August 20, 2023

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Rex's birthday is tomorrow, Saturday, August 19th! Please wish him a happy birthday if you see him!

All parishioners over 21 are invited to join us for Bingo this Sunday evening, August 20th, at 7pm. Bring a snack to share in exchange for a free Bingo card!

Our next GriefShare grief support group begins Wednesday, August 23rd from 10-11:30am.

Catholic Inquiry Night at Christ the King will be Wednesday, August 23rd at 6:30pm. Those interested in Catholic classes are invited to register and attend.

Next Thursday, August 24th, the Parish Life Office will have lunch and show the movie Jesus Revolution. Please call 842-1483 if you would like to join us.

There are still items needed to help the Feed the Hungry Ministry next Sunday, August 27th. If you are able to help, please sign up here.

To volunteer with children or vulnerable adults in any capacity with the school or parish, please login to the site at https://archokc.safeenvironment.org/ to complete your newest Safe Environment training course by August 30th.

A Note from Fr. Rex

I want to thank Christ the King’s Catholic Family ministry team for their time and effort in planning a Humanae Vitae presentation and discussion featuring Fr. Kline last Sunday. Fr. Kline was also invited to offer the homily at all weekend Masses. Those of us who were there heard in great detail how important children are to the family and how necessary it is to ask God to guide and direct the hearts of parents on planning a family.

Sunday is family day. It is the day set aside for rest and leisure and to spend it unhurriedly with family. “All who keep the Sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer.” (Isaiah 56).

The best way to start your family Sunday is with our Lord at Mass. It was regrettable, however, to have kept parishioners in His house for so long last weekend without forewarning of topic or length. I am committed to be better informed about future apostolate programs and missions. Although Fr. Kline’s delivery was repetitious, direct and at times unnerving, it was effective in starting family conversations about Church teaching. The Humanae Vitae conversation will continue to challenge, inspire and form our Catholic hearts until the Lord returns.

Please contact the church office if you are seeking resources to help continue the conversation with children and non-Catholics who want to learn about the seamless garment that enrobes the Church to protect all human life from natural conception to a peaceful death.

Please be assured of my daily prayers for each of you. I look forward to seeing you this weekend.

Marian Apparitions

August 21 is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Knock, the anniversary of the Marian apparition in Knock, Ireland. At about 8 o’clock on the Thursday evening of the 21st of August, 1879, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared at the South gable of St. John the Baptist Church at Knock, County Mayo, Ireland. Beside them and a little to the right was an altar with a cross and the figure of a lamb, around which angels hovered. There were fifteen official witnesses to the apparition – young and old – who watched it for two hours in pouring rain as they recited the Rosary. Two Commissions of Enquiry accepted their testimony as trust-worthy and satisfactory in 1879 and 1936. It is the only Marian apparition which had no verbal message, however, its silent message offers the comfort and care of Christ whom we encounter in the Eucharist. Today, Knock ranks among the world’s major Marian Shrines, having enjoyed the full approval of the Church, for many years. It is considered a Eucharistic apparition as well. It has received privileges from four Popes and the most recent privilege was the visit of His Holiness, Pope Francis, on 26th of August 2018. 

Want to read about other Marian apparations? Click here.

English Composers Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams

This Sunday, we sing two hymns featuring music by two of the giants of English music in the 20th century. The Offertory hymn, “Your Hand, Though Hidden, Guides Us” features a tune and harmony written by Ralph Vaughan Williams. RVW has a distinct musical style - his tunes reflect a move away from an older style associated with traditional German music and instead used English folk music as a source of melodic and harmonic inspiration. The very popular tune “Thaxted,” today sung to the Communion text “As the Bread of Life is Broken,” is quoted from the fourth movement (Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity) of Gustav Holst’s most famous orchestral work, The Planets. This tune first appeared as a hymn tune in a 1926 hymnal edited by Holst’s good friend, Ralph Vaughan Williams. Both RVW and Holst began their musical education in the Anglican Church. Although both struggled with their faith throughout their lives, they always held a deep respect for the Church and its music.

David Anderson, Organist and Music Director

Thank You, Patrick!

Please join us for a reception after the 10am Mass next Sunday, August 27th to congratulation Christ the King’s Business Manager, Patrick Cullen, on his upcoming retirement.

Patrick has served the people of Christ the King parish for over 38 years. If you don’t know Patrick as our Business Manager, you know him as our faithful 12:15 Mass guitar accompanist. Patrick carries knowledge of every light switch and electrical outlet on our entire campus! He has managed our remarkable growth and facilities expansion and improvement, and has carefully overseen the use of every dollar entrusted by our parishioners to build the Kingdom of God here at Christ the King and in our greater community. Our church and school would not be where we are today without his four decades of faithful and dependable leadership. Above all, Patrick is a true servant of our Lord, a loving friend, father and brother to all who know him. We will miss seeing him every day and are grateful that his assistance and institutional knowledge will be only a phone call away!

We hope you will join us to congratulate Patrick and thank him for his devotion to Christ the King Parish. A basket will be available for congratulatory cards and well-wishes. 

Can You Help Us Deliver Hot Meals?

We desperately need volunteers to deliver "Meals on Wheels" twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Friday. Meals are prepared by the Oklahoma County Nutrition Center. Our volunteers pick up the prepared meals at 122nd and Pennsylvania and deliver to about 20 of the homebound and elderly in our community. Christ the King has been supplying volunteers for this ministry for almost 30 years, and some of our volunteers have been doing this for over 20 years! No experience necessary but lots of gratitude given. If you and a friend or family member are interested in volunteering to deliver meals to those who might otherwise go without, please call the Parish Life Office at 842-1483.

Confirmation Retreats

Bible Studies Start in September

"Who Am I To Judge?: Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love"

Tuesdays at 8:30am or 6:30pm (begins September 5th)

How do we talk about morality in a world that no longer believes in truth? When we’re bombarded with messages of “Be tolerant!” “Don’t judge!” and “Coexist!” many good people feel afraid to say anything is right or wrong anymore.

This book gives us an important key to responding to relativism effectively—a Catholic moral worldview. Learn how Catholic morality is all about love, how making a judgment is not judging a person’s soul, and how, in the words of Pope Francis, “relativism wounds people” and is “the spiritual poverty of our times.”

Catholics will have greater confidence in God’s moral law, greater clarity in how to explain it effectively to our secular friends, and greater compassion for those with whom we disagree. All ages are welcome, and childcare is available by reservation with your sign-up. Please register by August 25th.

Register Now!

Acts: The Spread of the Kingdom

Sundays at 1:30pm (begins 9/10/23) or 

Wednesdays at 1pm (begins 9/13/23)

Acts is the story of how a few Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit, were chosen to bring Christ and the Good News to the ends of the earth. They faced secular forces, internal strife, and hostile crowds, and despite all of this, they brought the kingdom of God to a broken world and the love of God to the hearts of men.

Acts: The Spread of the Kingdom traces how the gospel witness spread outward in waves from Jerusalem, and reveals how the seeds of Church structure and authority took root. Presenter Jeff Cavins shows how the joys and struggles of the early Christians in living the life of Christ apply to us today. Acts: The Spread of the Kingdom will help you to see your place in the Church as a disciple of Christ.

• Two (2) 10-week sessions, fall and spring - for 20 total sessions
• Sundays at 1:30pm beginning September 10, 2023 through November 12, 2023 (first 10 weeks) and January 7, 2024 through March 10, 2024 (second 10 weeks), OR
• Wednesdays at 1pm beginning September 13, 2023 through November 15, 2023 (first 10 weeks) and January 10, 2024 through March 13, 2024 (second 10 weeks)
• 20 total sessions
• Cost is $40 for materials. 

Register Now!

True Reformers: Saints of the Catholic Reformation

Wednesdays at 6:30 pm (meets 9/13, 9/27, 10/4, 10/18, 10/25, 11/9)

In True Reformers, Dr. Christopher Blum explores the lives of six saints who spearheaded the Church’s rebirth after the turbulence and confusion caused by the Protestant Reformation. You’ll want to stay friends with them for life, even unto eternity, as you discover that their call to return to the adventure of following Christ is just as compelling today as it was 500 years ago. This series focuses on:

• Saint Thomas More and the Age of the Author 
• Saint Ignatius of Loyola: Soldier for Christ 
• Saint Philip Neri, the Apostle of Joy 
• Saint Charles Borromeo, the Good Shepherd 
• Saint Teresa of Àvila, a Study in Perseverance 
• Saint Francis de Sales: Pastor of Souls

Cost is $16 for materials. 

Register Now!

Enrollment for Children's Formation Classes Now Open

Because faith is best taught and lived out in the family, the Church calls parents to be the first and foremost educators of their children. All parish families who are not enrolled in Catholic school are invited to Family Faith Formation at Christ the King. In this program, students in kindergarten through 5th grade meet with their catechists every other Sunday from 11:20am - 12:10pm in the school classrooms and parents meet for class in the school cafeteria. For students in the 2nd grade, this class will also provide catechism for their sacraments. Parents will be given instruction on the information they will present to their children at home on the "off weeks" when class does not meet. Classes begin September 17th. Enroll here.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a Montessori-based educational approach to the religious formation of children from 3 years old through 2nd grade. Children enter the mystery of the Eucharist in a variety of ways, including learning the names of the articles used on the altar, the preparation of the chalice, the Consecration, and the sign of peace. Through the experience of seeing these gestures, presented one by one, the Mass emerges as the Sacrament of the Gift. The child becomes acquainted with the historical character of the liturgy through the events of the Last Supper, Christ’s death, and His resurrection. Classes begin September 7th. Enroll here.

Calling All Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers: Raising Kids in a Digital Age

Save the Date: CK School Events!

If you are a grandparent of a CK student, please email Mary Schrantz (mschrantz@ckschool.com) in the CK School Advancement Office with your name and address.

The CK Run is Saturday, September 30th. Sign up for this annual event at www.runsignup.com/ckrun!

CK School is looking for donations to make its annual fundraiser a success! If you have an item or experience that you'd like to donate, please reach out to Colette Fudge at charwell1@gmail.com. 

CK News

You can watch new episodes of the CK News each Friday during the school year. These videos are brought to you by our talented students as they discuss life here at Christ the King. Enjoy this week's episode here!