Christ the King - St. Stephen Parish

www.ctkph.org

www.saintstephenparish.org

Parish Newsletter

"Staying Connected"

May 10, 2023

Dear Parishioners:

As you may know, the Diocese of Oakland filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday May 8th. This was expected as our Bishop, Michael Barber, had alerted us to this possibility in March. The bankruptcy filing is in response to the over 330 claims of sexual abuse by clergy in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.  These claims came about from a state law (AB218) that temporarily removed the statute of limitations on these types of suits to allow decades-old claims that otherwise would be time barred and expired. 

The diocese is still quantifying the lawsuits filed but it became clear that the sheer number and amounts claimed would exceed the Diocese ability to satisfy the claims.

As stated in Bishop Barber’s letter to parishioners.

“We made the filing because we believe this process is the best way to support a compassionate and equitable outcome for survivors of abuse, while ensuring we continue to provide the essential services and support so crucial to our parishioners and communities.”

The bishop’s full letter along with other information can be found at here. Copies of the letter will be available in the vestibule if you wish to read Bishop Barber’s full message.

So the obvious question is, what does this mean for Christ the King – St. Stephen Parish? 

The bottom line is that this Chapter 11 filing should have no effect on our parish.

First. The scope of the filing is limited to the corporation sole called the Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland (RCBO).  While we are under the RCBO corporate umbrella and within the scope of the filing, our daily operations, ministries, the celebration of sacraments and all other aspects of regular parish life are not affected.

We rely on our parishioners’ donations to continue our work and ministries both within our parish and our community. Donations made to Christ the King – St. Stephen Parish are dedicated to our parish and restricted to the purpose those donations were made.  Donations that are made to the Bishop’s Ministries Appeal, are also protected, and restricted to the stated purpose of this appeal. Designated gifts and donations are protected under state law and cannot be used to settle claims. No donations to our parish will be used for any bankruptcy purpose.

Second. While they are part of the Diocese, our school, St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, and Catholic Cemeteries are under separate legal corporations and are not included in the Chapter 11 filing.  Tuition payments, donations from school families, and donations from our parish to the school are not affected by this filing.

Third. Employment, salaries, and benefits of our employees are not affected.  Employees will continue to be paid as usual.

Fourth. The Diocese will continue to administer health and welfare benefits, along with retiree programs, without interruption. Funds for these programs are held in trusts and can only be used for their specified purpose.

Lastly, the bankruptcy process should bring closure to the Diocese and our parishes from all abuse claims. The Diocese is taking responsibility for the damage done and working to provide survivors with some measure of peace and compassion.

Regarding Schools. All Catholic schools that operate in the diocese are part of separate legal entities and therefore are not included in the bankruptcy filing. They will continue to operate as normal and employees will be paid as usual.

Many years ago the Diocese enacted a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse, but we must remain vigilant. Please help ensure these terrible acts cannot happen again. Even if you are not an active volunteer or employee, consider taking part in our Virtus Safe Environment training. It is an online, self-paced course on recognizing and acting on suspicions of sexual abuse.  It can provide a basis for you to talk with your children about what to look for and to let them know they can tell you anything that concerns them.

This training is required for anyone who serves in any of our ministries, but it is also available to any parishioner. To open the training go to virtusonline.org. If this is your first time, click on first time registrant to get started. If you do complete the training let the office know so we can update your parish record. 



Finally, please keep in your prayers the people who have been harmed by sexual abuse, especially those individuals who suffered at the hands of people who were part of our Church. 

Greg Thornbury

Chairman, CTK - St. Stephen Finance Council

I am happy to announce that our St. Vincent de Paul has already commenced their partnership with Hillcrest Church on Monday, May 8th at 9.00am. It was my pleasure and honor to be there with our Vincentians and a member from Hillcrest Church during this historic ministerial alliance. We began with a prayer for God's blessings on our new endeavour. We are stronger together, weaker by staying separate. Let us be bold and continue our ministry. 

I would like to invite you to the Townhall Meeting on Tuesday May 23rd at 6.30pm in the parish hall at CTK. The purpose of the meeting is to learn more about the ministry of St. Vincent de Paul as well as other ways our parish can outreach to the poor. We will explore new ideas together. We won't be talking about whether or not we should continue serving the poor on our campus. But we will talk about forging new partnerships and new ministries that serve those in need. Thank you for your understanding.  Sign up on the link below.

CTK Volunteers at

Hillcrest Church Food Bank.

Helping the Poor in Our Community:

A Town Hall Meeting

Tuesday, May 23, 6:30pm

CTK’s Parish Hall

Please join the Christ the King - St. Stephen Parish community for a town hall meeting to discuss ways in which our community can support people in need, following the closure of our on-campus food pantry. 

Join us for a presentation by the St. Vincent de Paul staff regarding the needs of our community, and engage in a robust brainstorming session to explore ways in which we can answer the call to serve the poor. 

This meeting will serve as a listening session for the Parish’s Pastoral Council and the St. Vincent de Paul staff. We want to hear all of your ideas – big and small – about how we can support our brothers and sisters in need. 

All are welcome. For meeting logistics and facilitation, we need to know how many people plan to participate. Please register if you plan to attend here.

This meeting will be held in-person only; there will not be a virtual/Zoom option. 

If you have any questions, please contact CTK’s office at 925-682-2486.

"Living Christ: A Spiritual Reading of the Gospels"

Monday, May 15 at 10:30am

Ministry Center Chapel

Join us for a 6-week discussion of Peter Feldmeier's "Living Christ: A Spiritual Reading of the Gospels". We will begin on Monday, May 15th, at 10:30 in the Ministry Center Chapel. We will discuss, pp.1-24 (Mt: 1-7). The author suggests reading the entire gospel first. If you have questions, contact Jeannette Holmes at 925-286-1507.

End of Life Decisions Teaching

Tuesday, May 30^th at 7:00pm

Parish Hall

Everyone involved in a patient’s care should understand how a person’s history and cultural and religious background may influence expectations, needs, and choices at the end of life. The natural law and the Fifth Commandment require that all ordinary means be used to preserve life, such as food, water, exercise, and medical care.

The following will be addressed at this meeting:

• Catholic Teaching on End-of-Life decisions – Fr. Paulson
• Preparing an Advanced Medical Directive with Forms supplied – Dr. Terry Heywood
• Preparing for one’s funeral – Forms supplied – Sr. Dominic
• How to go about taking care of your loves one, after he/she dies – Donna Bradshaw

Join us as we celebrate Mother's Day with a May Crowning during the

9:30am Mass at St. Stephen,

then stay for Coffee and Donuts in our hall afterwards.

St. Stephen Church

1101 Keaveny Ct.

Walnut Creek, CA 94597

The Hospitality Ministry is

looking for volunteers!

Volunteers with a warm smile and welcoming heart are always needed.

The Hospitality Ministry coordinates church-wide special events when requested by the Pastor or a member of his staff.

Responsibilities include:

         Arrange for food and supplies to be used at the event

        Decorate for the event

         Ministry team will serve as host and hostess

         Set up and cleanup for events

        Meet as needed to plan for the events

Ministry Contact:  Sherry Cartmill at shars41547@gmail.com

Dress A Child Around the World

(Sewing Ministry)

Dress A Child Around the World will conclude this year’s sewing sessions on Wednesday, May 17th in the

Parish Hall from 9:00 a.m. until 2:30 pm. 

If you’re looking for a worthwhile endeavor and have a few hours a week to do something for others, please join us. We will have a summer break and then meet again on the 3rd Wednesdays starting in September. Our dresses and shorts are donated to the poor, disadvantaged, and/or children affected by disasters in the United States and to other countries around the world. To date we have completed over 16,000 dresses and 4,500 pairs of shorts. Donations of cotton fabric, notions, sewing machines, and trims are always welcome. For more information, call Carol Vogl at (925) 288-2486.

Thank you to all who attended our Cinco de Mayo Celebration on Friday. We were happy to support St. Vincent De Paul, and all proceeds went to this amazing ministry!

Congratulations to our CTK teens who were confirmed at Christ the Light Cathedral on Saturday. Special thanks to our Youth Minister Mike Aliscad and his team who guided these teens through the journey of Confirmation for the past two years.

Congratulations to our newly baptized!

Welcome to Christ the King - St. Stephen Family!

Parents: Alyssa & Sebastian

Baby: Lucca Grace

Parents: Mana & Karlo

Baby: Rani

Congratulations to Joseline Nunez who

celebrated her quinceañera on Saturday.

Parish Festival

Friday, June 2nd - 5pm to 9pm

and Saturday, June 3rd - 2pm to 9pm

Our theme will be "Let's Rock n' Roll CTK"

and it is sure to be a 'Rockin' good time! 

Games, Food, Entertainment, Family Fun!

Raising money for our ministries and our school!

CTKFestival.org

Visit our Facebook Page at Christ the King Festival

for our entertainment line-up and food vendors!

Donations needed:

Starbooks: books in good condition (no textbooks), CDs, and DVDs (no VHS) can be placed in the designated bin in front of the school by May 31^st. We also need copy paper/office storage boxes with lids for book storage. Contact Suellen Noland at snnoland@hotmail.com with questions.

Gently used, clean stuffed animals: can be placed in the designated bin in front of the school by June 2^nd in the morning.

Kid- focused prizes for gift baskets: contact Madeira Fountaine at deiradeira@hotmail.com for more information.

 Baked Goods for Cake Walk: Contact Jacqueline Hanley   jacchai@yahoo.com for more information.

Sponsorships: Contact Stacy York at stacyleeyork@gmail.com

Volunteers needed:

Starbooks: help sort books before Festival. Contact Suellen Noland at snnoland@hotmail.com to volunteer.

Game booths, ticket sales, set up, clean up: signup.com/go/rfDzScz

Pre-orders:

Pre-order wristbands and wine tickets at a reduced rate and game tickets and KOC’s Ball Tip Combo Meal on our website: ctkfestival.org. Pre-order discount ends May 26^th. NO CASH will be accepted at Festival for wristbands or tickets. Skip the line and pre-order! Food vendors will accept cash.

Please email christthekingfestival@gmail.com with any questions.

ICF Meeting

Tuesday, May 16 at 6pm

CTK’s Parish Hall

Italian Catholic Federation members and interested parishioners are invited to our next ICF meeting. Before our meeting at 6 pm sharp, dinner will be served. The menu will be pesto pasta, Italian sausage, green salad and dessert. Cost is $15 for members $20 for non members, and children under 10 are 1/2 price.

Please RSVP by Friday, May 12. Call Juliette at (925) 899-3673 or email her at cotetj@yahoo.com. Hope to see you there!

6th Sunday of Easter

Welcome to our weekly reflections on

the Sunday Scriptures.



This reading lays out the greatest challenge of our Christian lives: “IF YOU love me…?” Our immediate answer? “Sure I do, Lord.” But hold on. What does it mean “to love” as Jesus would have us love him?  Read More

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

Or regular and/or second collections.

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).

Blessing of Mothers

God our heavenly Father,

you give to each the ability to share your generative love.

Bless those women in our lives who mirror your love

and bring forth life through their willingness

to risk bringing new life into this world.

Help us to show them our gratitude

for the gift of life and the gift of a mother's love.

May our life-giving God continue to bless them

and show them his unfailing love.

We ask this through Jesus, God's Son and our brother. Amen.