 Mass for the Anointing of the Sick will be held on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 6:40 PM A sign up sheet has been placed in the gathering room for those who desire the sacrament Usually we combine Anointing of the Sick and Opening Mass with the Reli- gious Education students but this year we will only be offering the AnointingMass. Studentswillnotbe present except for those in grade 8
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 “The last will be first and the first will be last” Those are words we don’t like to hear too often, at least I don’t. I feel I work hard to lead a life that I can be proud of. I feel I choose things because they are the right thing to choose. I feel my moral compass is one that see’s both sides of the story and my prayer life is one that unites me to God. And then I hear the words from this weeks Gospel, “the last will be first and the first will be last”? So, I sit with these words and contemplate them. Then it comes to meGod is talking about some- one else. Those “other” people who don’t do his will. “Those” people who put themselves first and don’t do for or help others. I can finally fall asleep knowing I got the message! Then I get a slap on the back of my head from the Holy Spirit and I hear “you hypocrite”. This isn’t for anyone else but you! WHAT!! You see, if after hearing this story we only see ourselves as the ones who worked a whole day and therefore deserve more, we are in a dangerous place spiritually ... the place in which we are convinced that WE aren’t the problem, that WE are doing it right, that WE are always pleasing to God. It’s starting to sound like the Pharisees, right? And this could not be further from the truth. My friends, we aren’t the ones who have given God a full day’s work. We are the ones who have only given God a little effort, a little work, a little time, a little bit of ourselves. We are people who don’t love unconditionally. We are people who aren’t always generous. We are people who don’t always show mercy and compassion. Simply put, we are sinners, flawed people who are often unwilling to fully embrace the lives God is inviting us to live. How can we change that? Adoration, devotionals, dedicated time to prayer? It’s different for each of us. But when God is at the center of all that we do...yes even sitting in a movie or out skiing on the lake, we involve him in our decisions. That leads into an announcement from our Wisconsin Bishops and Bishop Callahan. With much prayer, much hate mail and many conversations from priests and laity alike, the return to Mass is forthcoming. The diocese of La Crosse will be the last diocese to resume Masses and stop the dispensation. Effective October 4, 2020, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, our diocese will resume Masses and the dispensation to not attend will be lifted. The Bishop’s letter states this: “Many of the notes, emails, and phone calls that have been received at my office indicate an equal share of anxiety and concern. The lifting of the dispensation and the return to full in-person attendance also seems to lift the ban on 25% occupancy, etc. None of the bishops wants to place any of our priests or the faithful in jeopardy of COVID-19. The return to in-person celebration, as best we can, will and must take into consideration the general fear that many of our people seem to have right now about going out in public. So many fears weigh heavily on our minds and hearts right now – the pandemic, the political situation, civil unrest, and economic pressures. In this frame work it would make sense for us to pray and huddle close to Source and Summit of our Salvation, the Eucharistic Presence of our Blessed Lord. We must, however, approach the Throne of Mercy and Grace with open minds and common sense. We must not abandon care and prudence in our eagerness to return to ‘normal.’ It is clear we are not completely ‘out of the woods’ just yet. Although the Feast of St. Francis is the proposed date to lift the dispensation from the obligation for the Diocese of La Crosse, we will continue to monitor the situation closely, to determine future action.” - Bishop Callahan With this mandate from our bishop, I will discontinue live streaming Mass on the 4th of October. I do understand that some of you are not ready to come back, but we will take every precaution to make Mass a healthy place for everyone. Every other pew will remain unoccupied. 6 feet distancing will continue for communion and face mask will be provided for those without one and will be strongly encouraged. We will also take advantage of our live view in the basement with communion being brought down-stairs if needed. I feel we are ready to resume Masses. Faith and trust in our Lord, along with the common sense Bishop Callahan referred to, will allow us to worship our Almighty God in his presence. Precautions are in place and safety is a top priority. This along with God’s grace will get us through this pandemic. Have a blessed week and as always, my door is always open with your concerns should you need me. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. Barry 
 That Man is You! men's group will begin meeting on Wednesday, September 16th, at 6 am in Dillenberg Hall in the basement of O.L.P. church. There is a new program from That Man is You! this year, with a promising list of speakers and topics. As in the past, there will be a little social time in the morning, a video presentation of about 1/2 hour, then group discussion until about 7:15, when we end so everyone can get to work or the rest of their day. We'll be socially distancing and masking in accordance with state and diocese guidance, and will probably offer a minimal breakfast (or none), at least for the first few weeks. Please feel free to join us!  From the desk of Fr. Barry
How did August go? I have to say that this last month has been a breath of fresh air. Not driving back and forth from St. John’s to Christ the King and then back again is a true blessing. One in which I hadn’t really realized how much time was actually taken up in the car. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this a reality! As the finishing touches continue on the rectory and offices, we have a structure that will serve our community and future priests for many years to come. So how did the construction phase go? Pleasantly well! Our initial predications were that the cost of the offices and rectory would be $200K, building on a slab. It was realized that we didn’t really have any storage on property; Christmas trees, Lent, and Vocation Bible School supplies were all stored off property. One of our parish families saw this need and covered the cost of a basement to be added, $26K. With the new addition of the basement along with the maintenance shop, and widening (handicap accessible) the original plans to allow for the hallway in the office area, our bid for building was $250. Above and beyond that would be sewer hookup, permit fees and excavation of the land. I’m happy to say our final cost of construction, with discounts from the various contractors, is $246,084! To pay for the project, we had initially counted on our savings account, $80K. The sale of the old rectory would add $70K. That meant we would need to raise $100K from our parish families. After the kick off, the Knights of Columbus graciously presented us with a check for $50K from the sale of their hall. This left us with $50K to raise. I am happy to say that we have paid for all construction costs with a total of 131 families contributing to phase one (we have 325 registered families). Phase two has 70 families pledging to rebuild the savings account held at the diocese over the next 3 years. With that said, we did not end up going into our savings account to the extent as previously predicted. Our balance in savings is over $40K and with the pledges recorded, we will be over our initial amount of $80,000 in our savings at the end of the 3-year mark! Your generosity and sacrifice will serve this parish for many, many years to come. What does life look like for me now that I am living on this property. Well, daily Mass requires me to get up at 6 now instead of 5:30 (no more drive, woohoo!). Nights that I have evening meetings now allows me to relax in between, whereas before I hung out in the Seton Center until they began. 14-hour days allows me to get in a nap in the afternoon, I was getting crabby without these!! Life is good! With the new school year beginning, the middle school as been eliminated from my responsibilities by Bishop Callahan. This means I now am responsible only for the high school, while Fr. Daniel Williams will assume responsibility for the middle school. I will celebrate Mass on Tuesdays for the high school every other week and will be at Columbus Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 8 – 2:45. This also helps the parish off- set my salary, as Columbus pays 25% of that expense. So in answer to my question, August was a blessed month! This was in part because of many of you. Your love and commitment to Christ the King is a joy to witness and be a part of. The dedication of so many in stepping up to the varied changes we have experienced during COVID-19 is a testimony of your love for God and His Church. You make me proud to say I am from Christ the King. Fr. Barry |
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 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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