Christ the King
Bishop’s Corner
Blessed feast day of Christ the King! The Kingship of Christ is a theme found in the Sacred Liturgy all year long, but this Autumn Sunday nearest All Saints Day is chosen for a specific feast to proclaim Christ as King here and now, in this daily world of ours and in every aspect of our lives: education, entertainment, and politics, as well in public as in private. The saints accompany their King to whom they have rendered signal service in this life. The very trees take on the golden hues of royalty to declare their loyalty. And we? Let us live “as becometh saints” this feast day seems to say, so as to serve our King in every way. The sinless ones, children and nature itself, point the way today. Blessed feast day of Christ the King!
I spoke with Fr. Siordia of Cocoyoc, Morelos, Mexico the other day, who stays quite busy with two parishes and a chapel, as well as his work with the sick, the possessed, and his prayers for the Poor Souls. We are planning a pastoral visit with Confirmation for June, during the festival of San Antonio, patron of the church of Alpanocan, up in the mountains near the volcano.
Back in Cincinnati, we are planning the priestly ordination of Rev. Mr. Lehtoranta for Wednesday, November 16th, at 10:00 AM. I hope you’ll be able to attend and perhaps to help with the many arrangements.
On Mission Sunday I visited Spokane to ordain Rev. Mr. Stephen McKenna (Brother John is his third Order Dominican name) a deacon. Some of his Dominican brethren from Boston attended the ceremony hosted by Fr. Kevin Vaillancourt, who assisted me at the altar, as did Fr. Kasik. Father sends his grateful greetings to St. Gertrude, and reports on the great progress made this summer towards the completion of his church in honor of Our Lady of Einsiedeln in Spirit Lake, Idaho. Thank you for your help for the missions.
We look forward to Rev. Mr. McKenna’s priestly ordination on Saturday, February 11, at Sacred Heart Church in Boston. I’m praying already for good weather for that weekend, and I hope you will, too. Let us keep all of our priests and seminarians in our prayers, as well as our religious and the generous lay benefactors who extend the Kingdom of Christ by their generous gifts and hard work.
One such generous individual is our own Ray Bruns, aka “the bread man,” originally of Dayton, who now lives in Huntsville, Alabama. Ray still visits us in West Chester, and wrote recently to apprise us of the progress made by St. Benedict’s Chapel in Alabama, formed by the Catholics who used to attend Christ the King Monastery, which was betrayed into the hands of the apostate or Novus Ordo church. The seventy-some faithful, however, were not abandoned, and continued with Sunday Mass in rented quarters nearby. Now a restaurant in Huntsville has been purchased and is being prepared for a first Mass on All Saints Day. Deo Gratias! We congratulate our St. Benedict brethren on their progress. “I will reign in spite of my enemies,” the Sacred Heart told St. Margaret Mary. Christ the King is often betrayed, but never defeated. ¡Viva Cristo Rey!
All of these good works start and end with prayer. Remember the “extras” this truly holy week: the Vesper rosary service this afternoon, the many Masses and potential indulgences for the Poor Souls on Wednesday, and First Friday’s Holy Communion of Reparation and All Night Adoration. Don’t forget the obligatory Holy Day Mass on Tuesday.
You are in the King’s army: you stand and serve in His court with saints. Serve Him well all the days of your life! Long live Christ the King!
–Bishop Dolan