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’s Gospel reading follows directly from last week’s text in which we heard about the Twelve being sent on mission. Now they came back and reported what happened on that mission. Jesus first invited them to go to a lonely place for a rest. However, when they got to the lonely place they would find it packed with people, and people were hungry for the Word and leadership. The point from here is that to be Jesus’disciples, there would be no day off, no holiday, and that there would be no getting away from our mission.
The leaders of Israel mentioned in the first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah were weak and corrupt because they neglected their duties and allowed the people to be scattered. And the Lord said to them: “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture…You have not cared for them and I will take care to punish your evil deeds” (Jeremiah 23:1-2).
As leaders in our family and our community, we should recognize that there are some things that we can never get away from, some things from which we can never take a holiday. Of course, everyone needs a break, a holiday or a vacation. Rest and relaxation are very important for us to be recharged for keeping the wheels of duty running. But the fact is that we cannot take a holiday from being married, we cannot take a holiday from our responsibilities for children, and we certainly cannot take a holiday from God or from our task as Jesus’ disciples. These things are simply part of our existence. They are part of our identity as Jesus’ disciples.
Yes, we are called to be good leaders for our family and community. What qualities, then, should we look for in a leader? Today’s readings provide the answer: a good leader must be capable of uniting the people in truth as St. Paul tells the Corinthians in the second reading, and a leader must be both strong and compassionate as Jesus was.
The leadership of parents in the family must combine strength and compassion. Husbands, wives, mothers and fathers, cannot make demands without recognizing the impact of your decisions upon your children. If the goal of marriage is to approach God through giving of oneself to one’s spouse and children, then the husband and wife, mother and father must sacrifice themselves for the sake of the family. It is the same with the pastor, ministers, and catechists in our community. We should be aware of the needs of the people entrusted to our care.
So, today we pray for all leaders. We pray that we and all leaders may be filled with divine wisdom to become Christ-like to shepherd the people of God.
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.