From the Desk of Fr. Barry: Although this will be heard by some of you, I thought I would include my homily here so those who don’t have internet could see it. Happy Palm Sunday and remember to pick up your palms in Church Sunday from 11am to 2pm. Sorry for the punctuation but wanted to fit it all on one page. It seems like we were just here. Oh, I don’t mean in this church. I mean at the base of a hill, a lonely hill, a daunting hill. Here we are ... looking up at a hill we’d rather not climb. In fact, it’s a hill we would probably trade anything and everything to NOT have to walk up. Weren’t we just here? Not that long ago we celebrated another Easter ... another celebration of joy and family and new life. A celebration of God’s great love for us, perfectly shown through the life and person of Jesus ... a life that led him up this same hill. And here we stand again. Surrounded in different circumstanc- es, but still experiencing Jesus once again reaching out to us ... asking us to make the journey with him. Weren’t we just here? What happened? Wasn’t everything supposed to be different? Wasn’t Easter sup- posed to have changed everything? Are we really being asked to climb this hill again? And next year? And the year after that? And the one after that? My friends, the reason we are standing at the foot of this hill once again is because the journey we are about to take this week is not a one-time thing. It certainly was for Jesus. That much is true. Jesus gave his life on that hill once and for all and for all-time. This singular act of love changed absolutely everything and unleashed on this world a power beyond our wildest imagination. And while this act might have been singular for Jesus, our participation in this act is anything but. You see, what we are about to enter into this holiest of weeks is nothing short of the pattern of each and every human life – a template for the journey each human being makes, but one that has special meaning for the followers of Jesus. And just because we are confined to our homes, that doesn’t mean we are to sit back and do noth- ing. To forget about Church and what this Holy Season means to each of us. It’s a time to be involved, a time to bond closer to our families, but importantly to a God that gave everything to us. We take this journey knowing that there will be many times throughout our lives ... in some cases daily ... in which we will once again find ourselves at the bottom of this hill ... facing some sort of difficulty, some sort of heartache, some sort of challenge, some sort of tragedy ...you could even say we are in that time right now. And Jesus will ask us once again to follow in the steps he first made two thousand years ago. And we are asked not to simply try to avoid the challenges in our paths, but to embrace them. We are asked not to try to bury our sorrow but to work through the pain. We are asked not to give up in the face of disappointment but to con- tinue placing our feet directly in Jesus’ footsteps. And we are asked not to ignore our sin, or deny our sin, but to bring it to the light, take responsibility for it, and allow the healing love of God to bring about some- thing beautiful from the ashes of it. We do so not because we don’t have a choice, but precisely because we do. We do so because we believe, in faith, that the top of the hill is not the end of the story, the pain and suffering are not the end of the story, the sorrow and loneliness are not the end of the story. And that my dear friends gives us courage – courage to accept our imperfect lives that don’t always work out as we had planned, accept a world that sometimes hurts us rather than heals us, accept uncertainty rather than know every step and every outcome. That’s what this week is all about ... taking Jesus’ hand ... and letting him take ours ... and walking with him up this lonely hill together. Doing so is an act of faith. Doing so is an act of trust. Doing so is an act of love. May we have the courage to make this journey this Holy Week with the Lord ... but not just this week, or this season, but every single day ... every time we find ourselves in need of another Easter morning. Blessings, Fr. Barry
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From the Desk of Fr. Barry: My heart is broken over what is transpiring as of late. When I was ordained, I took my responsibilities very seriously, bringing the Sacraments to each of you is not only my responsibility but is also my passion and brings me much joy. With what has been man- dated by the State and also reiterated by Bishop Callahan, I wanted each of you to know what will transpire over the next few months and how we are responding here at Christ the King. With the closure of all schools, restaurant dining rooms, bars and gatherings of over 10 people, we have had to suspend Masses until further notice. At this point we don’t know how long that will be, but we are expecting further out than May. So here is what to expect at Christ the King in the coming months:
Fr. Barry From the desk of Fr. Barry:
Before we get into the readings from this weekend, First, thank you! I wanted to give you a quick update on the sale of the current rectory. It did indeed sell and we have closed on the property netting $72,227! With the $50,000 from the Knights of Columbus, donations of $46,675 ... these total $168,902. We will use the $80,000 from our diocese savings account to cover the remaining balance ($48,000 has already been pledged to replenish this over the next 3 years). This leaves us being able to pay for the rectory/office/maintenance shop in full. This does not include appliances, office furniture for the secretary (my office furniture has been donated by a parishioner from St. John’s), window treatments, pavement for the walkway and driveway, permits, gas and electric hook-up fees, or landscaping. I am amazed and blessed by the generous hearts of those of you who have given so graciously and for the sacrifices you have made in making this a reality. We are also blessed for all the prayers from those who were not able to give. Without those prayers we would not be where we are today. We have not reached our goal of 200 families yet, but I am confident that with those donations we will reach 100% of our goal to cover the remaining costs by the time construction is completed. Those of us of a certain age ... and maybe some younger people who enjoy musical theater, will remember the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, from the 1950s, based on a book by James Michener. It’s about U.S. troops stationed on an island during World War II. As with all musicals there are many songs throughout the play and/or film ... some romantic ballads, some upbeat numbers, a silly song or two ... the usual assortment. But one song really stands out as best expressing the heart of the story. It is called “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught.” In this song, a soldier struggling with feelings for a native girl, sings about prejudice ... and how we often grow up to have the same attitudes as the people most important to us ... especially our parents. It’s a touching and painful song, but it reveals some deep truths about why we often think the way we think. Could someone’s sin make another person blind? You bet. But God is NOT responsible for it. He is not the cause of it. We are. We take our own harmful attitudes, our own sinful thoughts, our own hatred and bitterness and cynicism and greed and dishonesty and we pass it on to others. To sons and daughters. To spouses. To siblings. To friends. To neighbors. To co-workers. Maybe not always intentionally. Maybe without us even being aware that we are doing it. But many of us ... sadly ... do it nonetheless. Maybe all of us to one degree or another. And the cycle continues. Our own blindness becomes someone else’s blindness. And so, as we travel through Lent, as we take a deep look within ourselves, as we strive to name and root out our sin ... let’s be sure to see our “blindness” as something that needs to be healed also ... see our “blindness” as something that doesn’t just harm ourselves but harms others. In other words, let’s sincerely acknowledge our lack of sight ... our harmful thoughts and attitudes and prejudices ... and ask God to help us see more clearly ... ask our loving God to put clay on our eyes, so that we can see and think and act more like him. And in doing so, may we start carefully teaching others by word and deed ... helping them see more clearly too. The truth is ... if we can pass on blindness to one another, we certainly can pass on sight too. Be careful ... we might just change some hearts and thereby change the world. Now to our Gospel passage, where John gives us an account of the man born blind. The question is asked “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” The answer of course from Jesus is neither sinned to cause this. Blessings during your Lenten journey my friends! Fr. Barry From the Parochial Administrators Desk: In this weekend’s Gospel story from Matthew we see Jesus being transfigured before Peter, James, and John. This, of course, wasn’t their first meeting. They had been following him and listening to him and wondering about him for some time. And that meant that they did know him at some level, did have a few pieces of the puzzle, did have some understanding of who Jesus was. But they didn’t have the whole picture. And Jesus, evidently, felt that the time was right to show them another side of himself, give them a more complete picture, challenge them to accept the deepest realities about him. This is somewhat the same as what we are going through here at Christ the King. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not comparing myself to Jesus in any stretch of the imagination. What I’m referring to is I’ve been with you now since July of 2018, (mostly as your associate pastor) so you have each gotten to know me at some level. But as my new assignment started January 28, 2020 more is being revealed of my duties here at Christ the King. And upon my arrival as the parochial administrator, new challenges have presented themselves. The first being where will I live and where will I work out of. The majority have agreed we need to move forward as a parish and build a rectory with office space. Builders have been contacted, plans have been drawn up and at the time of this writing, both councils will have been presented the bids, and a builder will be selected. Our hope is that this spring we will begin the building project. So where are we? To date, 152 families have made pledges for phase 1 (new rectory) or toward phase 2 (rebuilding of our savings account), or both. This total is $68,000 for phase 1 and $ 51,000 for phase 2. With the money on-hand and the sale of the current office/rectory we are able to secure the builder and begin construction, which the diocese has approved. That does not leave much money for the remainder of what will be done after the house is complete. Lawn, sidewalks, window dressings, etc.. I was asked by a parishioner why I am only counting on 200 parishioners (in my initial letter) to help with this project. The reality is that not everyone will be in agreement with the project, others are simply not able to give, but instead offer prayers which are so desperately needed, and others simply don’t feel it necessary. My hope and prayer is that we can reach that 200 family goal and make this project a total success for our Christ the King faith community. We have asked that all money for phase 1 be received by March 12th so we can place the proper deposits down. If you need longer, but feel called to give to phase 1, please just note that on the pledge card, we in turn will note that on the spreadsheet. My friends, as we continue to reflect on our readings from this weekend, we see that our relationship with Christ is in constant discovery. We get to know Him, we grow in union with Him, and this develops over time, sometimes a lifetime. But as we get to know him, we discover that trust of Him, that love with Him, and that feeling we are never alone. But every time we go a little deeper, every time we begin to understand a little more, we are enriched, we are transformed, we are drawn deeper into a life of real and lasting meaning and purpose and joy. To know God, in the fullest sense of that word, is to commune with the Divine ... and thereby open up the possibility of entering into a loving relationship with the One who is Love. These past few months I have seen that love He has for this parish, things have fallen in place, doors have opened, hearts have opened, and we are growing this parish together. If this was not meant to be, none of this would be happening. My prayers during this process has remained the same, “Father, if this is your will, if this is what is suppose to happen, please make it so.” With your continued help, Christ the King will continue to grow and that love will continue to flourish among us. Blessings for an enriched Lent, Fr Barry From the desk of the Deacon: The Deacon The word “Deacon” comes from the Greek word “diakonia” which means servant and hearkens back to the original purpose of the diaconate, to serve the Apostles (later the Bishop) by ministering to the poor and performing the administrative duties of the community. (Please note that the word “deacon” is spelled with “a”. Decon is rat poison! Deacons are called upon to do many things, but so far killing rats has not been one of them for me!) The story of the founding of the Order of Diaconate may be found in the book of Acts, Chapter 6, verses 1-7. Deacons were very important in the early years of the Church with Deacon Stephen being the first martyr of the Church and Philip being among the first to carry the Gospel outside of Jerusalem (Samaria and Ethiopia). For many years, deacons served the Bishop hand-in-hand with the priest, but abuse of power and jealousy reduced the diaconate to a stage of priestly development, the transi- tional diaconate. The Eastern Church, however, retained the Permanent Diaconate as an integral part of the faith community. Following the Second Vatican Council, Saint Pope Paul VI reinstated the Permanent Diaconate to the Roman Rite of the Church. So, what does a Deacon do? Short answer, whatever needs to be done that he is authorized to do. While we cannot give absolution, administer the Anointing of the Sick, or consecrate the Eucharist, we are expected to assist the priest whenever we attend Mass. We are first and foremost heralds of the Gospel! It is our responsibility and duty to proclaim the Gospel at Mass and from time to time preach the homily. We also assist the priest by preparing the alter and the gifts, elevating the chalice of Christ’s precious blood during the Great Amen, calling for the sign of peace, helping distribute holy communion, purifying the sacred vessels used at Mass, and dismissing the people so that they may go forth and serve God. We are also authorized to baptize, witness weddings outside of Mass, preside at funerals outside Mass, bring viaticum to the dying, and preside at Benediction. Deacons form a bridge between the Church and the world by functioning in both the clerical state as well as the secular world. We are ordained by the bishop of our diocese to serve him, the parish, and the poor of our community, while juggling our secular jobs and living up to our family commitments. If any man between the ages of 35 and 60 feels called to the diaconate, please feel free to see me, Fr. Barry, or contact Christopher Ruff in the Diocesan Office. Also, have your wife talk to my wife, Rita, our wives are of paramount importance to our ministry! Formation is a five-year program (one weekend a month, nine months of the year, plus homework) and is essentially Masters level work. It is a challenge, but is well worth the effort. Your faithful servant in Christ, Deacon Jeff From the Parochial Administers Desk: Every time I type those words, it brings a huge smile to my face and lifts up my heart. Not because they repre- sent “being in charge” or I have almost “made it”, but because it is an honor to be able to serve the community of Christ the King. I do not take this responsibility lightly, and at times, yes, it is a bit overwhelming. But it is also a great re- minder to me that I am not here for myself. I am here to serve each of you to the best of my ability. To ultimately be the face of Christ to you, to bring you in closer relationship with our Heavenly Father, his only begotten Son, and with the Holy Spirit in whom he left us after he ascended into Heaven. As you heard in our Gospel from Matthew, Jesus tells us “but I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil”. Such hard words to live by yet words that set the stage for each of us on our journey with Christ. Many times in life we are faced with decisions that express a life committed to Christ, and we are given countless opportunities to re- spond to those opportunities justly or unjustly. Our choices allow us to “turn the other cheek” or to “pray for those who persecute you”. HARD CHOICES!! But when we are able to do this, we don’t live with resentment, hate in our hearts or revenge that haunts us. We live knowing that people make wrong choices, bad decisions and sometimes those choices affect us. It’s in seeing our humanity, our brokenness that we are able to “turn the other cheek” and to “pray for those who persecute you”. My friends, the examples Jesus gives us are meant to help us inherit the Kingdom of God. We learn to forgive because we know that ultimately, this short journey on earth will lead to eternal life, either in heaven or in hell. To love is to grow in relationship with Christ, to not love is to separate us from Him. The examples I have seen from so many of you over this past year and half have been great in love. I have learned much from you and I look forward too many more years of friendships and great experiences. The growth we will share together is a sheer sign of God’s love for each of us! May we each see that presence in our lives and may we each encounter Jesus in all whom we meet. God Bless, Fr. Barry From the Parochial Administers Desk: As our Gospel starts out this weekend, “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.’” You see that was the greatest fear for the Jewish people, that their faith, their traditions that were steeped deep in the Torah, would be threatened by what Jesus was teaching. They weren’t sure if this man could be trusted, so it became much easier to doubt and discount him altogether. Their fear turned to anger, and their anger turned to murder. This did not deter Jesus in the slightest. He knew his destiny and knew exactly how much time he had. So he kept going... telling us that the smallest inclination leads to the bigger issue (sin). That simply looking at someone may sound ok to us. But then that thought or image is taken home. It’s fantasized about and maybe leads us to act out in other ways. That is what Jesus is warning against. Something so simple and small leading to something not so small, but into sin. The example’s our Lord gives us shows us to think before acting. In our act of contrition, we say “I firmly resolve with the help of your grace to sin no more an to avoid the near occasion of sin.” This is why we pray these words, so those near occasions of sin are recognized and are easier seen. It is when we can see them that we can then avoid them. My friends, the lessons of life help us to grow in our faith. We fall, we repent, and we learn from our mistakes to hopefully not commit that same mistakes over and over again. Those lessons help us to mature in our relationship with Christ and become disciples that follow his teachings. He knows we are going to make mistakes, that’s why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. That non judgmental opportunity for each of us to unload the extra burden that we don’t need to carry around with us. So when we look at our lives, we should see that we are not the same person we were just last year at this time. We see those small areas in our lives that have opened us up to be more, to give more, and to be that face of Jesus to others. Have a blessed week, Fr. Barry From the Parochial Administers Desk: After my first week in my new official position I have to say that I am very proud to be here at Christ the King. My excitement to serve you leads way also to fear. Please know that as I learn my new role, there will be mistakes made. I am relying heavily on our councils and the support of my brother priests as well as the Vicar for Clergy in La Crosse for this advice and guidance when questions arise. I will not jump into anything without doing the proper re- search and due diligence, weighing the positive and negative toward the growth and well being of Christ the King Parish and community. Now for the update on the current capital campaign. We have had $42,365.00 pledged for Phase I (the building of the rectory) and we are still calculating Phase II monies (money to replenish our savings account over the next three years). The current rectory was listed in early January and an offer was made last week. We countered the original offer and the future buyer accepted. The diocese, through protocol, was sent the bid and the bishop approved the sale. We should close on the house in March, at which time Judy and the parish office items will move to the Seaton Center in a classroom. The fifth-grade class is the smallest so they will be meet in the conference room for the remaining year. The final plans are being drafted, and a contractor will be chosen after the final bids come in. This should be in the next few weeks. The original five builders have been brought down to three, Greg Brock, Henry Aumann, and John Altmann As our Gospel passage from Matthew tells us this weekend, “you are the salt of the earth”. This passage is a well-known one taken from the Sermon on the Mount, a sort of spiritual pep-talk early in Matthew’s Gospel. The verses we just heard come only a few lines after the Beatitudes, that challenging blueprint for a God-centered life spoken so eloquently by our Lord. And by using images of salt and light Jesus is trying to make sure his listeners understand the profound impact they can have on the world, the city we live in, and the parish we worship at. My friends, I know we have a bright future ahead of us, and as we unite to make this parish grow I promise you that I will do everything in my power to be here for you, to support you, administer the Sacraments to you, and help you grow closer in relationship to Our Lord Jesus Christ. May God Bless your week, Your brother in Christ, Fr. Barry From the Desk of Father Jim: Dear Friends, The announcement last week was a long time coming, and it has taken a toll on our bishop as you can see by watching the announcement on the diocesan website. Looking at the list of priests in the diocese with a substantiated allegation, there are some names that will be recognized after serving in this area. It is a time that calls for reflection and prayer, and a time of reparation. It is hopefully the beginning of a time of healing as well. Please pray for all involved in this scandal that has rocked and continues to rock our Church. As Bishop Callahan noted, this disclosure is an important step. Just as when we go to individual confession, it is important that we name our sins. Shining the light of Christ upon our sin helps remove the power sin holds over us. Remaining in darkness only benefits Satan as he thrives in darkness, and make no mistake; Satan’s hand is all over this abuse scandal. Bishop Callahan also writes that this is a necessary step. Victims often state they feel no sense of justice, and this step helps to provide them with this. He concludes stating this is also a painful step; for victims as it reopens painful wounds and it is painful for the faithful laity and clergy who feel anger and humiliation for the sexual abuse and abuse of power committed by these men. You can find the bishop’s letter and video of his announcement as well as a list of those with substantiated allegations on the diocesan website (www.diolc.org). These efforts are meant to be a way forward. Sin has been a part of the history of mankind since the dawn of time, and we are living in a time of heightened sexual abuse both within our Church and in Western society, which the ‘Me Too’ movement attests to. There is never anything that can justify any of this, but we need to do our best to acknowledge it and put into place protections so these things end. Again, we are steeped in sin, and it will never be totally eradicated, but we need to be honest and strive for perfection as we move forward, so this terrible part of our past is not a part of our future. With God’s grace and mercy we can overcome this as we have overcome many other failures in the history of our Church. God bless Fr. Jim ANNUAL APPEAL UPDATE
On behalf of your parish family, I would like to express our gratitude for the initial response to our Annual Appeal. As I stated in my letter last fall, the appeal is how the business of the diocese gets done. The various curial offices budgets are supplied through this appeal, as well as the many outreaches that are returned to the individual parishes. As far as I am aware, most dioceses in the United States operate in this or a similar way, and it works fairly well, although it is far from perfect. Christ the King has a goal of $36,575 for this year’s appeal. In the first 4 months of the appeal, we have received a total of $28,480.00 with a total of 147 donors. This is a very strong response from our parish families, and it is much appreciated. This means that we are in need of an additional $7,750.00 in order to make our goal. Last year we had a total of 174 contributors, which is close to 50% of our families, and we would love to surpass that number this year. It is normal for parishes in the Diocese to have around 30% to 35% participation, so I commend the family of Christ the King, but there remains a challenge for us as well. Increasing this to 60% or higher participation, we would see an increase of around 35 families. If the average donation of $200 continues, this would bring in additional monies, which would put us over the top and include a very nice rebate to the parish. As a reminder, all gifts that come in over the goal are returned to the parish 100%, and are not subject to the normal diocesan tax that is paid on normal contributions. As the Christmas season has come to a close, and tax season is still a couple months away, this is a special time for an additional push. If you have not yet contributed to the annual appeal, please pray over this, and consider making a contribution. Any and all contributions are much appreciated. I would also like to mention the listing of names in our bulletin in thanksgiving. Everyone that returns a response card, whether making a financial contribution or a spiritual contribution is listed as a means of saying Thank You! The names are listed in order the gift was received by the diocese, and if you have not yet seen your name, due to the number of families that have responded, please be patient and you will be listed soon. If you do not wish to be mentioned for any reason, please let the parish office know, and your name will not be listed. This year is a special year for Christ the King Parish as well. We are excitingly looking forward to the appointment of our own priest after many years being served through St John the Baptist in Marshfield. This is an opportunity for our parish family, but it comes at a cost, as we will be responsible for taking care of the priest appointed in all ways, financially, materially and spiritually. As you are aware, we have embarked upon a capital campaign in order to construct new parish offices and a rectory. In so many ways, parish life is reflected in our personal lives. Just as we invest in our personal businesses and farms, without a guarantee, we move forward in trust and faith. How much more so should we approach our faith life and our spiritual home? The responses to our survey were overwhelming positive, and for that reason we are moving forward with this project. Please continue to pray for the continued growth and vibrancy of our parish family. This project is separate from the annual appeal, which will continue coming up each year, while the capital campaign is a 3 year challenge. In closing I would ask especially for your prayers for this effort. Nothing that we do in the church or family has any value if not supported first and foremost spiritually. Even if you are not able to make a financial contribution at this time, every- one can make this an intention in prayer, and this will be repaid with eternal dividends when we leave this world. God bless. 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
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