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,
There are tough readings this Sunday. They begin with the third of four passages from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah usually called the Servant Songs. These songs speak about the call of the Suffering Servant. The Church sees them as pointing directly to Jesus Christ. The Third Servant Song from today’s reading is very difficult to hear. The servant is treated horribly. People beat him, and pull his beard. They hit him in the face and even spit on him (Isaiah 50:5-9). All this hurts the servant, but it doesn’t make him change because his mind is set on doing God’s will. He is doing the mission of God. Anyone who is attacking him is attacking the mission that God has given him, and, ultimately, attacking God.
In the gospel, Peter professes that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Certainly for Peter and the other apostles, the Messiah is a triumphal figure, someone who would defeat the Roman dominance. But Jesus does not see his role that way. Yes, he is the Christ, but his mission is this: “To suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days” (Mark 8: 31). When Peter hears this, he says “No way” and tries to dissuade Jesus. But Jesus rebukes Peter and calls him “Get behind me Satan” to indicate that only the devil would interfere with the mission of God. These are strong words but the strength of the rebuke “Get behind me Satan” clearly indicates that this is the only way that his mission will be achieved.
This way of suffering and sacrifice is not something only for Jesus, suffering and sacrifice are for all of us. That is the principal message of today’s Gospel. Following Jesus Christ is a serious business. It is not a matter of being a member of a community. It is not a matter of observing rules and regulations. It is not a matter of knowing the beliefs. To follow Him we are to put Him before everything else in the world, even our own lives, even to die for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Following Jesus is always having a cost. That is because good is always opposed by evil. Yes, it takes courage to be a real Christian. It takes more courage to be a true Catholic, who is not going to compromise with the values of the world, but rather to stand up for the Truth that is Jesus Christ. It takes courage to live the Lord’s words in today’s gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
We pray this week for the courage to be Catholic. 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.