The Cross and the Call
August 29, 2026
Happy 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you to everyone who assisted with Fr. Jayke’s Welcome Reception. It was a great time of fellowship welcoming him to Christ the King. He has already been an immense gift to our Parish Family.
This weekend in our Gospel, our Lord Jesus reminds us that the cross and discipleship intertwined together. If we want to follow Jesus, we need to embrace the cross. I will preach on this theme at Mass and connected to our new Vision and Mission of our Parish including our Formation events coming up this fall.
As I mentioned last weekend, our Parish School experienced unexpected water main leak during the first week of school. We have repaired the immediate needs, and school is back in session. We are working towards a long-term solution for the water main while keeping school in session. This water main issue was certainly an unexpected need, and we decided to begin our School Annual Fund earlier than anticipated to help with the costs. Many people have asked how I can help and the best way to help is to assist with the unexpected costs through the Annual Fund. https://www.ctkcougars.com/support-ctk/annual-fund.cfm
If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More of a description on the Pastoral Council, please see
the bulletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 31. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a
second term.
Finally, Reminder that there will be Candlelight Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament this Sunday, Aug 30, at 7pm.
Worship
Candlelight Adoration: Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 @ 7pm
Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 @ 5:30pm
Formation
Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Afternoon Sessions to be released soon
Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass
Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16
OCIA: Begins Sept 27 after 5pm Mass
Fellowship
Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10 am Mass.
In Christ’s Mercy,
Fr. Mark Tracy
Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule
September 11-13 and October 16-18
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Happy 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time! As I mentioned last weekend, this weekend is our Paish Pledge Weekend for Centennial Campaign. If possible, we would like to collect all pledge cards this weekend. You can drop the pledge cards in the offertory, bring them to the parish office, or mail them. We will send a few reminders via mail in October about pledge cards, but this will conclude the public phase of fundraising for the campaign. From now on, I simply plan to keep you updated on Pledges amount, money collected, and project plan. On that note, we have received over 1.2 Million in pledges as of Sept. 28. Our current plan is to execute School Window and Lintel Projects in summer of 2027, gym roof in summer of 2028, and parish center roof in summer of 2029. I also very grateful for the Annual School Fund contributions this year. We have received over $48K so far. This annual fund will greatly assist with the unexpected needs from water main leak damages and water main replacement. Work on the Water Main Replacement will begin in early October will school remaining in session. Worship Candlelight Adoration– Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 at 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16,and 23 at 5:30pm Formation Catholic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 27, and Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Fellowship Trunk or Treat hosted by PTO: Oct. 17 1:30pm-3pm Men’s Ministry and Fellowship-Cigars and Brotherhood in Christ Oct. 24 7:30pm-10pm. More details soon Stewardship Pledge Commitment Weekend : Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule October 16-18 and November 7-8
Happy 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our 2nd reading from St Paul is extremely powerful and beautiful in many ways. The 2nd part of today’s reading is one of the earliest Christological hymns that we have in the Church. The first Christians would have known the reference by St. Paul as being from a Mass hymn. And the words are extremely powerful in Jesus using his Divine power and authority to save us by pouring out His life in His ministry, death, and resurrection. This weekend, I wil be giving our State of the Parish Homily. In this homily, I lay out the past fiscal year numbers. I look at our financial numbers briefly (see buletin attachment), ministry numbers, and next steps. Last year, I looked at updating our Parish Vision and Mission while at the same time tackling some deferred maintenance items including Pre-K HVAC, Pre-K tuckpointing, Pre-K and K-8 playgrounds, and K-8 portions of tuckpointing. In this year’s State of the Parish Homily, I wil also be looking at our Centennial Campaign and explaining the Why, What, and How. I see the campaign as part of our ongoing stewardship that enables the great work of Christ the King to happened. FYI, we have received over 1 Million already in pledges. If you would like to return your pledge card, simply mail in, drop in offertory basket, or drop it at parish office. I also thank you for the Annual School Fund contributions this year. We have received over $40K so far. This annual fund wil greatly assist with the unexpected needs from the water main leak damages and water main replacement. Finally, I want to thank everyone who was able to participate in our first Family Formation. It was a great turnout filled with prayer, fellowship, and formation. We wil continue the service this Sunday and Oct. 4. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 at 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 5:30pm Formation Cath o lic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship State of the Parish Homily: Sept 25 and 26 Pledge Commitment Weekend: Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule October 16-18 and November 7-8
Happy 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our Gospel today at first sight seems pretty unfair with the last receiving the same payment as the first ones who worked since at 9am. We can be tempted maybe to think of people who make deathbed confessions or conversions to a priest and think they got out of jail free. They got to do so many bad things in life and got out of practice of faith their whole life like going to Mass, praying, virtue, etc. I had the privilege of hearing these deathbed confessions or conversions before and I would not describe it as getting a free pass. Often, they are stories of struggle and suffering and wasting life on things that did not matter. They regret not spending more time on relationships including with God. And that is one the central points of our Gospel today. The good life is life with Jesus in the vineyard, no matter what time we join. In relationship with Jesus is the privileged life and thank God he is unfair and keeps inviting us back to the vineyard. I want to give a brief update on our Centennial Campaign and School Annual Fund. I am humbled and grateful for your generosity to both. Our Centennial Campaign is receiving pledges now and we have received over $700K already in pledges. If you would like to return your pledge card, simply mail in, drop in offertory basket, or drop it at parish office. I was very pleased with our Campaign Receptions and Information Sessions. For the School Annual Fund, this is one of our yearly school fundraisers that we moved up this year due to water main leak. We receive donations for it from all kinds of folks including parishioners, school families, grandparents, alumni, friends of Christ the King, etc. The Centennial Campaign on the other hand receives pledges mainly from parishioners. We received over 25K so far in donations from the School Annual Fund. Finaly, Catholic Crash Course wil be Sept 20 and Sept 27 after 5pm Mass in the Parish Center. Anyone is welcome to attend. If you know anyone interested in OCIA, please invite them to these nights. Fr. Jayke wil connect with them and make a plan with them for OCIA. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 at 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 5:30pm Formation Catholic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 a fter 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship State of the Parish Homily: Sept 25 and 26 Pledge Commitment Weekend: Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule October 16-18 and November 7-8 PLEASE NOTE: There will be no morning Mass on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday while our priests are away for Convocation.
Happy 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our Lord’s teaching in the Gospel today is pretty challenging. Forgiveness is always tough because something wrong has happened and a hurt has occurred. Forgiveness though is not about ignoring the wrong or hurt. Forgiveness is not about saying what happened was right nor about putting ourselves in the situation again. Forgiveness is ultimately about some type of reconciliation and healing, which looks different in each circumstance. We seek to forgive because Jesus forgives us and living in Him we are called to participate in the difficult work of reconciliation. Reminder, next weekend is the first Sunday of the Family Formation series after 10am Mass. Childcare and food are both provided. You can attend 1, 2, or al 3 sessions depending on your family’s availability. As I mentioned in my homily a few weeks, we are offering this series as way to support families in handing on the faith to their children. Finally, Catholic Crash Course wil be Sept 20 and Sept 27 after 5pm Mass in the Parish Center. Anyone is welcome to attend. If you know anyone interested in OCIA, please invite them to these nights. Fr. Jayke will connect with them and make a plan with them for OCIA. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Catholic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship State Parish Homily: Sept 25 and 26 Pledge Commitment Weekend: Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule September 11-13 and October 16-18
Happy 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time! I pray that you have a restful Labor Day Weekend. Our Lord’s instruction in today’s Gospel is hard to live by. It is always hard to have difficult conversations with someone often due to conflict and emotions running high. If you are like me, I can avoid conflict at times or want to speak about others behind their backs without having the difficult conversation with them one on one. Jesus’s instruction chalenges us in a good way to have the difficult conversations and trust that He will be present to guide us through them and make them fruitful. Our School Annual Fund launched earlier than anticipated this year to help with unexpected costs due to our Parish School experiencing unexpected water main leak during the first week of school. We have repaired the immediate needs, and school is back in session. We are working towards a long-term solution for the water main while keeping school in session. Many people have asked how I can help and the best way to help right to assist with the unexpected costs through the Annual Fund. h ttps://www.ctkcougars.com/support-ctk/annual-fund.cfm Worship Candlelight Adoration – Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Catholic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship Centennial Campaign Information Session: Sept 8 at 6pm, Sept 9 at 12pm and 6pm State Parish Homily: Sept 25 and 26 Pledge Commitment Weekend: Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule September 11-13 and October 16-18
Happy 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our Gospel today is the foundation for the Papacy. As we know, St. Peter was the first Pope, and every Pope draws their line back to him. St. Paul outside the walls in Rome has portrait of every pope back to St. Peter. Something important to remember about the Office of the Pope is the does not replace Christ Jesus, but rather represents Him. St. Peter is entrusted with the kings (symbol of authority), but he does not create the key or lock. Jesus creates and defines both. Office of the Pope is simply to protect and not change the keys,namely the deposit of faith revealed in Scripture and Tradition. This weekend, we will have a Welcome Reception for Fr. Jayke after 10am Mass. He has been a wonderful addition to Christ the King. Let’s show him a warm welcome as he continues to settle in here at Christ the King. We also will have our Volunteer Luncheon next Sunday on Aug. 30. If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the bulletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 31. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. Worship Candlelight Adoration–Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Afternoon Sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Begins Sept 27 after 5pm Mass Fellowship Fr. Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10amMass. Flyer and RSVP coming soon. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule September 11-13 and October 16-18
Happy 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our Gospel today is often misinterpreted these days with Jesus been seen as practicing racism towards the Canaanite women. This interpretation though is not recognizing the language of the time. Jesus is making a play on words with the word dog which was often a word used to describe Gentiles, nations not Jewish. Isreal’s mission was to bring the nations (Gentiles) into the covenant. Gentiles were brought into the new covenant though Jesus. The women correctly understood this mission of Jesus and Jesus praises her for her faith and persistence. Next Weekend, we will have a Welcome Reception for Fr. Jayke after 10am Mass. He has been a wonderful addition to Christ the King. Let’s show him a warm welcome as he continues to settle in here at Christ the King. I am excited to announce as part of our stewardship efforts on campus that we be beginning our Centennial Capital Campaign. I never dreamt of doing a campaign in my 2nd year here at Christ the King, but our school windows and lintels are in critical need and need to be replaced next summer. You wil receive information in the coming weeks via mail with more details. My campaign letter is also in this buletin. If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the buletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 24. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. Worship Candlelight Adoration –Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Afternoon Sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Begins Sept 27 after 5pm Mass Fellowship Fr Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10am Mass. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule August 13-16 and September 11-13
Happy 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time! I am excited to announce as part of our stewardship efforts on campus that we be beginning our Centennial Capital Campaign. I never dreamt of doing a campaign in my 2 year here at Christ the King, but our school windows and lintels are in critical need and need to be replaced next summer. You will receive information in the coming weeks via mail with more details. My campaign letter is also in this bulletin. I want to say thank you to everyone who assisted with the sendoff reception for Dennis Trickey and Colin Taylor. We pray for both as they head back to Seminary. Reminder this weekend, we will have our Annual Missionary Appeal coordinated through our Missions Office. Sr. Catherine will be here Aug 8-9 to share about her Religious and their Mission. She will speak at al Masses right before Mass starts. For more information see the bulletin. We also have blessing of backpacks this weekend at 4:30pm and 10am Masses. Dates are earlier due to my military schedule. For the Volunteer luncheon coming up on Aug 30. This luncheon is simply our way of saying thank you. We will offer a meal after 10am Mass plus a gift. Anyone who volunteers at Christ the King is welcome to attend. Volunteers would include service teams like funeral luncheon team, Altar and Rosary, parish nurses, Good Samatarians, PB & J, auction team, money counters, etc. plus Mass ministries like Choir, Ushers, etc. Please sign-up for food count purposes, sign-up will be released soon. If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the bulletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 24. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 @ 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 @ 5:30pm Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass . Afternoon sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept. 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Begins Sept. 27 Fellowship Fr Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10am Mass. Flyer and RSVP coming soon. In Christ's Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule August 13-16 and September 11-13
Happy 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you to everyone who assisted with Dcn. Scott’s Farewell Reception. It was a great time of fellowship as we move into his assignment at St. Boniface in Edwardsville. This weekend, we will have a sendoff reception for Dennis Trickey and Collin Taylor. Dennis will be missed and has been a great gift to Christ the King. He will be back for visits. Collin Taylor is a parishioner and is entering his first year of seminary. We are immensely proud of him and he will be back for visits during seminary breaks. Next weekend, we will have our Annual Missionary Appeal coordinated through our Missions Office. Sr. Catherine will be here Aug 8-9 to share about her Religious and their Mission. She will speak at all Masses right before Mass starts. For more information see the bulletin. Next weekend, we also will have Blessing of the Backpacks at 4:30pm Mass and 10am Mass. We moved the date up due to my military schedule. The Blessing will take place at the end of Mass. For the Volunteer luncheon coming up on Aug 30. This luncheon is simply our way of saying thank you. We will offer a meal after 10am Mass plus a gift. Anyone who volunteers at Christ the King is welcome to attend. Volunteers would include service teams like perishing nursing, Good Samatarians, PB & J, auction team, money counters, etc. plus Mass ministries. Please sign-up for food count purposes, sign-up will be released soon. If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the bulletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 24. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. We continue our Stewardship this summer with the tuckpointing ongoing, Pre-K HVAC, and Playgrounds. Our new School Annual Fund assisted with some of these projects and raised over $58K. Those projects are finishing up. We also repainted the parking lot lines. We will be doing some maintenance on the Gym Floor over the next 2-3weeks. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Aug 2, Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Afternoon sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept. 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Dates to be released soon Fellowship Dennis Trickey and Collin Taylor Send Off: Aug 2 after 10am Mass Fr Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10am Mass. Flyer and RSVP coming soon. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule August 13-16 and September 11-13
