On the feast of St. Joseph, March 19, Pope Francis issued a new constitution, titled “Praedicate Evangelium,” or “Proclaiming the Gospel”. This was nearly a decade in the making and its focus is to govern the Roman Catholic Church. The constitution, running 54 pages, explicitly states in its preamble that “the pope, bishops and other ordained ministers are not the only evangelizers in the church,” creating space for Catholic “laymen and laywomen” to have “roles of government and responsibility.” In another section, called “Principles,” it states that the pope can appoint any Catholic he considers qualified to lead a Vatican office.

The new constitution also places Francis’ abuse commission inside the powerful doctrinal office that often opposed the panel’s recommendations. The new structure, the constitution says, will help the church “protect minors and vulnerable persons from sexual abuse.” The current president of the commission, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, immediately praised the new structuring, saying in a statement that “for the first time, Pope Francis has made safeguarding and the protection of minors a fundamental part of the structure of the Church’s central government: the Roman Curia.”

With the publication of the new constitution, Pastor bonus is “fully abrogated and replaced.” Under the new constitution, all the Vatican’s main departments are now known as “dicasteries.” The powerful Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for example, will now be called the “Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.” Along with removing the title “congregation” from Vatican departments, the new constitution renames pontifical councils as “dicasteries.” The constitution says: “The Roman Curia is composed of the Secretariat of State, the Dicasteries and other bodies, all juridically equal to each other.”

Last year, Pope Francis for the first time named a woman to the number two position in the leadership of Vatican City, making Sister Raffaella Petrini the highest-ranking woman in the world's smallest state. Also last year, he named Italian nun Sister Alessandra Smerilli to the interim position of secretary of the Vatican's development office, which deals with justice and peace issues. In addition, Francis has named Nathalie Becquart, a French member of the Xaviere Missionary Sisters, as co-undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, a department that prepares major meetings of world bishops held every few years.

Lenten Reconciliation: We are now getting ready for our own personal reconciliation through the sacrament of confession. We began the season of Lent with the words, "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart." (Joel 2:12). To reconcile with God is the reason for the sacrament of reconciliation. Pope Francis states, “Let us not grow tired of asking for forgiveness in the sacrament of penance and reconciliation, knowing that God never tires of forgiving. Let us not grow tired of fighting against concupiscence, that weakness which induces to selfishness and all evil, and finds in the course of history a variety of ways to lure men and women into sin. One of these is addiction to the digital media, which impoverishes human relationships. Lent is a propitious time to resist these temptations and to cultivate instead a more integral form of human communication made up of 'authentic encounters', face-to-face and in person." Opportunities for reconciliation will be at St. Stephen (March 25 at 6pm) and at CTK (April 2 at 3.00pm and April 4 at 6.00pm).

For those families who cannot attend mass on Friday, we invite you to pray this consecration together:

Act of Consecration Prayer Here

As we conclude our parish Synod listening sessions, your data is being analyzed and our report will soon be sent to the Diocese, and to the Vatican. The “good news” is that SYNODAL process here at Christ the King and St. Stephen’s Church has just begun. Pope Francis has turned the hierarchal pyramid upside down. The Voice of the People is being heard. Read More

Ministry Center deck for coffee and pastries.

 Out of respect, we ask that you attend only if you are vaccinated.

CTK office 925-682-2486 or office@ctkph.org

Christ the King Parish will be hosting a presentation on Parish Finance on Thursday March 24^th, at 7pm via Zoom.  The presentation is planned for one hour and is

open to any parishioner interested in CTK finances. Sign-up for this presentation using Sign-Up genius at the link. Here

At this presentation we will go into detail on our financial results for 2021, our budget for 2022, and the major fundraising effort to replace the paving on our campus. We will also spend time presenting details on our new parish data system called REALM.

There will be time for any questions or comments you might have about parish finance. We hope you can join us for this presentation.

St. Stephen Church - Join us at 12 noon every Friday during Lent for a guided Stations of the Cross. Or, you can stop by between 12 noon-2 pm Mon-Thurs and 12 noon-6:30 pm Fridays to follow our garden path and walk your own stations. 

Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications:

We will come together for a day of PRAYER FOR PEACE. Let our collective prayers be heard to stop the atrocities occurring in Ukraine and beyond. Let peace begin with me! For more information on timing visit:  www.cfcsoakland.org

In January of 1951, Archbishop John J. Mitty of San Francisco named Father John Murray as the first pastor of Christ the King and set him up with 5 acres of empty property, a dilapidated, two-room farmhouse and a small bungalow on the almond orchard now called Rolling Hills. Within two months an energetic band of parishioners had hammered nails, scrubbed floors and wielded paintbrushes to prepare for Easter!

Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of Mass and speak to the sacristan to arrange this. Thank you!

is bringing back CTK Café.

Fellow Parishioners,

As you may know, the pavement at both Christ the King Church and St. Stephen is reaching its end of life. We need to replace this pavement for both safety and long-term useability of our facilities. Because the amount of pavement is around 190,000 square feet this replacement will be a major project. The preliminary cost estimate for this work is $1.5 million. Read More

After wandering in the Sinai Desert for 40 years, the Israelites finally arrived at the border of their destination, the Promised Land, as they called it. However, Moses never set foot on that promised soil. He died while still in the desert. Read More

1) Create your REALM account and set up online giving here

2) Delete your old online giving account by clicking here

3) If you need help contact the parish office, we are here for you!

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

If you do not wish to give on-line,

you can continue to contribute using your offertory envelopes.

Thank you for your support!

Links to our services (live or archived) can be found at ctkph.org

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

Holy Rosary - Livestreamed on Facebook at 5:40pm, Monday - Friday