OUR CLERGY


Father Joseph Dinh

Father Joseph Dinh

Deacon Emmanuel Ukattah

Emmanuel Ukattah, Deacon

Deacon Enedino Aquino

Enedino Aquino, Deacon

From the Desk of Our Priest


Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In today’s gospel, the incident of the Greeks asking to see Jesus marks a turning point in the gospel of John as Jesus points out: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:23-24).

The concept of “the hour” has a deep theological meaning in the Gospel of John. At the wedding feast of Cana when Jesus says to his Mother, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?  My hour has not yet come.” Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well that the hour is coming when people will worship in spirit and in truth. Jesus says that the hour is coming when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. The Temple officials often tried to arrest Jesus, but they couldn’t because his hour had not yet come.

And now Jesus announces that “the hour” is upon him. When Jesus uses this phrase, “the hour”, he isn’t merely referring to the time of day or night. No, he is speaking about a central moment of human history when he accepts his death on the cross for human salvation. The hour is the moment that the world will be transformed through his death and resurrection. The hour is the moment when the power of evil and death will be defeated by love. The hour is coming when we are invited to share in the very divine life of our Lord.

We Christians are called to live in that moment, “the hour.” The hour of the Lord is real for us whenever we come into the Church, stand and meditate before the Cross. We are there with the Lord. The hour of the Lord is real for us when we let ourselves be united to Jesus on his cross through accepting our daily burdens and pains with faith and hope. The hour is real when we are willing to be drawn to him, to be lifted up from the burdens of this life into the mysterious experience of his new life.

Yes, we are living that moment since we trust in the Lord’s promise: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32).

May God bless us all!

Fr. Joe

History


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.