to

St. Vincent De Paul at Christ the King in support of our efforts to serve our

neighbors in need in the community.

$30/Person $15/Children (3-12 yrs. old)

Each ticket comes with:

*Entry to event, *Mexican cuisine,*1 Margarita ticket

*Free sodas and water, *Live entertainment with a mariachi band!

You can purchase additional margaritas at the event for $5 each (cash only).

And you can bring your own beer and wine!

The event is open seating. However, groups of 10 can reserve a table.

If you prefer not to purchase your tickets on-line come by the

parish office to purchase them directly.

Buy Tickets Here

 After a 3 year absence

Coffee and Donuts are back!

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

We are always looking for volunteers to help.

If you are interested in volunteering.

Please call the office at 925-682-2486.

Congratulations for Chania Gonzalez who celebrated her quinceañera

on Saturday at St. Stephen Church.

Congratulations to our newly baptized!

Welcome to the Christ the King - St. Stephen Family!

Parents: Lauren & Chase

Baby: Raina Grace 

Parents: Jean & Chris

Baby: Oscar Javier

Parents: Emily & Ryan

Baby: Londyn Marie

3rd Sunday of Easter

Welcome to our weekly reflections on

the Sunday Scriptures.



St. Luke, the author of Acts, describes those first idyllic weeks and months of the Jesus People communities. We might call that time the “honeymoon period” of Christian history.  Read More

Auction 2023 - April 28

Christ the King School would love your help!

Our annual auction, the TOTALLY RAD! 80’s Prom, is being held on Friday April 28th at 5:30pm and we could use your help in any way.

We would love volunteers before, during or after the event. They are jobs such as helping with set-up, selling raffle tickets and/or helping clean up and load the truck after the event.

If you’d like to volunteer, or have any questions, please reach out to the auction committee at auction@ctkschool.org.

This is an awesome way for families, interested in attending CTK in the future, to be apart of the biggest fundraiser of the year!

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

Or regular and/or second collections.

2023 Bishop’s Ministries 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 Collection will be this weekend April 22/23.

 You can click here to donate.

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).

The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.