News from the USCCB
Cardinal Dolan Applauds Administration for Withdrawing Funding to UNFPA’s Coercive Abortion/Sterilization Program - WASHINGTON–Cardinal Timothy Dolan, chair of the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities, welcomed the State Department's April 4th announcement that it will withhold federal funding from the U.N. Population Fund ("UNFPA") because UNFPA monies go to Chinese agencies that perform forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations. The Administration's decision invokes the 1985 Kemp-Kasten Amendment against funding organizations involved in coercive population programs. Millions of taxpayer dollars will now be redirected to maternal health and non-abortion reproductive health programs in developing countries....Read More News from the Pope: 'Via Crucis for crucified women' in solidarity with victims of sex trade - (Vatican Radio) Men and women of goodwill of the diocese of Rome are to walk the ‘Way of the Cross’ in solidarity with all women victims of human trafficking on Friday evening...Read More News from the Church: Restored Tomb of Christ Ready for Easter Pilgrims - JERUSALEM — The successful completion of vital repair and restoration projects at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem reflects a new era of cooperation between the churches’ major stakeholders. Despite turf battles dating back centuries, the Franciscan Order (known as the “Latins” or Roman Catholics) and the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Churches that share and maintain both the Church of the Nativity and Church of the Holy Sepulcher set aside their differences to ensure vital repairs could be carried out...Read more
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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. BASEBALL FANS: Save the date: Thursday-July 20, 2017 for our “Parish Family Night” with the Wausau Woodchucks, organized by the Family Life Committee. Watch the weekend bulletin in June for the sign up details.
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! Praised be Jesus Christ! Once I was taking a course that was comprised of one other priest and a half a dozen seminarians. I re- member the enthusiasm of the seminarians as they frequently asked about the joys and sorrows of the life they would soon be living. One day these future priests were discussing whether they’d be able to handle all the hard work that would be expected of them. At this point the other priest immediately interjected: “All that work – it’s not worth it. What’s the point of wearing yourself out when all you’ll get out of it is a nice funeral and a few kind words from the Bishop. You’re better off pacing yourself and living a full life.” Without judging that priest, I always thought his statement revealed a divided heart, one that was not totally given to the vocation he was living. For the record, my heart is divided too – that’s what the last two Commandments are all about: coveting neighbor and our neighbor’s goods. An undivided heart is one that truly loves God above all things and our neighbor as our self. Because we are fallen creatures, we covet many things and people that lead us away from God and the happiness that He alone can give. These two Commandments give us the chance to briefly distinguish between envy and jealousy. The former is a deadly sin and ultimately led Cain to kill his brother Abel. Envy is basically pain at another’s good fortune. Some of us experienced this when we were passed over in athletics or academics. Others feel threatened by the beauty or popularity of people and want to bring them down a notch. Envy can also take the form of schadenfreude, which is the pleasure we derive from another person’s misfortune. For example, O.J. Simpson’s fall from grace was a sad moment that caused some people to rejoice as we witnessed the self-destruction of a high- profile person. Coveting a person’s things can be an expression of envy, which is always sinful because it leads to resentment and even hatred. On the other hand, coveting can be mere jealousy, which is still disordered but not nearly as dangerous. I kiddingly tell folks that jealousy is what people experience when they see my car – i.e. they’d love to have one just like it! Envy is the seething resentment that another person has something or simply that they are happy, whereas jealousy is a milder form of coveting that is not nearly as dangerous. Coveting things is less dangerous than coveting people – the latter is nicely conveyed in the lyrics from Cheap Trick’s song “I Want You to Want Me.” Have you ever felt “wanted” by someone – it’s certainly an ego trip and something that can dazzle us because of our innate insecurity. But wanting a person and loving a person are very different things and God teaches us to hold out for love. People who live covetously are like locusts that move across a field, consuming every- thing in their path without ever really finding satisfaction. Saint Ignatius discovered this while recovering from a war injury and subsequently wrote his famous Spiritual Exercises. Ignatius realized that we have infinite desires but that we try to satisfy them with finite things. This is the source of a lot of unhappiness in our world. Remember the tippler from The Little Prince? He was asked why he drank . . . “to forget.” “To forget what?” “That I drink.” Thank God that Jesus came to break the cycle and show us the way to the Father, Who alone satisfies the hungry heart! May this Holy Week help us and heal us in the most vulnerable places in our hearts! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin News from the USCCB
U.S. Bishops Chairman Opposes Environmental Executive Order - WASHINGTON— "The USCCB, in unity with Pope Francis, strongly supports environmental stewardship and has called consistently for 'our own country to curtail carbon emissions,'" said Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, in response to the order. "This Executive Order places a number of environmental protections in jeopardy and moves the U.S. away from a national carbon standard, all without adopting a sufficient plan for ensuring proper care for people and creation. Yesterday's action means that, sadly, the United States is unlikely to meet its domestic and international mitigation goals."....Read More News from the Pope: Pope appeals for protection for Iraqi civilians trapped in war - (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appealed for a concerted effort to protect Iraqi civilians who are victims of the ongoing bloody war in their nation and he prayed in particular for those who are trapped in the embattled city of Mosul. Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes are fighting to clear Islamic State militants from Iraq's second city where the coalition allegedly had a role in a March bombing which killed over 200 people...Read More News from the Church: This Man's Ear Was Miraculously Healed, Thanks to St. Katharine Drexel - St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955) is founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and is known for founding schools and missions to serve blacks and Indians. She was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988 and canonized in 2000. Bob Gutherman of Bristol Township, Pennsylvania was present for both ceremonies. Not only is he personally devoted to Mother Katharine, but it was the miraculous healing of his eardrum through her intercession which provided the first of two miracles which led to her being declared a saint....Read more 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. Praised be Jesus Christ! “Liar, liar, pants on fire, your nose is longer than a telephone wire” – did you ever say that to someone you sus- pected of lying when you were a kid? It turns out that these are lyr- ics from a song by The Castaways which dates back to 1965. In case you missed the past few weeks, we’re considering the Ten Com- mandments and this week it’s time to look at stealing (#7) and lying (#8). It makes sense for these sins to be neighbors because there can certainly be overlap. I remember reading an editorial years ago written by a brazen journalist that suggested calling in sick when you just don’t feel like going to work. That would qualify as both lying and stealing – the latter insofar as our employers have a right to a certain amount of work from us. Speaking of stealing, given that we’re now in the throes of tax season, the temptation to cut corners and rationalize it is irresistible for many people. The problem with stealing is that we justify it with excuses that are at best flimsy, at worst outright lies. Yes, we sometimes lament how our tax dollars are being spent; thinking of our money equipping Planned Parenthood to sell aborted fetal parts to the University of Wisconsin rightly disheartens us. However, no true reform can come about by cheating or lying – two wrongs do not a right make. One of the best movies for illustrating the dangers of cheating is titled “The Emper- or’s Club” and came out in 2002. A student named Sedgewick Bell decides at one point to run for public office. When confronted by his teacher who suspects he is cheating, Sedgewick admits it and then explains that he will do whatever it takes to win the election, wheth- er it’s lying or cheating. His teacher, Mr. Hundert, responds in these words: “All of us, at some point, are forced to look at ourselves in the mirror, and see who we really are. And when that day comes for you, Sedgewick, you will be confronted with a life lived without virtue, without principle. And for that I pity you.” Oh yes, a man’s character is his fate (Heraclitus); or to quote Oscar Wilde, “the problem isn’t so much what you do, it’s what you become.” People who do not repent from lying become liars, and those who consistently steal become thieves. God’s grace would rescue us from these fates and the beau- tiful scene at Calvary of the “good” thief reaching out to Jesus and asking Him to “remember me when you come into your kingdom,” gives hope to any and all who struggle in this way. Just the same, Lent is the time for us to allow God’s pure light to shine in the dark- ness of our hearts. Whether we cheat or lie or steal things that do not belong to us, these are sins that corrupt us and damage our abil- ity to give and receive love. Sometimes we think that it’s not wrong if we don’t get caught. Please forgive another movie scene, this one from “God’s Not Dead” which came out in 2014. The following dia- logue requires no additional explanation: Mark says to Mina’s moth- er, “You prayed and believed your whole life. Never done anything wrong. And here you are. You’re the nicest person I know. I am the meanest. You have dementia. My life is perfect. Explain that to me!” Mina’s mother, in a moment of lucidity, responds, “Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble because he doesn’t want them turning to God. Their sin is like a jail cell, except it is all nice and comfy and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to leave. The door’s wide open. Till one day, time runs out, and the cell door slams shut, and suddenly it’s too late.” Thankfully, if you’re reading this, it’s not too late . . . . but neither is it too early to open your heart to God in confession. What will you tell God if you fail to go to con- fession this year? That you didn’t have a chance? “Liar, liar, pants on fire . . .” May God give us true sorrow for our sins, which leads not to discouragement but to an everlasting hope! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin * Evenings of Recollection * Take note: that for Lent there will take place “40 hours Devotion” @ St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Mfld starting @ 4 p.m. on Thursday-April 6th . There will be no service @ Christ the King as previously scheduled. A 40 Hours Devotion Schedule has been placed as an insert in this weekend’s bulletin . You are extended an invitation to participate.
REMINDER to Parishioners * 24 Hour Eucharistic Adoration – 2017 - First Friday – April 7 through April 8 ** Starting at 9 am on Friday an ending at 9 am on Saturday) Note: There will be a prayer petition book placed out the week prior to our First Friday Eucharistic Adoration. Anyone wishing to have petitions offered during Adoration may enter their petition into the book and they will be prayed for. Atten- tion: Church doors are locked @ 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. if you are coming to pray during this time please knock on door (under carport) 5 minutes before the start of each hour and you will be let in by person already inside of church. Our Annual Spring cleaning of the church in preparation for the Easter Season is taking place on Thursday – April 6. We are in need of your time and talent to help at these times 9 a.m. or 6 p.m. A sign-up sheet has been placed @ table, in gathering room. 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.
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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
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