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,
This Sunday we listen to the First Letter of Peter in the second reading. This letter was written to Christians who were minorities in Asia Minor, and often experienced opposition and persecution from their neighbors. The letter gave encouragement to the Christians and told them that the life of Christian discipleship would often lead to suffering in the same way as it had led to Christ’s crucifixion: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps” (1Peter 2:21). In the midst of suffering, Peter encouraged them to be faithful and to trust in Christ. They were called to be responsible both to live as good citizens and also to hold firm to their beliefs and values.
The letter intends to show the way in which love motivated Christ to give his life so that others may have life to the full: “He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness” (1Peter 2: 24). Jesus’ love enabled him to bear the sins of all people so that they might be saved. Christ became the Paschal Lamb, the one sacrificed at the New Passover, to free us from the power of sin and to give us new life.
The situation that Peter described 2000 years ago continues today for many people. Throughout the centuries we know that many have suffered and died for their faith and even today there is still persecution in many parts of the world. The suffering of Christians continues among those who proclaim the Good News in non-Christian environments. Christians often deal with hostility, killing and imprisonment against them because they spoke the word of justice and human dignity. We come to be assured that to persevere in living a life modeled on the cross of Christ is not to live in vain. We are here so that the world may be changed. As long as we live out our discipleship, we indeed participate in the bringing about of the Kingdom of God and lead to eternal life.
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.