Parish Newsletter

April 12, 2023

Staying Connected

Dear Friends,

We have entered the Easter Season – a season of joy and personal encounter with a God of love. I am grateful to everyone who worked hard to make Holy Week Liturgies meaningful and inspiring for our communities. Thank you to our Knights of Columbus for keeping alive the Easter Egg tradition. The presence of so many people during the Holy Week services especially on Easter Sunday is a sign of faith, hope and renewal.

St. Augustine said: “We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song.” What does it mean when we say, we are an Easter people? Blessed John Paul II described what it meant to be an Easter People:

We do not pretend that life is all beauty. [I love that line] We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery – the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. “We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!” We are not looking for a shallow joy but rather a joy that comes from faith, that grows through unselfish love, that respects the “fundamental duty of love of neighbor, without which it would be unbecoming to speak of Joy.” We realize that joy is demanding; it demands unselfishness; it demands a readiness to say with Mary: “Be it done unto me according to thy word.”

And Alleluia is our song: Alleluia is one of a handful of Hebrew words we still use in Christian worship, along with Hosanna and Amen. Words with a surplus of meaning. Words so expressive ‘as is’ that the church has never wanted to translate them.

Hosanna—the heart’s cry for salvation and deliverance.

Amen—the word of faith-filled assent, the people’s word.

And Alleluia—the shining word of praise, the transporting word that fills earth with heaven.

According to St. Augustine, Alleluia is our defining song. Without it, we aren’t fully ourselves. And so, after six weeks of silence when Easter finally comes, we break out into Alleluia. During the Fifty Days of Easter Season, we say and sing as many Alleluias as we can, as often as we can. Like catching up on all the chocolate we gave up, or the beer, in these weeks we’re catching up on Alleluias.

Pope Francis has called all of us to be missionary disciples of Christ. What he means by this is that we should not just say “Alleluia” during the celebration of Mass but live the Easter joy in our lives. In his book Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel, the Pope writes, “(We) must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral. Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow.

Face Masks at Christ the King and St. Stephen: As of April 3, 2023, masks are no longer required in indoor settings. So, I am leaving to each one of you the decision to wear or not to wear masks in church. This applies also to the ministers who serve at various liturgies. Let us be respectful of each other. The Holy Water font will also be resurrected starting Sunday. Again, it is up to you to sign yourselves with the Holy Water.

Our outdoor Masses on Easter Sunday were well-attended and people seemed to enjoy being on the lawn on such a beautiful day. So we have decided that beginning April 23rd and for a few weeks following, we will have 10:30am mass outdoors.

May God bless us and keep us in His redeeming Love.

Fr. Paulson

Join us for the Official Merger of our

two parishes:

Christ the King and St. Stephen

Sunday, April 23rd - 10:30am Mass - Outdoors

Bishop Michael Barber Presiding

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

After the 7:30am, 9am and 10:30am masses on the outside patio. Beginning this Sunday!

April 16 - May 21

We are always looking for volunteers to help.

If you are interested in volunteering.

Please call the office at 925-682-2486.

Congratulations to our Newly Baptized and Confirmed!

A warm and joyous welcome to the adults who celebrated the Sacraments of Initiation at our Easter Vigil: Baptism/Confirmation/Eucharist.

Let us continue our prayers for our newly-initiated, our newest Catholics

and for their families. May the Lord grant them the grace of

continued growth and perseverance in our faith.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Holy Week and Easter Services!

We especially thank our staff, clergy, musicians, sacristans, lectors,

Eucharistic ministers, environment committee and our ushers.

We could not have held these services without you.

You are all truly a blessing to us!

Also thanks to Knights of Columbus for organizing the Easter Egg Hunt.

Congratulations to our newly baptized.

Welcome to Christ the King and St. Stephen Family!



Parents: Gabby & Clive

Baby: Owen Alan

2nd Sunday of Easter

Welcome to our weekly reflections on

the Sunday Scriptures.



At every funeral Mass Fr. Brian Joyce presided at, he read and preached on this passage about Thomas the Apostle—“doubting Thomas.” A week after Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas seems to have “lost his way.”  Read More

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 the 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).

Earth Day - April 22

In 1979, Pope John Paul II declared St. Francis the Patron Saint of Ecologists. In some ways, St. Francis of Assisi could be viewed as the original Earth Day advocate. Not only did he care for the poor and sick, but he preached multiple sermons on animals, and wanted all creatures on Earth, including humans, to be treated as equals under God. Some of his sermons included stories about birds, fish, and rabbits.