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’s readings are talking about the troubles and challenges of life. In the first reading, Isaiah prophesies the imminent destruction of the vineyard, that is “the house of Israel.” Jesus in the parable also tells about a vineyard under terrible mismanagement. Instead of caring for the vineyard, the tenants get involved in greed, betrayal and murder. The Old Testament reading and the Gospel describe a world filled with trouble.
If you watch news networks you would be convinced that the world is going down to destruction. The global economy is tanking because of the Covid-19 pandemic. People are suffering badly from war, hurricanes, earthquakes, famine, fires, and violence everywhere. However, in the midst of troubles, we hear from St. Paul: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Have no anxiety at all! St. Paul advises us to do two things in order to deal with anxiety.
First, prayer – putting our troubles in God’s hand – making our requests known to him. Doesn’t God already know what we need? He does, but he wants us to entrust our lives and our problems to him. To pray is to increase our trust in God.
The second part is thanksgiving. We know that out of love, God has created us for His purpose. God does not make mistakes. We live because God wants us to live, even when bad things happen in our life. God allowed them because of some greater purpose. Therefore, in every circumstance, we need to give thanks. A grateful heart is a peaceful heart. Trusting God and giving thanks to him is not escapism. On the contrary, trust and gratitude can help people to deal with problems, to stand up and move on.
If we seek happiness where God is present, we do not need to be anxious. We are to possess Jesus Christ. He is all that we need. He is our everything. And the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, comes upon us, dwells in us, and becomes our treasure.
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.