Dear Fellow Parishioners,

Our Pastor, Fr. Antonio, has asked the Pastoral Council to answer this question: “How can we be a more Hospitable Community, as well as increase our parishioner registration, tithing and email usage?”

At our Pastoral Council meetings, we discussed over several months how to be more welcoming and inclusive as a community, while developing new forms for Parishioner Registration and Newcomer Interest.

The Church teaches us that the single most important factor influencing the well-being of our parish life is the quality of the Sunday liturgy. Liturgy is the action of the entire assembly united with Christ in the Holy Spirit. Hospitality is an essential characteristic of authentic Christian community. Therefore, its exercise is the responsibility of all those gathered for worship.

Each one of us is called to be welcoming.  “When they arrived at Jerusalem they were welcomed by that church, as well as by the apostles, and presbyters, to whom they reported all that God had helped them accomplish.”  Acts 15:4

Let each of us try to be more welcoming and inclusive of all parishioners and visitors to Christ the King.

What a great way to prepare for the coming of Jesus!

Use the New Year as a springboard to opening yourself to God’s call to be welcoming and hospitable. Say hello to new, as well as more familiar, faces as we gather for Mass.  Can we make room for a late comer even though it means moving from our favorite spot in the pew? Is it possible to pass down a hymnal or share the one we’ve chosen? Would you wish to be helped if you were frail or unsteady without having to ask for aid? How would expanding your after Mass coffee group in the community hall benefit you? Maybe the smile you give will be the only gift that person receives that day. 

Together we can create a warm and inviting environment, sharing our joy and love of the Lord through our hospitality to those we know and to strangers.

We on the Council thank each of you for accepting this invitation to grow in hospitality.

We also welcome your input on how we can expand on this theme.  Kindly contact any of us either directly,  through the Parish Center or through the parish website: www.ctkla.org.

In His service

Marianne Muellerleile, Chair, CTK Pastoral Council