Christ The King Church · the gods for the blessings they them-selves had received. But Paul begins his first letter to the Corinthians by thanking God for the blessings his Corinthian

Sunday, 12/3

CLOW, 9:15 am Mass

RE 3yr., Pre-K, K sessions 9:15am Monday, 12/4

RCIA, Parish Hall 7 pm

RE Grades 1-5 & Older Sacraments Tuesday, 12/5

RE Grades 1-5 & 7-8

Perpetual Help Devotion, Church 7 pm Wednesday, 12/6

Sewing Ministry, Hall 9 am

RE Grades 1-5 & Grade 6

Wednesday, 12/6 cont.

Young Adults, Youth House 7 pm Thursday, 12/7

Youth Group Ice Skating, WC 6 pm Friday, 12/8 Immaculate Conception

Masses 6:30 am, 8 am, 7 pm Saturday, 12/9

Men‟s Fellowship, Rm D 7:30 am Sunday, 12/10

CLOW, 9:15 am Mass

RE 3yr., Pre-K, K sessions 9:15am

Confirmation, Parish Hall 6 pm

12/4 8 am - Paul Sbragia & J.P. Sbragia-Zoricic+

12/5 8 am - Fr. Pearse Timoney+ 12/6 8 am - Maura Atherton 12/7 8 am - Naidz Urmeneta 12/8 - Immaculate Conception 6:30 am - Eddie Connell+ 8 am - Orlando Villanueva+ 7 pm - Yvonne Willemsz+ Saturday, 12/9 8 am - Gigi Picazo+ 5 pm - Gerald McGhee+ Sunday, 12/10 7 am - Julia White Peck 8 am - Vickie Menzhuber+ 9:15 am - Mary Telucchi+ 10:45 am - CTK Parishioners

12:15 pm - Mariano Cauilan+ 6:00 pm - Domingo Torres+

Upcoming Mass Intentions

WEEK AT A GLANCE

SCHEDULE OF MASSES

Daily Masses: Monday-Friday,

8:00 am

Saturday Masses: 8:00 am & 5:00 pm

Sunday Masses:

7 am, 8 am, 9:15 am, 10:45 am, 12:15 pm,

6:00 pm

CONFESSIONS: Saturday: 3:30 pm

to 4:30 pm

Parish Office: 682-2486 199 Brandon Rd.

Pleasant Hill www.ctkph.org

Religious Ed: 686-1017

www.ctkreligious education.org

Youth Ministry: 676-0979

www.ctkym.org

Facebook: Christ the King Catholic Community of

Pleasant Hill

Christ The King Church

First Sunday of Advent Sunday, December 3,

2017

First Reading: Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:1, 2-7

The Israelites had just returned from exile and were suffering eco-nomic hardship and persecution. The prophet expresses their expecta-tion that God will enter human histo-ry in a dramatic way and help them. At the end of this reading, we will hear a familiar image.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

In the letter-writing style popular in Paul‟s day, writers would begin by extending greetings and then thank the gods for the blessings they them-selves had received. But Paul begins his first letter to the Corinthians by thanking God for the blessings his Corinthian converts have received. (It may help to know that the phrase “day of the Lord” refers to Jesus coming again in glory.)

PARISH STAFF CONTACTS Fr. Paulson Mundanmani 682-2486 [email protected] Fr. Vince Cotter 682-2486 [email protected] Fr. Brian Timoney, Michael Dibble and Fr. Tom Burns 682-2486 Deacon John [email protected] Fr. Brian Joyce [email protected] Sr. Dominic Bonnici OP 682-2486 [email protected] Religious Education Director Sr. Maureen Viani , SNJM 686-1017 [email protected] Joan Smits, Assoc. Director 686-1017 [email protected] Rick Lejano, Youth Minister 676-0979 [email protected] Chris Caban, Principal 685-1109 [email protected] Al Garrotto: RCIA/faith share 849-6319 [email protected] Phyllis Gurnett, Music Director [email protected] Robin Morley, Office Admin 682-2486 [email protected] Helen Christian, Office Staff [email protected] Kathy Ridgway, Office Staff [email protected]

Dear Friends,

Advent is here. We will be singing “O come O come Emmanuel” and lighting advent candles each Sunday. There is a deep contrast between our Sanctuaries and our outside world. When you walk into a Church during advent, it is very simple in its décor – just an advent wreath and purple color reminding us about the need for repentance and change. The outside world, in contrast, is more colorful with lights, more noisy with Christmas carols, and more hectic with shopping and Christmas parties. Anew Ponder who captured this sentiment wrote, “Keep Christ in Christmas. Stop the war on Advent.” I tend to agree with Anew in that the advent season is an im-portant part of the celebration of Christmas. It is a time of quiet prayerfulness and patient waiting for the Lord to be born in our midst.

Sr. Joan Chittister wrote. “Advent relieves us of our commitment to the frenetic in a fast-paced world. It slows us down. It makes us think. It makes us look be-yond today to the „great tomorrow‟ of life. Without Advent, moved only by the race to nowhere that exhausts the world around us, we could be so frantic with trying to consume and control this life that we fail to develop within ourselves a taste for the spirit that does not die and will not slip through our fingers like melted snow.” There is a real war on Christmas going on, but it has nothing to do with the red cups or “Happy Holidays” or other things of the sort. No, the real war on Christmas is actually a war on Advent. With all our buying and dec-orating and racing around, Anew Ponder states that we‟ve let our hearts go un-prepared. “We‟ve refused to slow down, even for a minute. Like spoiled chil-dren, we‟ve found waiting to be too hard, so we‟ve rushed ahead with our music and parties and the obligatory “Merry Christmas!”

So let me invite you to take the BLUE BOOKS home and at least spend 10 minutes a day in prayer and reflection. Let us go to daily mass if we are able to attend. Let us take part in community events dedicated to the feeding of the poor or tending to the homeless. Let us keep aside some of our well-earned money to bring joy to needy children. Let us invite individuals or a family this year to at-tend the Sundays in Advent or to join you for the Christmas Mass.

Last week I received a letter from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Archdio-cese of Galveston-Houston. Let me share with you a few lines from the letter:

“The impact of your generosity cannot be overstated. The activities and pro-grams that come from our Vincentian services Center are making a tremen-dous difference in the ten county area we serve, especially now during this time of Hurricane Harvey Recovery efforts. Your 20-foot container filled with disaster recovery supplies and $925 in gift cards means the world to those we serve. This would not have been possible without your support. The pallets full of pillows, blankets, sheets, towels, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, cloth-ing and so much more, has made a real impact on our society. We thank the parish, Vincentians and the community that gathered together to respond to our need. ….We thank God for the hearts of people like you who have brought much hope and faith in our communities working together during a difficult time. The love that was bestowed on Houston from many communities around our country was inspiring and uplifting.”

“During Advent we are called to enlarge the horizons of our hearts, to be surprised by the life that is presented each day with its newness. In order to do this we need to learn to not depend on our own securities, our own es-tablished plans, because the Lord comes in the hour which we don’t imag-ine.” (Pope Francis) Paulson

Forgot your cash, check-book or donation envelope? Scan this QR code to con-nect with our donation site.

Ruby Slippers - There’s No Place Like Home: Contra Costa‟s Inter-faith Housing‟s 10th annual auction gala is February 3rd at the Black-hawk Auto Museum and they need help in making this night the best yet! They are accepting a variety of item donations: wine and spirits, themed baskets, concert and sports tickets, etc. Help make a tangible difference in the community. To learn more call 925-944-2247.

Monument Crisis Center Holiday Food boxes: Monument Crisis Center is hoping to give out 1800 holiday food boxes this year. The program offers families the oppor-tunity to enjoy the holidays without the worry of food insecurity. CTK will give out 200 boxes along with a list of food and directions for deliv-ery. The boxes will be given out after masses this weekend. Thank you for your continued support.

Christ the King’s annual auction, Under The Stars, will be held Sat-urday, February 10. Registration information can be found at www.bit.ly/ctkauction. To ensure the night is a big success, please consider donating an item, sports tickets or a restaurant gift card. Cash donations are always appreci-ated as well. Donor forms can be found in the school office. Thank you for your support!

Pray for Our Sick May you be wrapped

up in God‟s love, Found deep in His everlasting wings,

Carried and kept, safe and cherished. May the healing power of Christ breathe across your being now.

Rosalinda Advincula, Cynthia DeLeon, Baby Leah Reeza

Magnificat SOTI, a ministry for catholic women, invite all to join them at their advent prayer break-fast, Dec. 9 from 9:30 - 12:30 at Crowne Plaza in Concord. Join for a morning of praise, prayer and in-spiration by speaker, Fr. Gary Thomas. Visit www.magnificat-ministry.net for more information.

Healing Mass~ Anointing of the Sick

Saturday, December 9 at 10 am “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the Church and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:14). All are welcome to join us for a parish Mass and celebration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Bring relatives and friends from local care facilities - those who are able to come. Questions? Sr. Dominic Marie 925-246-1122.

A note from Fr. Paulson regarding vandalism in our Church: I would like to inform you that we have had another incident of vandalism in our Church. The men‟s restroom was messed up badly and the statue of St. Therese was defaced, and there was much cleaning to do. It happened ear-ly morning after the Church was opened at 6:15am. We have reported the incident to the PH police depart-ment, and they are keeping an eye on our premises. The Church will open for morning mass only at 7:30 am Monday thru Saturday. We are work-ing on our Church security system. We are probably one of the few churches in the area that stay open during most of the day.

This weekend‟s second collection is for Catholic Education here at CTK. Thank you for your continued support benefitting CTK School, Youth Min-istry and our Religious Education Programs. Next weekend‟s second collection supports the Retirement Fund for Religious.

ctkALIVE! Follow-up Faith In Ac-tion Networking Event, December 16th from 10-12 in the Parish Hall. Please join us to think through and plan social justice activities for the upcoming year. Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome!

Simbang Gabi - The Filipino Socie-ty of Christ the King invites you to join in the celebration of “Simbang Gabi”, a nine-day novena in prepa-ration for the birth of Jesus. Cele-brated at Christ the King from De-cember 15-23. Mass begins at 6:30 pm every night (except Sunday, Dec. 17 and Monday, Dec. 18, which begin at 6 pm). Mass on Tuesday, Dec. 19 will be held in the gym. Light supper in the parish hall will be served after each mass. Then join us for a nice dinner after the last mass on the 23rd. For addi-tional information, contact Rudy (372-6227) or Imelda (623-7340).

The Altar Society would like to thank everyone who purchased tick-ets for our beautiful Christmas quilt. All proceeds benefit CTK. Congrat-ulations to our winner, Kathy Rum-mel. The winning ticket was ran-domly chosen by Fr. Timoney. We hope to have another quilt raffle in the spring.

Our annual food collection for St. Vincent de Paul is in its final days! To support St. Vincent, please bring bags of groceries from the list below. Please leave only items on the list: canned vegetables, canned beans, pasta, rice, dried beans, canned fruit, tuna, soups, tomato sauce, peanut butter and cereal. (All normal sizes only - no giant sizes). Drop off bags in front of the Church through Dec. 4th. Thank you for your generous support.

Church Support 11/26/17 $21,124.00(plate collections $16,059 + online giving $5,065.00.)

Advent Reconciliations Sunday, December 10 at 7:30 pm (youth) Saturday, December 16 at 3:30 pm (parish) Monday, December 18 at 7:30 pm (parish)

Tuesday, December 19 at 10:00 am (school)

Christmas Eve Mass Schedule

3:30pm Children’s Liturgy 3:45pm Family Liturgy (Parish Gym) 5:30pm Children’s Liturgy 8:00pm Christmas Liturgy 11:30 Midnight Christmas Liturgy

Christmas Day Liturgies

Friday, December 8, 2017 Holy Day of Obligation

Masses at 6:30 am, 8 am, 7 pm

Christmas Schedule