Blog Archives - Christ the King Church

Fatima Visionaries Francisco and Jacinta Will Be Proclaimed Saints

3/31/2017

News from the USCCB
Living as a People of God in Unsettled Times - WASHINGTON— The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Administrative Committee has issued the following pastoral reflection in solidarity with those who have been forced to flee their homes due to violence, conflict or fear in their native lands. In the statement, the bishops encourage each of us to do what we can to accompany migrants and refugees who seek a better life in the United States....Read More

News from the Pope:
Pope Francis: telegram of condolence for London attack - (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegram expressing his condolences to the victims of the terror attack at the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday, in which an attacker killed four people before armed police shot him dead....Read More

News from the Church:
Fatima Visionaries Francisco and Jacinta Marto Will Be Proclaimed Saints - On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blesseds Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions. The Pope approved the miracle in a March 23 audience with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which he advanced six other causes, approving one other miracle, two causes for martyrdom and three causes of heroic virtue...Read more

Shadow Stations coming up

3/30/2017

Shadow Stations This Lent, we will be presenting the passion of our Lord using a multimedia method known as Shadow Stations. We need both young people AND adults to help bring to life this dramatic performance. A cast of ~ 12 young people grades 6-12 will learn and share this prior to Easter. We also need help with music. Practice will begin Thursday, March 23rd. There will be one presentation at 6:30pm April 12 at the Marshfield Sr. High Auditorium.

World Youth Day 2019 in Panama update The next World Youth Day gathering will be in Panama in 2019. Because it will be in January, we will not be organizing a pilgrimage but are instead looking at offering a for- eign mission trip in the summer of 2019. If you have any other questions, please contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber.

Help with Feed My Starving Children Program Apr. 20-22 Join with others from our parish family to help assemble food packs for starving children around the world. This year’s goal for this community-wide effort is to have 1500 volunteers of all ages to pack 273,292 meals!! It will be held at Zion United Methodist (by Menard’s). We have three time slots reserved. Th 4/20, 6:30-8:30pm / Fr 4/21, 4-6pm / Sa 4/22, 8-10am Contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber to reserve spots.

CATHOLIC Adventure Camp July 9-14. This is for teens currently in grades 6-12. Crosswoods Christian Adventure Camp, located south of Ashland, has been reserved for the Diocese of LaCrosse! This high adventure week will offer you the chance for rock climbing, repelling, canoeing, mountain bike riding, low ropes and high ropes, adventure trails, hiking, and time for prayer, the sacraments and reflection on God’s marvelous creation. The total cost will be about $400 for youth and $200 for adults. Signup soon. Financial help is available. If you have any other questions, please contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber.

From the Desk of Father Martin, March 26

3/29/2017

Praised be Jesus Christ! “We are a small parish and all we have we offer to You.” These words are engrained in our hearts be- cause we pray them every time we gather for Mass on the Lord’s Day. My understanding is that a vocation committee was formed by Father Paul Gitter in the early 1990s and they were the ones who authored this beautiful prayer. And thank God for the mani- fest fruits that this prayer has helped to produce: Sister Karol Marie, Deacon Jeff Austin, Deacon Aaron Becker, and Aspirant Faith Becker. Jesus told us to beg the harvest master to send out laborers for His harvest (Matthew 9:37) and praise God, it is working! Lest we think our work is done, please know we are only getting started. Because every baptized person is called to live a holy life, Lent is a time for us to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we are truly doing God’s will. Because we are a small parish, we need each parishioner to pull his weight. This week- end, thanks to an initiative originating in the Sacred Worship committee, we’re inviting you to consider some of the concrete ways of serving our parish. For example, we could use more Ex- traordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, lectors, and ushers. Before you stop reading and conclude, “well, that’s just not for me,” let me tell you how these positions help us to pray better and what they entail. Ushers are obviously a position of indispensable service as they help folks find a place to sit – yes, they do have the unenviable task of asking people to sit closer to the front of church, which is always a very dangerous place! Our ushers also are kind and welcoming so that a person’s 1st impression of Christ the King is that this is wonderful parish that makes me feel want- ed and at home. The ushers help put out chairs in the gathering area for our elderly or for families with young children; they also help tepid souls who are afraid of Father Sedlacek to go ahead and sit as far away from the altar as possible. The ushers take up the collection so that we can continue to reach out to others and help them find God and trust in His love. Lastly, the ushers are available with our bulletins after Mass so that you can receive the spiritual formation and parish news that help you stay plugged in. Lectors have the august privilege of proclaiming God’s Word and for those who participate, they are blessed with deeper love of Scripture as well as deeper insight. Public speaking is not every- one’s forte, but most of us did it for the first time because we were pressed into service. For example, my Dad was a lector and on a weekend when he was scheduled to work (he then went to the vigil Mass on Saturday evening), I read in his place on Sunday morning. Somehow that’s all it took for my name to appear on the next lectors’ schedule! Last but far from least is the service of Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. This is one of our greatest privileges – to bring the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to the people He loves so much. As the commissioning prayer puts it, “may they faithfully bring the bread of life to Your people. Strengthened by this sacrament, may they come at last to the banquet of Heaven.” We will provide the training for this ministry and for those who participate, a deeper love of Our Lord is one of the first blessings you will receive. Please pray about these spir- itual opportunities – ask God if He is calling you to serve Him and His people in this way.

Dear God, we are a small parish, and all that we have we offer to You!

Your friend in Christ, Father Martin

Urgent need in "Music Ministry"

3/28/2017

Holy Week participants needed:
Holy Thursday-April 13th * 12 participants for “Washing of the Feet” * Eucharistic Adoration after mass * 8 pm mass ministry participants * Good Friday-April 14th * 1 pm service ministry participants * Holy Saturday– April 15th * Decorating of church @ 9 am * 8:30 pm mass ministry participants * Easter Sunday - April 16 * 8 am mass ministry participants * 10 am mass ministry participants *** Sign up sheets have been placed on table in gathering room of church *** Your help is greatly appreciated.
Parishioners of Christ the King * there is an “URGENT” need for your assistance in the “Ministry of Music” and to be part of your parish choir or choir leader as cantors at all the weekend masses. All questions and interest can be addressed to the choir members at the mass you attend. We welcome you to participate!

St Martha’s Circle Annual Bake Sale * Kids Hall in Spencer * also taking place “Group Garage Sale” on * Thursday March 30 (8am-6pm) * Friday March 31 (8am-6 pm) and Saturday April 1 (8am-3pm) * Members of St Martha’s Circle will be contacted by their chairladies (Amy Duerr/Lisa Lehman) to provide baked items for this sale, your baked items can be taken to the Kid’s Hall on Wednesday-March 29th starting @ noon until 7pm. Thank you.

Holy Family Prayer Icon - The Knights of Columbus is again hosting the Holy Family Prayer Icon. The image is a copy of the original Icon which features an etching of the Holy Family by the 18th century artist Giovanni Balestra. Fr. John Eisen Council will have the Icon in the Marshfield area from March 26th to April 1st. This picture will be @ Christ the King Parish on Thursday morning, March 30, 2017. Plan to attend the 8:30 am mass and than view this Holy Family Icon after mass.

Communal Penance Services @ Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Mfld. on Thursday-March 30, 2017 at 5:30 p.m.
"Are you interested in living the Divine Mercy message more fully? Come and see on Thursday, March 30th at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Mfld. following the 5:30 Communal Penance service. At 7:00 p.m. on the 30th, Sister Mary Veronica Fitch will meet in Dillenburg Hall at Our Lady of Peace with all people who want to learn more about Divine Mercy and the religious community and the lay association she would like to form. She welcomes emails at FSofDivineMercy@gmail.com.

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent

3/26/2017

Here is the homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent from St. John the Baptist Church:

Click here to listen

Meet the American Monks Who Might Re-Evangelize Ireland

3/24/2017

News from the USCCB
Bishops Welcome Constructive Dialogue In Congress To Protect Creation And Address Climate Change - WASHINGTON— Bishop Frank J. Dewane and Bishop Oscar Cantú welcomed a new resolution introduced in Congress yesterday, March 15, by a group of Republican legislators. "The U.S. bishops welcome the commitment of a group of members of Congress to engage in constructive dialogue to protect our common home and to recognize the impact of climate change," said Bishop Dewane in response to the announcement of the Congressional resolution sponsored by several members in the House of Representatives, including Congresswoman Elise Stefanik....Read More

News from the Pope:
Pope Francis: three characteristics of a good confessor - (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Friday with participants at an annual course on the internal forum, organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary.In his words to the group, the Pope spoke about the formation of good confessors, focusing on three characteristics which should guide their work....Read More

News from the Church:
Meet the American Monks Who Might Re-Evangelize Ireland - DUBLIN — Local Catholics have too often been used to nothing but bad news about religious life in Ireland: Whether it’s the punishing revelations about past abuses in institutions run by religious orders or the dearth of vocations, the picture has often seemed bleak. But news that a new monastery has been established in the Diocese of Meath — the first in that diocese since the Reformation — is raising hopes for a new springtime in religious life in the island once dubbed the “Land of Saints and Scholars.”...Read more

Help with Feed My Starving Children Program

3/23/2017

Shadow Stations This Lent, we will be presenting the passion of our Lord using a multimedia method known as Shadow Stations. We need both young people AND adults to help bring to life this dramatic performance. A cast of ~ 12 young people grades 6-12 will learn and share this prior to Easter. We also need help with music. Practice will begin Thursday, March 23rd. There will be one presentation at 6:30pm April 12 at the Marshfield Sr. High Auditorium.

World Youth Day 2019 in Panama update The next World Youth Day gathering will be in Panama in 2019. Because it will be in January, we will not be organizing a pilgrimage but are instead looking at offering a for- eign mission trip in the summer of 2019. If you have any other questions, please contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber.

Help with Feed My Starving Children Program Apr. 20-22 Join with others from our parish family to help assemble food packs for starving children around the world. This year’s goal for this community-wide effort is to have 1500 volunteers of all ages to pack 273,292 meals!! It will be held at Zion United Methodist (by Menard’s). We have three time slots reserved. Th 4/20, 6:30-8:30pm / Fr 4/21, 4-6pm / Sa 4/22, 8-10am Contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber to reserve spots.

CATHOLIC Adventure Camp July 9-14. This is for teens currently in grades 6-12. Crosswoods Christian Adventure Camp, located south of Ashland, has been reserved for the Diocese of LaCrosse! This high adventure week will offer you the chance for rock climbing, repelling, canoeing, mountain bike riding, low ropes and high ropes, adventure trails, hiking, and time for prayer, the sacraments and reflection on God’s marvelous creation. The total cost will be about $400 for youth and $200 for adults. Signup soon. Financial help is available. If you have any other questions, please contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber.

From the Desk of Father Martin, March 19

3/22/2017

Praised be Jesus Christ! Saint Philip Neri lived in Rome in the 16th century and was one of the most loving and lovable saints the Eter- nal City has ever seen. He was a great confessor who truly helped his people to trust in the Lord and His infinite mercy. But St. Philip Neri could be tough too – maybe you’ve heard the true story of the penance he gave a person who was famous for spreading gossip. He told him to take a feather pillow to the top of the church bell tower, rip it open, and allow the wind to blow all of the feathers away. Once the parishioner complied and returned to tell Neri “mission accomplished,” it was then that Neri revealed the rest of the penance: “now go and gather each and every feather.” The penitent was crestfallen and said that such a task was impossible – and so St. Philip Neri made the point that damaging the reputation of others by our words does irretrievable harm. As you recall, we’re meditating this Lent on the Ten Commandments: this week we begin with “Thou shall not kill.” Sounds relatively easy until you consider all the ways we can damage others by our words, our slights, and our lack of Christian charity. A few weeks ago we heard Jesus say that it is not enough to merely abstain from mur- der; we’re also not to harbor grudges or speak derisively about people we dislike. A merely hypothetical scenario would be folks who say mean things about our elected officials – for people who want to grow closer to God, this sort of behavior undermines our efforts. And to put an even finer point on it, Saint James writes in his epistle, “no human being can tame the tongue . . . . with it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the likeness of God,” (James 3:7, 9). Moving on to the 6th Com- mandment, we’re told that “Thou shall not commit adultery.” Our world makes this a challenge because of all the sources of impurity and occasions for lust. Now remember that adultery begins long before we formally break our vows – Jesus said it begins in the heart when we indulge selfish desires for carnal pleasure. Saint John of the Cross insightfully stated once that “what the eye does not see, the heart does not want.” Custody of the eyes is key for anyone who wants to protect the desires of the heart. You may have noticed that some states are making pornography illegal (e.g. Utah), which is a step in the right direction. For people struggling with the desires of the flesh, the most important factor is to bring it out into the light – i.e. tell a priest in the confessional. Anything we hide from God becomes a favorite hiding place of the devil. He will provide you with a litany of excuses as to why these sins are “no big deal” and “everybody does it” and “after all, it’s not hurting anybody.” Never forget that Satan is the “father of lies” and will only lead us to the prison of addiction, which is always a living hell. Also apropos of adultery is the seductive trap of contraception, which made extra-marital affairs much more feasible. When he courageously taught that contraception was against the will of God in Humanae vitae, Pope Paul VI predicted that widespread use of contraception would lead to an increase in marital infidelity. Only the greatest of ignorance could feign surprise that this prophecy has sadly come true over and over again. These days contraception promises sex without babies, while many of the immoral reproductive practices (e.g. in vitro fertilization) promise babies with- out sex. Thank God for the reassurance Saint Paul gives us in his letter to the Romans: “Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more,” (Romans 5:20).

God, help us to be pure of heart so that we may see You in every person we meet!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin

Holy Week Participants Needed

3/21/2017

Holy Week participants needed:
Holy Thursday-April 13th * 12 participants for “Washing of the Feet” * Eucharistic Adoration after mass * 8 pm mass ministry participants * Good Friday-April 14th * 1 pm service ministry participants * Holy Saturday– April 15th * Decorating of church @ 9 am * 8:30 pm mass ministry participants * Easter Sunday - April 16 * 8 am mass ministry participants * 10 am mass ministry participants *** Sign up sheets have been placed on table in gathering room of church *** Your help is greatly appreciated.

Holy Family Prayer Icon - The Knights of Columbus is again hosting the Holy Family Prayer Icon. The image is a copy of the original Icon which features an etching of the Holy Family by the 18th century artist Giovanni Balestra. Fr. John Eisen Council will have the Icon in the Marshfield area from March 26th to April 1st. This picture will be @ Christ the King Parish on Thursday morning, March 30, 2017. Plan to attend the 8:30 am mass and than view this Holy Family Icon after mass.

Communal Penance Services @ Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Mfld. on Thursday-March 30, 2017 at 5:30 p.m.
"Are you interested in living the Divine Mercy message more fully? Come and see on Thursday, March 30th at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Mfld. following the 5:30 Communal Penance service. At 7:00 p.m. on the 30th, Sister Mary Veronica Fitch will meet in Dillenburg Hall at Our Lady of Peace with all people who want to learn more about Divine Mercy and the religious community and the lay association she would like to form. She welcomes emails at FSofDivineMercy@gmail.com.

Save the date: Our next parish pilgrimage (God willing) is tentatively scheduled for April 16-26, 2018. The date could change a day on either end, depending on flight confirmation. We’ll start in Paris, then fly to Lourdes, then bus from Lourdes across Spain from east to west, ending in Fatima and flying home from Lisbon. Cost will be in the range of $3,000.00.

Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent

3/20/2017

Here is the homily for the Third Sunday of Lent from St. John the Baptist Church:

Click here to listen

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 Parish

Welcome from Our Pastor

Welcome 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

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