Parish Newsletter

June 22, 2022

Staying Connected

Dear Friends,

For all these years, we have been accustomed to gathering physically for our Sunday services, and the Catholic church has always emphasized how important it is to be together as a community.

While it is important to recognize the significance of the church ‘gathering to worship’ the pandemic has forced us to rethink how we gather. Many of us still turn to our virtual platform to continue with worship and prayer. The new landscape calls for both resilience and adaptation, embracing new ways of doing things and of being church. I am not sure when we will return to pre-pandemic church. I know that our bishops are concerned about church attendance. Health and well-being of everyone is very important to me, and everyone needs to be vigilant about their   well- being. No one needs to feel guilty for these decisions. God is good.

I do want to highlight that some of our church ministries such as Ministers of Communion, Lectors and Ushers have been greatly impacted by the pandemic. We are very fortunate with our sacristans who continued to minister during the pandemic and have in fact added new members to the ministry. These realities are also true for St. Stephen where a faithful few have continued to serve without fail. Gayle Nault, our coordinator for Eucharistic Ministers, has done an amazing job during this time, in terms of scheduling and training of new ministers. Sadly, for us, Gayle is moving to another State with her daughter. We owe her a great debt of gratitude. All of these ministries have reduced to a third of who we were pre-pandemic times. So, I would like to request you in both communities to consider stepping up to serve in one or two of these ministries. Please call the parish office or connect with Sr. Dominic or Chris Lang, and we will schedule training programs for you.

The disciples of Jesus were imperfect men, who in following Christ, struggled time and again with their weaknesses. And yet, they persevered in the path of discipleship. This has tremendous implications for the Church today. First, no one should consider himself or herself exempt from effective ministry in the service of the Gospel or the Church because we are not gifted or competent. Second, our weaknesses, even our iniquities, are not necessarily an obstacle to God’s blueprint for the world and our participation in its realization. Reflecting on her unique calling as Mother of God, Mary admitted in her Magnificat, “He looked graciously on the humble estate of his servant.” The history of the Church is replete with examples of how God continues to exalt the lowly to great heights of holiness and power. The Greats in Scripture were men and women of inadequacies and struggled to make sense of God’s designs in their lives.

“There are many pious people who believe themselves to be saints who are not,” wrote Tony Hendra , “and many people who believe themselves to be impious who are.” A saint, according to him, is a person who practices the keystone human virtue of humility – humility in the face of wealth and plenty, humility in the face of power and prestige, humility in the face of one’s own genius or lack of it, humility in the face of love and beauty, and humility in the face of pain and death. God’s chosen ones are driven to humbling themselves before the majesty and splendor of God and letting themselves be fashioned in ways that transcend our human understanding and expertise. An apostle is one who easily makes that transition from “It’s not about me,” to “it’s all about Him” and willingly embraces His will as one’s own. An apostle is one who is deeply aware of one’s inadequacies and unworthiness and recognizes God’s greatness in attending to our lowliness. 

There is no place better than being part of our ministries that are associated with the church and the celebration of the sacraments. Once again, I would invite you to consider serving as a Minister of Communion, Lector or Usher. At some point in the fall, we will also need to bring back our altar servers. We miss them so much. As ministers, you are called to be a vessel of God's compassion and love that can only be borne from your own brokenness and your own sense of being God's beloved. 

Fr. Paulson

This weekend, you will be driving on to, and parking on our newly repaved parking lot!

My heart is filled with gratitude and joy. I want to thank you for your generosity, and I am also grateful to our Facilities Director, John Kluesener for his working with our contractors and the diocese. We will be doing the paving at St. Stephens in September this year as we have more flexibility there. The parishioners of St. Stephen have been saving money for these projects for years, and so they have sufficient funds in the reserve for this project. St. Stephen community is very resilient and has always stepped up whenever there was a need. I am so proud of you, and you inspire me with your generosity and commitment to the parish.

Just a reminder that due to our pavement project on our parking lots, the 9am masses for the rest of the week will be cancelled.

No 9am mass Thurs. 6/23, Friday 6/24 and Saturday 6/25. This includes livestreaming. No Thursday 6pm mass.

Masses will resume Saturday, June 25 at 4pm and

Sunday, June 26 at our regular mass times.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Summer!

Join members of the Hospitality Committee

after the Saturday 4pm Mass on July 2nd

in a welcome to the season.

Beer, wine, lemonade & tasty treats will be served!

It’s time to celebrate being in each

other’s company again.

Taize Prayer

This Sunday, June 26 at 5:15pm in the church

_{Need to refresh, regenerate and relax?  Join us for one hour of beautiful music, meditative chants, scripture readings and quiet, reflective time.}

CLOW Needs You! 

(Children’s Liturgy of the Word)

Kids squirm in their seats at church because they’re bored!! We can cure their boredom by making church a fun and inviting place for them. That’s the mission and ministry of Children’s Liturgy of the Word. If you’ve been praying about how you can serve the church, this ministry might be the answer to your prayers.

CLOW needs Presiders, Guides and Assistants for this weekly ministry to children in grades 1 through 5. If you love kids and you love the Lord, you can make a difference by being part of CLOW. Call or email Deacon John to learn more. Email: [email protected]. Phone: (925) 686-1174. 

RE Registration is Now Open!

Dear Parents of Students Grade 1 through 12:

One school year is behind us, which means we are planning for next year!!! The process never ends! Passing on the Catholic Faith is a priority for every Catholic parent, and our Religious Education and Youth Ministry Programs are here to support your efforts.

Registration for Religious Education classes, including Sacramental Preparation for First Holy Communion and Confirmation, is now open.

Please go to the parish website, www.ctkph.org and click on the “Register Now!” button on the home page. When you click on the button, you will be taken to a Registration Tutorial and have access to the necessary forms. For your convenience, we have added an online payment option for all Registrations and Fees.

We look forward to another wonderful year with your children. We are truly blessed and privileged to be able to support you in your mission of leading your children into a relationship with Christ! Blessings to you and your families!

The Christ the King Religious Education Team 

Happy Summer, CTK Community! We are excited to share the third issue of the CTK Ray magazine with you. In this issue, you'll read about: the school's Mardi Gras tradition and the beloved teacher who brought it to CTK; how our community has helped support Ukrainian refugees; our 10th annual speech competition; the success of our first in-person school auction since early 2020; a special tribute to four cherished parents; and more!

Knights Meeting - Tuesday June 28

6pm/Parish Hall Rooms A/B

The CTK council of the Knights of Columbus is having their monthly meeting June 28 6-9pm -  Parish Hall (Rooms A/B).  We encourage all brother Knights to join us.

Through the Sacrament of Baptism we welcomed

Declan to our Christ the King and St. Stephen Family. Congratulations!

Parents: Kaitlin & Matthew

Baby: Declan

Welcome to our weekly reflections on

the Sunday Scriptures.

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time



Elijah passed by Elisha and cast his cloak over him. Thus Elijah calls his chosen successor in the same way as Jesus will call his apostles: “Follow me.” Read More

• Catholic Voice July, 2022 Issue
• Discernment Day for Men ages 18-55
• USCCB Action Alert: Gun Violence Prevention
• The Pain of Racism: Can Grace Ensue?

Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all. Beginning June 22, the feast of 

Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, the USCCB invites Catholics to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom.  Learn more at www.usccb.org/ReligiousFreedomWeek!

A NEW COMMUNITY SAFETY EVENT:

Active Shooter Preparedness Training

July 26, 2022 | 5:30-8:30 pm | Pleasant Hill Community Center

Pre-Registration required.

Call PHPD at (925) 288-4632 or email [email protected]

FREE to the public (18+ yrs)

For information please click here.

On This Day of Freedom

God of all peoples, of all nations,

On this day of freedom, we celebrate triumphantly with all people of goodwill that we might walk arm in arm towards justice for all.

Breathe into us your eternal breath, that we may never tire of ensuring a flourishing life for all people, but most especially, those brothers and sisters whose growth has been stifled by the trauma of being enslaved.



O God, we know and have seen your goodness, and because of it, we cling to the hope that unity and liberation for all are within our grasp. Continue to show us your goodness, that we may have the strength to advance your kingdom with humility and grace.

- Catholic Health Association