"Continuing Through Christmastide" by Fr. Chris House

Happy 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time! I pray that you have a blessed Labor Day Weekend with family and friends. Some folks have asked when I start with the Army Reserves. I officially received word this week of my unit. I start with my unit in Oct. My usual practice is to put my drill dates at the bottom of my column so that you know when I am away for military duty. In the bulletin, you see a message about Church security. It is common practice that most Catholic Parishes have a Church security of some sorts. We will have a short meeting on Sept 4 for anyone interested in joining the Church security team. Current members plus Ushers and Greeters are welcome to attend the meeting on Sept. 4. Next weekend, our local Knights of Columbus #364 is hosting their annual Oktoberfest on Sept. 6 from 12pm to 9pm. The festival features German bands, food, and games. The event benefits various charities in the community. Oktoberfest will be held on the Council grounds located at 2200 South Meadowbrook Road at Iles in Springfield. Christ the King Fall Bible Study is coming up on Sept. 11. See bulletin for details if you would like to join. The Bible Study will be using the Great Adventure Series from Ascension Press to explore the Gospel of St. Luke. Military Drill Oct. 17-19, Nov. 15-16, no Dec drill

Happy 21 st Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you again for the warm welcome to CTK. I am enjoying being here and getting more settled in each passing week. My apologies if I ask for your name again. I am working hard at getting names down, but it takes time. Over the next few weeks on Wednesdays, Dcn. Scott will be showing the Search Series by Chris Stefanick. I have personally watched the series and it is a great series that leads to wonder and awe of God. Anyone is welcome to join the series and if you know anyone interested in becoming Catholic invite them to join. Also, a warm welcome to the CTK Class of 1980. They are celebrating their 45 year reunion and joining us for Mass at 4:30pm this Saturday, touring the campus and gathering in the hall. Welcome home! Below are 5 biblical Values that I preached about last Sunday. These 5 Biblical Values allow us to be transformed by the Divine Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Worship Sunday Mass Daily Mass Personal Prayer Sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation Formation Form our minds according to the mind of Christ through good Catholic books, podcasts, videos, etc. Strengthen our wills through Christ by fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays and feasting on Sundays and other Solemnities and Feast days. Fellowship Devotion to the saints who are our brothers and sisters in Christ who inspire, encourage, and intercede for us. Good Christian friendships that inspire and encourage us to grow in our faith life with Jesus. Stewardship Living out our vocations in Christ and using our unique God-given gifts for God’s glory. Seeking to make a gift of my life to God through time, talent, and treasure. Evangelization Through my words and actions inviting others to friendship with Christ and His Church.

Happy 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Reminder that this weekend, August 16 and 17 at 4:30pm and 10am Mass, we will have a backpack tag blessing at the end of Mass. Any school children will be invited forward to receive the blessing and backpack tag. I pray as they begin this school year, they grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. Bishop Paprocki as you know was here on Aug. 2 for our Pastor Installation and he wanted me to pass along his homily. Below are a couple paragraphs. You can read the full homily at https://dio.org/bishop/homilies-and-speeches/ My dear brothers and sisters in Christ: It is good for us to be here today for this Mass and Rite of Installation of Father Mark Tracy as Pastor of Christ the King Parish here in Springfield. Although Father Tracy officially began his new assignment here as Pastor of Christ the King Parish earlier last month on July 1st, we celebrate this Rite of Installation liturgically today not only to ask God’s blessings on Father Tracy as he begins his ministry as shepherd of this flock, but also because it reminds all of us of an essential part of being a disciple: Disciples do not choose their own path, they follow Christ where He leads them. The word apostle comes from the Greek word Apostolos, which means “one who is sent out as a messenger.” Bishops are successors of the apostles, and priests are collaborators with the bishops. As a successor of the apostles, I was sent here as Bishop of this Diocese in 2010 by then Pope Benedict XVI, himself having been given his authority as Pope after Christ gave it to St. Peter when He founded the Church: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). In a similar way, as a collaborator in the ministry of a successor of the apostles, a priest is sent and entrusted with the pastoral responsibilities of a parish by his bishop, and it is during the rite of installation that we celebrate here this evening that this handing over of the “keys of the kingdom” (albeit only a small part of Christ’s Kingdom) takes place. At the same time, Jesus’ gift of responsibility and authority over His Church as entrusted to Peter, and my giving a part of that to your new pastor today, is not something that happens only to the Pope, or to priests. Every one of us has been entrusted with a small part of Jesus’ Kingdom. For some of you, that is upholding Christ’s reign in your family, as you work, or among the people you are friends with. For all of us, Christ has given us the responsibility, and dignity, of caring for and protecting His Kingdom in our own hearts. One of the ways that we do this happens every Sunday when we profess our faith by praying the Creed. For Saint Peter Himself, it was only after his profession of faith in Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” that he was made leader of the Church. Today, in a special way, all of us, with your new pastor, will recite the Creed, professing individually and together our common faith in Christ. By that profession, I officially ask your pastor to take on the responsibilities of this parish with the heart of Christ. But every time we profess the Creed, every time we pray those words that billions of Christians have prayed down through the centuries, we each renew our own commitment to Jesus! Does He reign over our hearts? Is He the Lord of our time? Of our bank accounts? Of those He has entrusted to our care? If Jesus is truly “Christ the King” as the title of this parish proclaims, then He must be the only king of our lives, and that should be evident in the way we live. Father Tracy will serve you now as pastor as we continue forward into this Third Millennium of Christianity, so I think it is fitting to call to mind a theme suggested by our late Holy Father, the Great Pope Saint John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte, “On Entering the New Millennium,” which I quote as follows (nos. 30-31): “First of all, I have no hesitation in saying that all pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness.” I always mention that quote in my homily at the Installation Mass for every new Pastor that I have appointed. Even if you have heard it before, it is worth repeating because it is so basic and essential: All pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness. If we forget that, it will not take long to stray off course from what we should be doing in parish ministry and why we are doing it. Holiness consists of following Jesus as His disciples, as people who listen and learn from Him, and who put Him first in our lives. In a real relationship with Christ, we discover that everything we have was first a gift from our Heavenly Father.

Happy 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time! I want to say thank you to everyone for your support at the Pastor Installation last weekend. It is a great joy and honor to serve here at CTK as Pastor. I am deeply thankful to everyone who assisted with the Mass and Reception. It was a celebration for our Parish, and my parents enjoyed their first visit to Christ the King. It is hard to believe that the school year is right around the corner. Next weekend August 16 and 17 at 4:30pm and 10am Mass, we will have a backpack tag blessing at the end of Mass. Any school children will be invited forward to receive the blessing and backpack tag. I pray as they begin this school year, they grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. The ladies of the Altar & Rosary Society have graciously offered to host a donut Sunday after the 10am Mass over in the Parish Hall. I am excited to begin the school year here at CTK. The first day of school is August 18. I plan on doing some Q and A sessions with the school in September as a way of getting to know staff and students better. Dennis Trickey will also be teaching a bit in 2nd grade, assisting with the junior high Made for More faith program, and assistant coach for baseball. I am excited for him to be in the school. As Dennis settles in more, we will look for more opportunities for him to be involved in the Parish and School. 

Happy 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time! As a Parish family, we welcome Bishop Paprocki this weekend for the 4:30pm Mass on August 2. It is an honor and joy to be installed as Pastor here at Christ the King. I am humbled to serve as Pastor of CTK and pray for strength and guidance from the Holy Spirit to serve our Parish Family well. I take the responsibility of Pastor very seriously and will strive to do my best. But do not worry, I do not take myself seriously, just my responsibilities! The role of the Pastor is to provide pastoral care for a parish in 3 major functions: sanctifying, preaching/teaching, and governing. The Pastor has the responsibility of overseeing these 3 important functions of the Parish. The sanctifying function is especially connected to the Sacraments. The Pastor is to ensure that parishioners have access to all of the Sacraments either celebrated by the Pastor or delegated to other ministers. The preaching/teaching function is connected to the word of God in Scripture and Tradition being passed down by the Pastor to faithful. This passing down of the faith is done directly by the Pastor in his own preaching, but the Pastor also oversees other clergy and lay ministers the in parish and school in preaching/teaching the Catholic faith. Finally, the Pastor also oversees the governing function of the Parish. The Pastor is responsible for the spiritual and temporal affairs of the Parish and must give an account for them to God. The Pastor works with the parish and school staff to be stewards of what God entrusted us with and to carry on the mission of Jesus by forming His disciples in His Church. Again, it is a honor and joy to serve as your Pastor at CTK. These 3 functions of a Pastor serve to assist each person to grow in holiness through a deeper relationship with Jesus and His Church. Please pray for me in this role and know of my prayers for each of you. Before school starts, I am going to take a mini-vacation again. I will be gone Aug. 4-7. If you need something, just reach out to the Parish Office.

Happy 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Hard to believe that July is wrapping up. Before long, school will be back in session. Some exciting news for our Parish is below. On August 2 at the 4:30pm Mass, Bishop Paprocki will celebrate Mass and install me as Pastor. There will be a reception afterwards in the Parish Center. This reception will serve also as a welcome reception. Everyone is welcome to attend. Before school starts, I am going to take a mini-vacation again. I will be gone Aug. 4-7. If you need something, just reach out to the Parish Office. Details on the reception and the rite of Pastor Installation: RITE OF PASTOR INSTALLATION AFTER THE GOSPEL IN MASS The Bishop commends Fr. Mark Tracy as CTK’s new Pastor WELCOME BY THE PEOPLE The Bishop invites the people to express their approval HOMILY The Bishop will explain the meaning of the celebration PRESENTATION OF THE PARISH CLERGY, STAFF AND PARISH TRUSTEES Staff is presented to the new Pastor by the Bishop Trustees come forward and the Bishop presents them to the new Pastor PROFESSION OF FAITH AND OATH The Pastor leads the Nicene Creed, then pledges his oath to the Bishop Christ the King Pastor Installation August 2 at 4:30 pm Mass Welcome Reception After Mass in the Parish Center All are Welcome to Attend

Happy 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time! I wanted to offer a quick word of thank you to all of the Vacation Bible School volunteers. Thanks for your sacrifice to make the week very enjoyable for the kids and help them grow in their relationship with God! As I mentioned last week, no word yet on Army Reserves unit assignment. Not sure when I’ll receive word, but I will keep you in the loop. When I receive a unit, I will be away at times. In National Guard, I was gone one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer. In Reserves, I am going to try to work out being gone once a quarter for 4-5 days and 2 weeks in summer. Some folks have also asked what my other priestly assignment in the Diocese is. Bishop Paprocki, when he assigned me to be Pastor of Christ the King, also assigned me to be Episcopal Vicar for Catholic Schools in the Springfield Deanery. The best way to explain this assignment is that I represent the Bishop and am delegated authority to act in his name in this new role. Basically, I oversee all the Catholic Schools in the Springfield Deanery for the Bishop. Those Catholic Schools would include the Springfield area, Decatur area, Jacksonville area, Taylorville, and Pana. Please pray for me as I begin this role and carry out the work of Bishop Paprocki in furthering Catholic Identity, financial stability, and evangelization of our Catholic Schools. This role and priestly assignment will take roughly 10-15 hours per week. I will be working in this role from Christ the King and will travel to schools or the diocesan pastoral center about once a week. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy

Thank you for the warm welcome to Christ the King. It is good to be here and settling in one step at a time, just takes time. Thanks for your patience as we continue the transition process of a new Pastor. Thank you as well for your warm welcome to Dennis. Dennis Trickey will be spending the whole year with us through June of 2026. For analogy’s sake, the pastoral year serves as an internship/apprenticeship for him. He gets to spend the year seeing how a school year works at a parish school plus seeing the life of a priest more fully during the year as opposed to summer life in a parish. Fr. Alex and I basically work with him on priestly skills like sacraments, preaching/teaching, and overseeing a parish and school. We are putting together a teaching schedule for the school and will be looking at some teaching opportunities in the Parish as well. He will assist with liturgy and sacraments like Mass, baptisms, funerals, marriages, etc. Basically, this pastoral year gives him a hands-on experience of what priestly life looks like as he approaches his final years of seminary and ordination. Dennis will be ordained a transitional Deacon in the spring of 2027 and Priest in the May of 2028. It is a great blessing to have him with us for this year. Finally, a couple of folks have asked about my other priestly assignments that the Bishop has assigned me, Episcopal Vicar of Catholic Schools for the Springfield Deanery and Military Chaplain for the Army Reserves. I will address both more fully in the coming weeks. For now, I concluded my time with the Army National Guard back in February. I served in the Guard for 6 years in 2 units. I served as a Battalion Chaplain in an Engineering Unit and a Chemical Unit. I greatly enjoyed both experiences. I have been accepted into the Army Reserves; just waiting to be assigned a unit. With Uncle Sam, who knows when that will be, but I will keep you informed. Fr. Mark Tracy

Hello CTK! It is a joy and honor to be your new Pastor. People usually ask what I prefer to be called and either way is fine by me. Growing up with 2 first names, I am used to being called both. Most folks call me Fr. Mark and that is perfectly fine with me. Below is a brief biography and background information. I originally grew up in Mount Sterling, IL, where I attended St. Mary's grade school and Brown County High School. I am one of four children of my parents, Jim and Jil Tracy. We attended Mass and religious formation as a family at Holy Family Parish in Mount Sterling. After high school, I attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism Management (Bishop Paprocki usually gives me a hard time for that degree and connecting it to priesthood). After college, I worked for a bit in Indianapolis and after a few months I knew the Lord Jesus was inviting me to give seminary a chance and explore the possibility of Priesthood. I attended St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Southern Indiana for six years and my first assignment as a priest was as parochial vicar at St. Anthony in Effingham and St. Mary of the Annunciation in Shumway. I also taught theology and was an assistant coach for basketball and baseball part-time during my time at St. Anthony. For the past 4 years, I have served as Pastor at Holy Family Parish in Decatur and greatly enjoyed my time there. I was also the Chaplain at St. Teresa High School for the past 3 years. In total, I have been a priest of Christ Jesus now for 7 years and it has been an immense joy to serve Christ and his people as a priest. In my spare time, I love golfing, hiking, playing sports, traveling, watching Cardinals baseball, reading, and hanging out with friends and family. I look forward to meeting you all! Please have patience with me as I learn names. More information will come out soon for a welcome reception. We plan to have a welcome reception after my Pastor Installation Mass some time in July or August with Bishop Paprocki. We will also be welcoming a seminarian, Dennis Trickey, for a Pastoral Year beginning in July through June 2026. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy