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 consider a text that is crucial to the Church’s understanding of itself. The words of Jesus addressed to Peter: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19).
The claims that the Church has been founded by the Lord based on those few words are biblical true indeed. But they also provoke a good deal of criticism and have been an obstacle to many people outside the Catholic Church. We should remember the context in which these words of Jesus arise. Peter made an extraordinary confession of faith in response to Jesus’ question who you say that I am: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus then declared that this extraordinary statement of faith was directly inspired by God the Father (Matthew 16:16-17). Upon this profound revelation from the Father Jesus gives authority to Peter and his successors to lead the Church, that the Holy Spirit will protect the successors of Peter from being attacked by evil forces, and that being in communion with the successors of Peter is essential to being a member of the one true Church of God.
We remember what the Lord said to His people in the book of Isaiah: “I will place the Key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder. When he opens, no one shall shut. When he shuts, no one shall open” (Isaiah 22:22). In both cases, Eliakim and Peter, God entrusts a man with the keys to His House, His Church.
The readings of this Sunday tell us that our Church was certainly founded by the Lord. Key is seen as a symbol of authority. Key is also a sign that the Lord has entrusted the care of His people to the Church. The Church, through Peter, is given the power to make Jesus Christ present in the world. The Church is given the power to bring people to Christ. Through the Church we enter the presence of the Lord in Word and Sacrament. Through the Church we are united in the Body of Christ to serve the Lord through serving the members of the Body.
Let us continue to recognize the privilege of being inside the Church and constantly give thanks and praise to the Lord for this blessing.
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.