Corpus Christi by Fr. Chris House

June 17, 2022

One of the highlights of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is visiting Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum was the home town of St. Peter and St. Andrew and became an adopted home of Jesus.

One of the highlights of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is visiting Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum was the home town of St. Peter and St. Andrew and became an adopted home of Jesus. I have been blessed to stand in the ruins of Capernaum’s ancient synagogue. It was in this synagogue where Jesus gave one of his most famous teachings found in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel known as The Bread of Life Discourse. Jesus repeats himself several times in this discourse, commanding us to feed on him, to literally eat his flesh and drink his blood. This is not figurative language; this is John’s exposition on the Eucharist.


This weekend we celebrate the feast formally titled the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, but popularly known as Corpus Christi. Every time the Church gathers to celebrate the Mass, the Eucharist, which is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord, is at the center of our worship. We must avoid the danger of growing lax in our reverence and awe due to our familiarity with this great and wonderful sacrament, which is one reason why the Church dedicates a particular day of solemnity to focus solely on this mystery. The Eucharist is the life source of the Church, the ultimate manifestation of Christ’s presence among us, and it has been the strength of the faithful for the Church’s entire history. It is not a sign or symbol, because a sign or symbol points to another reality; the Eucharist is the reality of Jesus’s real presence among us.

 

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus’s feeding of the five-thousand is recounted for us which happened at another site a few miles from Capernaum called Tabgha. The transformation of those five loaves and two fish, meager as they were, reminds us that our simple gifts of bread and wine, when changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, become something new and wonderful in the Eucharist. In the Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha, there is a famous mosaic on the floor of two fish but only four loaves. The absence of the fifth loaf in the mosaic invites us to raise our eyes to the Blessed Sacrament present either on the altar or the tabernacle and to see that it is Jesus who is the true bread who continually comes down from heaven in the Eucharist.

 

Beginning this weekend with the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Church in the U.S. is beginning a three-year Eucharistic Revival. The first year of the revival will focus on the diocesan level; in our diocese this will culminate in October of 2023 with a Jubilee celebration of the centennial of the transfer of our diocesan see from Alton to Springfield. A year from now we will begin a year of parish renewal. The final year of the revival will focus on the call to missionary discipleship to give witness to our community of the great gift that we have in the Eucharist. I truly believe that this revival is going to be a wonderful opportunity for an outpouring of grace into the Church, nationally and locally. I will keep you informed of new initiatives during this time as they are presented.

 

*From Last Weeks Bulletin Since Many Did Not Receive It*

 

New Parish Census/Giving Program

 

We are transitioning from WeGather to Our Sunday Visitor for our church census management software as well as our online giving platform. The transformation is occurring because WeGather is decommissioning their product. We will need to transfer all online giving accounts to the new platform in the next few weeks. All online giving with WeGather (including recurring transactions) will end on June 30, 2022. If you are an online donor please look for an email invitation from OSV Giving to transfer your recurring donation. The parish office will also be in further contact with parishioners as we work through this transition. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

 

Seminary Summer Intern

 

We have been asked to host seminarian Troy Niemerg here at CTK for a parish experience this summer. Troy is a native of Dieterich, on the east side of our diocese, and has completed his second year of theology at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He will be with us from June 20th through August 22nd. I know that you will make Troy feel welcome.

 

Thank you Jerry!

 

Our fellow parishioner Jerry Smith, who has served several years as the director of facilities, has retired. Jerry was a great help to me in my transition as pastor two years ago. I wish Jerry the very best and thank him for his service to our parish and school.

 

The Precious Blood

 

Several weeks ago I stated my intention to return the option to receive the Precious Blood at Mass starting the first week of June. At that time, I did not envision a significant rise in Covid cases. I have made the decision to delay the return of cup at Mass until the beginning of July, continuing to evaluate the size of this new Covid wave. While I firmly believe that our Lord’s Precious Blood will make no one ill, I cannot definitively say that the virus cannot be passed on the outside of the cup. I know that some in our parish have been waiting for this option to return and I am sorry that I believe we need to wait a little longer; thank you for your patience!

 

Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!

Father Chris House

 

Gratitude, Goodbyes, and God's Faithfulness

June 26, 2026
This weekend, my last weekend here at Christ the King, I would like to reiterate what I said in my announcement I made back in April. I have so much to be thankful for in the last two years. So many great experiences, lessons, and people. Christ the King is where I came shortly after my ordination and where I have begun to learn the ropes of the priesthood. In that regard, I have to say I am grateful to both Fr. Chris and Fr. Mark for their guidance and example. Above all, I am grateful for all of the relationships I have made in my time here. I am reminded of what Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, the rector of St. Meinrad Seminary told me at my first Mass. He reminded me to frequently look out to the people in my midst. That is what I have tried to do, and it is what I hope to try to do in the future. I have joked several times in the past few weeks about two things: that there are no people more excited about my move to Effingham than my family and that I used to laugh about priests using the word “bittersweet” when they move to a new assignment. I know the first is true since I will only be about a 30 minute drive from my family. Regarding the second, I can count myself in the number of priests who say moving is bittersweet. Yes, there are many exciting things ahead for both myself and for Christ the King. But it is difficult to move away and say goodbye as well. Which is why I repeat what I have said before. As Christians, we are always united together as the mystical Body of Christ. I will see you in the Eucharist. Rev. Alex McCullough Parochial Vicar Save the Dates June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Aug 23: Fr Jayke White Welcome Party Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule July 18-19 and August 13-16

Blessings, Farewells, and New Beginnings

June 19, 2026
Happy 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Happy Father’s Day to all our fathers. Fathers like our mothers are so immensely important in our lives. I was blessed with a wonderful father and mother. My father was a constant and reliable rock for our family. He did a great job showing us God the Father’s love in his constant care for us. He also displayed the Father’s love through positively challenging us grow. We will conclude Masses this weekend with a special blessing for fathers. Fr. Alex’s last weekend with us will be next weekend June 27-28. We will have a going away party for him after 10am Mass. He has been great gift to our Parish family. He has also been a great gift to me personally. He helped immensely during my first year with many tasks and showing me around Campus. Please keep him in your prayers as he moves to Effingham. Please keep Fr. Jayke White in your prayers as well. He will be with us for Weekend Masses for the 1st time on July 11-12. Quick reminder that Totus Tuus is coming up at CTK. The Totus Tuus team will be here July 11-17. They will be with us for Sunday Masses. The team will run the junior high and high school program July 12-16 and will run the 1st-6th grade program July 13-17. See flyer in bulletin for more information and to sign up. Finally, thank you to everyone who has assisted and coordinated the PB & J ministry. If you would like to donate to this ministry, we are especially in need of Peanut Butter and Jelly. If you would like to donate either of those items, just drop them off in the basket in the back of Church or at the Parish Office. Save the Dates June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Aug 23: Fr Jayke White Welcome Party In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule July 18-19 and August 13-16

Stewardship in Action

June 13, 2026
Happy 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you to everyone who helped make the Corpus Christi Procession a great success. Thank you as well to all who participated in the Corpus Christi Procession. It was a great day for our Parish Family celebrating and worshiping Jesus in the Eucharist. I greatly enjoyed interacting with everyone at the social, it was a great time of fellowship together as a family. As you can see on campus, we are seeking to live out the value of stewardship from your generosity. The value of stewardship is about using our gifts to build up the Kingdom of God and supporting our parish/school. Through your support, we are seeking to be good stewards on our resources in taking care of our buildings this summer through tuckpointing, new Pre-K HVAC, and Pre-K and K-8 playground renovations. These projections were partly funded through the School Annual Fund and School Auction. I am deeply grateful to your generosity in supporting our parish and school. Our School updated their vision and mission to more align with our Parish. You can view a sneak peek of the updated school vision and mission on the School’s Facebook page. Finally, thank you to everyone who has assisted and coordinated the PB & J ministry. If you would like to donate to this ministry, we are in need of Peanut Butter and Jelly especially. If you like to donate either of those items, just drop them off in back of Church or at the Parish Office. Save the Dates June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Aug 23: Fr. Jayke White Welcome Party In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19

Corpus Christi: Worship, Stewardship, and Mission

June 5, 2026
Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi! This great Solemnity was instituted in the mid-1200s to celebrate the Institution of the Eucharist outside of Holy Week. On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in which Jesus instituted the Eucharist, but after Holy Thursday procession we somberly recall our Lord’s betrayal in the garden. Corpus Christi celebration outside of Holy Week allows us as Catholics to celebrate Jesus’s institution of the Holy Eucharist with more festival celebrations. To honor Corpus Christi Solemnity, we will have Eucharistic Procession immediately following the 10am Mass with a social afterwards in the Parish Center. We will process around Campus to 3 altars. We will process immediately after Mass from the Church to the 1st Altar by the Parish Center. The procession will last roughly 30-40 minutes. We will conclude the Procession back in Church with Benediction. This Eucharistic Procession lines up well with our update Vision/Mission/Values. An important value of any Catholic Parish is worshipping the Holy Trinity through Sacraments and prayer. Eucharistic Procession are a unique way to worship Jesus in the Eucharist outside of Mass. You probably noticed another one of our values being lived out through some school construction. The value of stewardship is about using our gifts to build up the Kingdom of God and supporting our parish/school. Through your support, we are seeking to be good stewards on our resources in taking care of our buildings this summer through tuckpointing, new Pre-K HVAC, and Pre-K and K-8 playground renovations. These projections were partly funded through the School Annual Fund and School Auction. Finally, our School updated their vision and mission to more align with our Parish. You can view a sneak peek of the updated school vision and mission on the School’s Facebook page. Please note there will be incense at these Masses: June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am Save the Dates June 7: Corpus Christi Procession after 10am Mass with Social Afterwards June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19 

Holy Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Corpus Christi

May 31, 2026
Happy Holy Trinity Sunday! This great Solemnity emphasizes the uniqueness of Christianity. Jesus as our Lord revealed that God is Trinity, one Godhead in three Persons. St John summed up Jesus’s revelation up beautiful when he said God is Love. God is a communion of Love between the Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. We live at communion with God through Jesus in the Holy Spirit when we live in our baptismal and confirmation identity as sons/daughters of God, disciples of Jesus, and temples of the Holy Spirit. Reminder that next weekend is the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi. We will have a Eucharistic Procession immediately following the 10am Mass. Anyone is welcome to join the procession even if you attend a different Mass that weekend. We will process around Campus to 3 altars. We will process immediately after Mass from the Church to the 1st Altar by the Parish Center. The procession will last roughly 30-40 minutes. We will conclude the Procession back in Church with Benediction. A social will start at Parish Center right afterwards with light lunch. Please RSVP for food count purposes to the Parish Office. Thank you in advance to all the staff and volunteers who are making this procession and social possibly. It will great celebrating Jesus in the Eucharist and having fellowship with another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Please note that there will be incense at these Masses: May 3 0 : 10am June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am Save the Dates June 7: Corpus Christi Procession after 10am Mass with Social Afterwards June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19

Pentecost and the Call to Serve

May 21, 2026
Happy Pentecost Sunday! This Sunday every year, we celebrate Jesus keeping His word and sending the Holy Spirit to be with us and guide in following Him. After His Ascension, the Father with the Son sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church represented by the Apostles and our Blessed Mother. The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church today in following Jesus as the Way, Truth, and the Life. On this Pentecost Sunday, I am excited to announce Collin Taylor has been accepted by our Diocese as a Seminarian. Collin will begin Seminary formation in August at Bishop Brute Seminary in Indianapolis. Collin became Catholic about 2 years ago at CTK and has been a parishioner since his conversion. You will see Collin around at CTK learning the ropes from Dennis Trickey, he will be wearing black cassock when he serves Mass like Dennis. Collin will be serving this summer as a missionary for Totus Tuus throughout the Diocese. I am very proud of Collin. He is a great young man who loves Jesus and we celebrate him entering seminary with sendoff on Aug 2 Mass after 10am Mass. Please keep Collin in your prayers as prepares to enter seminary and begin formation to become a priest of Jesus Christ. Please note, May 25 is Memorial Day and Daily mass will be at 8am that day. Save the Dates June 7: Corpus Christi Procession after 10am Mass with Social Afterwards June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Please note that there will be incense at these Masses: May 23: 4:30pm May 24: 10am May 30: 10am June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19 

Ascension Sunday and New Beginnings

May 17, 2026
Happy Ascension of the Lord! We are coming to the close of another Easter Season with Pentecost being celebrated next weekend. The Ascension of our Lord celebrates Jesus returning to the right hand of the Father. He brings the human nature that he assumed and joined to His Divine Nature into Heaven. From His Heavenly throne after Ascension, he leads the Church through the Holy Spirit working with the Magisterium. The Pope serves as Vicar of Christ. Vicar means representative not replacement thus the Pope represents Jesus on Earth and seeks to lead us closer to Christ Jesus the Head of Church. Jesus thus directs the operation and strategy of the Church through the Pope and the Bishops united to the Pope. This past week at our Parish Grade School, we had our 8th Grade Graduation, Baccalaureate Mass, and Awards. As they head into high school, we the pray the Holy Spirit guides to know the love of Christ and root their lives in Him as they continue through educational journey. Congrats to them and they will be missed at CTK. Finally, reminder, that our Corpus Christi Procession will be on June 7 after 10am Mass. We will have a social event afterwards in the Parish Center. More details to come closer to the date. In Christ’s Mercy,  Fr. Mark Tracy Please note that there will be incense at these Masses: May 23: 4:30pm May 24: 10am May 30: 10am June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am Military Schedule May 16-17 and June 12-14

Celebrating Mother’s Day and Our Parish Vision

May 8, 2026
Happy 6th Sunday of Easter! This weekend, I will be preaching on and announcing our new Parish Vision, Mission, and Values. This Vision and Mission builds upon our rich tradition and a lot of the values are already being lived out in our Parish. As I mentioned last week, this vision and mission will be a roadmap for us moving forward and will shape our priorities. In our society this weekend, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Mothers are a true gift from God and reveal God’s love in a unique way. My own mother has help me discover the unconditional love of God in many ways and I am truly grateful for her sacrificial love for the years. I pray you have a Blessed Mother’s Day weekend, we will offer a blessing for mothers at the end of Masses this weekend. Finally, reminder, that our Corpus Christi Procession will be on June 7 after 10am Mass. We will have a social event afterwards in the Parish Center. More details to come closer to the date. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule May 16-17 and June 12-14

Looking Ahead: Our Parish Vision, Mission, and Values

May 1, 2026
Happy 5th Sunday of Easter Sunday! Reminder that next weekend, I will be preaching on our new Vision, Mission, and Values on the Weekend of May 9-10. This new Vision, Mission, and Values was one of my goals during my first year as Pastor built on orienting, observing, and then acting. I mentioned in October during the state of the parish homily that I was going to review the Parish/School Vision and Mission plus Values with staff and councils. This new Vision, Mission, and Value will provide a roadmap for our Parish moving forward and we will focus our energies and priorities as a staff around forming disciples of Jesus our King through Worship, Formation, Fellowship, Stewardship, and Evangelization. One new Worship and Fellowship opportunity that we will do this year at CTK is Corpus Christi Procession. Our Corpus Christi Procession will be on June 7 after 10am Mass. We will have a social event afterwards in the Parish Center. More details to come closer to the date. In Christ’s Mercy,  Fr. Mark Tracy

Good Shepherd Sunday: Praying for Vocations

April 27, 2026
Happy 4th Sunday of Easter and Good Shepherd Sunday! It is good to be back. Military training overall went very well. I had some individual chaplain training and training with my unit. Both training courses were informative and useful. Now looking forward to enjoying the rest of the Easter Season in the Parish and finishing out the school year strong. In our Gospel this Sunday, we hear the famous Good Shepherd passage from John 10. This shepherd image has builds on many themes from the Old Testament. King David was a shepherd before he was King of Israel. Ancient Kingship was tied to shepherding because the king was to guide, provide, and protect his people. Jesus fulfills this theme of ancient kingship by providing, protecting, and guiding his people. This Sunday is also called Good Shepherd Sunday, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, especially Priesthood. Let us lift up in prayer our Seminarians and ask Jesus to send us more seminarians to walk in His path of Priesthood. Let us especially pray for Dennis Trickey this Sunday. He has been a tremendous blessing to our Parish and School. He will be with us through July. In August, he will reply to seminary for 2 more years before becoming a priest. Finally, I mentioned when I first arrived at CTK that the goal my first year was orient, observe, and then act. I mentioned in October during the state of the parish homily that I was going to review the Parish/School Vision and Mission plus Values with staff and councils. Through a review process, we have updated our Parish/School Vision and Mission. We will release them soon and I will be preaching on them the Weekend of May 9-10. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy  Military Schedule May 16-17 and June 12-14
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