Baptism

Nancy Rohling - 292-2884 - nancy.rohling@ctk.org

Infant baptism classes for parents and godparents are held on the third Sunday of each month after the 8:30 am Mass. Please call the Church Office at 292-2884 for information and to reserve a place in class. Adults seeking baptism, please see the section on RCIA below.

Infant baptisms held during Mass will take place on the first Sunday of the month during the 11 AM Mass. We encourage new parents to take advantage of this community liturgy. Baptisms may also be scheduled outside of Mass.

Reconciliation

Confessions are heard weekly at our church on Saturday afternoon from 3:45 to 4:15. One may also call for an appointment to celebrate this sacrament. During the Lenten Season the parish celebrates the sacrament as a community, with a number of priests available after the service to hear individual confessions.

In the Gospel of St. John we read: "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week," Jesus showed himself to his apostles. "He breathed on them, and said to them: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained"' (Jn. 20:19, 22-23). The forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism is conferred by a particular sacrament called the sacrament of conversion, confession, penance, or reconciliation.

The sinner wounds God's honor and love, his own human dignity as a person called to be a son or daughter of God, and the spiritual well-being of the Church, of which each Christian ought to be a living stone. To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequences for sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world.

To return to communion with God after having lost it through sin is a process born of the grace of God who is rich in mercy and solicitous for the salvation of men. One must ask for this precious gift for oneself and for others. The movement of return to God, called conversion and repentance, entails sorrow for and abhorrence of sins committed, and the firm purpose of sinning no more in the future. Conversion touches the past and the future and is nourished by hope in God's mercy.

The sacrament of Penance is a whole consisting in three actions of the penitent and the priest's absolution. The penitent's acts are repentance, confession or disclosure of sins to the priest, and the intention to make reparation and do works of reparation. Repentance (also called contrition) must be inspired by motives that arise from faith. If repentance arises from love of charity for God, it is called "perfect" contrition; if it is founded on other motives, it is called "imperfect."

One who desires to obtain reconciliation with God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the un-confessed grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience. The confession of venial faults, without being necessary in itself, is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. The confessor proposes the performance of certain acts of "satisfaction" or "penance" to be performed by the penitent in order to repair the harm caused by sin and to re-establish habits befitting a disciple of Christ. Only priests who have received the faculty of absolving from the authority of the Church can forgive sins in the name of Christ.

The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Penance are:

• reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace;
• reconciliation with the Church;
• remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins;
• remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin;
• peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation;
• an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle.

[Adapted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church]

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First Penance and Eucharist
Kathy Skinner - 777-8908 - kathy.skinner@ctk.org

The First Reconciliation and Eucharist Programs for Christ the King School and Parish are integral parts of our children’s faith journey. Our objective is to teach our students how to appreciate our liturgical and sacramental tradition as ongoing resources of their faith formation. Students work with parents and families to learn symbols of their faith while creating a banner to mark these special events in their lives. As a group, the School and Parish Education students celebrate their enrollment and have a retreat before receiving First Eucharist with the congregation on Sunday, another step in the initiation process of our faith.

For more information regarding our programs, please contact Kathy Skinner.

Confirmation (8th Grade and older)
Kathy Skinner - 777-8908 - kathy.skinner@ctk.org

The Confirmation Program at Christ the King School and Parish is made of different components and events that foster faith formation. Our objective is to not merely teach about this last aspect of their Christian initiation but to support our youth to be mature and active members of their faith community. Our students work with their homeroom catechist during the week or on Sunday to learn knowledge related to the Church and its mission. Each explores how s/he will be ministers for the Church using their unique talents and gifts. Along with parents and teachers, all candidates meet with their sponsors regularly to discuss how to live out the Christian life in the midst of our world’s challenges. Sponsors are companions along the journey and witnesses of their student’s readiness for the sacrament. As a group, the School and Parish Education candidates participate in events that foster community such as service projects, retreats, and an enrollment Mass to prepare for Confirmation. For more information regarding requirements for Confirmation candidacy or more details about our program, please contact Kathy Skinner.

Marriage
Bob True- 777-8906 bob.true@ctk.org

PLEASE NOTE: In order to reserve Christ the King Church for those active members who support our many ministries and our facilities, we can only accept weddings for members (or their families) who live within the geographical boundaries of Christ the King Parish OR who have been officially registered in the parish for at least twelve (12) months when the wedding is booked. If you are a member and are having your ceremony in another city, we are still responsible for your marriage preparation.

When couples plan on being married in the Church, they are asking this Community and God to be involved in their lives together. They are raising their relationship to the level of Sacrament which becomes something sacred and holy. The Sacrament is not only their wedding ceremony but is lived out the rest of their lives. Every time one does something for the other they are living out the Sacrament of Matrimony. And that taps into Gods infinite Grace; an Ode to Joy!

Life together will not always be a honeymoon. Life has its ups and downs. Life is a series of passion, death and resurrections. And when they are in the storms of life they have to remind themselves of that, and not jump out of the boat. If they can learn to hold hands through the storms of life they will share many rainbows together.

Click this link for a copy of the Wedding Guidelines for celebrating the sacrament of marriage at Christ the King Church.

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Holy Orders

Our parish is served by two kinds of ordained ministers: the priest (or presbyter, in official terminology), and the deacon. However, all members of the church share in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ. We are a priestly people who offer the Eucharist together each day of the week.

St. Paul said to his disciple Timothy: "I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Tim 1:6), and "If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task." (1 Tim 3:1) To Titus he said: "This is why I left you in Crete, that you amend what was defective, and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you" (Titus 1:5).

The whole Church is a priestly people. Through Baptism all the faithful share in the priesthood of Christ. This participation is called the "common priesthood of the faithful." Based on this common priesthood and ordered to its service, there exists another participation in the mission of Christ: the ministry conferred by the sacrament of Holy Orders, where the task is to serve in the name and in the person of Christ the Head in the midst of the community.

The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the common priesthood of the faithful because it confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful. The ordained ministers exercise their service for the People of God by teaching, divine worship and pastoral governance. Since the beginning, the ordained ministry has been conferred and exercised in three degrees: that of bishops, that of presbyters, and that of deacons. The ministries conferred by ordination are irreplaceable for the organic structure of the Church: without the bishop, presbyters, and deacons, one cannot speak of the Church (cf. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Trall. 3,1).

The bishop receives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, which integrates him into the Episcopal college and makes him the visible head of the particular Church entrusted to him. As successors of the apostles and members of the college, the bishops share in the apostolic responsibility and mission of the whole Church under the authority of the Pope, successor of St. Peter. Priests are united with the bishops in sacerdotal dignity and at the same time depend on them in the exercise of their pastoral functions; they are called to be the bishops' prudent co-workers. They form around their bishop the presbyterium which bears responsibility with him for the particular Church. They receive from the bishop the charge of a parish community or a determinate ecclesial office.

Deacons are ministers ordained for tasks of service of the Church; they do not receive the ministerial priesthood, but ordination confers on them important functions in the ministry of the word, divine worship, pastoral governance, and the service of charity, tasks which they must carry out under the pastoral authority of their bishop.

The sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by the laying on of hands followed by a solemn prayer of consecration asking God to grant the ordained the graces of the Holy Spirit required for his ministry. Ordination imprints an indelible sacramental character.

The Church confers the sacrament of Holy Orders only on baptized men, whose suitability for the exercise of the ministry has been duly recognized. Church authority alone has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders.

In the Latin Church the sacrament of Holy Orders for the presbyterte is normally conferred only on candidates who are ready to embrace celibacy freely and who publicly manifest their intention of staying celibate for the love of God's kingdom and the service of men.

It is bishops who confer the sacrament of Holy Orders in the three degrees.

[Adapted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church]

Vocations Office

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Anointing of the Sick

This sacrament is often celebrated in private when a parishioner is gravely ill, and the family is urged to participate. The service may be held at home, in the hospital, or at church. On the Second Sunday of every month, the Sacrament of the Sick is offered at each weekend Mass so that anyone in the parish may easily have access to this source of grace and healing.

Becoming Catholic - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults – RCIA
“I have called you by name and you are mine.” Isaiah
Bob True 777-8906 bob.true@ctk.org

RCIA Inquiry may be similar to what you might have experienced in Sunday School in that it is a type of bible study. We meet every Sunday, 9:45 AM in the Parish Center to explore the great Bible stories and see how we can connect them to our own life situations. The group will vary, but is typically made up of Catholics and non-Catholics who are looking for a way to grow spiritually.

We have also formed Inquiry to be the first step in the four-step process of becoming a Roman Catholic. You are welcome to be with us for as long as you wish. Should you decide to embrace the Catholic Faith, you will move thru the steps at your own speed. Most find the journey to be a rich and growing experience, and best when savored slowly. The most beautifully inspiring time to join us in full communion is at the liturgy of the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday thru Holy Saturday). We congratulate you on taking this step to explore your own spirituality.

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