The Pastor’s Pen

The Pastor's Pen

August 23, 2026

Guide for the Journey:  When visiting new places, we usually avail ourselves of some kind of guide service so that we don’t miss what is important to see.   So too can it be with life itself; although we all were raised to navigate the ins and outs of everyday life, we weren’t necessarily instructed on how to probe its deeper meaning or discern the direction that is truly right to take.   Life will pose questions if we have ears, hearts, and minds open to hear them! Is this all there really is?  If not, then to whom do I owe my existence, and what is my destiny beyond what I  can presently see?   Who is God?   How does God speak to me; how can I discern God’s voice?  What is God expecting of me?  Where is the hand or providence of God in the particular circumstances of my life at this time?  How have  I responded, or not, to God’s call in my own life?  What is next for me in this particular time and chapter of my life if I want to live the rest of my life in accord with God’s will and plan more than my own?   Not everyone has to ask every one of these questions, but these are often only the starting point; there are perhaps many other questions besides, depending on who we are and our particular age, place, and stage of life.   Some find it very helpful to have a guide to  help them with such questions, and we call these guides Spiritual Directors (SD’s). An SD is not a counselor nor an adviser; they do not seek to provide answers or solve personal problems, but to help guide the seeker to find their own answers.  In the Christian context some of the basic questions are already answered for us, in that our framework tends to be that of believers who desire to trust that God exists and has sent his Son to instruct us and ultimately to save us, but how that faith is lived out, and how our doubts are navigated and our questions answered will vary with each person in their search and maybe even their struggle for hopeful assurance, meaning and purpose, and ultimately for contentment with God’s will and peace in God’s presence. The parish is able, on a limited basis, to connect you with trained Spiritual Directors if this is something that you are considering as a helpful next step on your spiritual journey.  Once connected, the schedule of sessions would be determined with the SD, and in fairness, a stipend would be proper as a gratuity for the SD’s time and expertise as a spiritual guide. Those who may be interested in this service should contact the parish office.
 
 
Farewell, Faithful Servants:  While we rejoice with Deacon Brendan Brides and his wife Gail that they have recently welcomed another grandchild, at the same time we are saddened that this will take them away from us as they move to Virginia to be closer to their grandchildren and help in their care.  Deacon Brendan and Gail have been very immersed in many aspects of parish life and have made a significant contribution to our community of faith as a result, and so they will be greatly missed.  On next weekend, the last in August 29 & 30, Deacon Brendan will preach at all the Masses before his departure,   so that we may be privileged to hear his always interesting analysis of the Scriptures one more time, and there will be a simple reception after the 4 PM Mass, and a coffee hour after the 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM Masses  to allow parishioners to say Thank You and Farewell to Deacon Brendan and Gail.  
 
 
The OCIA Journey:  The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults is a process by which those 18 years of age or older who are not yet baptized or who missed the  catechesis needed for the reception of the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist are formed and prepared to be fully initiated into the Church.   Our OCIA Team will be ready to begin this process in late September so we are asking those among us who are not yet fully initiated to carefully consider joining others who will be embracing the process of ongoing conversion in a more focused and intentional way as they move toward full initiation at Easter. Please contact the parish office to enroll before OCIA starts in a few weeks.
 
 

Don’t Forget the Golf Tournament -September 14th:   Items for the silent auction such as gift cards to local restaurants, salons, or stores are still most welcome, as well as some opportunities for sponsorships.  Please take a brochure found at the entrances to the church for any further information, and place gift cards marked “Golf Tournament: in the collection basket or through the mail slot in the doors of the parish office.  Thank you for your support of this charitable effort!

August 9, 2026

Respect for Life-Further Eroding:  The Massachusetts  State legislature beginning with the House of Representatives and  concluding with a vote in the State Senate on July 31st has removed all restrictions on late term abortions.   Previously, Massachusetts set a limit on abortion at 24 weeks of pregnancy, with some exceptions for the life of the mother or drastic medical complications involving the unborn child. If the governor signs the bill, which there is little doubt she will, abortion until birth will be allowed at the discretion of the doctor and patient!  While proponents will tell us that this will be rare, you only have to go to the web page of the Abortion Survivors Network to find more than enough cases in which a late-term abortion ended with the delivery of a living infant!  Thankfully, at the moment  there are still protections under law in such cases that the child, even though unwanted, must be given proper medical attention.  Yet the whole situation ends up to be quite schizoid, for what would be infanticide one day will soon be  quite  legal  just the previous day.  Bluntly this doesn’t pass the moral disgust  test; yet that is what we must apply in  judging this and all such situations, because in our  pluralistic society we have come to the point where what  is truly  morally indefensible is being legalized! This becomes ever clearer when one dares take a deeper dive into the life of a child in the womb who begins reflexive movements and  even swallowing  by 14 weeks,  who responds to external sounds between 20 and 24 weeks, and who if born prematurely at  24 weeks has  a 50% chance of survival, and at 26 to 28 weeks that survival rate  rises to 80 to 90%!  Thus  while moral reasoning always finds abortion abhorrent, from a purely secular and scientific point of view there are solid developmental reasons to ban abortion after 24 weeks of gestation for at this point this cannot be demeaned  and dismissed as a clump of tissue or even   simply a developing fetus, as proponents  of abortion would be quick to claim. Rather, this  is undeniably a growing, feeling,  waking, sleeping, dreaming child until birth at full term.  Yet to take the life of that child a week or even a day  before his or her birth at the discretion of the woman carrying that child and her doctor  is  about to become legally acceptable  in our State.  Yet again, the intrinsic value of human life is being denied as our culture assigns value only to the degree that any particular life is esteemed or  wanted by those upon whom it must temporarily depend!  With this latest legislation our State has certainly traveled quite  a distance  down the slippery moral slope away from the divine prohibition that “thou shall not kill” !   Yet other “unwanted”  lives or those judged  unproductive or burdensome have already been targeted unsuccessfully in our Commonwealth, but don’t think for a moment that proponents of “mercy killing”  like those of abortion  will ever give up until they see that also  enshrined  in law.  Our concern should be  compounded by  what has just occurred with lifting any restrictions on late term abortions as it can only indicate that the majority of those   presently serving in both branches of our State Legislature possess moral compasses that are dangerously defective!!  As Catholic Christian people  our message must be clear that a moral  wrong cannot ever be made right by making it legal, and ultimately  divine law is much higher  than any  civil law; thus  the degree of our  respect for it and obedience to it will be far more consequential in the long run and especially in the end!  
 
 
The Feast of the Assumption – The  Value of the Devalued Human Body:  On August 15th we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, affirming that as bearer of the Christ, Mary’s  body was not allowed to undergo corruption, but  rather was  assumed along with her sinless soul into heaven at her passing.   Whatever is said of Mary applies eventually to all the baptized, reminding us that our bodies too, frail and corrupt as they may be  now, will on the last day be raised  and remade by God and glorified as they are reunited with our souls.  Thus being reminded of the future of our bodies in heaven should redouble our respect and consequent treatment of the human body both in life and in death!  This is why the church  only permits but does not prefer cremation, and insists that cremains be properly buried or entombed, never kept on a mantle at home, nor divided and distributed or  scattered in any  manner!  If we wouldn’t keep the corpse of  our loved ones at length in our living rooms, or toss them on a beach or drop them off  a boat or from a plane, or cut them up to distribute as mementoes, or place pieces of their  flesh in a locket to  wear as jewelry, then we should not do any of  that with their cremains either!! Let us remember that  the corporal work of mercy is to BURY the dead!
 
 
 Masses for the Feast of the Assumption: Because it falls on a Saturday Feast  Day Masses will be Friday, August 14th at 4:00 PM and Saturday, August 15th at 8:30 AM; while the obligation to attend Mass on this holy day is lifted because of its proximity to Sunday, we remind you that while no sin is committed by absence from Mass this year yet neither is any grace received!  So all are encouraged to celebrate this important Feast of Mary – which is also the Patronal Feast of our Diocese of Fall River  and  thus of  our Cathedral Church as well!
 
 
Many Thanks!  Gratitude is rightly  expressed to all those in  our parish who responded to the Annual Catholic Appeal to assist Bishop DaCunha  in supporting the apostolates, ministries, and agencies of our Diocese of Fall River in this new fiscal year. A total of 350 households contributed  380 households contributed $113,359, an increase of $8,244 from last year. While other Christian  denominations may emphasize  salvation by faith alone, we as Catholics adhere to the more ancient and fundamental understanding that while faith saves us, works bear witness to the authenticity and depth of that  faith and are therefore essential!   All who contributed are thus participating in all the good works that will be carried out by our diocese in our name as the  Catholic people of Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands.  Let us trust that God, who is never outdone in generosity, will in turn  and in measure bless each contributor for theirs!  
 
 

Christ the King Annual Golf Classic:  On Monday, September 14th, we will hold our annual golf tournament, the proceeds of which benefit our Matthew 25 Fund  and in particular, provide  support to those in need of finding or maintaining their housing.   Those who golf are urged to sign up, as are those who wish to contribute to various forms of sponsorship or donate  a gift card to local restaurants or stores for the silent auction. The support of many is needed to make this annual fundraiser a success, so let us all discern a way in which we can best play our part!  

August 2, 2026

Stewardship by the Numbers: What Does It Cost to Staff the Parish Office? The Christ the King Parish Office is open for some time each day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday mornings, to be available to parishioners.  Beyond what parishioners may visit the office to accomplish regarding scheduling masses, sacraments, and services; registration; or obtaining records, the office staff is taking and relaying messages, arranging appointments with the clergy, and managing the general use of the parish facilities.  The office staff must also handle the business of the parish in regard to payroll, bill paying,   mailings, and responding to numerous demands from the Diocese for records and reports on various matters.   To handle this workload, the office is staffed by three full-time and three part-time employees.  The combined cost of salaries for those employees is $177,109  per year.   Additionally, the Parish  must pay workmen’s compensation insurance of $2,691.00; short-term disability insurance of $2,364.00; Social Security and pension contributions of $15,933.00; and medical and dental insurance benefits of $103,472.00 per year.   Thus, the cost of staffing the Christ the King  Parish Office per year is $301,569.00 or $5,799.00 per week.  Please be mindful of these expenses as you discern your contributions to the collection each Sunday, as that is the primary source of income that the parish receives to meet these expenses.   Stay tuned; more Information to follow in this series! 
 
 
Caring for Those Who Care: A Caregiver Support Group will run for six weekly sessions on Wednesdays  from1:15 to 2:30 PM beginning September 23rd.   The aim of the group, which will be rooted in our Catholic Faith, will be  to offer practical, emotional and spiritual  support to those tasked with caring for family members.   The group will be facilitated by nurses who themselves are presently  or have been caretakers for family members and so have a compassionate  understanding of a caretaker’s role and the challenges that they may face.   For further information or to register to take part in the group, please contact the parish office.
 
 
Lebanese Festival Next Weekend:  St Anthony of the Desert Maronite Catholic Church will be having a festival of Lebanese food and music on the parish grounds in Fall River on this coming Friday from 5 PM to 10 PM; on Saturday from 12 noon to 11 PM, and on Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM. As Lebanon is in the news these days,   A festival of this nature provides an opportunity to experience the rich culture and heritage of the often forgotten Christians of the Middle East.
 
 
Updates from The Office of Vocations:  Fr. Jack Schrader, Diocesan Director of Vocations, is informing us that over 326 names were collected in the Called By Name Initiative in the Diocese, and 28 of those responded to an invitation to attend  a dinner and discussion held with Bishop DaCunha.  Currently, there are six men enrolled in seminary formation programs, and they will be joined by one more in September.   Meanwhile, several others are in serious discernment so the prayers of the people of the Diocese and the action of the Holy Spirit are cooperating to create a new wave of response to the Lord’s Call in this time and place. All the clergy, laity, and religious of the Diocese of Fall River are asked to pray for vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated religious life.  A Formal pledge to pray for vocations can be made via the Diocesan  Vocations Office website at: FALLRIVERVOCATIONS.ORG/PRAY
 
 

Welcome Martin Gamboa:  With the recent retirement of Dwight Giddings as manager of the Parish Plant, Marin Gamboa has been hired to take his place. Martin is a jack of many building trades,  most especially carpentry and tile work, and has his own remodeling business as advertised in the parish bulletin.  Martin and his wife Luz, and two  young adult sons, Nathaniel and Dionisio, are faithful members of our parish and are often seen in the front row at the Sunday 5:30 PM Mass.   When you see Martin at the 5:30 PM Mass or around the parish plant, please welcome him to his new role in service of us all as the chief steward of our parish’s buildings and grounds. As Martin steps into Dwight’s role on a full-time basis, Dwight will step into Martin’s former role as a part-time assistant sexton working on Wednesday and Saturday mornings to allow  Martin both time for his outside remodeling work as well as some well-deserved rest!

July 26, 2026

Supporting A Suffering  Minority:  With the rise of independent news sources on the internet, it is now more likely that people are more aware of something I have sadly seen firsthand since 1996, after 14 trips to the Holy Land: the Palestinian people are treated unjustly. Be it the confiscation of their lands, the destruction of their houses,  the interference in their livelihoods, the travel restrictions and those imposed in general due to life behind a 30ft tall and hundreds of miles long concrete wall, as well as attacks by radicalized Israeli settlers that are carried out with impunity throughout the West Bank. Consequently, those who could migrate elsewhere have done so, but others tied to the land of their ancestors struggle to stay. Tourism  is a significant sector  of the economy of Israel itself, and this is especially true for Palestinians  and in particular for the Christians who remain at the sites of  Gospel history in Bethlehem, Jerusalem,  Nazareth,  and other lesser-known locations. Because of the trouble that has erupted between Israel and Gaza, as well as with neighboring countries in the region, tourism is significantly lower and thus many Palestinians are that much poorer.   Next weekend, the Ghanem Family from the  Bethlehem area will be here to bring to market what Palestinian Christians are known for, which is the carving of religious figures from the olive wood that is native to the Holy Land.  Thus, we ask you to browse what the Ghanems have to offer, knowing it represents the work of many carvers from the Bethlehem area who no longer have a reliable market in which to offer these sacred images to pilgrims that used to be numerous but now are not! Thank you in advance for the encouragement you will offer them by taking an interest in these carvings and considering a purchase to help our fellow believers who suffer greatly  as they strive to  remain  as the “living stones”  at the biblical sites associated with the ministry of Jesus.
 
 

What Are We Building?:  A recent visitor complimented the parish on the construction of “a lovely new chapel”!  I had to correct them that it isn’t a new chapel, as  we already have a very beautiful historic one that is attached to the Church and named in honor of St Jude, which was renovated seven years ago.  What  we are currently constructing is not for worship, yet it is nonetheless to be a very holy place, for this will be  a primary location where the Gospel preached in the Church and in the Chapel will be put into practice!  Indeed.  This will be the new location of our very extensive Christ the King Food Pantry, which assures that over a hundred households struggling with food insecurity are able to have something basic to eat each week.  While the Protestant Reformation caused not only much sad division, it also created some lasting confusion as it emphasized that we are to be  saved “by faith alone” and not works!  Thus some call themselves Christians who think that by simply believing in Jesus Christ they are saved; neither worship nor  good works are  required!   Yet the more ancient Catholic tradition relies on the wisdom of St James, the brother of the Lord, who wrote: “show me a faith without  works, and I will show you a faith that is dead”!   We also rely on the 25th Chapter of St. Matthew to remind  us that ultimately we will be judged on our ability to recognize Christ and to  serve him  in the poor, the hungry, the sick, the newcomer, and the imprisoned, most especially those being held unjustly!   Thus we cannot be authentically Christian  without worship nor works,  as these are actually  two sides of the same coin in our  Catholic understanding.  Indeed, our works demonstrate the sincerity of our  faith, for it is charity that bears the most powerful witness to belief in all  Jesus preached in word and deed!   Realistically, we can’t all volunteer at the weekly pantry as there is simply not enough room for all of us to do so, but we can be an integral  part of this good work by supporting it.  There are several ways in which we might do so, and chief among those are donating to the   “CTK-Matthew 25 Fund,” which purchases the bulk of the food that is distributed each week by the Pantry ministry. We can also contribute canned goods and other nonperishables by purchasing these and placing them in the boxes located at the local grocery stores or at the entrance to our parish hall.  We can purchase a $25 gift card or several to a local grocery store each month and place these  in the Sunday  collection basket or  through the  mail slot in the doors to the parish office:  We can also contribute to, or attend the fund raisers which support the CTK Pantry Operations Fund which provides the technical equipment and other supplies needed to run the pantry, as well as fuels and maintains  the vehicles used by the pantry, and also maintains the  essential refrigeration equipment. Last but not least, we can still contribute to the CTK Pantry Project, which is providing the  funding designated for this very necessary new construction, which in the end will provide a secure and adequate home for the Pantry’s extensive storage needs.  All in all, this new sacred space for the concrete exercise of Gospel charity should be completed and dedicated by our Bishop in the late Fall.  On that day all who have been a part of supporting any aspect of this charitable ministry should be justifiably proud of this tremendous accomplishment and consoled as well, rightly anticipating the words of the Lord which  we all should long to hear:  “Come you are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world – for I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink …..!

 

July 19, 2026

The Whole Truth – Stewardship by the Numbers:   The Fiscal Year  for the Church closes on June 30th, so over the next couple of months we will be analyzing our income as a parish versus our expenses, and reporting that to you as is our custom at or around the Feast of Christ the King in an annual report.  Yet before the final report is compiled and issued, it may be of interest to you what the actual costs are that go into the overall expense of maintaining Christ the King Church and Parish Complex and staffing its  Church, Rectory, Office, and Programs. The first question that might be raised and thus answered is what does it cost to have a resident priest? Secular priests, as are most Diocesan Priests who staff parishes, are entitled to a salary set by the Diocese. Currently the base salary for a parish priest is $37,305.00, which increases by $108.00 per year for every year of ordination beginning at the  6th.  Additionally, all pastors receive a $1,500.00 per year  bonus on top of their regular salary.   Thus the salary for your present pastor during the past year, who has been ordained for 38 years, is  $42,819.00. The salary for the Parochial Vicar who has been ordained for 30 years is $40,740.00. Additionally, the Diocese collects $700 per priest per month  from the parish for the Clergy Pension fund, and $2,100.00 per month per priest for health Insurance through the Diocese’s plan with Blue Cross/Blue Shield.  This overall cost of having two priests in the parish is $150,759 per year or a weekly amount of $2,899.00. These  salaries and benefits are actually quite modest by most  standards of a profession that requires no less than eight years of academic preparation post-high school, and are considerably less than that of a Pastor or Assistant Pastor in a mainline Protestant Church.  Ironically, these salaries are as nothing compared to the astronomical annual incomes of Pastors of Mega Churches in the United States who are usually far less educated than Catholic priests or most mainline Protestant Ministers! These are not the only costs of priests for the parish, as they are entitled to  room and board, so we will examine the actual costs of operating a Rectory in a future column.  Priests are also entitled to spend up to $1,000.00 per year at parish expense  for continuing education or spiritual formation such as  a retreat. Yet Secular Priests are personally responsible for all medical and dental co-pays and costs not covered by their health and dental insurance.  They  are not provided any funds for vehicles nor the costs of fueling, maintaining, and insuring these; such costs can be tracked and deducted from their  income taxes. They must also provide their own albs and clerical clothing and purchase any vestments they would prefer to use  beyond  those which may be  provided by the parish.  Diocesan Parish Priests  are also responsible for making their own investments for retirement, knowing that once they retire they will receive a taxable pension of $2,000.00 per month along with a Social Security check that is  less  substantial than average given their modest earnings upon which this amount  is based.   Secular priests  are also responsible to acquire their own retirement housing otherwise they must request to be  admitted to the priests retirement home and acceptance will be allowed should there be sufficient room for them and at a cost to them  of $900 per month, When  a retired secular priest is  no longer able to live independently and needs assisted living or nursing home care this  expense is not provided by the Diocese but must be funded by the  individual priest. So too, the costs of his funeral expenses and burial arrangements are the responsibility of the secular  priest or his family.   Often people confuse secular  priests and their income and expenses with those  of religious priests  such as Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans etc. whose religious communities receive payment from the parishes or schools they may staff and  then the order usually  distributes  a small monthly stipend to each member for personal expenses but  all other costs of housing, food, transportation, insurance, healthcare, retirement, funeral and burial  are covered by the religious order.  No one should ever  enter the priesthood with the notion that they are going to make money, and none of this should thus be read as whining in any form; rather it is just a thoroughly honest revelation of how priests are supported depending on whether they are secular diocesan priests or religious priests, and the consequent cost to a parish for having them in residence.  Please be mindful of these costs when you discern the amount of your weekly offering in support for the parish!  More revelations to come!
 
 
Aid For Venezuela:  Baskets remain at the entrances to the Church this weekend to receive whatever monetary assistance you may wish to offer for those suffering the devastation of the terrible earthquakes in Venezuela.  Let us all be as generous as possible, as our parish’s contributions will be gathered with those of other parishes in the diocese to hopefully accumulate a substantial amount to offer those affected some practical help.
 
 
Following Up on the Message of Last Weekend’s Gospel:  The Parable of the Sower and the Seed is an allegory that Jesus used to explain the sometimes challenging phenomenon of belief and unbelief as we may encounter it ourselves even among family members or close friends and associates.   Many parents fret about the state of their own children’s religious belief and practice even after years of proper religious formation and sometimes formal  Catholic Education.  Donna Erdman, our Pastoral Associate, recommends a book that may be very helpful to parents. It is titled RETURN: HOW TO DRAW YOUR CHILD BACK TO THE CHURCH, authored by Brandon Voght, a best-selling author who is the executive publishing director for Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
 
 

The Bust of the Upright Man:  Once again, Dr. Gilbert Lavoie, our seasonal parishioner, along with his wife Bonnie, has lent us for our contemplation the beautiful bust which  depicts  Christ as he is raised up from the dead as discerned from Dr. Lavoie’s extensive study of  the Shroud of Turin. Dr. Lavoie has written books about this mysterious image and applied his own medical expertise to analyze the blood as it appears on the Shroud and, more recently, to associate this  image as being that of the final sign of  his divinity as promised by Christ in the Gospel of John.   If you place Dr. Gilbert Lavois’s name in your search on Amazon, you will find his books should you wish  to purchase them to take a deeper look into his unique and valuable insights after studying  the Shroud across nearly five  decades.

July 12, 2026

Contemporary Wedding Trends: Creating A Sacred Covenant or Putting on a Big  Show? Recently, a prospective bride inquired what a wedding in Church might look like, as she had never been to one!  Should we be surprised?  Sadly, no, because contemporary trends are fast moving away from Church Weddings and more toward outdoor or commercial venues.   If you read comments online as to why, you will hear that  it is simply more convenient to have a ceremony in the same place as the reception so there’s no gap in between for guests for whom the couples re trying to “create an experience”!  You will also read that couples are simply not affiliated with “ organized religion”  nor are they willing to accept the requirements that many churches rightly  have  regarding formal marriage preparation, nor the restriction on timing, decorations, or attire that churches may impose,  Yet the real question that is missed and which needs to be raised is what does being married at a beach, a country club, or other staged venue like Madison Square Garden with a friend or relative officiating really mean?  That is a difficult question to answer and may vary with each couple who seek to overtly personalize and sometimes  even make private their spoken promises!   What we do know is that it doesn’t mean what marrying “in the Church”  means!  While online comments speak of shopping around for a substantial aisle or a beautiful sanctuary, some complain about restrictions in changing the lighting or the décor of the Church as if it were a Hollywood set instead of a sacred space!!  Couples who seek to marry here in our parish  are told that while Christ the King Church is a beautiful ecclesiastical building, if it burnt down before the day of their wedding they could still get married “in the Church” because that means getting married in accordance with a now ancient tradition that defines marriage as a sacrament that therefore  belongs not only to the couples who enter it but also to the community of believers in Jesus Christ whose brand of unconditional, unending love marriage is meant to be a living sign!   Therefore,  Christian couples rightly get married in a sacred place where the Cross of Christ looms large and before an altar where the Sacrifice of Christ is perpetuated for as he laid down his life for us all the groom and the bride are promising to lay down their lives one for the other, and acknowledge as they do that it is by God’s grace that they will be able to keep their word as they remain faithful to one another forever!    That is why the proper officiant is an ordained  minister of the Church, and the sacred covenant being established between the couple is created by standard  vows  that have been  spoken by many generations of couples, which express a love that is permanent and unconditional, spoken before God and two official witnesses.    Church Weddings therefore can be simple or elaborate depending on the number of attendants and attendees, but at their essential core they remain the same, and that is perhaps too very ordinary for those competing with others for the most personalized and memorable show a la Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden transformed at no little expense into a garden!  Yet the Church rightly tries to reign in the elaborate and discourages the overly expensive while it emphasizes the essential as it reminds couples of the very sobering truth that a wedding is merely for a day, but a marriage is meant for a lifetime;  therefore, the required preparation to covenant a  sacramental marriage  which many contemporary couples claim to resent is actually equally as  important as  the wedding celebration itself!   
 
   
Trivia Night-July 18th,  5:00 PM: Sign up now for a fun evening of great food and friendly competition as we reveal how much trivia we know about the land we love; the United States of America!   Form a team or come as individuals, prepared to be assigned to one, which is a great way to come to know other parishioners with whom you will be playing!
 
 
Golf Tournament- September 14th, 2026- Willow Bend Country Club:  A chance to play this exquisite course and to be part of an important charity  fundraising event at the same time!   The Christ the King Classic Golf Tournament, which annually raises funds to help support the work of the Financial and Resources Assistance Ministry of our parish as it seeks to help people to acquire a home or retain one by providing a  rent or mortgage payment as well as first, last, and security deposits, which are often beyond the means of the working poor in  our area of Cape Cod.    So gather a team or sign up to be assigned to one, or if you do not golf, consider being a sponsor or contributing a gift card to a local restaurant,  store, salon,  or tickets to a theatre or sporting event for the silent auction that is part of the program on the day of the tournament.  Brochures are available at the entrances of the Church or through the parish office.
 
 

Annual Summer Raffle:  A Mailing has gone out to all registered households  with chances to our annual summer raffle with a grand prize of $5000 and several other prizes besides.   Books of chances are also available at the entrances of the Church. If you are not on our mailing list, please take one or two books for yourselves or to sell to others and return the stubs and donation by placing  an envelope marked  “Raffle” in the collection basket or through the mail slot of the parish office. Drawing is held on Sunday of Columbus Day Weekend at noon in the parish hall; you’ve got to play to win!

July 5, 2026

250 Years; Celebrating America the Beautiful and Challenging America the Heartless: In 1883, Emma Lazarus composed a poem for the fundraising efforts to create a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.   The poem is now  permanently enshrined on a bronze plaque in that pedestal.  Entitled  “The New Colossus”, it reads as follows:

 

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

with silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

 

This poem  sums up quite well what has been and should continue to be the promise of America as a refuge where the poor, the tired, the oppressed of the world might finally find a home in which they would first and foremost be free and in that climate  have every opportunity to prosper.  Surely this is what happened for the majority of our forebears who arrived here from the British Isles, or the continent of Europe, because they sought better lives for themselves and those who would come after them, and for many  America has surely delivered on that promise.  Yet ironically, as we celebrate the 250th Anniversary  of the founding of our nation, and the freedoms and opportunities generations of our families have enjoyed, we are faced with the uncomfortable truth that recent waves of immigrants coming for the very  same reasons as our own ancestors, or fleeing even  worse forms of poverty and  oppression, are no longer finding rhe welcome that the Statue of Liberty represents and America promises.  The present administration had campaigned on the slogan “Mass Deportation” and painted newcomers with the broad brush of criminality!  Not yet having the right documents, even when those documents are in process, has caused many to be abducted from homes, schools, churches, and workplaces and incarcerated in not just uncomfortable  facilities  but what objective observers have called inhumane conditions.  Just this past week, those who were recently welcomed here from Haiti and Syria have had their protected status undermined  by our Supreme Court, and now a million more  people  could have  the foundation of the new life they were invited to build here unexpectedly  taken out from under them!  This is not America the Beautiful that we should  rightly love; it is rather  America the heartless that we must work to change!  Indeed, that  sort of cruelty should be unacceptable to all people of goodwill and most  especially abhorrent to people of  a faith based in the teachings of Jesus Christ, no matter what  denomination of Christianity with  which they affiliate!  On this 250th Anniversary of its founding, we must be grateful to our nation for the welcome given to  our ancestors and thus for the rights,  freedoms and opportunities that  we enjoy today  on account of it. Yet as  Christians called to love our  neighbor, including strangers, we should not  passively condone  shutting the door on law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying newcomers; rather, we should be lobbying our lawmakers to create reasonable  paths to citizenship  that will enable them  to stay just as  our forebears  were welcomed.  To fail to see this, and to remain either indifferent or worse  even hostile toward  recent immigrants and their plight  would convict us of  a moral blindness of which it would be wise to repent!  So as we celebrate America as Beautiful for what it promised those who came before us  and has delivered  for us, let us lobby to restore that same welcoming heart in our  moral, social, and political culture  in our nation as we embark on a new chapter of what we pray will be its long history.  
 
 

Looking Ahead: 

All Things American- Trivia Night: On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, our Catholic Women’s Club will host a special Trivia Night on  Saturday, July 18th  following the 4 PM Mass.   Great Food will be served, a cash bar will be available, and lots of fun will be had at this patriotically  themed event.  So form a team, or be assigned to one, but register to participate – you will be glad you did!
 
 
CTK Classic Annual Golf Tournament:  Our Annual Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, September 14th at Willowbend Country Club.  The proceeds of this event benefit our charitable efforts to assist people to acquire a home or remain in one, which is often a  great challenge, especially for the working poor here  on Cape Cod.  Informational Flyers are available at the entrances to the Church. Golfers are encouraged to form a team and to participate; those who don’t golf might consider being  sponsors of the Tournament or providers  of items for the silent auction that is part of the day.
 
 

Thank-You!  Gratitude is extended to the 300  households of the parish that have donated or pledged to support the various apostolates, ministries, and charities of our local Church, which is the Diocese of Fall River, through the Annual Catholic Appeal.  God, who is never outdone in generosity, will surely reward with his blessings those who sacrifice in this way to support the good works which bring honor to his name!

June 28, 2026

A Month Of  Remembering  Many Martyrs: June began with the feast of  Justin the Martyr of the Second Century and as we come to the end of the month we will have celebrated nine feast days of  martyr’s and  as some of these like the  Ugandan Martyrs of the 19th Century, and the First Martyrs of Rome  in the middle of the First Century we are reminded of the courage and unshakable faith of many who would give up even their very life before denying Jesus Christ or violating his teachings. On Monday, we will celebrate the Solemnity  of  the Apostles  Peter and Paul, who were  martyred r during the persecution of Nero.  This  feast has been faithfully  celebrated in the City of Rome, beginning some five decades even before the Edict of Milan  in 313 AD finally broke any ban on the  public practice of  Christianity in the Roman  Empire. Why are the Martyrs so important  to us?  Because, to a person, they gave an example of what true faithfulness to Jesus Christ might have to cost us all.  Yet, fortunately, in our day and in our region of the world, actual martyrdom is unlikely, but we have seen it in places not so far away  nor unfamiliar to us, like  Libya, where in  2015  a group of 21 Coptic Christian men was beheaded by radical Islamists. For us  today, a similar challenge is faced  not literally as a matter of life or death, but often as a matter of social acceptance or rejection.  Indeed, there are plenty of opportunities in the contemporary culture where, like the martyrs, we can either stand up for the faith and the  teachings of Christ’s gospel when they are being questioned or ridiculed, or we can cave to social  or political pressure to  remain silent so as not to be dismissed or rejected by others. What will it be for us?  Are our eyes open to the affairs of our nation or those of this  world that clearly  contradict the Gospel? Do we have the courage to challenge  trends in the culture that are sanctioned by “everyone is doing it,”  even though we know these  to be morally wrong?    When Henry VIII broke from the Church of Rome in 1535  and named himself supreme head of the Church in England to divorce Catherine of Aragon and  marry Anne Boleyn, there were 21 bishops of dioceses and 26  abbots in the House of Lords. Yet most all acquiesced to the King in silence to preserve their own position and power.  It was primarily   Bishop John Fisher, whose feast is observed on June 22nd, who had the moral integrity and  courage to say that only the Pope as successor of St Peter, can be  the chief shepherd of the Church  that is authentically founded  on the Apostles by Jesus Christ and also  said he was willing to die if necessary to defend  the indissolubility of Christian marriage as preached by Christ himself. Well, Bishop Fisher  died on the scaffold on June 22, 1535, but his example of  moral courage lives on, along with his good name, while those without the same conviction and courage are remembered in disgrace or are  otherwise completely forgotten!  As we conclude this month of  feasts celebrating the witness of many  martyrs, let their example of  upholding the truth that comes from God  and defending the Church that proclaims it  inspire us to do the same, no matter the cost to us!
 
 
 
Close of the Annual Catholic Appeal:  The end of June brings with it the end of the  Catholic Appeal, an annual  request from our Bishop to assist him financially to assure that the apostolates, ministries, and programs sponsored by the Church of Fall River  will not only continue but flourish in the fiscal year ahead.  Thank you to the 281 households that have donated or pledged to the Catholic Appeal already, may those who have not yet done so be inspired by the Holy Spirit and the good example of others  to do something to support these good works  and thus be  part of something greater than themselves and of benefit to many.
 
 
 

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. In celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, a National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is being  held from  May 24-July 5 and will include different routes with stops in 18 dioceses, including the Diocese of Fall River from June 29-30. The theme of the pilgrimage is “One Nation Under God,” and the particular route, which began in St Augustine, Florida, and will stop in  our Diocese  on the way to its  end in Philadelphia, PA, has been dedicated to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen to be canonized. Opportunities to take part in the pilgrimage as it travels through our Diocese include Masses, Eucharistic processions, and Adoration in Easton, New Bedford, and Fall River. Please check the schedules provided at the entrances to the Church or available  on the website of The Diocese of Fall River and  plan to participate as we all  pray for our Church, diocese, and country on this significant anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence as a nation.

June 21, 2026

Father’s Day:  On this weekend we join with families throughout the nation as we honor our fathers,  grandfathers,  step fathers, god fathers and second fathers, For us as people of faith we best express our love and gratitude through prayer and so we will offer all the Masses on this Sunday for all fathers, living or deceased, and impart a special blessing to the fathers who are present with us at Mass this weekend.
 
 
The Emiliani Project: This weekend, Charles “Chuck” Navarette, a deacon from Oceanside, California, will be visiting us with his wife, Rebecca, and their two children. Rebecca is the daughter of our parishioners, Rick and Lynn Provencher, and the sister of Pete Provencher and his wife, Sarah, who coordinates our Youth Ministry.  Deacon Chuck will be preaching at all the Masses this weekend and introducing us to the Emiliani Project, of which he is a co-founder.  This Project is named in honor of St Gerolamo (Jerome) Emiliani, an Italian layman of the Veneto  region of Italy who was born in 1486 and who died in 1537 after contracting the plague while trying to help care for its from the Veneto region of Italy who was born in 1486 and died in 1537 after contracting the plague while trying to help care for other victims.  This  saint, who was an impious youth, had a conversion experience while serving in the military as a young man and being freed after being held captive, crediting his release to  the intercession of the Mother of God.  Thereafter, Jerome  devoted his life to God and to good works on behalf of others in need, establishing orphanages and hospitals, and even a fraternity of  secular priests, although it is uncertain whether he himself was ever ordained.  St  Jerome Emiliani  is especially venerated for his care of poor,  neglected, or  orphaned children and so has officially  been named their patron saint by the Church.  With this as background, Deacon Chuck will inform us of this  project, which is  named in honor of St Jerome Emiliani because it  seeks to house, feed, and educate poor and  vulnerable children in the region of Medellin, Colombia.  Certainly, it is appropriate as we celebrate Father’s Day to remember those children, many of whom lack a loving father’s presence in their lives, to learn what is being done to help them and consider playing a part in that noble effort.
 
 
On  Prayer for Vocations:  We must face the difficult truth that we ourselves are at risk of becoming fatherless, in the sense  that unless present trends  soon  turn around, it may not be too long before we do  not have a sufficient number of spiritual fathers to serve our parishes and minister the sacraments as priests.  So on this Father’s Day, let us also  pray for our spiritual fathers as well, and each of us  deepen  our commitment  to pray for and promote  vocations to the priesthood!   
 
 
The Time Has Come:  Beginning on the 1st of May, the annual Catholic Appeal opened, and now the official close of that appeal on the 30th of June is drawing near.  Thank you to the households of the parish who have already contributed, and those that have not yet done so are asked to  make their pledge or donation during the coming week. The Catholic faith that we profess is radically communal in its creed and practice, calling us to be in solidarity with our fellow believers  in faith and charity under the authority and with the spiritual guidance of our bishop. Indeed, it is our  bishop appointed by the successor of St Peter, who provides the  essential link that makes us  part of the worldwide Catholic Church.  Thus, the ‘ Local Church” to which we belong cannot be  limited in our understanding  simply to our parish alone  but must  actually  encompass the whole  Diocese of Fall River!  In our name as its members, the Diocese carries out charitable good works and sponsors apostolates,  ministries, and programs that put our Catholic faith into action on a broader scale than any one parish can ever  do on its own.  So, Bishop daCunha asks for our help each year in funding these many good works. Let us respond to his request with loving and generous hearts!
 
 

Let Us  Say Thank You: For better than three decades, Dwight Giddings has been managing the care and maintenance of the buildings and grounds of our parish. While appearing younger than his age, he is past that point at which  most people retire, and so will be stepping down from his long-held full-time position as plant manager  on the 30th of June.  As he does, Dwight  leaves the parish plant with its  many  challenges and  its extensive  grounds in very good shape thanks to his conscientious care and dedication over these many years.  So let us express our gratitude to Dwight  for his good stewardship of what our founding pastor, Monsignor Tosti, and  our original members  have bequeathed to us: a beautiful house of the church in which to worship and adequate  facilities in which our  programs and activities may take place and  to which we may generously  welcome outside groups to enjoy as well.  Thank you, Dwight, for all your  many efforts to maintain these buildings and grounds  in as good a shape or better  than  we have received them; as a community of faith, we will be ever  grateful to you!