Pastor’s Corner - December 9

Sunday December 09th 2007
Filed Under Pastor 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I would like to thank the parishioners, faculty and students of Christ the King School, the Parish office, and the Men’s Club for their contributions to the annual holiday food drive.

On Saturday, November 17th, turkeys and grocery bags of food were distributed to 110 less-fortunate families of our community including families of cancer patients.

The generosity of our parishioners and school was again demonstrated by the donations to the second collection which helped to fund this outreach and through the collection of dry goods by our schools students.

One should note the time and efforts of both the upper grades of the school in general, and the eighth grade class in particular.  Both Miss Severin and Mrs. Ruth Anderson were instrumental in the participation of the School.  The upper grades decorated shopping bags with festive art to hold the food given to the less fortunate.  In addition, a dozen of the eighth graders personally helped to organize and distribute the food to the recipients.  The members of the parish Men’s Club gave of their time to organize and coordinate the food drive.

This community outreach exemplifies the best of Christian stewardship, with the Parish and School coming together to share of their blessings with others in our community at Thanksgiving time.

Yours in Christ,

Fr.  Antonio

Pastor’s Corner: Thanksgiving and Feast of Christ the King

Thursday November 22nd 2007
Filed Under Pastor 

Dear Parishioners,I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families. Please join us for Mass at 10am on Thursday, November 22. For those that are traveling to be with loved ones, I wish you a safe journey.

Christ is our King. We are proud to belong to a parish which reflects his love to the world and which bears his name. This parish is a community united in our love of God and it is in that love that we come together to respect and love one another. On our patron feast day, let us recommit ourselves to the King of Love and rejoice in him.

As you know, our current heater failed last spring after over 60 years of use in the church. The Finance Council met on November 15th to review the results from our Car Raffle fundraiser and to discuss proposals we have received from different companies in order to make a selection on the best heater to purchase. The Finance Council is working diligently with our Business Manager, Mary Anne Reyes to install a heater that will meet the needs of the parish and will most efficiently heat the church during the colder, winter months.

Next week marks the beginning of Advent. The word “Advent” means coming. During this season of Advent we remember Jesus’ first coming in time, we anticipate Christ’s coming at the end of time, and we pray with hopeful expectation for our lives right now: “Come, Lord Jesus!”

We have many events planned for the Seasons of Advent and Christmas which are listed in the schedule to the right to which we invite everyone to participate in. As you journey through the season of Advent, reach out to invite those that have been away from regular participation in Sunday Mass back into our community.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Antonio, Pastor

Pastor’s Corner - November 8

Thursday November 08th 2007
Filed Under Pastor 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday for our annual Autumn Eve Dinner, Dance and Auction fundraiser.  As it is every year, it is sure to be a wonderful evening for our parish to come together as a community.  Also this weekend, our Parish Mission starts with Fr. Tom Cusack preaching at all the Masses on the topics of The Mystery of the Cross and Human Suffering this weekend and on Death and Resurrection  next weekend. 

Monday, November 12th is Veteran’s Day so please note that the Parish Office will be closed.  That evening, we are honored to have Fr. Richard Benson come to speak at our parish on the topic of “The Catholic in the Public Square:  Social Justice and Conscience.”  The talk starts at 7:30pm on Monday and hospitality will be offered in the patio between the church and the rectory starting at 7pm. 

The weekend of November 24th and 25th is our parish feast.  We will be celebrating the Feast of Christ the King starting on Saturday, November 24, 2007  with a wonderful concert after the 5:30 Mass featuring the Harmonies Girls Choir, led by Antonio Espinal ,who is the Spanish music director at Our Lady of Angel Cathedral. 

This weekend we will have a second collection to support our Thanksgiving Food Baskets.  Christ the King’s Mens Club will be preparing and distributing food baskets to needy families in our parish on Saturday, November 17th.  If you know of a family that would benefit from receiving a food basket, please called the parish office at (323) 465-7605 or email parish@ctkla.org.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Antonio

Pastor’s Corner - October 30

Tuesday October 30th 2007
Filed Under Pastor 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to remind you that this Thursday, November 1st is All Saint’s Day, a Holy Day of Obligation. We have four English and one Spanish language Masses that day: 7am, 8:05am, Noon and 5:30pm in English and 7:00pm in Spanish. This is a day when we honor all Saints of the Church. This Friday is All Souls Day which falls on the First Friday of the month. Please consider spending some time in Adoration in memory of a deceased loved one. We have two weekday morning Masses and a 6:30pm Mass each First Friday. Adoration starts after the 8:05am Mass until the closing Benediction at 9pm.

The start of Daylight Savings Time occurs later each year. Please set your clocks back by one hour before you go to bed this Saturday as DST starts on November 4th this year. Our Commitment Weekend is this weekend for our Offertory Program. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to review the brochure of our parish finances. You can view them online in either English or Spanish.

This coming Saturday, November 3rd, we are also pleased to have Fr. John-Paul Gonzalez teach the workshop for Lectors. This is a mandatory workshop for all current Christ the King Lectors. If you are interested in becoming a lector, please attend this workshop and let Robert Martinez, our Parish Ministry Coordinator about your interest at the workshop. The workshop will be held in the church from 9:00am to 10:30am.

The following Saturday, November 10th, is our annual Autumn Eve Dinner, Dance and Auction. The event, as it is every year, is sure to be full of excitement and entertainment. It is a great way to meet and get to know your fellow parishioners. If you are interested in attending please call Mary Anne at the office at (323) 465-7605 for more information. Also, we are selling raffle tickets for a range of cash prizes - these tickets are available for $5 and the drawing will be held during the Autumn Eve event.

The weekend of November 10th and 11th is the start of our Parish Mission. We are very excited to have Fr. Tom Cussack back to present on the following topics:

November 10-11 The Mystery of the Cross and Human Suffering
November 17-18 Death and Resurrection

Our speaker series continues on Monday, November 12th with a presentation by Fr. Richard Benson entitled, “The Catholic in the Public Square: Social Justice and Conscience.” The talk will start at 7:30pm with hospitality beforehand at 7:00pm in the parish hall.

Thank you to all who contributed to our annual October Baby Shower. The crib was overflowing with donations to help unwed mothers.

Please consider taking some time to see the movie “Bella”. This movie was profiled in the Tidings and is a very inspiring movie.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Antonio
Pastor

Pastor’s Corner - June 10

Sunday June 10th 2007
Filed Under Pastor 

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

I would like to update you on what our parish has been doing to safeguard our children and youth of our Church and school. First, our Safeguard the Children Committee has been meeting regularly to discuss the upcoming Archdiocesan Audit, as well as the implementation of all Archdiocesan policies concerning the safety of our children. The policies/programs that we implemented include:

Fingerprinting and background checks for all adults who work with minors.
The adult “Virtus” protecting all God’s training sessions.
The Virtus “Touching Teaching Safety” and “Good Touch/Bad Touch” program.
Bulletin announcements on awareness issues.
Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal handouts placed in the Church.

We will continue to work with the all the leaders of the Church/School to find ways to create a safe environment for our children.

I would also like to thank you for donations made through the green envelope for the Building Fund, which has enabled the church to receive vital and necessary improvements such as the church fumigation, installation of a new sound system and security cameras for the church and school grounds. The heating system in the church is no longer operational and according to the survey results of last year, there is an overwhelming majority that would like to see a non-hazardous and more energy efficient heating/AC system installed in the church. Additionally, the repaving of the north parking lot is a priority. Your generous contributions to the building fund will continue to help  maintain and improve our parish grounds and buildings.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ this weekend, we are reminded that our strength, wisdom, and source of spiritual life are derived from Christ’s salvific act on the Cross, as well as from the Holy Eucharist.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Antonio, Pastor