From the Pastor - Solemnity of Christ the King

November 26, 2021

On this last Sunday of Ordinary Time for the liturgical year, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, at a time when the world was experiencing a rise of secularism, materialism and individualism, and an increasing denial of Christ’s existence and authority.


The hope was that the establishment of this feast would accomplish three goals: that nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, that leaders and nations would see that they are required to give respect to Christ, the King of kings, and that the faithful would be strengthened and encouraged by the reminder that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies.


This feast is needed more than ever for all people and for us especially, as Christian stewards. It reminds us of three vital truths. First, even when it seems the world is spinning out of control, we need not fear because we have a King of kings who is very much in charge and who is loving, merciful and just. Second, if Christ is king of all, then He is also king of me, personally. I am not “lord” of my time, talents, and treasure. He is. I am a servant of the King and a steward of His gifts to me. Third, as His disciple, I am called to imitate my King. Christ’s kingship is characterized by humble service, by emptying Himself for the good of others, The Scriptures tell us He went about doing good and He says of Himself, “I came not to be served but to serve.” How can I live in any other way than as a humble servant like my King? © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2021.


Pastoral Pondering – Last week at all of the Masses Bishop Jugis asked that a letter from him regarding the upcoming Synod and our participation in the preparation process. The three pillars of the synod are Communion, Participation, and Mission. The purpose of the process is to recognize that we are on a journey together and, in order to be fruitful along the way, we need to listen for and be open to the voice of the Holy Spirit.


The Bishop proposed several questions that we, both individually and collectively, are to ponder, pray and reflect upon. Specifically, these are:

·        What is your experience of ecclesial communion, mission and participation in your life?

·        What challenges or struggles are you facing as you try to embody them?

·        What steps is the Holy Spirit suggesting to call us to live our vocation as a pilgrim people that journeys together toward salvation more fully?


The Bishop identifies three opportunities in participating in this process:

1.   The Synod is an opportunity to encounter the Lord and what He is calling us to both as individuals and as a Church.

2.   The Synod is an opportunity to learn that the Lord uses all circumstances on our lives to summon us to closer unity with Him.

3.   The Synod is an opportunity to discover that “the other” is a gift for our journey of faith.



St. Mark will of course be participating in this process and doing our part to contribute to this exercise of faith, prayer, and trust. I expect that we will receive more concrete recommendations of how to facilitate the consultation, but, at present, I plan to engage the Councils and Commissions already functioning in the parish along with the various groups, ministries and apostolates. It is my hope that St. Mark responds robustly and enthusiastically to this effort, especially in growing in our awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence and call in our lives. The Bishop’s heartfelt desire, “for the Synod to allow us to grow in unity with one another and with the Lord” is mine as well, and I am confident that much fruit can be realized as we seek to listen to the Lord together. Please keep this important effort in your prayers.


From the Pastor

By John Putnam May 30, 2025
On this Feast of the Ascension, we celebrate Christ’s triumphant return to the Father after perfectly accomplishing His mission on earth. But we also can also view this Feast as a celebration of the “launch day” of our commissioning as Christ’s disciples. Today’s Gospel draws our attention to the clear instructions that Jesus gave His disciples (and to us) just before ascending to the Father: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." Embracing a stewardship way of life, with its emphasis on the use of time, talent and treasure, helps us to live in such a way that our very lives speak as a witness of the Good News of the Gospel. While we take time to reflect and renew our commitments in these three areas annually as a parish family, it is of great benefit to take some time individually throughout the year to take stock of the commitments we have made — looking at both our strengths and our need for continued growth in each area. On this Feast of our "launch day," take some time to celebrate your victories as Christ’s disciples and renew your commitment to remain faithful to Him and the unique mission He has entrusted to you! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering In Matthew 28:20 Jesus reminds the apostles, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I have always taken great strength and consolation from these words. They are foreshadowed in the Old Testament in Isaiah 41:20: “Fear not for I am with you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” These are words from a God who loves us and who desires our good. A God who desires to make His dwelling with us and to inspire us to live lives worthy of Himself. They are words that help us prepare ourselves to celebrate Pentecost and to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in us and among us.  Next Saturday evening, we will celebrate the Rite of Confirmation and Reception into Full Communion with our candidates who have been participating in the OCIA process. Please keep them in your prayers and help them find their place within our parish community. In the morning next Saturday, we are privileged to host the diaconate ordination for seven of our diocesan seminarians. As noted previously, one of them, Michael Lugo, will be with us for the summer. This parish is phenomenal in helping these young men find their “ministerial feet” so to speak. And we always welcome the opportunity to be blessed with their enthusiasm and energy. Finally, the Diocese has approved our moving into the construction phase for the rectory project. The prep work has already been done, and the actual building phase should begin in the next few weeks. This weekend, we are making a final push to reach our campaign goal. If you have not done so, we need your help and participation. The goal is doable and, together we can accomplish much. Assuming our fundraising keeps apace our hope is to begin the main-campus project next summer. Between now and then we will be doing some evaluations and, where necessary, value engineering to help us stay on track with the plan.
By John Putnam May 30, 2025
The concept of hospitality is fundamental to a stewardship way of life. When we envision hospitality, we naturally think of offering a sincere and warm welcome — to those new to our parish, for instance. We picture inviting them in and making them feel at home and at ease in our presence, communicating to them that they are highly valued. Today’s Gospel reading from John invites us to think of hospitality in a slightly different way. In it, we hear Jesus speaking this to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” Jesus is asking that we permit the Blessed Trinity to come and dwell within us. This is a stunning request. It tells us that our first and most privileged form of hospitality should be directed towards God Himself. How does one show hospitality to God? How do we make God “at home and at ease” within us? How can we communicate to God that He is “highly valued” by us? Jesus tells us how: we are to keep His word, to follow HIs teachings. To keep His word, we must know His word. This takes discipline and effort on our part. We must make the study of Scripture and Church teaching a priority in our daily lives. If we want our parish to be a place of genuine Christian hospitality, we must be sure that our own hearts are hospitable dwelling places for the Blessed Trinity. Then our smiles and words, our greetings and ministries will radiate with the warmth of God’s love. And our parish family will become at least a little bit like Heaven on earth. This is the simplicity and glory of a stewardship way of life . © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025
More Posts