“And He shall reign forever and ever.”
Revelation 11:15
Since 1963, Christ the King Parish has been a source of God’s love and grace for the west side of Springfield, and the greater community. Through love of God and neighbor in prayer, service, formation, and hospitality, we seek to be active coworkers with Christ our King in building-up his kingdom. We hope that you will find this website helpful. Please contact us for further information or assistance.
God bless you!

The end of our fifty-day Easter journey is near. It was seven weeks ago that we celebrated the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday and now the Church celebrates the first of two key events in our life of faith: this Sunday with the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord into heaven and the second being Pentecost next Sunday. St. Luke teaches us in Acts of the Apostles that Jesus, having revealed his risen glory to his disciples after the Resurrection, returned to his place with the Father in heaven forty days following his resurrection. The Lord’s Ascension into heaven is the fulfillment of his mission to achieve our salvation; we might use the phrase that he has come “full circle” in his return to the Father. However, there is a marvelous new reality that makes all the difference for us. In his return to the Father, Jesus takes with him our human nature. When he first descended from the Father in the Incarnation, Jesus joined his divinity to our humanity in an inseparable bond. Jesus’s humanity was and remains real. It was not something that was an illusion nor was it discarded when his earthly ministry was completed. Jesus retains his glorified human nature beyond the boundaries of space and time in heaven. This fact points to the coming reality of the Resurrection of the Just on the last day when not just the soul but also the body will be redeemed and the two realities reunited forever in heaven. While the Ascension is the fulfillment of the Lord’s saving act for us, it does not mean that his work on our behalf is over. From his place at the Father’s right hand, the Lord Jesus continues his mission as our intercessor, as the one who continually pleads our cause to the Father. Jesus’s return to heaven also stands as a sign of hope for us that where he has gone we also may follow. We are reminded of both of these truths in the Preface of the Mass for the Ascension in which the Church prays: Mediator between God and man, judge of the world and Lord of hosts, he ascended, not to distance himself from our lowly state but that we, his members, might be confident of following where he, our Head and Founder, has gone before. Like the Apostles, we cannot spend our lives staring at the clouds and wondering “what next?” This great feast of the Ascension tells us that the Lord Jesus has done his part and, now, we must do ours. With the Holy Spirit going before us, we must continue the proclamation of the Kingdom both in word and action. Every aspect of our lives are to point to Christ, crucified and risen, who will come again in glory. Until that day, we, as his disciples, must be about the work of the building up of the Kingdom of God. The Lord’s Ascension calls us to be a people of action, proclaiming Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins and the coming of the Kingdom here and now. Daily Mass the Week of June 2 thru June 6 Fr. Alex will be attending the diocesan priest retreat while I am away on the Marian pilgrimage. Deacon Scott is also away for a family wedding. There will be no Masses or communion services at CTK June 2 thru June 6. Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead! Father Chris House
The Gospel for this Sunday takes us back to Holy Thursday in John’s Gospel, to the section known as the Last Discourse. John sets the stage for events to move fast after Jesus’s death and resurrection. Our Lord tells his disciples that his time with them is coming to an end. As a part of his final instructions he tells them that keeping his word, all that he taught them, will be the sure sign of their love for him. However, knowing the challenges of discipleship in this world, the Lord does not leave them empty handed for the task ahead of them. Our Lord promises his disciples that the Father will send the Holy Spirit after his departure and the Church will see that the Holy Spirit remains as the continuing guarantor of God’s grace unfolding in the Church’s life. The Holy Spirit is given to all of the faithful in the Church both to know the Lord’s word, what he asks of us, as well as strengthening us to do fulfill the Lord’s will in our lives. With the Holy Spirit also comes the gift of God’s peace. This peace is the direct effect of the divine presence of the Spirit. As the Lord tells his disciples, and us, this peace is not a world peace. The peace of God that the Spirit brings is not an absence from trouble, frustrations, conflict, or pain, but strength and resolution in the face of latter to persevere and push onward towards the Kingdom of Heaven, our true home. As we prepare for the great feasts of Ascension and Pentecost let us keep our hearts open to the Spirit who seeks to strengthen us, console us, love us, and guide us onwards to the Kingdom. Congratulations Graduates/School’s Out This past Wednesday we celebrated the end of the school year. I am grateful to our faculty and staff who made this a great year at CTK. On May 14th we celebrated the graduation of our 8th graders as well. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and bless all of our graduates, reminding them of God’s presence and love in their lives, and leading them to greater things still. May the Lord bless all students and school staff with a peaceful and restful summer! Priestly Ordinations This weekend Bishop Paprocki ordained Charles Delano and Ryan Kehoe to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ at the Cathedral here in Springfield. Our diocese is blessed by God in these two good men. Please pray for them as they begin their priestly ministry. Memorial Day Mass Memorial Day is a sacred day for our nation when we remember those women and men who gave their lives in military service for our republic. Mass on Memorial Day, this Monday, will be at 8:00AM. Marian Pilgrimage I am departing this Monday with Fr. Michael Friedel from Blessed Sacrament Parish and thirty-five pilgrims to visit the Marian shrines of Fatima, Lourdes, and Montserrat. Please know of my prayers for the parish family during this time and please pray for the safety of our pilgrimage. I will be back at CTK on June 6. Blessings to you for a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend and for the week ahead! Father Chris House
Throughout the Easter Season this year, our second reading at Sunday Mass has come from the Book of Revelation. Of all the books in the Bible, Catholics sometimes struggle most with Revelation in not knowing what to make of it. For some Christians, the Book of Revelation speaks of things yet to come. The Catholic interpretation is that, yes, Revelation does speak of future realities but not literally in specific details. The description of Revelation from the US Bishops’ website states “this much, however, is certain: symbolic descriptions are not to be taken as literal descriptions, nor is the symbolism meant to be pictured realistically. One would find it difficult and repulsive to visualize a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes; yet Jesus Christ is described in precisely such words (Rev 5:6). The author used these images to suggest Christ’s universal (seven) power (horns) and knowledge (eyes). The vindictive language in the book (Rev 6:9–10; 18:1–19:4) is also to be understood symbolically and not literally. The cries for vengeance on the lips of Christian martyrs that sound so harsh are in fact literary devices the author employed to evoke in the reader and hearer a feeling of horror for apostasy and rebellion that will be severely punished by God.” The first part of Revelation seems to capture readers more than the second part; the first part being of doom and gloom was speaking symbolically of the early Church’s situation at the time that Revelation was written. This Sunday’s second reading comes from the second to the last chapter of the book and it is in these last chapters that I find the book’s true beauty as it invites us to hope in things yet to come. This Sunday’s reading from Revelation invites us to hope in two wonderful aspects of the future. First, we hear John speak of his vision of a new heaven and a new earth, a clear reminder for us to hope in the fact that all of creation will be made new by our God. The second greater hope given to us is that, for the faithful, this life will give way to an eternity with God; an eternity free from darkness and sin, pain and death, and an eternity of divine intimacy with our Lord. As we continue through the Easter season, may the word of God given to us in the Book of Revelation remind us that this is what Easter is pointing us towards. Easter is a two-fold mystery. It remembers first the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but it also points to the truth that we shall share in his Resurrection, that we will live in the eternal Easter. May that truth be a source of hope for us today and every day. Pope Leo XIV By now most of us have been saturated with news and stories about the new Holy Father; I will simply add that we should give thanks to the Lord for the election of the new Vicar of Christ and remember Pope Leo in our prayers each day that the Lord will grant him all the graces needed to lead the Church here on earth. Bravo Matilda Jr! Last weekend our school presented the musical Matilda Jr on Friday and Saturday evenings. Kudos to the students who made it happen as well as to the staff and volunteers who put so much time, energy, and love into helping the kids with the performance! Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead! Father Chris House
Mass Times
Saturday Vigil: 4:30pm
Sunday: 8:00am, 10:00am, 5:00pm
​Daily Mass:
Monday thru Friday: 7am
Office Hours
Monday thru Friday: 8am - 4pm
Confession:
Monday - Friday: 6:30am - 6:50am
Saturday: 3:00 - 4:00pm
Sunday: 4:00 - 4:45pm
Eucharist Adoration:
Wednesdays from 12:30pm - 5:00pm
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Parish School of Religion
Our Parish School of Religion (PSR) classes in September of 2024
Live Streaming at Christ the King
The live streaming will be on YouTube.
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Recordings of the videos will also be posted.
Schedule for Live Stream
Saturday 4:30 p.m. Mass
