​Dear friends,
 
As Archbishop Charles Thompson begins his ministry among us, we look forward to the leadership that he will provide to the Church as our Archbishop.  In the early days of his ministry we already see an emphasis on the importance of youth in his mind and in his heart.  He has told the youth that they are not the future of the Church – they are the Church now.  The Church needs and welcomes the energy, the generosity and the gifts of our youth.
 
I echo these sentiments of Archbishop Thompson for the youth of Christ the King.  We are blessed with wonderful youth and we want them to know the important place they have in the life of our parish.  We see the generosity and the goodness of our CTK youth in many ways.
 
Sunday, August 20, eight youth of the parish helped served meals at the Cathedral Soup Kitchen.  I know the busy schedules that our middle and high school students have and the fact that they took time to minister to the poor of our city at the Soup Kitchen last Sunday is an example to all of us.
 
Several of our youth recently responded to the invitation to serve as greeters, lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion at our weekend Masses and have already begun training for these ministries.  Their youthful faces will be a blessing to all of us and an inspiration to other youth of our parish.
 
As a parish we want to support our youth in every way we can to grow in their faith and to be at home at CTK.   I want to emphasize two very special opportunities for our youth that will present themselves in the coming weeks. 
 
Middle School youth in grades 6-8 are invited to participate in a one-day conference in Chicago on Saturday, October 1.  ‘Holy Fire” is the name given to the event that will be an opportunity for prayer, music, sacraments and catechesis.  Several thousand youth from around the Midwest will gather at the University of Illinois Chicago Pavilion for a celebration of their Catholic faith.  Registrations are due by September 1.  For additional information, please see our parish Youth Minister, Ann Collins.
 
An expected 20,000 Catholic High School Youth from around the nation will gather in Indianapolis November 16-19 for the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).  This event takes place every two years and is an unforgettable experience for both the youth and the adult chaperones who attend.  We are fortunate that the event has been hosted in Indianapolis for the past several years.  A special collection will be taken up at all of the Masses on the weekend of October 14-15 to help as many Christ the King High School youth as possible participate in the NCYC.  It will be an opportunity for all of us to support our parish youth.
 
We thank the youth of Christ the King for the special gifts they bring to our parish and we welcome those gifts!
 
See you at Mass! 

​

​Dear friends,
 
If you are reading this letter, you are reading it thanks to the generosity of the businesses and individuals who advertise in our parish bulletin.  The bulletin is one of the principal ways in which we communicate parish news fifty-two times a year.  The bulletin is provided through Liturgical Publications at no cost to the parish thanks to the generosity of our advertisers.
 
Maureen Geis of Liturgical Publications is currently renewing and soliciting advertisers for our parish bulletin.  If you would like to advertise a business or service in the bulletin, please call the parish office.  We are grateful to all those who extend this kindness to our parish and encourage parishioners to utilize the services and businesses of those who advertise in the parish bulletin.  When patronizing these businesses or utilizing the services of our advertisers, please let them know that you are grateful for their ad in the bulletin.
 
This week we welcome the students and teachers of Christ the King back to school for a new school year.  We pray for the students and staff of Christ the King and all of the schools in which our parish children and youth study.  May God bless all schools with a safe and productive school year.
 
Registration for our Religious Education Classes for parish sons and daughters studying in our public schools is now underway.  Classes will begin Thursday, September 14.  Registration forms are available on Christ the King’s website or by contacting Cindy Flaten at the parish office.  I encourage parents to register early and often!  September 14th will be here before we know it.
 
Christ the King Catholic School and our Parish Religious Education Program are two important ways that the parish helps parents fulfill the sacred obligation that they assumed as baptism to raise their children in the ways of faith.  May all Christ the King families take advantage of one or the other of these opportunities. 
 
With each passing week that I am at Christ the King I grow in my appreciation of the many, many people who make things work so smoothly in our parish.  Most of these people go about their service peacefully and quietly.  I would like to express the appreciation of the parish to all the folks who care for the altar linens used at Mass.  Every time I open the cabinet containing the purificators and corporals used at the altar, I find a fresh supply, laundered, ironed and folded, and ready for Mass. It is as if angels make sure that there is always a fresh supply of altar linens!  Thank you to all of these ‘angels’!
 
See you at Mass!

​Dear friends,
 
Christ the King, Bishop Chatard and all of our area schools are back in business this week.  The business of schools is, of course, ‘education’, but the business of Catholic schools is also the business of ‘formation’ and how fortunate we are at Christ the King to be able to participate in the ministry of Catholic education.  We ask God’s blessing upon Mr. Seib and all of the teachers and staff of Christ the King as the new school year begins.
 
I extend the thanks of our parish community to Dave Thompson and Jeff Harper for all of their hard work throughout the summer months in getting the school building ready for a new school year.  Mr. Thompson and Mr. Harper have the building in tip-top shape.  The floors are so shiny that I have been afraid to walk on them as they look as if the wax is still wet!  When you see Dave and Jeff please let them know how grateful we are for their care of our school buildings.
 
As the children and youth of the community return to school, we already have some homework for the parents of the parish.  Last weekend, Cindy Flaten, our Director of Religious Education, inserted a flier in the bulletin with a prayer for parents on one side and a little ‘quiz’ for parents on the other side. 
 
At the baptism of their children, parents accept the responsibility of being the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith.  The work of formation that takes place at our school and in our religious education classes can never replace the role that parents have in handing on the treasure of the faith to their children.  Children learn from what we say, but above all from what we do.  If they see that we treasure the gift of the Eucharist and that the Eucharist always takes precedence over soccer or shopping, they will learn the importance of Sunday Mass.  If they see us make visits to the Blessed Sacrament, they, too, will hunger for time with Jesus.  If they see us reaching out to serve others and sacrificing to meet the needs of the poor, they, too, will learn to meet Jesus in our brothers and sisters.
 
May we all embrace the work of formation that God entrusts to our hands as the new school year begins and may of the parents of Christ the King excel in their role as the first and most important teachers of the ways of faith to the children of our parish!
 
See you at Mass! 

​Dear friends,
 
Motel Six used to advertise its national chain of motels with the comforting words, “We’ll leave the light on for you.” There’s something welcoming about a light burning in a window or at a doorway of a home. At the suggestion of our Parish Adoration Committee we will now leave the light on the tabernacle in our Blessed Sacrament Chapel twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That light is a reminder of the abiding presence of and a sign of welcome to all who come to visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Christ the King parishioners who would like the code for access to the Chapel, any time of any day, are invited to call Melissa at the Parish Office. The light is on for you!
 
I would like to extend a special invitation to parish families to make visits to the Blessed Sacrament together as a family. That visit may last five or ten minutes, but that time together will strengthen our families at a time when families face so many challenges. Having a set time each week for that visit will help make it part of our weekly schedule. 
 
I would like to extend my gratitude and the gratitude of the parish to the servers who have served at our Masses, especially our daily, Masses, during the summer months. I have been so impressed with their faithfulness, their generosity, and their enthusiasm. While I may think that 7:15 a.m. is a wonderful time for morning Mass, I know that for the servers that hour of the morning during the summer months requires commitment and sacrifice. The servers have been my first introduction to the youth of Christ the King and I am very impressed. Thank you also to the parents who provide transportation to make it possible for them to enjoy the privilege of serving at the altar. God bless our servers!
 
I am delighted that registrations are coming in for the upcoming National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). We hope to have a wonderful delegation of high school youth from Christ the King at this year’s conference. The conference draws 25,000-30,000 Catholic Youth from around the country for an ‘explosion’ of faith and lots of fun. If you haven’t registered yet, please call our Youth Minister, Ann Collins, at the parish office. To help as many of our youth as possible participate in the conference this year we will take up a special collection at all of the Masses on the weekend of October 14-15 to help defray expenses for the youth and their families. Thank you for your generosity and your investment in the youth of Christ the King!
 
See you at Mass!