FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK ORDINARY TIME Have you ever wondered why we have something called ‘Ordinary Time’ as a liturgical season? Many people think of the term ordinary as commonly used in the English language, meaning something that's not special or distinctive, and as a result it is an unimportant season. However, Ordinary Time makes up most of our liturgical year, falling outside of the Advent / Christmas season and the Lent / Easter season, and is far from unimportant or uninteresting. To help gather information for this article, I researched an article dated Jan 5, 2018 on https://www.thoughtco.com by Scott P. Richert: Why Is Ordinary Time Called Ordinary? Ordinary Time is called "ordinary" not because it is common but simply because the weeks of Ordinary Time are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. Thus, the numbered weeks of Ordinary Time, in fact, represent the ordered life of the Church--the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. It's appropriate, therefore, that the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (which is actually the first Sunday celebrated in Ordinary Time) always features either John the Baptist's acknowledgment of Christ as the Lamb of God or Christ's first miracle--the transformation of water into wine at the wedding at Cana. Thus for Catholics, Ordinary Time is the part of the year in which Christ, the Lamb of God, walks among us and transforms our lives. There's nothing "ordinary" about that! Why Is Green the Color of Ordinary Time? Likewise, the normal liturgical color for Ordinary Time--for those days when there is no special feast--is green. Green vestments and altar cloths have traditionally been associated with the time after Pentecost, the period in which the Church founded by the risen Christ and enlivened by the Holy Spirit began to grow and to spread the Gospel to all nations. When Is Ordinary Time? Ordinary Time refers to all of those parts of the Catholic Church's liturgical year that aren't included in the major seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. Ordinary Time thus encompasses two different periods in the Church's calendar, since the Christmas season immediately follows Advent, and the Easter season immediately follows Lent. The Church year begins with Advent, followed by the Christmas season. Ordinary Time begins on the Monday after the first Sunday after January 6, the traditional date of the Feast of the Epiphany and the end of the liturgical season of Christmas. This first period of Ordinary Time runs until Ash Wednesday when the liturgical season of Lent begins. Both Lent and the Easter season fall outside of Ordinary Time, which resumes again on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday, the end of the Easter season. This second period of Ordinary Time runs until the First Sunday of Advent when the liturgical year begins again. May God bless all our families through this Ordinary Time of the Year.
0 Comments
High School Seniors of Christ the King Parish: Is your faith important to you? Do you plan to continue practicing it in your career and as you attend college, technical or another institute of learning. If so, two scholarships sponsored by the parish P.C.C.W. and Holy Name Society are available. If you are interested, please see your guidance counselor at the high school or stop by the parish rectory office for an application during weekday office hours. Other students, who have already graduated from high school, who are members of the parish may also apply, but first priority will go to the high school seniors, of our parish. Return your completed application to the parish office by deadline of Wednesday * April 1, 2019 @ noon. From the Church
As the Iraqi city of Mosul struggles to rebuild after the destruction wrought by the so-called Islamic State, the local Catholic Archbishop says Christians are stronger in their faith than ever before. Mosul served as the unofficial capital of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) from June 2014 until their expulsion in July 2017. The terrorist group left the ancient city in ruins, and depopulated. Only a handful of the hundreds of thousands who fled their barbaric rule in the northern Iraqi city have returned. Archbishop Najib Mikhael Moussa, OP, the Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, gave an overview of life in the city. He told Vatican Radio’s Marie Duhamel that reconstruction efforts in the city are following an uneven path, given the destruction caused by ISIS. Read More... The Jars for Life fundraiser raised $5,387.63 These funds go directly to participants attending the Pilgrimage for Life from the Marshfield area. Thank you to all who purchased jars or generously donated to make the fundraiser a success. Special thanks to Dorothy Flees for all her help! Participants also received generous grants from various sources to help cover their costs. A heartfelt thank-you to these won- derful organizations. Knights of Columbus $600 / St. Vincent de Paul Society $500 / St. John's PCCW $500 / Theresa LaMere Pro-Life Memorial Fund March for Life Dear Friends,
My hope and prayer is that there was much Joy and Peace in your Christmas celebrations. Remember, the Christmas season continues until the baptism of our Lord, the week after the Epiphany. As we begin this New Year, Christ the King is blessed to be marked as a stand-alone parish effective January 28th. This is a great opportunity for our parish family, but with any change there are many questions and concerns, and I thank you for sending in your surveys expressing this. 98%, of the replies have been very positive concerning the future investing in our facilities, and we have received over $22,000 thus far, which has been deposited into our savings account. Although I cannot directly address each and every concern, following are the most commonly expressed concerns and our response. From the surveys, the number one concern voiced is after investing in and building a new rectory, what happens if the decision is made not to have a full-time priest in the future? This is a valid concern, but it is something that could happen at any parish. If we choose to not invest in the future of our parish, we are sending a strong message to the bishop that we, the parish community, feel we are not ready to have a resident priest and are unsure if we can support ourselves. My friends, there are stand alone parishes smaller than Christ the King that are flourishing, and I am confidant, from the support already demonstrated, we will and can flourish as well. If for some reason this happens in the future, we will have a building that has offices for the secretary and for a priest to meet with parishioners; a rectory for the priest to stay at on weekends and Holy Days; a maintenance shop as things are always needing repairs in any parish; as well as storage for parish records, Christmas decorations, Vacation Bible Week supplies, and any other materials we don’t have room for now, all of which we do not have now except for the secretary office. The next most common concern was slowing down the process and renting while we do more research. The councils have researched many options, including remodeling of the current rectory. To bring the office up to code, which would be required, would include a complete removal of the sub floor, a handicap entrance, a handicap accessible bathroom, construction of an office for the pastor in addition to other requirements. In addition, it would result in a total rebuild on a small lot not allowing for a garage. The estimates to go this route is only about $10,000 less than building on a bigger lot with the facilities we need, and does not include any unknowns that may come up during remodeling. Renting would also mean paying someone else while we try to raise money for our own building project. This is a minimum of $500 a month going up to $750. If we do not build this year, we are looking at 16 months to complete the project, which is $8000 to $12,000 going to rent which we will not recoup. Using the Seaton center as an option for offices was considered as well. The main issue with this is space. Although the Seaton center is a large building, its primary function is for the students of our parish, and will continue to house our DRE, Deb Mlsna. There may be room for the secretary but not room for a pastor’s office or all the files we are required to keep for the diocesan records. Lastly, there is a question about why we are only counting on 200 contributors when we have 300 families. Out of our 300 families, we currently have 200 active envelope users. We are not intentionally excluding any members of our parish family, but experience throughout the diocese tells us that those actively using envelops or ACH donations are more likely to participate in a capital campaign. All parish members have received the survey and the invitation to join in this opportunity to build and strengthen our parish. If an individual is not financially able to make a commitment at this time, we ask for prayers for our parish, for without a strong spiritual foundation, no amount of physical structure will provide for the needs of God’s people. We simply used the 200 active families as a means to make an estimate as accurately as we are able, without engaging an outside campaign manager, which we do not feel would be a good investment of parish funds. If more than 200 respond, we will meet our goal much quicker, and will rebuild our emergency fund account in a timelier manner. Moving forward, we have received 6 bids from contractors, all very competitive with each other. This has given us confidence that we are not over-extending ourselves. The plans also include selling the current office/ rectory, but with a first refusal clause to purchase back the property if the situation presents itself at a later date. It is my prayer that a majority of our parish family sees this as the opportunity it is. Although there are no guarantees, together we can become the parish envisioned by the founders of Christ the King. I’m very excited in becoming your new pastor and look forward to many years of working together and serving you. Please feel free to reach out should you have any questions, Fr. Barry Meeting in preparation of 2020 “Annual Pancake Breakfast and Raffle” sponsored by Holy Name Society. We are requesting your help in: inserting tickets and message into envelopes in the mailing that goes out. We will be doing this task in the dining hall of church on Monday-January 13, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. Many hands will help to complete this task in a timely manner. We look forward to your help and seeing you. From the Pope
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Merry Christmas! From the womb of Mother Church, the incarnate Son of God is born anew this night. His name is Jesus, which means: “God saves”. The Father, eternal and infinite Love, has sent him into the world not to condemn the world but to save it (cf. Jn 3:17). The Father has given him to us with great mercy. He has given him to everyone. He has given him forever. The Son is born, like a small light flickering in the cold and darkness of the night. That Child, born of the Virgin Mary, is the Word of God made flesh. The Word who guided Abraham’s heart and steps towards the promised land, and who continues to draw to himself all those who trust in God’s promises. The Word who led the Hebrews on the journey from slavery to freedom and who continues to call the enslaved in every age, including our own, to come forth from their prisons. He is the Word brighter than the sun, made incarnate in a tiny son of man: Jesus the light of the world. Read More... Thank you for purchasing “Jars for Life” items Our Youth will be taking part in Pilgrimage for Life in Washington D.C. In January of 2020. Thanks for your generous support. THANK YOU: This is a special time of year, perhaps the one time of the year we have the opportunity to gather with some friends and family. It can become a very hectic time as well, with the various celebrations and other expectations, it can seem as if there simply is not enough time in a day nor days in a week to get it all in. Although it is impossible to isolate ourselves from all the material aspects of Christmas, we can always reserve some time for God; not only on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, but each day throughout the Christmas season. The birth of Christ is such a monumental event in the life of the Church, we celebrate his birth for eight days. In addition to this, the Christmas season extends to the baptism of the Lord. Perhaps take in an extra weekday Mass or two, and listen to the various Christmas stories that are told. If schedules prevent this, consider taking 10 minutes or so each day to read these stories in the Gospels, and reflect on this truly awesome event, and how God may be seeking your presence through this personal encounter with the baby Jesus. Each year we all experience so many blessings in our lives, and with reflection, even difficult times become grace filled events. Coming to Marshfield and Spencer has been and continues to be a time of special grace, serving the people of St John the Baptist and Christ the King. I would like to thank all those who sent cards, prayers and gifts this Christmas season. These are deeply appreciated. I held you up in a special way at my Christmas Mass in thanksgiving for such a wonderful community to serve. May God flood your hearts with His presence and blessings during this Christmas season and into the New Year. Fr Jim LIVING THE JOY OF THE HOLY FAMILY The Feast of the Holy Family celebrates the human family, as well as the ultimate family unit: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The feast, not a solemnity, is usually celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas. The Holy Family is the name given to the family of Jesus: The Divine Son of God, Jesus, his mother, the Virgin Mary, and his foster-father, Joseph. We know very little about the life of the Holy Family through the canonical Gospels, other than birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, and the finding of Jesus in the temple. Devotion to the Holy Family is a recent development, but one that naturally grows out of a love for Jesus and his family. Pope Emeritus Benedict promoted the feast as a way to counter the breakdown of the family, as this feast is not just about the Holy Family, but about our own families too. St. John Chrysostom urged all Christians to make each home a "family church," and in doing so, we sanctify the family unit. Just how does one live out the Church in the family? The best way is by making Christ the center of family and individual life. Some ways to do this include: reading scripture regularly, praying daily, attending Mass at least on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, imitating the actions of the Holy Family, going to confession frequently, and so forth, all done together as a family. In short, it is about becoming holy ourselves, in imitation of the Holy Family, striving to become the family God intends for you, living with greater love and joy every day. Happy New Year! Fr. Jim |
MASS SCHEDULE
Tuesday - Friday: 8:00 AM Saturday: 4:00 PM Sunday: 8:00 AM & 10:00 AM RECONCILIATION
Saturday: 3:15 - 3:45 PM OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Friday: 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM Stay Connected with Our ParishWelcome from Our PastorWelcome to Christ the King Catholic Church! Ever since 1938 this parish has been assisting souls in their quest for deeper union with God. Our mission statement is essentially found in the stained glass window above the main altar: “For Christ our King.” Insofar as God made us and we belong to Him, we have come to... Read More
Archives
February 2021
Categories
All
|