OUR CLERGY
Father Joseph Dinh
Emmanuel Ukattah, Deacon
Enedino Aquino, Deacon
Father Joseph Dinh
Emmanuel Ukattah, Deacon
Enedino Aquino, Deacon
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Epiphany, the manifestation of the Lord to the gentiles. The birth of Jesus evokes the promises and prophecies in the past. From the book of Numbers we can see that after forty years of wandering in the desert, now Joshua and the people of Israel were advancing towards the Promised Land. Being afraid of Israel, king Balak of Moab, an evil king, summoned a pagan prophet, Balaam. Balaam was considered as a soothsayer or a foreteller of today. King Balak ordered Balaam to place a curse upon Joshua and his people. King Balak even promised to give Balaam money and possessions if he did so. But Balaam refused to curse Israel, and instead he blessed the people of Israel and then prophesied that a star and a royal staff would arise out of Israel and be exalted above all the nations.
This is the star the three kings follow. The coming of the three kings to Jerusalem fulfilled the prophecies in the past. The three kings left their kingdoms and kingship in order to worship a greater king of kings. They gave up their riches in order to possess a greater treasure, the savior of the world.
There is a big contrast between the three kings and the people of Jerusalem. The pagan kings did not know the scriptures, but they were sincerely searching for the savior of the world; on the other hand, the people of Jerusalem knew the scriptures, but they were not interested in searching for the Messiah. The three kings set out for a long journey to come to the Lord, on the other hand, Bethlehem was just a few miles from Jerusalem, but people, even after listening to the good news of the newborn king, did not do anything. They were more interested in the events of the world than searching for the Messiah. They lived in a culture that emphasized material things rather than spiritual things, to feed the body while starving the soul.
On this feast, let us ask ourselves: Are we sincere in searching for God or for material things of the world? Do we come to church every Sunday, to empty ourselves so that the Lord will fill us with his grace and blessings, or do we come to church filled with things of the world, and there is no room for the Lord to enter our lives? Are we like the three kings or the people of Jerusalem who did nothing at the birth of the Savior? Like the three kings, let us give up our riches, our desires and ambitions in order to possess a greater treasure, the presence of the Lord. Let us continue to share the presence of the Lord with one another in our daily lives.
May God bless us all!
Fr. Joe
Christ the King Church was founded in 1940 to serve the African-American Catholics in High Point, and has since become a multi-ethnic parish celebrating both the diversity and unity of the Catholic faith and tradition. Then-Bishop Eugene F. McGuinness of Raleigh invited the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement of Graymoor, NY to staff the new mission in High Point in 1940. Father Bernardine Watson served as the first pastor, originally celebrating Mass in a funeral home. Through the generosity and perseverance of Father Watson and several benefactors, a clothing shop was acquired for use by the mission. While Mass continued to be celebrated there during much of 1941, the mission community members also turned their attention to building a new church and rectory on Kivett Drive. The new colonial-style church was dedicated by Bishop McGuinness Dec. 14, 1941.
During the 1940s and into the ’50s, the Christ the King parish community continued to grow. A school building and convent were built in 1949, and in 1950 the Franciscan Handmaids arrived from New York City to staff the school. The African-American communities, both Catholic and non-Catholic, of High Point, Thomasville and Greensboro were served by the new Christ the King School, which opened its doors to 50 students in September 1950. The friars continued their pastorate in High Point for the next several decades, cultivating a faith community that became continually more culturally diverse over time. A stained-glass window behind the church’s choir loft depicts that diversity, with Jesus surrounded by four individuals representing the African, Asian, European and Indian bloodlines that make up much of the parish community today.
Lowering enrollment, financial difficulties and the recalling of the sisters to New York forced Christ the King School to close in 1981. The diocesan office of education converted the school for use as a day care center, which began its operation in August 1981. That same year, Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement arrived at Christ the King Church to conduct the religious education program and other ministerial work, including assisting at the day care center. The center, still located on parish grounds, is now privately operated and continues to serve the area.
Upon the friars’ leaving High Point in 1991, Christ the King Church became a diocesan parish in December of that year. Fathers Martin Madison and John Hoover served the parish until December 1994, when Father Philip Kollithanath, was appointed to Christ the King Church. Assisting in the advancing growth of the Christ the King community have been many commissions and ministries focusing on the spiritual , educational, multicultural and evangelical dimensions of the parish. Parishioners gather to engage in Bible study , to learn English as a Second Language, to put their faith into action in the local community and to celebrate their ethnicity. A Hispanic center and bilingual religious education program provide sharing and learning opportunities for English and Spanish speaking parishioners, and the parish African-American Ministry offers outreach programs benefiting the local region. The Women’s Guild, Altar Guild, 55+ Club and Young & Spirited Group are active in parish and community services, and the evangelization commission provides for the spiritual needs of homebound parishioners through its Visitation Ministry. The community of Christ the King Church looks ahead to expansion and renovation projects that will accommodate the needs of a growing parish. One hundred and sixty-one households currently make up the parish registry.