Parish Newsletter

August 31, 2022

Staying Connected

Dear Friends,

We had two sessions on the apostolic letter of Pope Francis last week, and I am happy to report that we had nearly 65 folks who attended the presentation. There was a great interest in learning about the four constitutions of Vatican II. I will offer two presentations on Sacrosanctum Concilium, (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy) on October 20^th at 10:30am at St. Stephen (in person) and via zoom at 7:00pm. I would like to share a few thoughts from our presentation on the apostolic letter of Pope Francis, that we discussed in our presentations.

The Christian faith, Pope Francis writes, is either an encounter with the living Jesus or it is not.

“The Liturgy guarantees for us the possibility of such an encounter. For us a vague memory of the Last Supper would do no good. We need to be present at that Supper.”

Recalling the importance of Vatican II's constitution "Sacrosanctum Concilium," which led to the rediscovery of the theological understanding of the liturgy, the Pope adds,” I want the beauty of the Christian celebration and its necessary consequences for the life of the Church not to be spoiled by a superficial and foreshortened understanding of its value or, worse yet, by its being exploited in service of some ideological vision, no matter what the hue” (paragraph 16 of the letter).

The setting for the celebration of the Liturgy should be beautiful. While notions of what is "beautiful" can be subjective and culturally rooted, we wish to underscore that the objective quality of beauty is a reflection of the Divine. The 2000 USCCB guidelines, Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture, and Worship (BLS), state: "The place where God gathers this people powerfully draws them more deeply into communion and expresses in beauty God's profound holiness." Every object used in the Liturgy (vesture, books, vessels, candles, etc.), every focal point in the sanctuary (altar, ambo, chair, tabernacle, font, ambry, etc.), and every work of art in the church (statues, glass, sacred images, etc.) can lead us to the Divine, because Christian beauty manifests itself "as an echo of God's own creative act," and therefore, should reflect the best of our artistic heritage. The materials we use should be authentic and reflect human artistry as a gift from God which is offered back to him.

Pope Francis observes that in Christian communities their way of living out the celebration “is conditioned — for better or, unfortunately, for worse — by the way in which their pastor presides in the assembly” and he lists several “models” of inadequate presiding, albeit of contrasting features: “rigid austerity or an exasperating creativity, a spiritualizing mysticism or a practical functionalism, a rushed briskness or an overemphasized slowness, a sloppy carelessness or an excessive finickiness, a superabundant friendliness or priestly impassibility.” These are all models that have a single root: “a heightened personalism of the celebrating style which at times expresses a poorly concealed mania to be the center of attention” (54), amplified when celebrations are broadcast online. Whereas, “to preside at Eucharist is to be plunged into the furnace of God’s love. When we are given to understand this reality, or even just to intuit something of it, we certainly would no longer need a Directory that would impose the proper behavior” (57).

Concluding his Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis asks “all bishops, priests, and deacons, the formators in seminaries, the instructors in theological faculties and schools of theology, and all catechists to help the holy people of God to draw from what is the first wellspring of Christian spirituality.”

I am happy to inform you that we have installed the two projectors in our church, and we will start projecting music and mass parts soon. Thank you Michael Hall for your dedication.

Fr. Paulson

Please join us this Friday, September 2nd for our

Monthly First Friday Exposition of the

Blessed Sacrament followed by Mass.

Exposition at 5 pm

Benediction at 5:45pm

Mass at 6pm

In the church

In observance of Labor Day,

the Parish Office will be closed on

Monday, September 5.

New Musical Opportunity

Do you enjoy singing? Would you love to share the joy of singing with your children, grandchildren, or other kids in your extended family? We are looking to launch a Family Choir at CTK later this fall, to sing at our 9:00 mass on selected weekends. The Family Choir is open to all children and their families (children must come with an adult), and will feature fun and learnable music that the whole family can enjoy. No formal musical training necessary - just a love of music and the ability to attend rehearsal one evening per week.

If you'd like to learn more, please e-mail Jennifer Bennett at: jenniferbennett1011@gmail.com. She will send you a quick Google form to complete to get a sense of who the singers are in your family, and what experience you all have. Thanks and hope to see you in the choir loft this fall!

Join Our Cantor Ministry! 

We are seeking strong and spirit-filled vocal leaders to join our Cantor ministry. Cantor responsibilities include proclaiming the psalm, announcing and leading the congregation in hymns and acclamations, and occasionally leading hymns solo when a choir is not present. An ability to read music is strongly preferred, but plenty of training and rehearsal will be available in order to accommodate singers at various levels. Please contact Jennifer Bennett at jenniferbennett1011@gmail.com to learn more.

Annual Italian Dinner

September 17/CTK's Gym

All are invited to the Christ the King Parish Italian Catholic Federation dinner on Saturday evening, September 17 in the gym. Cost is $35 for adults and $15 for children under 10. There will be Italian music and fun for the whole family. Please plan to join us.

Tickets are being sold by ICF members after all masses at CTK for the next 3 weekends (check or cash), or by contacting Diana at 925-519-4711 or dijoed@comcast.net. We hope you plan to join us for this very enjoyable evening! See Flyer Here

The monthly meeting of the Italian Catholic Federation will be held next Sunday afternoon, September 11 at 1 pm in Rooms A and B of the church hall. All parishioners interested in joining us are welcome! For more info contact Diana Mackinson at 925-519-4711 or dijoed@comcast.net.

The Usher Ministry will be

conducting new and refresher usher training in the

Thursday, September 8th at 7 pm

In the church. 

We welcome anyone interested in the Usher ministry to come and find out more about what we do and how you can be of service. We also urge existing Ushers to attend for refresher training, as over the past few years, some of our procedures have changed. 

"Have you ever considered becoming an Usher at one of the CTK's weekend masses?" We serve as the official greeters, information sources, collectors of the gifts and interact with our Parishioners on a weekly basis. If interested, contact Jack Murphy who will also pass your information on to the Mass Captains at the various masses. jmurph818@aol.com

Projectionists Needed for Mass

Our projectors have finally arrived and we will begin projection in a couple weeks.

This is a fun and easy job and you get a front row seat at mass! If interested, please contact:

Mary Ann Spicer at marod61@att.net, or call at 925-935-5306.

Registration is open for

Faith Formation Students for the

School Year 2022-2023

Registration deadline is September 8th!

Classes begin the week of September 18th.

Registration is open for:

 Grades 1-6

Jr. High Grades 7-8

High School/Confirmation Program

Please visit our website at ctkph.org and click the

 ‘Register Now’ button to register on-line.

If interested in helping as a teacher/catechists at any grade level.

Please contact Deacon John Ashmore at faithformation@ctkph.org 

We still need Catechists, especially for our Sunday 1st grade program!

Queen of Heaven Cemetery will be holding a special mass dedicated to the loss of a child on:

Saturday, September 3rd at 11am.

After mass there will be a gathering just for parents.

1965 Reliez Valley Rd, Lafayette 94549 

Please see flyer here

Congratulations to Jasmine Valencia who celebrated her quinceañera on Friday.

Congratulations to the children who were baptized over the weekend.

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

Parents: Cal & Joanna

Baby: Imaniel Chanel

Parents: Keith & Kim-Mai

Baby: Camille Rose

Parents: Shana & Darrell

Baby: Sloane Maryemma

Luke Hanley from Troop 221 is working on his Eagle Scout Project with Monument Crisis Center and is holding a Hygiene Kit Drive.

Please see the flyer for more details here

Welcome to our weekly reflections on

the Sunday Scriptures.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time



Christians constituted a small minority within the Roman Empire. Only a few, like Philemon, had social or political influence. Most communities had to meet in secret

to celebrate the Eucharist.   Read More

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

Or regular and/or second collections.

All Masses are Inside the Church. - Face Masks are encouraged.

Worship Aide for Mass - Sept. 3/4 Here

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).