Guess What?! Our very own Dc. Tom Jakobs and Brittney Owens have started a podcast! Each Monday during Lent they will release a new episode. This week’s episode is called “Faith disguised as your life.” It’s up and ready for you to listen! If you know how awesome they are in real life, then you know how awesome they are when doing this podcast together! https://ctkparishfs.com/dctomjakobs/
St. Benedict whose feast day is July 11 is very much tied to Arkansas. Benedict makes the world a bit smaller by his influence, connecting Arkansas, Indiana, and Switzerland, his influence doesn’t stop there. This influence is felt by people all over the world, fromCuraçao to Russia, to China and all over the US and back to Arkansas, by the young men that are shaped by his Rule. St. Benedict and his example have had far-reaching effects to make our world a better place by ‘Ora et Labora’- Prayer and Work. Benedict was born we believe in 480 in the mountains around Rome. Benedict went to school in Rome and after his schooling became a hermit, denouncing the corrupt secular society living in the hill region of Subiaco Rome. His fame grew and Benedict was made the abbot of a group of monks. These monks became so fed up with Benedict’s passion for reform that they tried to poison him. So, Benedict left them to their evil ways and created his small monastic communities. He wrote his Rule while at a monastery he established and we now know as Monte Cassino. The Rule, written by St. Benedict’s hand still exists today. Benedict envisioned his rule to balance life and prayer by finding God in the ordinary circumstances of daily life. Benedict stated people should not be pre-occupied by work and not make time for prayer, or spend too much time in prayer to neglect their work. Benedict believed in all things in moderation, even praying....
Week 3 To recap where we left last week… Sister Margaret gained support for her mission and a spiritual director in Fr. Claude by reminding him that God doesn’t remember our sins once we confess them to a priest in confession, Fr. Claude helped gain the support of her convent AND I promised to tell you the 12 Promises that God revealed to Sister Margaret about His Sacred Heart. So, let’s get busy, we have a lot of ground to cover! Beginning in 1686 Sister Margaret’s convent celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart privately. Two years later they build a chapel at the convent to honor the Sacred Heart. Soon, the Feast of the Sacred Heart spread within Sister Margaret’s Order of the Visitation to other convents. Sister Margaret’s brothers even devoted their lives to promoting the Feast of the Sacred Heart. In 1689, Our Lord asked Sister Margaret to have King Louis XIV of France dedicate France to Jesus’s Sacred Heart. Sister Margaret died on October 17, 1690, at the age of 43. She suffered greatly before she died. Her last words were “What have I in heaven and what do I desire on earth, but Thee alone, O my God”, then she died as she said Jesus’ name. Sister Margaret’s holiness and her mission were written about and well known by Fr. Claude and his Jesuit (BCW- an order of Catholic Priests and brothers) superiors. This helped to move the mission of the Sacred Heart forward, which the Church did even though...
St. Margaret Series Week 2 By Cindy Barr, Director of Faith Formation When we left Sister Margaret last week, Jesus had shown her His Sacred Heart and told her that He was so sad about the half-hearted, lukewarm Catholics that His Heart so loved that ‘it has spared nothing’, not even His life. Then He gave Sister Margaret a mission, a very important mission! Her mission, should she choose to accept it… of course, she accepted it! Her mission was to console Jesus with her love, do penance for the half-hearted Catholics among the priests and nuns, and to take the message about devotion to His Sacred Heart all over the world. WOW! That seems like a tall order! But remember “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called”! So, what exactly did this mission look like for Sister Margaret? First, Jesus asked her to pray before the tabernacle for 1 hour at 11 o’clock at night on the first Thursday of the month and keep Him company in the middle of the night. But He didn’t want her to sit in the pew, He asked her to lay flat on the floor on her tummy. Then the next day she was to receive Holy Communion in reparation for (BCW- an apology for) for the halfhearted Catholics in the whole world. In those days Holy Communion was not taken as often as it is now. As part of spreading the message, Sister Margaret was to tell the bishops of the entire Church that more...
By Cindy Barr But First, I want to tell you about a new phrase and abbreviation I will be using, “BCW” or “Big Catholic Words”. BCWs are words that you hear at Mass, in school or PREP, that sound hard and super complicated, for example, transubstantiation. I will try to warn you of any BCWs and give a ‘not BCW’ word as well, as in our example the ‘not BCWs’ would be ‘the changing of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus’. BCWs, not BCWs. Got it? Great! I challenge you to also look these BCWs up with your parents. That always helps me remember what they mean and can bring a deeper meaning to your faith, together as a family. Now on to this week’s story. Are you ready? Here we go… There once was a sweet young girl named Margaret who lived in France in the 1600s. She was born July 22, 1947. Her family didn’t have much money, but they were devout (BCW– loved and practiced their Catholic faith) Catholics. Margaret had a very hard childhood. Her father died when she was 8-years old. Then when Margaret was 10, she became very sick and had to be in bed for 5 years. She could not play, go outside and she didn’t have a phone, TV or video games. She was quarantined in bed! But Margaret led a life of penitence (BWC- feeling sorry for sins)– and devotion (BCW- a feeling of love) to the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus started appearing to...
My Dear People, This morning as I was celebrating mass with our school children I spoke to them about not having fear. Fear is not from God. Fear should not be the driving force behind our decisions at this time. Caring for others and ourselves is the main focus of this time. In this spirit, I invite you to read the following changes Bishop Taylor has mandated throughout the Diocese of Little Rock. After listing his changes, I will mention a few items relevant to Christ the King specifically. Effectively immediately, Sunday Mass obligation is dispensed for all Catholics. Hence, beginning immediately Catholics are not required to attend Sunday Mass through the end of April. Nonetheless, we will have regularly scheduled Masses this weekend (March 14-15) so I can address this unprecedented protocol with our parish family. You are not obligated to attend Masses this weekend, and anyone who is elderly or has health issues or a compromised immune system should stay home. Anyone who cares for the sick or elderly should also not attend. Still, perhaps now more than ever we need the strength, comfort and grace of the Eucharist. Churches will be kept open for private prayer and Eucharist Adoration during daylight hours as an alternative to Sunday Mass. Christ the King Church will be open from 8 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday. We will continue to do the same; we will, however, cancel daily Masses (English and Spanish) beginning Monday, March 16. Hence, no Mass on Monday, March 16....
Dear FSCS Families, In an effort to do what we can to minimize the spread of COVID-19, especially to the most vulnerable among us, the Catholic Schools Office, with approval from Bishop Taylor, has decided to close all the Catholic schools beginning March 16th until March 30, 2020. In response to COVID-19, we are trying to be proactive rather than reactive. Accordingly, certain measures must be put in place and the closure of school will be one of these actions. We will be implementing AMI (Alternative Method of Instruction/Cyber Days) all next week. We will still observe Spring Break and no instruction will take place March 23-27, 2020. We will not be conducting face to face parent teacher conferences next week, but your child’s teacher will be contacting you to do the conferences by phone or by email in the coming days. We will be at the school from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 16, 2020 for you to come by and pick up any items your student will need during the closure. If you are unable to come during this time, please contact your principal to schedule a time that works for you. All teachers will be available during regular school hours by email to help your student or you with any questions you may have. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us by email any time. These are unprecedented times and we ask your family to pray for God’s guidance and healing. Our love and commitment to our Catholic school community is why we are choosing to move to distance learning. Sharon Blentlinger,...
