01 - complete...In Acts, we learned that St. Paul became a zealous persecutor of Christians...

Volume 11, Issue 2 August, 2008

Inside this issue of Christ the King Courier:Why a Year of St. Paul? Catholic Voters GuideOrdination of Deacon James ScottIn the Spotlight

Recipe Corner - Shorwa-GoshtKnights of ColumbusThank You Really Enough?Do You Know These Faces?

C O U R I E RC O U R I E R

NUTURING GROWTHENRICHING OUR FUTURE

MORTIMER DANAHER CELEBRATION OF LIFE GARDEN

Father Thanh’s remarks:The Garden which we dedicate today is the beautiful culmination of the collective efforts of many. First and foremost we

recognize the namesake and founder, Monsignor Mortimer Danaher, Pastor Emeritus, whose vision and leadership taught us thetrue meaning of stewardship. The lesson of stewardship was learned and what you see before you here has been achievedthrough its practice. Our gifted architectural illustrationist, Ray Christian, designed the project and a ceremonial groundbreakingtook place in this spot on December 3, 2006. From that date until this our very own Pat Thomas and Susan Riker have workedtirelessly to promote, market and coordinate this remarkable achievement.

The collaborative efforts of Kendale Design/Build and Marwan Atallah of Palymara Marble have brought the vision to life inconcrete, marble and travertine.

The faithful and generous patrons whose names appear throughout this garden have funded the concept to its presenteloquence, as well as providing the nucleus to build our proposed new Child Care Center, which you see illustrated here.Funding generated to date by this Garden project has enabled us to renovate our church to its current splendor, debt free. TheGarden continues to be a work in progress and serves to memorialize the treasured people and events of our lives. It isfoundational and we will continue building upon the legacy of our founding and sustaining parishioners, a legacy which providesus this dynamic and vibrant faith community which we celebrate as our parish home.

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Dedication Ceremony June 29, 2008

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Christ the King Courier August, 2008

Father Thanh’s Message

Christ theKing Courier

742 N. Arlington RoadJacksonville, FL 32211Phone: (904) 724-0080Fax: 721-2326Email: [email protected]

Publisher:Father Thanh Thai Nguyen

Managing Editor:Carol -Ann Black

Associate Editor:Mary Ann Sullivan

The mission of Christ the King Courier is to provide our Christ The King Family with information and news regarding our faith andparish ministries. The goal is to share information, happenings, and stories that abound within the ministries of our parish in the hopethat people can use this information to bring you closer to God and our parish church family. Wisdom and enlightenment are two ofmany of God's gifts, and through Christ the King Courier parishioners can share in the joy, love, and fellowship of Christ the KingParish. Our desire is to serve our God, share his message of love and hope with all, and to encourage others to spread the messageof the Gospel of Christ the King.

As the official publication of our parish family, Christ the King Courier sees the reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians asexemplifying the content and character of this publication.

"As the chosen of God, then, the holy people whom He loves, you are to be clothed in heartfelt compassion, in generosity and humility,gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other if one of you has a complaint against another. The Lord hasforgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond. And may the peace of Christ reign inyour hearts, because it is for this that you were called together in one body." Colossians 3:12-15.

The Christ the King Courier is a quarterly newspaper published by Christ the King Catholic Church. Publisher reserves the right torefuse articles, poetry, advertisements, etc. contrary to paper's policy and standards. The appearance of advertising in these pages doesnot imply endorsement of businesses, services and products. Readers must exercise prudence in responding to advertising in allmedia. Political advertising not accepted. Publisher reserves the right to edit all materials submitted for publication.

Hello Christ the King Family and Friends!

Here it is the end of August. Summer vacations are over, and we aresettling into the routine that comes with fall - school, college and work. Ihope you have had a wonderful summer with many fond memories andblessings from God. As a community, we’ve had a joy-filled spring andsummer that has brought us all grace-filled blessings.

Many of us went to St. Joseph’s to witness five men become priestsin our diocese, three of whom we’ve had the pleasure of witnessing asthey made their walk of faith. Father Andy and Father Lam and FatherSlavic are continuing their journey within the diocese. What a blessingthey are to the Church. They are settling into their new surroundings andgetting to know the people of the parish at their first appointment.

On June 21, James Scott was ordained a permanent deacon. James isanother example of a true blessing from God. James has a long historywith Christ the King. It began when Monsignor Danaher was pastor andJames was not a Catholic. James was converted to Catholicism afterspending much of his life searching for the answers he sought. Sincethen, he has been actively involved in many ministries such as TheLegion of Mary and adult faith formation, especially RCIA. He was thereto give back what he had been given. He welcomed all - Catholics andnon-Catholics alike. He was available to help them to become a part ofour faith community.

We had the pleasure of hearing his first homily when he addressed hisfellow Catholics saying “I love you very much.” Because of his love forGod and community, he will serve Him well. He too continues his faithwalk within the Diocese of St. Augustine, and we will be witnesses of thefruits of his labor as Bishop Galeone has assigned him to Christ the King.Congratulations, Deacon James Scott!

God shines on us as we travel through life. The Celebration of LifeGarden will bear witness to our accomplishments through His grace andlove for us. The dedication of our garden was a grace-filled moment withthe presence of Monsignor Danaher. We will continue to witness ourgarden grow as we use this quiet corner to sit and pray and enjoy the peaceand beauty it will bring to all of us. I invite you to be a part of this legacyand reach out to the children in our community. Buy a plaque to help usbring the children to God. He said, “Let the children come to me.” I amfilled with gratitude to all as I see this expression of love for our children.

Our LIFE TEEN program is celebrating 10 years of service to ourteens. Join us in praying for the continuation and growth of this program.It is difficult being a teen in today’s world. With all the opportunities thatabound, it is easy for them to make the wrong choices. LIFE TEEN helpsteens to make good, healthy choices as they take time to strengthen theirpersonal relationship with God. We thank those who have given to keepthis ministry going - a true blessing from God.

Blessings come from the Church. Last June 28, at the evening prayerservice in the Rome Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, Pope Benedictinaugurated the Jubilee Year of St. Paul. This year marks the 2000thAnniversary of the Apostle’s birth. It fits nicely with one of the mainthemes of our current papacy - the Christian duty to evangelize.

Born in Tarsus, he grew up in a Jewish family and became a tent-maker by trade. In Acts, we learned that St. Paul became a zealouspersecutor of Christians throughout the eastern Mediterranean and AsiaManor. One day on his way to Damascus, he was temporarily blinded bya vision of Jesus Chris. He recovered and filled with the Spirit, he wasbaptized. He made a series of four major missionary journeys thatstretched from Jerusalem to Rome where he was put to death by Romanauthorities.

This Pauline year is an invitation to join with the Apostle of theGentiles who dedicated himself to preaching the “Good News” to allpeople where he stressed the need for unity and harmony of all Christians.

Here are some suggestions tocelebrate this year of St. Paul:

Read: Make an effort tospend time reading St.Paul’s letter in the NewTestament and findopportunities to share yourreflections with others(family members, smallfaith sharing groups,friends, etc.)

Keep up with events byreading your bulletin. Takeadvantage of theopportunities to make thisyear a joyous one, such aslistening to Father PatrickCarroll deliver a missionappeal to help missionariesreach out to God’s children.Also, Father James Boddiewill be here to speak to us about the Guardian of Dreams project inour midst.

Pray: In your Masses, personal prayers, adoration and rosary,remember: pray for unity among Christians… (I have included thePrayer to the Apostle Paul for you on this page.)

Spread the Gospel/Evangelize: Be a missionary by volunteering to bea catechist or serving in some other capacity at CTK. Donate to amissionary order and pray for their ministries.

As we celebrate this Pauline year… Bring a friend to Christ…invitehim or her to become a part of our community. What a blessing that wouldbe!

May St. Paul guide us and protect us in his jubilee year, helping us toadvance in the humble and sincere search for the unity of all members ofthe mystical body of Christ.

Prayer to the Apostle Paul

Glorious St. Paul,Most zealous Apostle,

Martyr for the love of Christ,Give us a deep faith,

A steadfast hope,A burning love for our Lord;

So that we proclaim with you,“It is no longer I who live,

But Christ who lives in me.”Help us to become apostles

Serving the Church with a pure heart,Witnesses to her truth and beautyAmidst the darkness of our days.

With you we praise God our Father:“To Him be the glory,

In the Church and in Christ,Now and forever.”

Amen.

August, 2008 Christ the King Catholic Church

What’s Happening

We woud like to welcome the following individuals and families toChrist the King Community

We would like to acknowledge the following parishioners who wererecently united into the Sacrament of Marriage.

The following people are recently deceased memebers of our parish forwhom we offer our special prayers.

Marriages:

Editor’s Corner

Courier Guidelines Notice

Readers, you may notice in this and other issues of the Couriercertain inconsistencies in rules for capitalization regarding God, theBible, gospel quotes. The reason for this is that, when we use directquotes from other sources, we cannot make any changes. Therefore,if His, He, Him referring to Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit are notcapitalized in the original, we do not “correct” them.

This issue of the Courier touches on an unusually wide range oftopics. I’m not absolutely certain of the reason for this, but I hope thatmany of our articles truly speak to our readers; that what our writers havesaid serves as a call to action for us. The articles relating to the activitiesof the St. Vincent de Paul Society tell of dire need among many in ourChrist the King community. Need is ever-present, and we all know thatthe economy is making life difficult on many levels, but the extra effortrequired to replenish the food shelves is totally appreciated by the peoplewe serve. Just read the two letters from recent recipients, if you wonderhow effective St. Vincent de Paul’s efforts are on a daily basis. Call toaction—-donations of supplies as well as time and assistance.

We have more than one article relating to our school and youngpeople. The most important one outlines plans of the Home and Schoolparents to increase the level of financial support for our school through anexciting list of social activities. This is definitely a “have your cake andeat it too” plan. We make a financial commitment to our school and havean evening’s entertainment to boot. Call to action—-participate. Buytickets and be there.

Finally, June 28, 2008 marked the beginning of the Pauline Year. St.Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, traveled the Mediterranean worldspreading the gospel. He worked with people of every known languageand ethnic and tribal background. We look to him for inspiration in ourministry to one another here at Christ the King. His ability to draw peopletogether for Christ is something for us all to emulate. During theupcoming year, we will offer several articles about St. Paul and what hecan mean to each and every one of us as Catholic Christians. In themeantime, plan your ministry participation for the year carefully, andparticipate with enthusiasm.

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The K. DoMs. Daisy MooneyhanMrs. Dana EasonMs. Maria HernandezMr. Vitor WebbMs. Monserrat PujolMr. Thomas CrispMr. & Mrs. Leamon BaxleyMrs. & Mrs. Mike MyersMr. & Mrs. Andy TranMs. Mary Lien HuynhMr. & Mrs. Cyril LosenaraMr. & Mrs. Romanito GandioncoMs. Cindy OsorioMr. Saintly Christopher Manalon

Mr. & Mrs. Michael MoneyhanMs. Diane EllisMr. & Mrs. Terry CallahanMr. & Mrs. David SianMs. Danielle RiosMr. & Mrs. Robert BrownMs. Ashley CintronMs. Nicole CintronMr. Fernando SolisMr. & Mrs. Robert Riker, Jr.Ms. Marie-Lorphie TelfortMr. & Mrs. Eduardo GalavisMs. Nancy RaschMr. & Mrs. Adam SniderMs. Tracy Rhodes

Zachary J. Lunney and Allison Cubbage on May 10, 2008

Anthony TranTristian Joseph Kishi VilaRoman Lorenzo BundocAnnelisa Jeanette BundocEthan Angelo Bundoc

Michael Minh LeRylan Xuan-An Geraldo NguyenJoevonni Keith PrimSean Patrick TrullMichael Riley Shannon

Bryce Dela CuestaFrancio Lorenzo LuacesMaha ForbesRyan GhiotoMarion CunyDarlyne Gorton

Valerie WallisRosemary Theresa Cianciolo NickasHelen MasonEarl William NepplHilda Franco

Eric R. Gandionco

The February issue depicted the communist flag of Vietnam. However,it came to our attention, that the Vietnamese community at Christ theKing, and other Vietnamese livingin America and other countries,prefers the use of the Freedomand Heritage Flag (flag of SouthVietnam – yellow flag with threered stripes). The correct flag isprinted here. We apologize forour error.

Bingo Is BackAt Christ The King

Christ the King summer bingo has been a great successful fundraiserfor both the school and church ministries. Bingo is an opportunity tosocialize, have fun, support the school and ministries, and evenbetter…win money!

The Fil-Am Ministry, lead by Imogene Praxedes, has been sellingdelicious ethnic items in our concession stand. This fundraisingopportunity is available to all Christ the King Church ministries. Pleasecheck the church bulletin bingo notice for updates on the different foodsthat will be available for purchase at bingo.

We have had such a great time this summer that bingo will continuehere at Christ the King. Starting in September, bingo will be held on thethird Friday of the month in the Blessed John XXIII Hall. The doors willopen at 5:30 p.m. with our early bird games starting at 6:00 p.m. and theregular bingo games starting at 7:00 p.m. Prices range from $1.00 to$20.00 depending on how many games or cards you choose to play. Formore information on bingo please e-mail [email protected]. We arealways looking for volunteers, comments, questions, and of course moreparticipants. To view the monthly prices and game packages visit theparent website www.supportctks.com and look for the information aboutbingo.


by Mickey Kenny

St. Paul is known for his evangelization through which he workedtirelessly, traveled endlessly, and wrote prolifically in order to bring themessage of Jesus Christ and to unify the believers into the one body.Through his instructions Paul relied for strength on the strength of Jesus,not of Paul. Pope Benedict XVI dedicated a year to him, the JubileePauline Year, beginning June 28, 2008, saying “This is the goal of thePauline Year: to learn from Saint Paul, to learn the faith, to learn aboutChrist, finally to learn the way of upright life.”

We must know who Paul of Tarsus was in order to understand hiscomplete conversion on the road to Damascus and his deep commitmentto living the rest of his life for Jesus and in Christ. The next three issuesof the Courier will concern the three major themes of Paul’s conversion,his missionary journeys, and his goal of unification through love.

Father Joseph A. Fitzmyer, SJ wrote an essay for the Jerome BiblicalCommentary in which he made the point that, because Paul was nothimself an eyewitness to the life of Jesus, Paul is not writing in abiographical sense but is instead concerning himself with the savinggrace, which the death and resurrection of Jesus has for all people. Otherwriters also have shown how Paul translates for different societies (citydwellers, cosmopolitan people, pagans) the message clearly lived by Jesusfor a certain audience (Jews, agrarian people, shepherds).

We know a good deal about the personal life of Paul because of themany letters he wrote in which he dealt with his own feelings, attitudes,and personal life situations rather than the biographical nature of Jesus asin the gospels.

Paul was born about the same time as our Lord and his circumcision-name was Saul. He was a native of Tarsus, a city on the banks of the riverCydnus which made Tarsus a center of commercial traffic along theshores of the Mediterranean as well as with the countries of central AsiaMinor. It was a wealthy city and the seat of a famous university, higher inreputation even than the universities of Athens and Alexandria, the onlyothers that then existed.

His father was a Jew, a Pharisee, of the tribe of Benjamin and in Actswe learn he was of unmixed Jewish blood. We know nothing regardinghis mother, but it is reasonable to assume that she was a pious woman andhad a mother’s special influence in developing the character of her son.There is no indication that Paul was ever married.

Though a Jew, his father was a Roman citizen but how he got thisprivilege we don’t know. “It might be bought, or won by distinguishedservice to the state, or acquired in several other ways; at all events, his sonwas freeborn. It was a valuable privilege, and one that was to prove ofgreat use to Paul, although not in the way in which his father might havebeen expected to desire him to make use of it.”

Paul was educated by his mother until the age of five. From age fiveto ten he studied with his father in the Hebrew scriptures and traditionalwritings. At the same time, being a Roman citizen and living in a Greekand Roman environment, he received a thorough education in the Greeklanguage, history, and culture.

He was sent to Jerusalem at about the age of ten to attend therabbinical school of Gamaliel, who was the son of Simeon the son ofHillel. Gamaliel was a most eminent rabbi who was mentioned both in theTalmud and in the New Testament (Acts 5:24-40; 22:3).

The religious school of Gamaliel (Hillel) was chiefly oral and usuallyhad a prejudice against any book but Scripture. When school was insession, learned men met and discussed scriptures, gave variousinterpretations, suggested illustrations, and quoted precedents. Thestudents were encouraged to question, doubt, even contradict and it was

in this atmosphere Paulspent many years in anintensive study of theScriptures and the manyquestions concerningthem. After this heprobably left Jerusalemto return to Tarsus butcame back to Jerusalemsoon after the death ofour Lord. It was at thistime he learned aboutJesus, the crucifixion,and the rise of the newsect.

Stephen was thenproclaiming verypublicly that Jesus wasthe Messiah, which gaverise to the stoning ofStephen in which Saulof Tarsus certainly tooka prominent part. He hadbecome an active leaderin the persecutionthrough which the rulerssought to exterminate

Christianity. The persecution forced the apostles to spread to other placesand, “They that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching theword.” Hearing that some fugitives had taken refuge in Damascus, Paulasked for and received a letter authorizing him to proceed to Damascus, ajourney of about 130 miles. And Paul went on “breathing out threateningsand slaughter.”

But the crisis of his life was at hand. Paul’s conversion on the road toDamascus is a pivotal point in Church history and a story known well bymost Catholics. In the next issue we will take up the story of Paul’sconversion and how it changed the course of his life and affected hisinstruction for the followers of Christ in Paul’s time and for all time aswell.

“Paul, therefore, no longer lives for himself, for his own justice. Helives for Christ and with Christ: in giving of himself, he is no longerseeking and building himself up” (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience11/8/2006). His example to the rest of the world is that of a man whoknew everything he did was for the glory of God and not at all for himself.St. Paul’s influence on the thinking of the Church cannot be understated.His life demonstrates the fact that it does not matter what we have donebefore, what sins we have committed - God forgives even those who havepersecuted him for years, and with God we can become the most ardentand faithful Christians. St. Paul helps us to understand our role asChristians, and how we should live with Christ and the Holy Spirit in ourlives. As Pope Benedict XVI said in his general audience about St. Paul,“May the Lord help us to put into practice the exhortation left to us by theApostle in his Letters: ‘Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ’ (1 Cor11:1).”

The books of Acts is the chief authoritative record for the ministriesof Paul and the other apostles. For a brief outline of Paul’s ministry, seethe Chronological Table of Paul’s Ministry. The most thorough, accurate,and interesting secular work on Paul is The Life and Epistles of St. Paul,by Conybeare and Howson.

Why a Year of St Paul?

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE...by Lucille Guzzone

For the last few years parishioners have noticed that our First Holy Communion class has not been limited to second graders. Each year more andmore of our older children are receiving the sacrament for the first time at an older age. Some are young teen-agers who, because of variouscircumstances, were not able to receive instruction at seven or eight years old. Now they have discovered that they no longer have to be outside of thesacrament any longer.

Our parish, through the religious education program for children, offers a class especially for these youngsters, which is primarily suited for theirages - usually between ten and fifteen. It meets every Wednesday evening, at 6:30 p.m., in the school, during the school year. The teacher is ShannonCoffey who has a masters degree in psychology and is a second-level catechist. She devotes much of her time working with parents, making frequentcalls to keep them abreast of the goings on in the classroom. Most of all, she manages to keep the spark of curiosity and desire at full brightness inher students. For the most part these particular young people want to be there, and they usually take the initiative in coming to class. In many cases,because of this desire on the part of these students, fallen-away parents themselves return to the Faith. And more than frequently, a non-Catholicstepparent begins to understand and appreciate the beauty and spirituality of the Catholic Church.

It may seem strange to the congregation to see these rather large young people attired in white following the little ones at the First HolyCommunion Mass, but to all of us involved it is a sight filled with hope, love, and gratitude to the Lord and His Church knowing that it’s never toolate.

St. Paul, by Fra Bartolommeo, located in thePontifical Apartment, Vatican


Do You Say TheMorning Offering ?

by Frank Becht

If you don’t you’re not alone, but you are missing a greatopportunity to make your whole day a prayer.

To us Roman Catholics, the Morning Offering is meant to be prayedthe first thing in the morning to consecrate the day to the Lord. It gives usthe opportunity to focus our entire day on Jesus and give Him all that wedo during the day. It makes our entire day a prayer.

The Morning Offering is meant to be prayed in the morning when weawake. Throughout the day, we can offer up everything that happens-ourjoys, our pains and suffering, our difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus toatone for the pain and suffering for all for whom we pray. Of course, ifyou forget for whatever reason, it’s not too late to say with your act ofcontrition in the evening.

The Morning Offering has longbeen a practice of the Church, butbecame popular as an aspect of theLeague of the Sacred Heart of Jesus“Apostleship of Prayer” which wasborn in 1844 in a Jesuit seminary inVals, France. Later another Jesuit,Father Ramiere published the“Messenger of the Sacred Heart”which helped to spread the MorningOffering prayer.

There are many versions of theMorning Offering but the mostcommon one is as follows:

Jesus, through theImmaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers,

works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions ofyour Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of theMass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for theintentions of all our associates, and in particular for theintentions of our Holy Father, the pope.

Now throughout the day you offer up your hardships and sacrifices toJesus. If you wish, you can renew your offering during the day with an“All for Thee, Jesus!” Try it!

O

Catholic Voter’s Guideby Frank Becht

There are many issues involved in deciding for whom to vote. Manyare purely political, but many can deal with our quality of life, our long-term well-being, the war, immigration, the environment, education, healthcare and the like. We will concentrate on the serious moral issuesinvolved.

If you take your Catholic faith seriously, then you need to know theposition of the candidates on the serious moral issues that are affectingour society. Most of the time it’s not a case of adopting a “Catholicposition,” for there often is not one that can apply across the board. Youas a responsible Catholic voter must become informed on the issues andmoral non-negotiable ethical principles. This is not an easy task.

There are five basic moral issues of our faith that are non-negotiablemoral values which can help you narrow down the acceptable candidates.In cases where all candidates take morally unacceptable positions on oneor more issues, you must make some tough choices. In your role as aCatholic voter, you have a moral obligation to promote the common goodthrough exercising your voting privilege. The five non-negotiable issuesare as follows.

Abortion Abortion is the intentional and direct killing of an innocent human

being, and is therefore a form of homicide. Where laws allow abortion,the Church teaches “it is never licit to obey it, or take part in a propagandacampaign in favor of such a law or to vote for it.” Even when a child isconceived through rape or incest, the fault is not the child’s, who shouldnot suffer for others’ sins.

EuthanasiaEuthanasia (mercy killing) is also a form of homicide. No one has the

right to take the life of any innocent person, nor does anyone have theright to take his or her own life. In euthanasia, the ill or elderly are killedby action or omission, out of a misplaced sense of compassion, but truecompassion cannot include intentionally doing something intrinsicallyevil.

Embryonic Stem Cell ResearchHuman embryos are human beings. It is the position of the Church

that “Respect for the dignity of the human being excludes allexperimental manipulation or exploitation of the human embryo.”

The Catholic Church teaches that human life, in the form of an ovumand spermatozoon, becomes a human person at the time of fertilization.Thus, the killing of an embryo in order to extract its stem cells is a formof homicide. Adult stem cell development has long been used, thus notjustifying use of embryonic cells.

Human CloningHuman cloning also involves abortion because “rejected” or

“unsuccessful” embryonic clones are destroyed; yet each clone is ahuman being. Attempts for obtaining a human being without anyconnection with sexuality through “twin fusion,” cloning orparthenogenesis are contrary to moral law; they are in opposition to thedignity of human procreation and the conjugal union.

Homosexual MarriageTrue marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Recognition

of any other union as “marriage” undermines true marriage. Legalrecognition of homosexual unions only encourages them to persist in animmoral arrangement. Catholic lawmakers have a moral duty to expressopposition and publicly vote against it.

The political offices we are concerned with in the upcomingNovember election are President and Vice President and certain state andfederal offices. They will be guiding and influencing the legislators of ourcountry for the next four years and will determine the direction of theimportant moral issues for years to come.

Determine a Candidate’s PositionVery often it is difficult to determine a candidate’s position. In such

cases many times contact with the candidate’s office or campaignheadquarters can help determine a candidate’s position.

How Not to VoteDo not vote based on your party affiliation.Do not vote based on candidates’ appearance, personality, or media savvy. Do not vote just because candidates declare themselves Catholic.Do not vote for what’s best for you. Vote for the common good. Do not vote for candidates who are right on lesser issues but vote wrongly

on key moral issues. For example, the right to health, to home, towork, to family, to culture is false and illusory if right to life,euthanasia, or marriage is not defended.

Become an informed voter!Our marriage and family values are at stake.

Call to AdorationIf we are willing only to do what is ordinary

then we can only expect God’s ordinaryblessing. Only when we are willing to do theextraordinary are we guaranteed of obtaining

God’s extraordinary blessings.Eucharistic adoration of the Blessed

Sacrament is absolutely the extraordinaryeffort that God is asking for today in order

that He may bestow upon mankind Hisextraordinary blessings.

When we are willing to do on earth what isdone in heaven, i.e., adore God perpetually,then God will create a “new heaven” and a

“new earth.”


I don’t want a hand outbut a hand up!

Submitted by Mickey Kenny

This letter was placed in the poor box at Christ the King. The St.Vincent de Paul Society has permission from Tim Leonard to share it withyou and we hope it will help everyone involved.

My name is Tim Leonard. My wife’s name is Cindy. We have had theworst part of our life in the last year.

It all started when I had my own paint company and someone stole allmy equipment, my truck got repo’d and finally, my house got foreclosedon, we were homeless. We worked at it and climbed back up far enoughto get a hotel room on Dec 12th on the Arlington X-way and we startedgoing to Christ the King at that point in time. And we prayed and prayedand work slowly came to me … not much just enough to pay rent of$189.00 a week and buy food and at times we didn’t have enough to buyfood and had to resort to going thru dumpsters at Food Lion & PiccaRestaurants to feed us. I have gone from having nothing except theclothes on our backs. I now have some clothes mostly work clothes 2good pair of pants to wear to church and my painting tools, carpentrytools saw & drill and a nail gun and we both have a bicycle all of whichwere all blessings. What I need is someone to allow me to paint or fix upthere house. I also do tile work. If I could get one good job I know I’ll get3 to 5 more off it and 3 to 5 off them and eventually I would be able torent a house, get a work truck, all my equipment needed to make my lifemore easier and all I’ve gotten so far is from Jesus blessing us for doingthe rite thing. One day I would like to be able to put something in theoffering plate. I pray every day and night for Jesus to help me thru thistime and he has and I thank him and I prayed and he told me to get intouch with someone at the church and my prayers would be answered butI didn’t know who to reach, so I’m reaching out to whoever receives thisto help it reach who it should. I try to make it to church every Sunday; mywife can’t make it every time because of health issues and can’t walk it.And our lives have become much better with Jesus on our sides.

Well that’s about all there is. Thank you for everything.

Tim Leonard 725-3343 #203

I don’t want a hand out but a hand up!

This is what it’s all aboutSubmitted by Mickey Kenny

This letter was writtenMay 8 and copied “as is”except for the omission (bypersonal request) of theVincentian to whom it wasparticularly addressed. TheSt. Vincent de Paul Society isgrateful for permissionextended by Ms. Adams toshare this letter with you andthe beautiful picture she sentof her family.

Hello,

For the past severalmonths everyone who wouldlisten I’ve told them abouthow much you’ve helped mykids and I in our time of need.If it weren’t for you and yourextended family @ Christ the King Catholic Church and the generousdonation by the community my kids and I would have went withoutelectricity.

…, even though I’ve only had brief conversations with you and we’veprayed together twice, I feel as though I’ve known you my entire life.

When you would come to bring my kids and I food, toiletries andmonetary donations I never once felt as though you were judging me, nordid you make me feel less than a mother for not being able to provide formy kids at the time.

It’s something that radiated through you that put me at ease whiletalking to you, something that spoke inside of me and I felt your divineconcern for my kids and I. As if God sent you to us, to assure me that nomatter what trouble we may happen into in our lives if we ask God andtruly believe and put in the foot work He will supply all of our needs andsometimes what we want.

I thank God so much for working through you, … , to show me thatI’m not alone in my struggle to take care of my kids.

Thank you so much Christ the King Catholic Church and thank youso much … for being you and most of all I thank God my father forblessing me.

Do you need help?Painting – interior or exterior

You supply the paint andI will supply the competent work!

RemodelingTile work

Just give me,Tim Leonard, a call at 725-3343 room 203

I’ll work hard and dependablybecause your good words about me and my work

are all the advertising I will need.

Thanks!

St. Vincent de PaulSociety

has an emergency-level need forbath soapshampoo

laundry itemsdish detergent

paper products: toilet paper, paper towels

meat items: canned chicken/tunamacaroni and cheese

chilicanned stews

Just bring the supplies to the church and wewill store them in our pantry.

Thanks for helping out!


You Are Needed!by Mickey Kenny

It is with both humility and appreciation that the Christ the KingConference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society acknowledges our gratitudeto our Pastor, Father Thanh; Father Zehler, our Spiritual Advisor; and allthe parishioners who give us such an abundance of gifts for thecommunity. While Vincentians are able to go to the homes of those inneed and bring a measure of God’s love and compassion, we are only ableto give much-needed food and financial assistance because of thegenerosity of the families in our parish.

Why is there always a “But…?” Of the great number of families inour parish, there are only 19 people available to take these calls.Remember posters of Uncle Sam pointing his finger straight out with themessage, “We need YOU” – well, we do! No one likes to think ofthemselves as old, and “age challenged” sounds worse to me; but of thosewho make home visits and bring our good news, only a couple are 35 orunder. Most of us are retired (that means 65) or almost there. Wouldn’t itbe awful if there were no Vincentians to bring the Good News to peoplewho are suffering! The shortest verse in all the Bible is, “Jesus wept.” AndHe would.

Please, think of coming to join us. There are many ways you canserve, and we will find ways suitable just for you! Tailor made – in theUSA. It’s even politically correct.

During these troubling times we have had a problem securing meatitems for the pantry. The food warehouse we purchase from has very littleas they have to serve many organizations. Meat products needed are:canned tuna, chicken, and ham. Smoked bacons and parts are wonderfulfor adding flavor to rice and noodles; macaroni and cheese also can beconsidered a “meat”. Any donations of these are particularly needed.

On our wish list we always place soaps, cleansers and personalhygiene items – particularly important for helping our friends in need.

Truly it is a blessing to serve in this way. Join us if you have anyinclination to become a Vincentian. You will be made welcome and youwill find the work fulfilling. Just show up on any Monday evening at 7pm in the rectory. It’s that easy. Jesus said often, “Whatsoever you do tothe least of my children, that you do unto me.”

Ordination ofDeacon James Scott

“Receive the Gospel of Christ,Whose herald you now are.”

“Believe what you read,Teach what you believe,

And practice what you teach.”

by Darlene O’Neal

These were the words spoken to each of the eight Ordinands byBishop Victor Galeone as the Ordination of Deacons took place at St.Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Palm Coast, Florida on June 21,2008. Christ the King’s own James Scott was ordained a permanentDeacon in the Diocese of St. Augustine and will serve for three years atChrist the King parish.

The ordination was beautiful from the beginning to the end. Theprocession of the many priests throughout the diocese, deacons, altarservers, Bishop Victor Galeone and of course, the Ordinands, was trulyimpressive. Most Reverend Victor Galeone was the principal celebrantwith Father Michael Morgan and Father James May as concelebrantsaccompanied by priests of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

The music ministry under the direction of Kermit Allison wasoutstanding and added elegance to the occasion. Liturgical Ministersincluded family members of the Ordinands who served as presenters ofthe gifts to be offered, altar servers and readers. The second reading wasproclaimed entirely in Vietnamese.

The Laying on of Hands was emotional as each priest and deacon inattendance approached and laid hands on each of the eight men during theOrdination. Each of the ordained was vested with his Stole and Dalmaticby a friend who was either a priest or a deacon. Deacon James was vestedby Deacon Paul Consbruck. It was especially touching when DeaconDave MacNamara embraced Deacon James with the Kiss of Peace.

The recessional hymn “Go Forth” was most appropriate, with thewords telling one to go forth and spread the good news, preaching theHoly Word of God! Deacon James is certainly qualified to do just that.

Father Andy Blaszkowski and Father Thomas Willis served asMasters of Ceremonies. Several former Christ the King priests, FatherGuy Noonan, Father Joe McDonnell and Father Richard Perko werethere, as well as Father Steven Zehler. Many friends and parishionersfrom Christ the King drove down to Palm Coast for the Ordination ofDeacon James Scott.

The parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Father Mark Watersvery graciously hosted the liturgy as well as provided a beautifulreception following the ordination.

On June 29, 2008, Christ the King Church parishioners had the honorof hearing the first homily given by newly-ordained Deacon James duringthe 11:00 a.m. Mass. He told his personal story and his message was tolisten when God calls you and obey the call. James has answered God’scall and we at Christ the King are blessed to have him with us.

Following the Mass, dedication of the Mortimer Danaher Celebrationof Life Garden was celebrated as well as a reception for Deacon JamesScott in Blessed John XXIII Hall. Congratulations, Deacon James!

MOMS MinistryFall Session

Register NOW!

You can sign up now for Fall MOMS Ministry sessions.Thursday, Sept. 18 and will run for 8 weeks.

Morning sessions 8:30 am and end at 11:00 am.

Daycare will be available at no cost.

Evening sessions 6:30 pm and end at 8:30 pm.

We are pleased to announce that the sessions are open tonew moms and PREVIOUS MOMS participants. So, ifit’s been three or more years since you’ve been throughthe journey and would like to “Renew the Journey”, we

would love to have you join us.

Facilitators still needed!!! Formal facilitator trainingwill be held on August 23 at St. Anastasia in St.

Augustine. This training will completely prepare you.

To register, and for more information, contact DeidreHicks at:

(904) [email protected]


In addition to the design of our new Child Care Center (which will bebuilt on Arlington Road and serve as a beacon for our parish) you also seeyet another illustration rendered by Ray Christian….a playful andcapricious playground setting designed to chronicle the progression ofour fund raising efforts. This chart will be on display in the gathering areaof the church as we go forward to implement the construction phase ofour new Child Care Center. For those of you who have alreadyparticipated in this historical project, thank you. For those of you whowill, thank you.

Frank Japour’s remarks:We are gathered here today on this joyous occasion to celebrate the

dedication of this glorious Garden project which had its inception in1978. Monsignor Danaher appointed Isabelle Fusco to manage a fledglingparish child care facility as a ministry to our parish families. Over theyears the center evolved to its current status as a preeminent EarlyLearning Center providing service to over 150 children from throughoutthe community. Under the guidance of Theresa Little and her dedicatedstaff the Center has garnered the coveted FIVE STAR rating issued bythe Department of Children and Families which was awarded this year toonly 17 of 904 licensed facilities in Duval County. In 2004 a strategic planwas implemented to replace the existing center with a contemporarymodel to meet the growing needs of our parish and of the community.

Christ the King has a tradition of excellence and through ourcollective efforts, we will continue to NURTURE GROWTH ANDENRICH OUR FUTURE.

NUTURING GROWTHENRICHING OUR FUTURE

MORTIMER DANAHER CELEBRATION OF LIFE GARDEN

continued from page one

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for thekingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

by Darlene O’Neal

When some people hear the term “RCIA” they might ask, “What doesthat mean?”

RCIA is short for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It is aprocess for people inquiring about the Catholic faith. It is for people on ajourney toward faith and being reborn in the Spirit. It is for people whoare ready for conversion from their old ways, ready to be made new in theimage of God.

RCIA is intended for all interested persons no matter what theirbackground. Each is welcomed and encouraged to attend and participatein weekly sessions.

The RCIA process is a four-step journey of faith. The first step is thepre-catechumenate. This is a time for inquirers to hear the Word and alsoa time for community members to listen and answer their questions. Thechurch community plays a big part in the whole conversion process bytheir example as Christians and by their welcoming attitudes. When theinquirers are ready to move to the next step, the Rite of Entrance to theCatechumenate is celebrated at Sunday Mass.

The second step is the catechumenate. During this period, thecatechumens are joined by sponsors who provide support, help to makethem feel at home and share the Catholic faith with them. Sponsors arevery important and should not take their assignment lightly. They committhemselves to the individual catechumen for the entire nine monthprocess. They not only represent the church community but they presentthe candidates to the Church.

The catechumenate is the longest period in the RCIA process. This isthe time when the catechumens are instructed in the Catholic faith andjoin in community prayer and worship. After the Liturgy of the Word atMass, they are dismissed to reflect on the Scripture readings with theRCIA team members. When the catechumens are prepared, the Rite ofElection is celebrated as a request for entrance to the Church through theEaster Sacraments of Initiation. The community responds by confirmingGod’s call to faith in their lives and to welcome them into the Church atEaster.

The third step is the Lenten period. The catechumens begin their “40-day retreat” to focus on prayer and God’s graces. During this period,prayers of healing by the community during rites, called “Scrutinies”, areon the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent. The Scrutinies are intendedto give the catechumens strength to resist evil and remain free from sin ontheir journey to conversion and renewed faith. The Scrutinies are alsomeant to remind Catholics of our need for penance and healing that are apart of Lent.

At the Easter Vigil, the Sacraments of Initiation are celebrated and thecatechumens are received into the Church. This is the climax to the manymonths of preparation and the end of the conversion journey. The fourth step is the “Mystagogia”, which means mystery. This is the 50days between Easter and Pentecost, a time meant for the newly initiatedto move toward a deeper understanding of the Word of God and thesacraments.

The RCIA is not just for converts, it is for Church renewal. We are allcalled to change our lives and renew our faith. RCIA is for the life of thewhole Church as we continue on our faith journeys.

THE ABC’S OF RCIA

by Amy Schultz

In late June, L’Arche Harbor House hosted a sale of items from theL’Arche Rainbow Workshop, a day program for adults who havedevelopmental and physical disabilities. The sale was held at the QualityInn Suites in Jacksonville Beach and was sponsored by Renee Baron, afriend of the L’Arche community. Renee’s brother, Dino, and seven otherartists who have special needs, worked very hard for months to preparethe handcrafted items sold at the event. The items included crafts andartwork made from beads, clay and shells, as well as homemade jewelryand paper cards.

Guests enjoyed refreshments and interacting with the members of theL’Arche community. Rainbow artists happily demonstrated their skillsand discussed their “works of heart.” L’Arche Harbor House hosts two tothree Rainbow sales each year at varying locations. Please visit ourwebsite at www.larchejacksonville.org to learn more.

Scrip is back for the school year!

Go online to shopwithscrip.com and register with anemail address and the enrollment code for

Christ the King: C14CA3534L79 and click join.

Rainbow“Works of Heart”


French Boys’ Choir

by Carol-Ann Black

What a beautiful way to end the day! The French Boys’ Choir enter-tained the audience at Christ the King Church with great talent and obvi-ous pleasure on Tuesday evening, July 22. They were first organized in1972 in the area of Lille in northern France. The twenty-some boys andyoung men attend several schools and universities in that area. Theycarry on, not only their touring schedule, but an active recording andbroadcast life. In addition they participate in exchange programs withother boys’ choirs, such as the Vienna Boys Choir and the PoznanRossignols.

The Ephrem Familyby George Ephrem

Every once in a whileone of our parish membersis suddenly inspired toshare a story with us all.This is one of those stories.Our author is a member ofthis interesting and inspira-tional family, and at 93years of age he wrote it alldown and presented it per-sonally at the rectory forour consideration. Enjoy.

The Ephrem familymoved to Jacksonville in1922 from Lawrence,Massachusetts. Our par-ents, Joseph and Helen, andUncle Fred, came to theU.S. about 1910 fromBeyrouth (Beirut), Lebanon. We were 6 children—-Tom, George, Victor,Freddie, Victoria and Henry (Hank).

All 5 brothers served in U.S. military service during World War II.Sgt. Victor was killed in action during the Normandy invasion. He isburied in “The Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial” in St. James(Manche), France, Plot D, Row 1, Grave 8. He was a Staff Sergeant. Tomwas in the African invasion and the Italian invasion, Sardinia and else-where. George served aboard ships in the North and South Atlantic, Gulfof Mexico, Caribbean areas and South Pacific. Freddie served withMcArthur in recapturing the Phillipines. Jacksonville Dep. SheriffHenry (Hank) served in the Navy in the U.S.A, the Marshall Islands andon into Japan. He retired.

Prior to the war, Staff Sgt. Victor served in Jacksonville, in the localNational Guard anti-tank unit, in Fort Benning training other Army unitsand onto the European area, Normandy. He graduated from Robert E. LeeHigh School. He also played on the Lee football team.

Tom was a star baseball player and at 133 lbs. was NEFL boxingchamp. He was also a great photographer for the old Jacksonville Journalnewspaper, the Florida Times Union and Ring magazine for 33 years. He

was also a sports and boxing writer, and assisted with boxing inJacksonville.

George was a well-known dancer (ballroom and square), was presi-dent of the Friendly Frolics, and the N.E. Florida Square and RoundDance Association. He was also the first president and founder of theAmerican Ballroom and Contemporary Dance Association. George alsoraced cars (beginning in 1936) at the Daytona Beach and Road Races,Jacksonville Beach, Fernandina Beach, Atlanta, Orlando, and at N.A.S.Jacksonville, before it was N.A.S.

Freddie learned all about motorcycles starting at the age of 12 years.He worked up to manager of the old Harley Davidson Motorcycle Co. inJacksonville. He was in charge of the Jacksonville police motorcyclegarage and helped to train many policemen to ride motorcycles. Freddiewas also a member of the Shriners unit. He led the parades with hisfamous rides and trained the unit to formation riding.

Our sister, Victoria, married a sailor, Neil Corado. They had two boys,Neil, Jr. and Patrick, whom they raised here in Jacksonville.

At the present time I am the last of the Original Family. I am 93 yearsold. I met and married Jean in 1950. Jean passed away September 14,2006. She assisted inchurch and school atChrist the King formany years. In 1954 wewere among thefounders of Christ theKing parish and school.For many years I helpedout at Christ the KingSchool in the teachers’offices repairing andinstalling school equip-ment, painting in thebuildings, and doinggrounds work. Jean andI also assisted in thebuilding of BishopKenny chapel. We hadtwo children, George Jr.and Betty Jo. We havefour grandchildren andsix great grandchildren.

The program presented at Christ the King on Tuesday evening was intwo parts. The first included only sacred music. The second was morevaried and was comprised of works from several different nations of theworld. One of the most popular of the evening was Bahay Kubo, aPhilippino song, which many audience members obviously knew welland applauded with gusto and enthusiasm.

After the performance, the boys joined host families for theirovernight stay. They were due to return to CTK and their van transportersaround 8:00 a.m., and then to depart for Orlando for some time at theDisney park. Then home again to France. Bon Voyage, boys. Please,come again soon.


by Charles Keisling

The term “vacation” conjures up in most of us, images of relaxation,family time, and good food. For the more industrious of us we may thinkof learning, travel or even pilgrimage. For Father Thanh, a vacation is allof these. A much needed break from the pressing problems of parishadministration came when Father Thanh signed up for an educational tourwith high school and college students run by EF the leading organizationoffering such tours. The tour was a two-week trek through Italy andGreece. The group leader was Mai Keisling, high school art historyteacher and member of the Vietnamese community at Christ the King. Shealso brought her husband Charles and middle school son, Nicholas. FatherThanh also made it a family occasion by including his sister from Texas,Nga, and nephews, high school senior, Phi Long and middle schoolstudent, Bao Long. The middle school pair would soon be constantcompanions.

By bus we went from Milan to Verona on our way to Venice. Veronais an ancient city with the third-largest and best-preserved arena whereopera is performed each weekend. We also saw Juliet’s house fromShakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” However this is just a touristattraction as the play is purely fiction except for the family rivalry there.The town is a nice rest stop and a chance for a late lunch in one of themany cafés on the Piazza Bra. After this restful interlude we continue ourjourney to Venice.

The hotel is right on the beach. Dinner at Venice was a culinarydelight. Father had fried squid, fish, mussels and other “fruit of the sea.”After dinner there was time to explore the streets near the hotel with theirmany shops which were open late in the evening. This district is a favoriteof Central Europeans for vacationing on the Adriatic Sea.

It was an early morning wake up for the European continentalbreakfast of bread, sliced meat and cheese, yogurt, cereal, and of coursecafé latte. The bus took us to the water bus (larger than Jacksonville’swater taxi) which would take us across the lagoon to downtown Venice.As we assembled near the Doge’s Palace our tour guide distributed“Whispers,” a radio receiver that hangs around your neck and plugs intoyour ear to hear what the tour guide is saying without having to be rightnext to her. We saw the great tower called the Campanile which is rathernew, having replaced one that collapsed in 1902.

We hear church bells coming from the interesting Torre dell’Orologioclock tower of 1496 and we see Moors ringing the bells on top and adifficult to understand clock face that shows astrological signs and moonphases but it is easy to understand the digital clock reading (in Romannumerals) that changes every five minutes. We have agreed to break awayfrom the guided tour with a smaller group of students that want to makeSunday Mass at the Basilica of San Marco. We turn to look at themagnificent and ornate building with four domes and five front doorwayswith rich mosaics above each. It obviously shows the Eastern Orthodoxinfluence. Above the door we can see the replicas of the four bronzehorses that were looted by the Venetians from Constantinople in 1204.After checking in our backpacks, we enter through the side door reservedfor those attending Mass rather than just looking around. We see amagnificent 3-D cross-shaped chandelier and a ceiling above that iscovered with 43,000 sq. ft of gold mosaic. This is why it is sometimescalled the Basilica d’Oro or Church of Gold. The altar is above theremains of the evangelist St. Mark, which were stolen from Alexandria,Egypt by Venetian merchants in the ninth Century. After that the Basilicawas built to house and honor them and the city’s patron saint was changedfrom St. George to St. Mark. The winged lion is now the symbol of thecity. The Mass is in Italian but there are multilingual cards that have beenpassed out so that all may participate. The music is inspiring, coming from

a small choir almost out of sight andreverberating throughout the domedceiling and down to thecongregation.

Now it is time to rendezvouswith our tour guide who hasorganized gondola rides. As FatherThanh rides through the canals ofVenice, this is surely the relaxationpart of his journey. We pass othergondolas that have singinggondoliers and some with musiciansas well. Perhaps someone laying iton for a wedding proposal. Wequietly skim through the canals withthe indecipherable greetings of ourgondolier to others breaking thesilence.

At Florence we see the Churchof San Lorenzo. When we arrive Ifind it gray and cold with largerough brick on the outside. It is the oldest church in Florence and datesback to 1060. We see the tomb of the Parents of Cosimo de Medici andthe fresco, “The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence.” A very helpful volunteerguide of the church begins to explain everything in great detail. We wishwe could stay longer to learn more but we have an appointment with ourbus and we cannot be late.

Our hotel looked like a manor house located on a small mountain. Therooms were spacious and the food was so-so. The next day we went backto Florence and found the trip much shorter given the proper directions.We first went to the Uffizi Museum. The Galleria Accademia is where allgo to see Michelangelo’s “David”. We cannot really distinguish it fromthe copy that adorns the piazza outside the building. Father Thanh beginsto develop a great appreciation for the Italian ice cream. We go to theDuomo, or Santa Maria della Firoe, as it is officially named. The domewas designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and the church was consecrated in1436. The dome is almost as large (42 meters) as that of the Pantheon inRome. In the 15th Century, it was the largest church in Europe. TheCathedral looks strange because the façade is much more modern inGothic Revival style added in 1867-87. This façade replaced one that wasdestroyed in the 16th Century. The tower was designed by the painterGiotto in 1334. The Baptistery is octagonal and its highlights are the Eastdoors in bronze by Ghiberti. These doors were so beautiful toMichelangelo that he named them “The Gates of Paradise.” Later in theday we go to Santa Croce Basilica and find that it was established by theFranciscans in a poor neighborhood. Father Thanh found it interesting thatthis church served the poor and San Lorenzo served the Medici and thewealthy. Michelangelo is buried there too.

We took a side trip to Pisa to see the Pisa Cathedral but also thefamous leaning bell tower and the baptistery there. We find there was agreat rivalry between these two cities and each tried to outdo the other. Inthe end Florence conquered Pisa much to their chagrin. While we were atPisa it was June 17, which is the anniversary of the death of their patronsaint, St. Ranieri. On that day each year they open up the relics for displayand veneration. This was really a pilgrimage trip.

At Assisi we also went to the Basilica of Francisco where the tomb ofSt. Francis is located. This basilica also has a number of important frescosof Giotto illustrating the life of St. Francis. In that town we visited theTemple of Minerva, a Roman temple converted to a Catholic Church witha very baroque interior. Chiesa Nuova is the church that marks thebirthplace of St. Francis. Finally, before we leave the city we see theChurch of St. Clare where the founder of the Poor Clares is laid to rest.

Father Thanh’s Travels

continued on next page


At Rome we found a bonanza of important churches. The first was animportant shrine to which the pope leads the Stations of the Cross eachGood Friday: The Colosseum. The greatest of these is of course, St.Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, the largest church in the world! It isoverwhelming. Many religious leaders are interred here, the greatest ofwhich is St. Peter himself. It is traditional to touch the foot of the statueof St. Peter for a blessing or good luck. The Peita by Michelangelo isprotected by glass there but hard to photograph. The Sistine Chapel isbreathtaking with the Last Judgement by Michelangelo as well as hisfamous ceiling. In St. Peter’s Square one can see the apartment windowwhere Pope Benedict XVI appears. In the middle of the square is anEgyptian Obelisk taken from the old Roman Circus near this spot. It isinteresting to note that most of the Roman remains that are in goodcondition are so because the Church has made them Catholic monumentsor churches. One of these is the Pantheon. Originally it was dedicated toall the Roman gods in a round sanctuary with the largest dome in theworld until the 1960’s. Today it is a church and in excellent condition.Another of these is Castel Sant’Angelo, originally Hadrian’s Tomb. Overthe years it has been a fortress, prison, and papal residence and has astatue of St. Michael sheathing a sword as a sign of the end of a plague.Our trip to Pompeii to see a well-preserved section of Roman lifeillustrated how decadent pagan Rome was. It reminds us of Sodom andGomorrah.

The second portion of our journey took us on an overnight voyageacross the Adriatic Sea on a fancy ferry with a swimming pool no less.Our first stop was the Greek Orthodox monastery of Roussanou. Whenthese monks sought isolation they really meant it! It seems impossible thatthese beautiful structures could have been constructed in such aninaccessible location high atop these unusual rock formations. Thisancient monastery has been converted into a convent and the nunsrehabilitated the place after the monks abandoned it. The Monastery ofAyias Triadhos is still operated by the monks after so many years. At onetime the only way to enter was to be pulled up by a winch in a cage. Todayit is a tiring climb up stairs carved in the mountain. The walls are coveredwith visual reminders of the tribulations of the saints and martyrs. Womenin our group were loaned long skirts as slacks, jeans and shorts are notallowed on women.

As a retired history teacher, I felt compelled to give Father Thanh arefresher course in Ancient History while we journeyed to Delphi. Herewe found a temple to Apollo where puzzling predictions were made aboutthe future. Here we saw a stone, which the Greeks called the “bellybuttonof the world” illustrating how the Greeks, like other civilizations, thoughttheir civilization superior to all and all revolved around them. We also sawan ancient, but interesting and relevant center of healing that focused on

the mind and spirit as well as the physical healing. It was dedicated toAsklepion, the legendary son of Apollo, the healer. Our physicians todayuse the staff with entwined serpents of Asklepion.

Mycenaea, is a very ancient ruin once ruled by Agamemnon who ledthe fight against Troy in Homer’s Illiad. The ruins included the “beehivetombs” in which they built the first domes that remained the largest in theworld for a thousand years until the Pantheon was built. At Corinth werecalled the letters that Paul wrote to the church he founded there, but sawnothing to document that phase of its history. We did see a canal thatdissects Greece at its narrowest point, the Isthmus of Corinth.

At Athens we saw the Acropolis and the enormous Parthenon remindsus of the way we honor our God with magnificent churches. We sawseveral museums with the most famous and recognizable works of ancientcivilization. We understand that our civilization is built upon it and not sodifferent at all. A Greek dinner highlighted our final night with food andGreek dancing not unlike that in the recent movie, “My Big Fat GreekWedding.”

So Father Thanh was able to rest, to exercise, to contemplate theFranciscans’ and the Dominicans’ influence on Florence. He was able toenjoy good food and drink and spend time with his sister and get to knowhis nephews a little better. He was able to make pilgrimages to St. Peter,St. Mark, and St. Ranieri. He could walk where great men of the past havetrod, and appreciate the art and architecture of earlier days. After touchingthe “bellybutton of the world” he could draw renewed energy and strengthwith which to lead Christ the King for at least another year.

Father Thanh’s Travelscontinued from page 10

by Frank Becht

In November 2008 nationalelections will be held in whichmany important issues will beplaced on the ballot for your vote.The presidential election is the onemost publicized but for Christiansof all denominations, the MarriageProtection Amendment issue willbe equally important.

Voters will be asked to choosewhether to allow homosexual(same sex) marriage or to restrictmarriage to that of “one man andone woman.”

The Catholic Church and mostChristian religions believe that truemarriage, matrimony, is anindissoluble bond between a manand a woman. It is one of the sevensacraments and is ordinarilycelebrated in a Nuptial Mass.Catholics believe that marriage wasordained by God for the purpose ofpro-creation. The Bible clearlysets out various passages in whichit is clear that God created them“male and female.” It is arelationship, a union, so intimateand real that “the two become oneflesh.”

There are Churchrequirements for a marriageto be a sacrament. Theymust be free to marry, thatis they must be anunmarried man andunmarried woman. Theymust also intend to marrywith intent to givethemselves to each other.

Marriage as one manand one woman is moreimportant than the selectionof a President for it directlyaffects Family Life. One ofthe many cultural changesaffecting modern day life isthe deterioration of family life.Homosexual marriage underminestrue marriage. If we believe thatmarriage is a true gift from God, wemust provide that environment tofoster true love for spouse andGod’s gifts of children. There isnothing more challenging thanraising children properly. Trying tobring them up in a less than idealfamily atmosphere will onlycontinue to compound our currentfamily crises. The vast majority ofpeople believe that children do bestwhen raised by “a mom and a dad.”

Same sex marriage advocatesclaim that passage of the Floridamarriage amendment provision,which declares marriage must bebetween one man and one woman,could take away established rightsof all non-married Floridians. Theloss of benefits for domesticrelationships and senior citizensseems to be the major concern ofthese opponents.

FOR marriage and familyvote “yes” on the amendment.

Marriage Amendment To Parents ofParish Childrenby Lucille Guzzone

If your children are notenrolled in our parish school,please do not despair.

We offer excellent classes inreligious instruction for childrenfrom grades 1 to 8. This programincludes sacramental preparation,holiday assemblies, familyactivities and classroom instructionled by experienced and qualifiedteachers. Textbooks are the same asthose used in our Catholic school,and are approved by the diocese.

Do not shortchange yourchildren by ignoring a Catholicparent’s obligation to enrich andencourage them in the teachings ofour faith. The opportunity isavailable through weekly classesthroughout the school year. Yourchildren will thank you for yourpart in their spiritual maturity asthey grow in the love andknowledge of our beautifulCatholic faith.


by Yolanda Cerqueira

By the time many of you readthis edition of the Courier yourvacation will be a thing of the past;all that is left now are thosewonderful or maybe not sowonderful memories of what youdid. Perhaps your memories’ bankshold snippets of lazy beach daysworking on a tan or touringglamorous foreign cities. Maybeyour ideal was just not living by thealarm clock for a week or two.Whatever was your pleasure is nowsafely stored in the treasure box ofyour minds.

Let’s see how some of us hereat Christ the King chose to spendour time away from the usual dailygrind. All aboard!

Annie Sabatino

Annie has an older sister,Lucille, who lives in Lakewood,Ohio. Lucille is 85 years old and

does not get out very often so Anniewith her big heart went to spendsome time with her to boost herspirits. Annie was able to take herplaces she doesn’t get to often. Andthey also went to visit Lucille’sdaughter in Bowling Green, whichwas a treat for all.

If you have a sister you knowthat one of the joys of sisterhood isto sit and talk about the past, thepresent, and whatever comes intoyour head. The weather inLakewood is pleasant this time ofthe year so the two sisters would sitoutside on the front porch and gabaway.

Annie then went on to GroveCity, Pennsylvania to visit her latehusband’s cousin. One of thehighlights of that trip was going tosee the cousin’s grandson play in aLa Crosse Tournament in Sylvania,Ohio. Annie summed it all up whenshe said. “I enjoyed my vacationvery much because I was with mysister and we did things we hadn’tdone in a long time.”

Father Steven Zehler

Father Zehler had the “difficultassignment” of going to Rome thissummer to attend a conference.Most of the time was spent inmeetings but he also had a fewpersonal days. Father said he wasabsolutely in awe of St. Peter’sBasilica. He had not been in Romesince the mid eighties and hadforgotten how absolutely beautifuland magnificent the Basilica is.

Father said, “I love being aCatholic and to be in Rome is theepitome of being in the heart of the

Church. It is where the spiritualleader, Pope Benedict, or B-16 asFather affectionately calls him,lives and where all the churchoffices are located.

“I felt great joy and awe beingin Vatican City and I love thechurch with all its warts andwrinkles. In matters of faith andmorals it still retains its innocence.”

This joyful young priest statedthat he had two spiritualexperiences while in Rome. Thefirst took place with his two goodfriends, Dr. Charles and Dr. MimiHoffer from Gainesville, Florida.On his free day they rented a taxiand driver who acted as guide toview the religious sites of Rome.His first spiritual encounter was atthe Church of the Holy Steps.According to tradition these stepswere trod by Christ while on trialbefore Pontius Pilate. It is believedthat St. Helen, the mother ofEmperor Constantine is the onewho had these steps brought toRome.

The steps are covered in woodso no foot can touch them; so this isthe reason why the faithful climbthem on their knees. Father and Dr.Mimi ascended the 28 stepspraying at each step for a familymember or friends that neededgrace in their lives.

The second spiritual experiencefor Father was celebrating Mass atSt. Peter’s along with Father Rob

Trujillo, his friend from seminarydays. They con-celebrated Mass atthe altar called the Resuscitation ofTabitha. It was very close to hisfirst anniversary of being ordaineda priest and he said, “It was like myfirst anniversary gift.”

And was Father surprised tolearn that none other than FatherAndy was saying Mass at the sametime on the lower level of theBasilica.

Now this is something for thememory bank!

The Andersons

Terry, Karen, and AshleyAnderson are really an example ofa typical American family. They arecommitted to their church and theirparish community.

One of the first things they didthis summer was to visit theKennedy Space Center. Ashley

took along one of her friends,Victoria and they all concluded thatit was “wonderful, excellent, andvery impressive.” Karen learnt thatmuch of the food safety standards

that are in use today were first usedby NASA.

She went on say that theastronauts are obviously wonderfulmen but without the team theywould be able to do nothing.

After taking in all that therewas to see of this remarkable placeTerry Anderson said, “You can notpossibly leave this place and notfeel proud to be an American.”

The Anderson family love tosurprise each other and Ashleyreceived a really big one recentlywhen she was in the Avenues Mallwith her friend near the food court.She looked up and there comingacross the mall was hergrandmother who had come all theway from Virginia to spend sometime with the family.

Ashley said that she spent 11years at Christ the King and ithasn’t sunk in yet that those yearsare over. Ashley was StudentCouncil President and one of hertreasures is the gavel that she wasable to keep as a reminder of heroffice. She wants to play volleyballat Bishop Kenny so she spent timeduring the summer at Wink’sVolleyBall Camp and alsoreporting for fitness training theweek before the try-outs. Knowingher perseverance and dedication,the odds are in her favor!

John and Mickey Kenny

The Kennys along with theirthree daughters, and fourgrandchildren, had the pleasure ofgoing to a family reunion inLandisburg, Pennsylvania.Landisburg is in the heart of theAmish country where Mickey’ssister, Anne and some of her familyreside. There were 69 people ofvarious shapes, sizes, ages andconditions in attendance. Thereunion was held over a period of

five days during which the relativeshad the choice of hiking, canoeing,playing basketball, or swimming.The Kennys said that others tooksome time to drive the shortdistance to Hershey, Pennsylvaniato visit the Hershey theme park and

of course, the candy factory. Thestreet lights in Hershey are all in theshape of candy kisses!

On the 4th of July there was ofcourse the traditional celebrationand spectacular fireworks that oneof the relatives brought fromVirginia.

After leaving Pennsylvania thefamily drove on to New York to thehome of Mickey’s brother, Jerry,who lives in a brownstone inBrooklyn. The house is locateddirectly across the street from FortGreen Park where there is amemorial mound in which elevenor twelve thousand bones areinterred from the AmericanRevolution. When the Britishcaptured American soldiers theywere held as prisoners on ships inNew York Harbor where theyperished. After the war they wereinterred in Fort Green Park.

A special highlight of the tripfor Martha and Elizabeth Anne wasbiking with their Uncle Jerry overthe Brooklyn Bridge right downinto lower Manhattan.

One of their last activities wasto pick up Father Neil Carr at hisresidence at Fordham Universityand then proceed to Rudy Dolan’sIrish Restaurant for a very finemeal. The Kennys found Fatherspry, looking good, retaining hisdry sense of humor. He has reached89 years of age. “He is just as healways was.” Father sends his

greeting to all and especially to theSt. Vincent de Paul Society as hewas their spiritual advisor.

With all the family activitiesthat went on, the Kennys were mosthappy to return to the relative peaceand quiet of our fair city,Jacksonville.

The Plotz Family

Mark and Laurie and their twosons, Jacob and Aaron haverecently returned from a dreamvacation to Riviera Maya, Mexico,located just south of Cancun. Thehotel was the Occidental GrandFlamingo, situated on the beachoverlooking the Gulf. Included inthis vacation package were allmeals, drinks, and beach and poolactivities within the hotel itself.Can you imagine eleven restaurantsas part of the hotel complex? Fouror five of them were formal innature, two were buffets, and therewere several food courts.

Laurie commented, “The resortwas absolutely beautiful but I wasshocked by all the poverty onceyou left the tourist area.”

The family experienced thisfirst hand when they made a mostmemorable bus trip to the ancientMayan ruins located in ChichenItza.

Away We Went


This is where many of theMayan pyramids and temples are tobe found and some of them areolder than the pyramids of Egypt.

It was on this luxurious buswith a bi-lingual guide and bi-lin-gual server that the family got aglimpse of the poverty of Mexico.

The contrast was startling. As soonas you left the city limits there weremiles and miles of half-built houseswith thatched roofs, some were ofcinder block with no panes in thewindows. Sanitation was poor andoutdoor toilets were the norm. Itwas a real eye-opener for the wholefamily.

Since it was a three-hour driveto the Ruins there were many inter-esting stops along the way. One of

them was a spring that descended150 feet down to an undergroundcavern with a river running throughit. One could either decide to walkthe stone steps down to the bottomor for the daring, dive into it!

All in all it was a most memo-rable vacation and since the Plotzboys are now in their late teens theywanted to be able to do somethingspecial together before work orschool interfered with family plans.And this vacation just fit the bill!

The Scobie Family

Dennis and Debbie Scobie andson Ryan had a most exciting andwonderful vacation in New YorkCity. Their hotel was located righton the Hudson River in lowerManhattan and close to the WorldTrade Center site. They did and sawso many really interesting thingsthat would conjure up a whole sackof memories.

One day they walked theBrooklyn Bridge and then visitedthe Brooklyn Ice Cream Factorybut more exciting than the Ice

Cream Factory was theTelectroscope nearby. This extraor-dinary instrument connected a tun-nel from London near TowerBridge on the Thames River toFulton Ferry Landing near theBrooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Nowjust imagine this. When you lookthrough this telectroscope it allowsyou to see people in London,

England and they can see you—-live! How do they do that????

The Scobies reported that theyexperienced the best bar-b-cue everin Times Square. This family neverstopped for a minute as they touredthe Museum of Natural History, theSports Hall of Fame Museum andwere able to catch the Staten IslandFerry that goes right past the Statueof Liberty all in the same day.

Debbie stated, “Our hotel wasvery centrally located which gaveus quick access to see the sights ofthe town. We were only a short dis-tance from Little Italy and ChinaTown and there we heard more for-eign languages spoken thanEnglish.” For their son, Ryan, thehighlight of the vacation was beingable to visit the NBA store on FifthAvenue as this would be a paradisefor any young sports fan.

One of the most interestingtours they took was the one thatbrought them to Battery Park andthen on to Wall Street. Dennis stat-ed, “It was conducted by a doctoralstudent from Columbia Universitywho gave us a unique historicalperspective on the history of NewYork City.” The student told themthat after September 11, 2001 thedowntown area where they weretouring was totally renewed withnew parks and expensive condo-miniums, which is a tribute to theresilience of the New Yorkers andAmericans generally. What a greatvacation!

Away - continued

Vote like your country depends upon itby Paul Ghiotto

I would suspect by now thatmost Americans are pretty tired ofthe political process now that theprimaries and conventions are overand the general election is upon us.We’ve been through a lot – endlessTV commercials, office water cool-er debates, internet blogs, the printmedia, emails, etc. If we’re tiredjust think how tired the candidatesmust be! Having held electiveoffice as President myself – fine, itwas the 4th Grade at CTK Schoolback in 1957-58 – I can appreciateas well as anyone the rigor of acampaign!

But some of today’s candidateshave been doing this type of thingmuch of the last four years andthey’ve still got a long way to go! Isit really necessary to continue thisthing much longer?

The answer is “Yes,” but onlybecause of the small but significantfact that our country depends uponthe electoral process – good, bad,or indifferent – to somehow choosethe 545 people who effectively(?)run the show. That’s right. That’sthe number of chosen officialswe’ve got in Washington D.C. torepresent “US.” So Paul, you ask,who are these 545 men and/orwomen? Aren’t we just electing apresident come November andwon’t he be the one who will deter-mine our nation’s programs, poli-cies and directions for the next fouryears? Well, actually, NO!

Let’s add up all the peoplebeing voted on in national electionsin November. There’s the Presidentand Vice-President, 435 U.S. repre-sentatives, and 33.33 U. S. sena-tors. That last number is correctbecause the Constitution requiresthat one third of the Senate standfor election every two years, so

don’t blame me for that one. By thetime all the moving vans have gonehome, we are left with all thesepeople plus the other 66.67 senatorsand those nine Supreme Court jus-tices who are individually nominat-ed by the President and eventuallyvoted on by the Senate. These peo-ple, except for the justices, ulti-mately have to get their collectiveact together and pass myriadpieces of legislation affectingbudgets, national defense, interna-tional diplomacy, energy, health-care, the environment, education,social security, and taxation just toname a few! Then the Presidenthas to appoint cabinet memberswho have to appoint others to helprun the overall bureaucracy knownas the federal government - butthese people aren’t elected. Thenine justices have to wait arounduntil these things happen first andthen they decide if they want tothrow a monkey wrench into theworks—-oftentimes seeminglybecause they can.

So, when you go to the polls inNovember – and YOU AREGOING aren’t you? – you andevery other voter have a tremen-dous responsibility to think theissues through carefully and thenmake decisions with which you andthe country can live.

Before the national electionactually happens what should everyconscientious voter do?

Here are my “Top Twelve” sug-gestions:

READ, READ, READ andLISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN toeverything you possibly can aboutthe candidates’ actual spoken orwritten POSITIONS on theISSUES as stated and/or approvedby the candidates. Don’t get yourinformation second hand. Make up

your own mind. It’s OK, you can doit.

Stay OPEN MINDED; closedminds accomplish nothing. Whenthe candidate is on TV telling youthe viewer what he/she thinks thecountry needs do what I do. I yellback at the candidate and say:“Great! I agree with you. How areYOU going to do it?” I haven’tactually got an answer yet but I’mhoping to one day.

ENGAGE others – and not justthose who agree with you - inCIVIL and POSITIVE DIS-COURSE on the ISSUES facingour Country. If you are going to getall worked up and start foaming atthe mouth at least do it over theactual issues and not some sillymannerism or what someonesmoked in the 60s. Avoid polariza-tion. Be you own PAC (politicalaction committee).

AGREE to DISAGREE amica-bly with others’ views and beliefs.See #2.

Find COMMONALITY in can-didates’ statements on the ISSUES.They actually agree on manythings. See #1.

Don’t send or forward hatefulemails concerning the candidates toone another. Though political car-toons and other forms of satire havebeen part of the national politicalfabric since Washington’s day andare both funny and amusing they doabsolutely nothing to actuallyaddress or solve our country’smany problems and issues.

APPRECIATE the freedoms wehave in this Country to vote ourconscience and to openly discusspolitical events which affect ourdaily lives.

Place the Country’s needsFIRST and “party” needs(?) LAST.Hello people! The “party” has last-

ed too long! It’s been over forsome time!

AVOID being a single issuevoter – there’s too much at stakethis time around.

DEMAND and expectACCOUNTABILTY from those forwhom you elect. In the latest issueof TIME magazine there’s an adabout a group known as DividedWe Fail (DividedWeFail.org). Thisorganization posits: “Imagine aworld where our elected officialswork as one. Now replace‘Imagine’ with ‘Demand’.” Thisorganization lists its purpose asbeing to hold our elected officialsto their promises. Interesting. Theirlogo is a “Donkephant.”

Make sure you are properlyregistered to vote and know whereyour precinct is. If you are unsureabout either contact the localSupervisor of Elections office(630-1410). If you are not in townon election day then vote absenteeor at an early polling place.

PRAY for the people runningfor office and PRAY even more forthose who are elected that they willbe faithful representatives of ournation’s citizenry and its naturaland cultural resources.

Finally, make sure to thankthose nice people who man thepolling stations all day and have toget your vote and mine to the prop-er place in a correct and timelymanner so that indeed every votewill COUNT.

And then take all of those dad-blamed political bumper stickersoff your cars! Come November 10 Ijust want to see Gators decals onvehicles in the CK parking lot.

Now get out there and win onefor our Country!


by Judy Koziolek

It was during 2001 that my world started falling apart. The biggestevent of my time as the editor of the Courier and secretary at Christ theKing was the announcement that our pastor, Robert J. Baker, was to beordained Bishop of South Carolina. It was a well-attended event. Life wasexciting. As editor I was busy scheduling coverage of the event. Anyonewanting to write gave us their version of their trip and took their ownpictures. The professional staff that took care of publicity in Charlestonsent us stories to use. Bill Dougherty took pictures and followed theschedule of events in St. Augustine and Leonard McCook was ourdesignated photographer in Charleston. Leonard was stationed in thepress box, so he was able to see the three-hour ceremony and take loadsof pictures.

After that event things began to be in turmoil personally. Drasticchanges lay ahead. Within a few months Rick, my husband, wasdiagnosed with cancer. While the United States was being attacked onSeptember 11, my husband was in Gainesville at the Veteran’s hospitalgetting treatment that was meant to cure him. By Christmas we knew itwas terminal. Doctors did everything they could, but by April of 2002 hehad died.

The years 2002 and 2003 would be years of continuous change for theCourier. I had been on leave of absence during the latter part of Rick’sillness. I returned to work soon after Rick died. Thanks to Tony Trotti,Mary Ann Sullivan, and the committee, the paper didn’t lose any of itsmomentum. In the fall of 2002 Tony resigned from the Courier and byMarch of 2003, Tony also died of cancer. Emotionally, it was a hard yearon all of us.

The Courier was at a crossroad. Would it continue and if so howwould it continue? I did what I do best. I prayed. You know God putspeople in our lives when we need them most. In this case it was theSullivan family that came to the rescue. Mary Ann and I met to discussthe future of the paper. We figured we had two options: try to set up anoffice like the one Tony had or go modern and try designing the pages onthe computer. We met with the Courier staff and we all agreed to givetechnology a try. Mary Ann’s son had a friend, Jennifer Hankey, whowould help get us going. Jerry Sullivan also supported our efforts whilewe made this difficult change and he continued to help out throughout theyears. Father Thanh gave us permission to purchase the materials needed.This is where Quark comes in.

Quark is a program used by many professional newspaper companiesto produce their papers. Jennifer had worked extensively with theprogram and volunteered to set it up and teach us how to lay out our paper.

Soon the staff and the equipment were in place. Jerry helped us at the endof production. There was so much to learn and he was great. It was a“learn as you go” project. Once we experienced the excitement of successfor our efforts, there was no stopping us.

We mourn the loss of our loved ones. My husband and Tony were notthe only ones our Courier family lost. Eileen Porter, who was our featurewriter for stewardship, and Jerry Sullivan, who came in whenever weneeded him, have both gone on to eternal life. Some of the staff decidedto volunteer in other ministries, some have moved away. All are a tributeto the quality of this paper and are missed.

Life went on and the Courier took on a whole new aspect as webecame proficient in the program and developed new ways of getting thejob done. In my humble opinion, Christ the King has a rare gift in theCourier. It is the gift of communication. We have a story to share withyou. It will continue as long as volunteers are willing to step up to thechallenge it brings…as long as you feed it articles from your ministriesand your life…as long as you read it and share it with others. It beganwith one pastor’s desire to have a newsletter...it became a way of bringingall of us together by keeping us informed.

So you see, the last 10 years was the best of times and the worst oftimes. Through it all God was there strengthening us, comforting us,laughing with us. May He continue to bless Father Thanh, our publisher;Carol-Ann, our editor; Mary Ann, associate editor; and all who help tomake the Courier the best paper ever!

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”Part Two ... Then Came Quark

by Charm Saults

Tim McClellan is a lifelong member of Christ the King parish. He hasseen the highs and lows. Tim said “I graduated from Christ the KingSchool back in the 80’s, received all of my Sacraments at Christ the King,and was married here in the parish.” His wife Marita and Tim made theconscious decision to become more involved, and when their daughterCaroline was born, that became their main focus. Tim said, “We wantedCaroline to enjoy the same path that we did growing up at Christ the King.This parish is our faith community, and always will be.”

Tim said “I had expressed concerns to Father Thanh a few years backabout the direction that I felt that the parish was headed with decliningenrollment at the school and a shrinking parish community.” Father Thanhmade it clear during the discussion that it was up to the people of Tim’sgeneration to step up and do what they could to make a difference. Timsaid, “Father Thanh motivated me to do more than simply write a check.Stewardship was also about time and talent.”

Because Tim’s daughter was a student at the school he volunteered tofill an opening for the School Advisory Board. He was selected, and doveright in. His intention was to find a way to ensure that what Christ theKing had already enjoyed through the tradition at the school for 50+ yearswould continue for another half century and beyond. He wanted to makesure that he was doing his part to help preserve and secure the future ofthe school, and more importantly, the parish. Tim said, “The decisions wemake today will impact the entire parish community for generations tocome. By helping to build up the school, we are creating the foundationof the future for our parish community.” He is living proof of that.

Tim is involved with: Christ the King School Advisory Board: Christthe King Spring Carnival (4/24-4/25/09) Welcome Back Luau (9/6/08).

The committee that is working to re-structure the current after schoolcare program in order to turn it into a model for the diocese and otherprivate schools.

Heading a committee to identify ways to leverage strategicpartnerships inside the parish, as well as in the community.

Tim will be taking on his new role in August as the incoming presidentof the parish council. His focus there will be to work on bringing more ofa sense of community back to Christ the King.

Some of the upcoming events are:August 30 – Huge sale at Christ the King School Country Store. Along

with the sale will be another expo featuring crafters and smallbusiness owners.

September 6 – Hawaiian Luau at 6:00 p.m. in Blessed John XXII Hall forthe first annual parish luau. There will be great food, liveentertainments and fun for everyone. Cost will be $7 for adults and $5for children. Tickets available through the school or rectory office orfor more information contact Kate Asher at 641-5530.

October 17 & 18 - Christ the King Oktoberfest – watch the bulletin formore information

Bingo – Starting in September, Christ the King Bingo Nights will bescheduled on every third Friday of the month. If you have anyquestions, please contact Chris McClellan at 699-4475 [email protected] or go to www.supportCTKS.comto learn more about the games that will be scheduled as well aspricing. Early Bird games will start at 6:00 p.m., and regular bingostarting at 7:00 p.m. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. This event is beingheld only for those who are 18 or older. By statute, no person underthe age of 18 years shall: (1) Participate or be permitted to participatein any bingo game. (2) Be present or permitted to be present in the partof the premises where a bingo game is being conducted.

Volunteers are always needed. Call Tim McClellan at 728-2205 or [email protected].

Meet Tim McClellan

Some of the current Courier Staff


The SetsersPat and Jim Setser have been members of Christ the King parish for 24 years.Pat said “We are both active each year during the four weeks of Advent and the six weeks of Lent with Faith Sharing

Small Groups.” A small group meets to share readings from the bible. Sometimes we act out the stories.Pat is currently co-chairman of the St. Bernadette Circle of Christ the King Council for Catholic Women.Pat also said “I am president of the auxiliary with L’Arche Harbor House.” Pat has worked with L’Arche Harbor

House for 22 years. She really enjoys helping with various fund raisers. Currently they are putting together a calendarsupported by twelve restaurants, and mentioning different things about L’Arche Harbor House.

Pat has served as president of the Guild (CKCCW) for two years and has also joined The Extraordinary Ministry ofthe Holy Eucharist. Pat said, “This is the most rewarding ministry.” The ministry carries the Eucharist to those who aresick, whether they are at home or in the hospital.

Besides working and donating her time to all these wonderful ministries she also belongs to The Ministry of Hope.This group takes time to cook or bake whenever a family needs help when a loved one passes on.

The KlimasMike and Wanda Klima have been members of Christ the King parish for 19 years. They have two sons. Andy who

graduated from Christ the King School, now attends Bishop Snyder High School and will graduate from there at the endof this school year. Kevin will graduate this year from Christ the King. Dad, Mike, is the 24/7 person for Christ the Kingparish, the school and Christ the King Athletic Association. He participates in virtually every aspect of the CKAA. Almostsingle-handed, Mike raised enough money to purchase netting for the outfield this year. If that wasn’t enough, he orderedthe netting and then with a support group hung the netting in place. No more lost balls.

Mike has also coached at all levels including helping the junior league coach Randy Lassiat. Mike often prepares thefields for game day, dragging and lining them, even though it is not in fact his responsibility.

Wanda has helped out at the school since Andy first started there. She has been a room mom and chaperone for fieldtrips. She worked on the staff of the Courier for several years. She has been with the bell choir for eight years. Mike andWanda are two people you can count on. Christ the King does all the time.

The HendersonsWalter and Donna Henderson are two very special people. Father Thanh married them on February

23, 2002.Walter attends the 8:15 a.m. Mass during the week. Toward the end of July 2002, Walter was

approached by Lloyd O’Brien who asked if Walter would go with him to deliver communion to peoplein the nursing home who stayed in their rooms. Lloyd did this every Tuesday and he wanted Walter tojoin him when he went to the Atrium on Thursdays. Lloyd and Walter decided they would ask to use thechapel, since these patients wanted some place special to meet and receive communion.

Since July 2002, Walter and Lloyd, who is 90 years old, have visited the patients on Tuesdays intheir rooms and on Thursdays hold a Novena in Honor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at theAtrium. The service is about a half hour for the 12 to 15 patients who attend. Donna designed a specialbooklet with the songs printed in them and everyone is able to join in the singing. It is a real joy to see the patients who attend the service.

Walter said he has a motto: “To love and be loved in return is one of the greatest gifts in life.”

Ronnie BurkeRonnie Burke may not be known by everyone, but he is a special person to the community and Christ

the King Athletic Association. Ronnie is an owner of Mudville Grille and a sponsor for CTKAA. Not onlydoes he sponsor, but he is the treasurer. Ronnie keeps the books, takes care of the finances, taxes, and makessure that things stay balanced.

He has been an assistant coach for six years and is looking forward to his seventh. With long hours ofrunning a business and being treasurer, he still finds time to help maintain and do repairs on the playingfields. Ronnie has even flipped a few burgers and hot dogs at the concession stand.

Ronnie always finds time for the practice sessions and games. Beside his son, Ronnie Jr., he also touch-es the lives of many other kids.

Ronnie said, “I love what I do, I do it for the kids, their parents and the community. This is our commu-nity, I would like to see more people come forth and volunteer, get involved. I’ve talked to a lot of people. How about you? My contact number is626-5005.”

Written by Charm Saults


Ministry

by Carol-Ann Black

An annual event usually resembles one from theprevious year and the year before that. The 2008Ministry Dinner was indeed similar to previous onesin some ways, but very different in others.Differences? How about Friday, not Thursday, somore folks could attend. And location, not the ParishHall, but the brand new, just dedicated VietnameseCenter. And especially, the exuberance of the partici-pants, who entertained ministry workers to thank themfor all of their hard work over the year. There will beno forgetting King Thanh, Rickshaw Frank and espe-cially Elvis Zehler. Much as they might hope that weall develop amnesia of the event, the pictures will tellthe story forever.

Several awards were given this year.Distinguished Service went to Crosby and Ann Olintoand Fred and Betty Wheeler. Ministry of the Year wasawarded to Lucille Guzzone for Religious Educationfor Children. New this year was the naming of aMinistry Volunteer of the Year. Laurie Plotz was cho-sen for her unflagging efforts in maintaining the cen-sus information for the parish, her work as chairpersonof the Stewardship Committee, and for her establish-ment of the Hospitality Committee of the ParishCouncil. Congratulations and thank you all for yourleadership and hard work for Christ the King.


Dinner

CHRIST THE KING M I N I S T R I E S


LITURGY

Altar Servers Interested youth 5th grade or olderand who have received First HolyCommunion. Once trained, they areentered into a rotating schedule forthe Masses. Contact DianeLongenecker, 642-5168.

“Extraordinary” Eucharistic MinistersAs an “Extraordinary” minister ofthe Eucharist during the Mass youwould be asked to join the priest atthe altar, partake in communion andhelp the priest distribute communionto the congregation. Candidates arechosen by the Pastor as rec-ommended by the priests and staffmembers of the parish.. NancyChapman, coordinator, 731-5724.

Gift BearersFamilies, Individuals or Parish Ministrieswho want to bring the gifts to the altarduring Mass. Audrey Dodd, 724-2491.

Music MinistryAny individual who has a talent withmusic or can play an instrument orjust interested in the Singing Choir,Handbell Choir, Funeral Choir, orbeing a Cantor for Mass, call Bernie,724-0080.

Readers A Lector does the readings and thePrayer of the Faithful at Mass. If youwould like to be a reader, call LucilleGuzzone, 724-9617.

SacristansWe help prepare for the celebrationof Mass. For more information onhow you can be a Sacristan, call NickDebs, 744-8749.

Visitation of the Sick“Extraordinary” ministers bring theEucharist to the homebound or hos-pitalized. Debbie House, 725-1097.

HOSPITALITY

Coffee & DonutsCall Michael & Carol Warwin, 504-7288 to help greet and serve after 7and 9 a.m. Masses. Great way tomeet newcomers and parishioners.

Mass GreetersWelcome all who come to Mass. Thisteam may offer the only contactmany parishioners have in our faithcommunity. Great opportunity foradults and families. Contact the chiefusher at the Mass you are attendingfor more information.

UshersMen and women who commit to attendthe same Mass every week. They arerequested to wear a navy blue jacket andto assist the celebrant as needed. HowardSell, 642-5079.

SPECIAL SERVICES

Altar SocietyIndividuals who care for the vessels,vestments and linens used in the Liturgies.Elaine Calloway, 724-8260.

Art & Environment PlanningCommitteeDecorating the church and GatheringArea, during different seasons of theChurch. Contact Terri Vogelsang, 744-6310, on how you can help.

Beautification Grounds CommitteeIndividuals and families who want tobeautify the church grounds. Meet thethird Saturday of every month, 9 a.m.-noon, in the church parking lot by thefountain. Come join us in beautifying Hisyard. Pam Jones ,722-3638.

Religious Articles Gift ShopVolunteers staff the gift shop before andafter Sunday Masses. Maureen McCook,642-2725.

Sunday Childcare For 9:00 a.m. MassChrist the King Childcare for your 1-4-year-old child in the Child Care Center.Free of charge. Care is provided byparents and those students (13+) who wishto obtain service hours. Must be willing tobe fingerprinted. Call Deborah Ethridge,696-9726.

PRAYER MINISTRIES

Daily Eucharistic AdorationWe need people who are willing to sign upfor one hour a week so that someone ispraying all during the day. Adoration is inthe Sacred Heart Chapel, Monday-Friday,from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Call ClarettaLamusga, 743-9998.

Nocturnal Eucharistic AdorationHeld on the first Friday of each monthfrom 10 p.m.-6 a.m. There are eightgroups who rotate their hour each month.If you would like to join us in this prayerministry, call Paul Ghiotto, 727-5040.

Prayer NetworkOne of our most rewarding ministries -praying for others in need - spiritual, healthrelated, and other. Call Peggy Mills, 646-9417.

GENERAL

Advent TreeA program that puts smiles on facesof people at Christmas. Those whoshare time and talent in this ministryhelp put up the Advent Tree withspecial paper ornaments.Parishioners choose ornaments totake home, purchase the gift, andreturn the ornament with the giftattached to it. Volunteers are neededto help distribute the gifts to nursinghomes, orphanages, etc, call PattyStamper, 727-6916 & Pat Birch, 521-6883.

Blood Drive Twice a year Christ the King Church,along with the Florida Georgia BloodAlliance, holds a blood drive, callKarlene Simmons, 642-8319.

Christ the King Council ofCatholic Women (CKCCW)Our board meets monthly,September-June, to guide our eightcircles who meet at various timesduring the month. Our Generalmeeting is the last Thursday of eachmonth at 7 p.m. We welcome newmembers. Monica Crisp, 721-2754.

Christ the King ClinicStaffed by doctors, registered nurses,and ancillary support people. Theydonate their services the fourthSaturday of each month, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., call Willie Blaquiere, 744-6792.

Christ the King CourierInterested in publishing anewspaper? We need desktoppublishers, typists, proof-readers,reporters, photographers, etc. Wemeet on Wednesdays in the rectoryat 7 p.m. Carol-Ann Black, 221-2642.

Elizabeth MinistryThis ministry deals with the joys,sorrows and challenges of life duringthe childbearing years and beyond. Itincludes pregnancy/pregnancy com-plications, birth, infant/child crisis,special needs, miscarriage, stillbirthand infant or child death. Call Wendi,724-5579.

Christ the King Fil-Am MinistryIn the spirit of establishing a churchwith no “walls” the Fil-Am Ministryis inspired to be one of many bridgesthat will reach across to promotefriendship and appreciation among itparishioners without regard to raceand language.We believe that as a ministry we havea great opportunity to share with thecommunity the vast treasure ofFilpino values embedded in ourtraditions, culture and customs.The Fil-Am Ministry is open toeveryone. Our meetings are heldevery third Saturday of each month.For more information please contactthe Imogene Praxedes, 737-4034 ore-mail us at [email protected].

Finance CommitteeCommittee members selected by thepastor. Their work on the councilshould be considered a ministry witha commitment to stewardship.Contact Father Thanh Thai Nguyen.

Habijax - Habitat for HumanityForms partnerships between those inneed and those who are willing to puttheir faith into action by donatingtheir time, talent, and treasure toconstruct new homes, call BillDamato, 998-1417.

Militia of the ImmaculataMen and women who offer theirservices to their pastor, to aid him inperforming spiritual works in theparish. Members may be active orauxiliary (praying).Weekly meetingsare held every Monday at 7 p.m. inthe rectory. James Scott, 642-0059.

Ministry of HopeIf you have lost a loved one youknow the anguish and suffering thatgoes with that loss. Others have beenthrough this same trauma. TheMinistry of Hope brings those whohave suffered and those who aresuffering together. Call Sue, 221-7143.

M.O.M.S. Ministry of Mothers Sharing, isdesigned to encourage prayer, dis-cussions, and friendships amongwomen of all ages. Debbie Ethridge,725-1097.

Parish CouncilThe Parish Council is a consultativebody that the pastor can pray andreflect with, and ask for assistance toguide in the overall care/ministry ofthe Parish and the enhancement ofits mission. Meetings are the firstMonday of each month at 5:30 p.m.in the Rectory. Call Tim McClellan,725-6913. It is made up of repre-sentatives (President, Chairperson orFacilitator) from each ministry in theParish, as well as representativesfrom the Finance Council, Christ theKing School, Christ the KingDaycare, Athletic Association,Scouts, Knights of Columbus,Marriage Encounter, SponsorCouples, and Wedding Coordinator.Elections are held every three yearsto elect a President, vice-president,secretary-recording, and secretary-clerical from the body of repre-sentatives.

Parish Nurse Nurses who belong to Christ theKing Parish willing to volunteertheir time and talent to support theministry of health within the parish,call Sharon Lutheran, 398-3925.

Queens and Kings (age 50+)Our lively senior citizens socialize on thesecond Sunday of each month from 1:30-4 p.m., September through June. Docome to enjoy! Call William Campbell,724-3777.

From the desk of Frank Japour

“Are you ready for some football?” will be blaringat us from the tube in just a few weeks. The adventuresof the waning summer will be relegated to videos,photos and hopefully fond memories and before youknow it Christmas will be next week! Whoa….let’sslow it down a bit. With all the external forcescompeting for our time and energies, as we turn thepages of summer this is a good time to take account ofour blessings as a parish family.

Here at Christ the King the summer weeks havewitnessed our beloved pastor, Father Thanh, beingassigned for a second six-year term as our shepherd andFather Zehler being assigned for an additional year asour Parochial Vicar. We have also been blessed with theaddition of our newly ordained Deacon, James Scott.

This stability of leadership within our parishcommunity is vital in enabling us to meetour pastoral mission of service and evange-lization, as well as our ability to continuebuilding the future through our focus on thesacraments, education and community de-velopment.

Plans for construction of the new ChildCare Center are in the permitting stage andground breaking is anticipated in the fall.Stay tuned for the excitement! The ex-traordinary success of our Spring Carnivaland the enthusiasm and fun generated by thereturn of Bingo nights is but a harbinger ofthe synergy permeating the campus. We alsocelebrated the completed renovation of ourbeautiful Grotto of the Blessed Mother, thededication of the Vietnamese CulturalCenter and the Mortimer DanaherCelebration of Life Garden. If you haven’tyet had an opportunity to visit thesemarvelous campus improvements, take afew minutes to do so. God has and continuesto generously bless our parish.

As summer ends the demands on ourtime will most likely intensify. Yet,

personally speaking, no matter whatdemands are placed on my time I find mygreatest sense of fulfillment in serving – notso much in my capacity as parish admin-istrator but rather in my commitment tovolunteer ministry. Yes, you’ve heard itbefore but I’ll pose the question nev-ertheless: do you get more out of giving orreceiving? There are forty plus ministrieshere at Christ the King. Surely there is onethat is suitable and would greatly benefit ofyour unique, God-given talents. Check oneout. Get involved. Become a participant andnot merely a spectator.

OK, now back to the tube. How manyhours will you spend cheering on yourfavorite sports team? Seriously, how many?Think you might spare one of those hours amonth getting involved in a parish ministry?In all of the travails of our hectic-paced liveswe sometimes pause to wonder “if God is onour side?” The better question is: “Are weon His?” Think about it. Put God first… Therewards are eternal! Go Jags! (and Ravens)!

Players Needed


Rectory Office VolunteersAdults willing to volunteer a morn-ing/afternoon/all day Monday thruFriday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.. Differentpositions available: receptionist, cler-ical, computer operator. Call theRectory at 724-0080.

Respect Life We are a ministry wishing to make adifference in people’s lives by sup-porting the Saint Gerard House,Project Rachel, Respect LifePilgrimage and the Diocesan RespectLife Program. Sign up at the Timeand Talent Fair in November, or con-tact Carl Ludwig, 724-8485.

St Vincent de Paul Emergency AssistanceWe need volunteers to work in the St.Vincent de Paul office in the rectory,providing referrals, and assistingpeople who need immediate help.Hours are from 10 a.m.- noon,Monday through Friday, call 724-8442.

Sponsor CouplesMarried couples needed to helpengaged couples discern if marriageis for them. Jim and Mary AnnMiddleton, 743-3953.

Stewardship CommitteeA committee appointed by the pastor, oversees the Time, Talent andTreasure (TTT) program. Call PeterHouse at 725-1097.

Vacation Bible SchoolA week long summer program (usu-ally in July) for children ages 4-11years to help deepen their faith andinvolvement in the Christian commu-nity. Fun for everyone. Call JenniferMcAnally, 220-9832.

VincentiansWe were founded by people who careabout the problems of those aroundthem. We care and would like you toshare the care with us. For informa-tion on how to become a Vincentian,call 807-7233, ext #1, and leave amessage.

Widow/Widowers SupportFor those who have lost loved ones.For information contact ClarettaLamusga at 743-9998 or read yourbulletin for the next meeting date,place, and time.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Adult Education CommitteeCommittee to develop and imple-ment an Adult Education program forthe parish. Program sessions are heldtwice a year before Faith SharingSmall Groups begin and are meant toenhance faith sharing. Call BettyWheeler, 724-9662.

Faith Sharing Small GroupsSmall groups of people meeting inprivate homes to discuss the Sundayreadings, Scripture and currentevents that effect our Catholic faithcontact Barry Landers, 725-3574.

R.C.I.A.Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.Preparing people to enter theCatholic Church through an inquiryand catechetical process. Call JamesScott, 642-0059.

Religious Education for StudentsOpportunity for students grades 1-8to learn/experience the Catholic faithwith others in their age group.Sessions held August -May in theschool on Wednesdays, 7-8 p.m.Sunday Mass attendance required.Certified teachers are always wel-come to apply, and volunteers areneeded on a regular basis. CallLucille Guzzone, 724-9617.

AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS

Boy ScoutsTroop 5 sponsored by Christ the KingChurch. Boys 6-12th grade. MeetTuesdays, 7:00 p.m., in the Scout Hut, callFred Gardner, 720-0297

Catholic Scouting CommitteeAdult individuals interested in pro-viding youth ministry through thescouting program. Meets four timesa year; organizes and implements“Catholic Camporee” for all Scoutsonce a year; attend spring awardsceremony. Training provided, callDonna, 641-0698/John 744-6573.

Christ the KingAthletic Association (CKAA)Serves children (ages 5-12, boys; 5-15, girls) who believe that youth ath-letics provide valuable lessons in cit-izenship/teamwork. Also, if youwould like to contribute toward thecost associated with registering achild for a CKAA sport, call TimJohnson, 727-7487.

Cub ScoutsPack 5 sponsored by Christ the KingChurch. Boys in grades 1 - 5. Densmeet weekly in the Scout Hut, callDan Sanford, 696-7646

Cursillo A Renewal movement of individualsin the Church who want to deepentheir faith and enhance their walkwith Christ, call Carl, 724 -8485.

Girl ScoutsGirls of different age levels that meetweekly or bi-weekly in one of thechurch halls after school or in theevenings, call Becky Schroeder, 805-0204.

I. M. SulzbacherIndividuals who give two hours oftheir time to 400-500 men, womenand children the third Tuesday ofeach month by saying grace, servingdinner, and cleaning up the kitchen,call Ann and Steve Franklin, 745-0627.

K’ CeesOrganization of Catholic Women, anauxiliary of the Knights of ColumbusCouncil 4727. They help/support theKnights. Meetings are in the Knightsof Columbus Hall on the fourthTuesday of each month at 8:00 p.m.Call Darlene O’Neal, 724-2857.

Knights of Columbus Organization of Catholic men andtheir families dedicated to promotingconcepts of charity, unity, fraternityand patriotism. If you are a practicingCatholic man, at least 18 yrs. old,and interested in fellowship withpeople who share the same beliefs,call Jose Praxedes,737-4034.

L ’ Arche Harbor HouseMutual ministry with members andassistants, building community sup-port and awareness to the needs andgifts of the disabled members of theL’ Arche Harbor House family, callAmy Schultz, 721-5992.

CHRIST THE KING SCHOOL

Child Care CenterAdults wanting to share their talentsin three different subcommittees:educational, plant facilities, and fundraising, contact Theresa Little, 724-7239.

Christ the King Catholic SchoolGrades Pre-K thru 8th grade. Theprincipal is Stephanie Chinault. Theschool has many needs for volunteerson a daily, weekly, and monthlybasis. The school seeks assistance inthe office, cafeteria, library, and clin-ic. Volunteers are needed as boardmembers and business partners,room mothers, and speakers. Helpwith the yearly golf tournament isalso needed, call 724-2954.

TEEN PROGRAM

LIFE TEEN PROGRAMS, 425-4215

THE EDGE - Pre-TeenThis youth program is designed tominister to boys and girls 6-8 gradesof all faiths from uniquely Catholicbase. Call Katie, 425-4215.

LIFE TEEN Youth ministry program with astrong focus on the Eucharist. MeetSunday for 5:00 p.m.Mass. LIFENight (fellowship) afterwards. CallKatie, 425-4215.

LIFE TEEN - CORE TEAM &LIFE GOES ONOver 18, have a love for teens, andare not currently a parent of a teen?Call Katie, 425-4215, for more infor-mation on meeting times.

LIFE SupportAny adults, parents, relatives, neigh-bors, etc. interested in supporting theLIFE TEEN program. Membership isopen to all. Activities are creative,fun, exciting, and diverse, callStephanie Henry, 642-5754

Music for LIFEAny adult with advanced musicalskills who is willing to help putteens’ faith, feeling and thoughtsabout God into words through songand praise. Call Phil, 398-1961.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION

Marriage RenewalA program designed to teach marriedcouples how to better communicate,to strengthen and support Christianmarriage. Contact Emilo andTheresa Gonzalez-Chavez, 721-0012

Pre Cana/ Engaged EncounterFor information on upcoming work-shops and weekends, call 308-7474

Wedding CoordinatorTerri is the one to call to answerquestions regarding decorating thechurch for your wedding. She alsoassists the priests in weddingrehearsals. Please call TerriVogelsang, 744-6310 as soon as youset up your date with a priest.

Share yourTime & Talent

Volunteer

CHRIST THE KING M I N I S T R I E S

Shorwa-gosht(Direct translation: Meat Soup)

Recipe Corner

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Heat skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, add meat and brown. Season the meat with salt and pepper, to taste, chili powder, cumin, coriander, cinna-mon and paprika. Add the bay leaf, onion, bell pepper and garlic to the pan. Cook until onions are soft, 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and zest,Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce. Stir and reduce heat to simmer.

Bring butter and stock to a boil in a pot with tight fitting lid. Add dried fruit and couscous, stir, then turn off heat and set lid in place. Let stand 5minutes. Add nuts and herbs and toss with fork. Toast pita wedges in hot oven or under broiler. Pile chili in bowls, top with “sand” and serve with pitawedges for scooping.

* very important, don’t omitIn Afghanistan we used Afghan nan instead of pita. It’s the best bread ever, but not found here.

An Afghan recipe from Bernie Sans, wholived there once upon a time.

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil2 pounds ground lamb

Salt and freshly ground black pepper2 Tbsp chili powder

½ Tbsp ground cumin1 Tbsp ground coriander¼ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp paprika1 bay leaf

1 large onion, chopped1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 lemon, zested and juiced2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it

1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce2 Tbsp butter

1½ cups chicken stockA handful of golden raisins

4 Apricots, chopped1½ cups couscous (cous = sand)

3 to 4 Tbsp toasted pine nuts *A handful fresh parsley leaves, choppedA handful fresh mint leaves, chopped *

3 Tbsp finely chopped chives

8 pita breads, cut into wedges for scooping


Opening Your Home and Heartby Charm and John Saults

Let me first introduce my husband and myself, we are John andCharm Saults.

John is an independent IT tech, really a computer whiz. I am prettyretired. I work for The Foundation for the Academic Cultural ExchangeProgram, a non-profit organization and John is my backup. I look for andinterview potential host families who are interested in hosting a teenbetween 15 and 18 years old who wants to come to America to learn moreabout our culture and school systems and to improve his/her English.

The students come from Japan, China, South Korea, and Germany.They have International Insurance and come with their own spendingmoney, so they can pay for school supplies, lunches, clothes, personalitems, and entertainment.

We continually look for host families throughout the year. This waya family starts corresponding with the student before they arrive. Whenthe family is interviewed I always find out what kind of things they like

to do like going to the beach or watching movies as an example. This wayI can give the family three students to pick from matching the family andstudent as closely as possible. Sometimes it takes two months for thestudent to be issued a visa and passport.

In their home country they go to school year round, taking eight ornine subjects a day, even going to school on Saturdays. They are notpermitted to choose their subjects.

When they have a short break in the spring and fall they go to studycamps or work to save their money to come to America. All of the teenshave studied for two to four years, taking numerous tests for participationin the program. If they are not placed with a family this year, they cannotreapply next year.

When they return home they have to repeat the grade they completedhere, because our school system is not accepted in other countries. Wehave students who want to come for the full school year and others whocan only come for one semester. A lot of the students are Christian.

In Japan children are given a special doll (boys and girls alike) ontheir seventh birthday and from then on they are considered to be grownup. They accept the responsibility of learning about public transportation,budgeting money and handling all their schoolwork. In China only 65%of the children finish eight grades. There are still hundreds of parents andgrandparents who live in the villages who do not have an education. InSouth Korea children are only required to go to school from age six untilage twelve. If their parents cannot pay and their grades are not good, theyare required to become apprentices in the mining or manufacturingindustries.

We are proud to have helped twelve students so far. They still keep intouch and have grown into fine adults. One student from Japan has comeback to visit us three times. Kei is now working for the third-largestadvertising agency in Japan and said it is because we gave him a chanceto study abroad and improve his English. Our first student, Satoshi, cameback after ten years, and he is working for an international financialcompany. He plans on visiting again.

We are expecting our next student Joo Yong Kim (Jack) to arrive fromSouth Korea on August 9, 2008. He will be number thirteen for us.

We just need families to open up their home and hearts to these teensand make a friend for life. The cultural exchange is fantastic.

Proud of Americaby Charm Saults

Though many miles lie between usThey seem to disappear when we honor our

people in uniform and those that served before.Somehow I feel that everyone can hear

the things I cannot say.And although it is not given to meThe same path each of you trod,

Today we meet in prayer, in front of God.Our spirits touching for a moment.No one knows how long or short,

our time on earth will be.That’s why today I want to say

How much Americans mean to me.I am always here for anyone in need.

For everyone needs somebodyTo tell their troubles to and share their feelings

of sorrow, sadness, happiness or joy.Especially at times like these

I know America will always be there for me.Life is full of disappointments, unseen troubles,

laughter, unexpected surprises, friendship, and love.But somehow the disappointments and unseen troubles

lose their sting, when you see how Americans jointogether as one.

Each one becoming a stronger personAnd holding tight to their convictions.

Knowing this is one Nation and we will survive.I feel like I am a better person knowing that I am an

AmericanWatching our country helping so many people in the

world.With the Protection, Faith, Hope, Charity and Love from

this great countryThose things will never, ever die.

Although some have lost loved ones in the serviceand some dreams did not come true.

Together we can lift each other’s spirits,Holding our heads high.

Knowing we will never be alone, we are Americansand proud of it.

We are not afraid to say “In God We Trust”.

by Dolores Bianco

June 14: Flag Day. Howproudly we hail! A great day toreflect on life’s blessings and tocelebrate.

One small segment of Christthe King’s Faith Sharing Group didjust that. They gathered for thethird annual “Bubba Burgers on theBack Porch” at the Biancos.

This event actually began fouryears ago, but had to be bypassedlast year when Pat spent the

summer in the hospital. What ablessing for him and Dolores tocarry on the tradition this yearwith the help of their friends.It’s a nice interlude betweenmeetings at Lent and again atAdvent with six weeks of studycoupled with camaraderie.

After Father Zehler led us inthe blessing and all hadpartaken of a variety of repast to

complement the burgers and hotdogs, activity shifted to the backyard. Everett and Jackie Comstockbrought a novel game called “CornHole”. On the order of Horseshoes,this features a slanted board ateither end of the yard with a hole ineach board. The object is to toss abag similar to a small bean bag(except the beans are corn kernels)to the other board and into the hole.

Fun, food, and frolic abounded.Looking forward to more of the

same next year.

Banner Day


Hooked on Running

by Yolanda Cerqueira

“There are as many reasons forrunning as there are days in theyear, years in my life. But mostly, Irun because I am an animal and achild, an artist and a saint. So, too,are you. Find your own play, yourown self-renewing compulsion,and you will become the personyou are meant to be.” These are thewords of the late George SheehanM. D. and it summarizes in manyways the views that Joe Connolly,parishioner and runner, holds closeto his heart.

Joe entered this world in 1924in Norwood, Massachusetts, bornto immigrant parents from Ireland.Joe was one of three having a sisterand a brother. Joe came from a veryCatholic home as prayers were apart of his daily household ritual.Among his many gifts was apropensity for music, a gift fromhis mother’s side of the family. Thefamily struggled during theDepression years to give him musiclessons. He started with the sax andthe flute but his true love is thepiano. When World War II camealong he was not sent to the frontbecause the army needed his musi-cal talent as a member of the ArmyAir Force Band. They went all overthe country entertaining the troopsincluding the Hollywood Canteenwhere he came in contact with

many of the stars of that era.Joe is very modest about hismusical gift but, in reality, he isquite an accomplished musi-cian. After the war he playedfor a while with the WoodyHerman band; however itbecame apparent to him thatthis was not the lifestyle forhim so he gave up the idea ofbecoming a professional musi-cian.

After his induction into thearmy he was stationed inLouisville where he met hisfirst wife, Martha who unfortu-nately passed away in the latesixties. Some time after the warhe and Martha returned to

Massachusetts but she was veryhomesick for her family and hercity so they made the decision toreturn to Louisville where he foundwork with the L&N Railroad.Eventually this company was takenover by CSX which will later takehim to Jacksonville. Now Joe wasnot just content to work at a nine-to-five job. Being so filled withenergy and enthusiasm for life hefound many avenues to explore.Music being his first love he beganplaying around town in bands andfor many years he was part ofChurchill Downs scene and forthose who know Louisville heplayed many an evening at theBrown Hotel.

After his first wife passed awayhis friends were eager to find amate for him and eventually he methis second wife, Jeanette on a blinddate. Her husband had also passedaway and they found many thingsin common and after some time hadpassed they were married. Jeanetteencouraged him in all his activitiesas she was a wonderful homemakerand took great pride in his achieve-ments.

By this time Joe was involvedin many sports; he played semi-proice hockey for the LouisvilleBlades and was quite good at it.Much to his disappointment thisside of his career was short lived ashis boss made him give it up. Ice

hockey is no namby-pamby sort ofgame and injuries abounded.

When he wasn’t playing icehockey you could find Joe on thetennis court. And surprisinglyenough it was the very game of ten-nis that got him into running. Atfirst running was only a means tomake his tennis game more effec-tive, but it didn’t take long beforeJoe became hooked on running. Itwas also in Louisville that he ranhis first marathon.

CSX took over the L&NRailroad and the company wantedJoe to transfer to Jacksonville. Atfirst he resisted the idea but hiswife, Jeanette convinced him itwould be a good move. It wasJeanette who came down here firstand selected the lovely home thathe is still resides in today. Joe onlyhad two requirements: the houseneeded to be near a park and sec-ondly, close to his work. Jeanettewas able to accomplish both and sotheir life began here. He remainedwith CSX until he retired and gavethem thirty-eight good years.Unfortunately, his beloved Jeanettehas also passed away but her mem-ory lingers on.

Joe loves it here as the weatherlets him indulge in all the varioussports. Besides the tennis and therunning he is also an avid golf play-er and joined University CountryClub which is now called BlueCypress.

Would it amaze you to learnthat Joe has run 10,000 miles since1980 and has won five first placeawards just in this area alone! Herecently ran his 900th race on the4th of July and was given the num-ber 900 to wear as an honor to him.The Times Union came to his housefor an interview. This man throwshimself totally in whatever hedecides to do and he never givesup! Two years ago he suffered aheart attack just at the finish line ofthe 2006 River Run Race. The nextthing he knew he was on the way tothe hospital where he found he had85% blockage in one of his arteries.His cardiologist, Dr. Carlos

Alosilla, put in two stents. When herecovered, his cardiologist, alongwith his family doctor, Dr. JoseGarmendia, both had the sameadvice to him ——keep on runningand so he does. He doesn’t runevery day now, but alternatesbetween golf, tennis and runningabout 15 to 20 miles a week.

Joe has been a member ofChrist the King since 1985. He is aparticipating member of Queensand Kings and plays piano for themembers at their monthly meeting.If you haven’t heard Joe play youhave missed something as he playsthe kind of music that takes youright back to a particular time ormemory in your life.

One Sunday during one ofFather Thanh’s always meaningfulhomilies he was speaking aboutsinners and that how eventuallysinners “hit the wall” which is aspecial term used in running. Joementioned that to Father and soevery time they meet, Fatheralways asks him, “Have you hit thewall yet?” Joe feels as if Fatherunderstands what running is allabout.

Widows and WidowersMinistry is also high on his list andJoe remarked that he especiallyenjoyed going to lunch when thelate Isabel Fusco was present. “Iliked to sit next to her as she was avery interesting conversationalistand always ordered somethingfrom the menu that was uniqueunto her. One meal he particularlyremembered was the one where sheordered mussels and clams and herelished how Isabel enjoyed everylast morsel.

What’s next for this veryunusual man? What keeps this manof eighty-three so young is his mar-velous zest for life and willingnessto explore new roads. Surely therewill be more races to run and chal-lenges to face. Whatever it is, youmay be sure that Joe Connolly willbe there poised and prepared, head-ing for the finish line!

Blue Roses(a true story written by Hal Steenson) taken from the internet

Why do I always have to be the one that starts to do laundry andthere’s no detergent? I guess it was time for me to do my “Dollar Store”run, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags, and Clorox. Sooff I go.

I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed forthe checkout counter only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a youngman who appeared to be about sixteen years old.

I wasn’t in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that Iwas there. This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air anddeclared in a loud voice, “Mommy, I’m over here.” It was obvious now,he was mentally challenged, and also startled as he turned and saw mestanding so close to him, waiting to squeeze by.

His eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, “HeyBuddy, what’s your name?”

“My name is Denny and I’m shopping with my mother,” he respond-ed proudly.

“Wow,” I said, “that’s a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, butmy name is Hal.”

“Hal like Halloween?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered. “How old are you Denny?” “How old am I now, Mommy?” he asked his mother as she slowly

came over from the next aisle. “You’re fifteen years old Denny. Now be a good boy and let the man

pass by.”I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more

minutes about summer, bicycles, and school. I watched his brown eyesdance with excitement because he was the center of someone’s attention.He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section. Denny’s momhad a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talkwith her son. She told me that most people wouldn’t even look at him,much less talk to him.

I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something. I have noidea where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.I told her that “there are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in God’s gar-den, however, Blue Roses are very rare and should be appreciated for theirbeauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a ‘Blue Rose’ and if some-one doesn’t stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rosewith their kindness, then they’ve missed a blessing from God.”

She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked,“Who are you?”

Without thinking I said, “Oh, I’m probably just a daffodil or maybeeven a dandelion, but I sure love living in God’s garden.”


Wake up withScripture!

The first Sunday after Labor DaySeptember 7, 2008

9:00 a.m. - in the rectoryMake plans to come and join us for

a study of Revelation.

The Collegeville Bible Studyhas wonderful, insightful,

and approved-by-our-Church tape lectures,study books, and workbooks

for our enrichment.

The almost best part of our studieshas been the friendships we have established

in our time together.

All we are missing is YOU.

by Frank Becht

A previous article was written and published in the Courier in May2006 covering Mia Keisling’s journey to the United States and her questfor Teacher of the Year.

The Florida Times Union holds an annual Eve Award contest for thefields of Education, Volunteer Service and Employment. For the year of2008, there was a field of 12 finalists. The Eve Award Contest has beenheld annually since 1969; this year it was held on May 30, 2008 at theHyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel.

Mai was one of four contestants nominated for the Education Award.The normal procedure is for the contestants to be selected by individualsin the community. In her case a University of North Florida (UNF)professor, a former Duval County school administrator, and a formerDuval County School Superintendent nominated her for the award.

Contestants are judged by a strict code, which is conducted by formerEve Award winners.

Mai Keisling is not a newcomer to competition of this nature. In 2006,Mai was one of six finalists for Duval Teacher of the Year. She is a hardworking art teacher who constantly strives to better herself and herstudents. She battled the elements to arrive in this country and she battleseveryday difficulties to be an example to her students.

Mai has not restricted herself to teaching; she has become an examplein striving to serve church and community in her everyday activities.Shortly after her quest for Teacher of the Year, she was elected to theBoard of Catholic Charities where she serves on the Board DevelopmentCommission. She has served years on the Diocesan Pastoral Council. Forthe City of Jacksonville, she has served as a member of the Art in PublicPlaces Committee for one and half years. For the past two years she hasserved on the Mayor’s Asian American Advisory Board. In 2007, she wasthe winner of the Gladys Prior Award, selected by UNF and received acash award. In March 2008, she was selected for the Northeast FloridaMemphis Wood Award for Career Teaching Excellence.

Mai Keisling continues to be an achiever and a contender. What aformidable record of performance. Mai Keisling we are proud of you!

EVE AWARDCONTENDER

Mrs. Betty Rover, now retired, was Mai’s art teacher at Englewood High School.Mai owes much of her love of art to this lady.

by Rita Wendel

Little is known about the All Saints Catholic Nursing Home which ispresently located at 5888 Blanding Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida. It is anon-profit skilled nursing home that was established by ArchbishopJoseph P. Hurley on February 15, 1956 on Riverside Avenue near St.Vincent’s Hospital. In doing so it accomplished his dream of fulfilling theneed for a Catholic Home for the needy. Relocation to the present sitetook place on April 25, 1992. It currently provides a full range of inpatientand outpatient rehabilitation services as well as traditional long-term care.

All Saints Auxiliary is an affiliate of the St. Augustine DiocesanCouncil of Catholic Women and the National Council of CatholicWomen. Each Guild (parish of the Diocese) has a representative to AllSaints Auxiliary.

For many years, Trudy Cameron of Circle Seven, St. BernadetteCircle, was the representative of Christ the King. Recently because offailing health, Trudy was forced to resign this position. Yours truly washappy to assume this very important responsibility of being therepresentative of Christ the King.

It was only upon assuming this position that I realized how littleothers understand the scope and necessity of the position. The object ofthe auxiliary is to:

- Render financial assistance to the Home in matters suggestedby the Administrator, Connie O’Donnell, for specific projectsand to- Stimulate interest in the progress and development of the homeand residents.

Membership is non-denominational. Anyone interested in theobjectives is eligible for membership. There are three types ofmembership; active, inactive and life. Dues are $10 per year.

The Auxiliary’s general meetings are held on the second Wednesdayof each month from September to May. Participation in Mass is at 11 a.m.and is followed by lunch and a meeting at 12 noon.

All Jacksonville parishes are invited to participate in the Auxiliary bysending their representatives to the monthly meetings to give a briefreport of their parish’s special interest projects.

The main financial project of the Auxiliary will be a Fashion Show tobe held on April 4, 2009 at Marywood.

An invitation is extended to all ladies of the parish to become amember of All Saints Auxiliary.

All Saints NursingHome


IN THE BEGINNING …

By Bill Dougherty

While I had a number of yearsof newspaper/journalism experi-ence behind me, there were signifi-cant challenges I had to face when Ijoined the Courier staff as thenewspaper launched into its bravenew world.

Volunteers who worked on thenewspaper had varying levels ofexperience and plenty of drive togo with it. The amount of effort thatgoes into publishing a 44-pagenewspaper is incredible. Even on aquarterly basis, volunteers spentnumerous hours writing, editing,pasting layouts, and the all-impor-

tant final proofing before printing.Of course, whenever you work witha newspaper, no matter the level ofeffort, errors will happen and won’tbe found until they appear in print.Our staff faced those tribulationswith an abundance of good humor

and a desire to be better with everyissue.

I considered it a privilege towrite and take photos for the paper.Putting to use previous experiencewith Navy newspapers and maga-zines, I produced full-page andtwo-page center spreads where thephotos were equal, if not moreimportant, than the words. Certainevents repeated during everychurch year so the pictures I tookshared an original story. Each yearyoung girls and boys received theirfirst communion,new Catholics werewelcomed into thefaith during theEaster Vigil, andhundreds filled thepews for theChristmas EveMidnight Mass.

I also wrote afictional seriescalled Joseph’sJourneys. While the

stories met with mixedreviews, I thoroughlyenjoyed the opportunity toconvey messages that Ihoped would be good forreaders of all ages.

Some of my fondestmemories were the nightswe worked so hard to putthe paper to bed. Stresswas a constant companion.

Through it all, Tony Trottimaintained that warped senseof humor that kept the Courierstaff laughing and helped usnot take ourselves too serious-ly. I still miss and I pray forTony today. We could neverhave published the Courierwithout him.

After three years on thestaff I moved on to other chal-lenges. I’m grateful for theopportunity to have workedwith so many dedicated volun-

teers. And herd-ing those vol-unteers (sort oflike herdingcats) was JudyKoziolek. Shewas a formida-ble editor – asgood as any Iworked for dur-ing my time inthe Navy – anda driving force

behind the Courier. Many timeswhen the staff was sure we couldn’tproduce a full 44 pages, Judy founda way. No matter the obstacles, shehad a vision for the Courier andI’m positive Bishop Baker stillspeaks of her efforts today. Judy nolonger serves as editor, but herleadership and inspiration is still astrong heartbeat in the Courier.Every newspaper needs an editor, a

guiding force toward excellence.She set the standard, one that willcontinue for issues to come.

So if you read this and you’vethought about volunteering yourtime for the Courier – give it a shot.You’ll find the opportunity reward-ing, and the life-friendships ever-lasting. Now that’s what I call ablessing.

Is “Thank You” Really Enough?by Barbara Lesher, VBS 2008

If you were standing in myshoes today you would have thesame feeling. Today was our lastday of Vacation Bible School and Ihave to say if you attended or par-ticipated, you should be verypleased and satisfied for a job welldone. After taking a break last yearfrom Vacation Bible School, Christthe King Church had a wonderfulturn out. Our commitment to theparish and the school, showed asmany as 84 students and over 50volunteers.

The overall theme this yearwas stewardship. Our studentslearned a stewardship theme of theday. The themes were: we share,we give, we grow, we love, and wepraise. The students heard a biblestory that emphasized the meaningof the theme of the day. In addition,the students learned bible verses,saints and the rainforest friend thatexhibited some of the stewardshipqualities of the theme of the day.

In the classroom, our studentshad small group bible lessonsaccording to their grade level. InPre-K, the teacher was DiedreHicks. In Kindergarten, we hadKim Smith and Lee Anne Pesnell.

Kelly Moneyhan and StevenVergenz covered first grade.Second and third grade teacherswere Betty Wheeler and AnneMedlock. Fourth and fifth gradeteachers were Anne Medlock, Mrs.Martin and Mrs. Cronin. Finallyour six through eight grade servicehour director was Victoria Shami.Al Martin helped with daily rou-tines. He made sure the facilitieswere up and running and that ourteen volunteers were actively par-ticipating. Whenever I needed tosee stewardship in action I justlooked to my teachers. They werethe foundation to the success ofVacation Bible School.

With so much to learn our stu-dents still did more. The students

made daily visits to the artroom where Ms.Bustamante sparked theircreativity. The artworkwent with the theme of theday. When you entered theart room, the students werealways creating something.How wonderful it was tosee each student enjoyinghis or her work of art. Theart room was alive and always a funroom for the students to enter.

Another fun place to visit wasthe gym. How lucky I was to findout that two of our own Christ theKing alumni college studentssigned up to volunteer! When Iheard Jocelyn Scott and SusanJoost wanted to volunteer, I was soexcited! I asked them if they wouldplan and teach PE. It was a beauti-ful fit! The girls accepted this andwere thrilled to work in the gym. Icouldn’t have planned it better. Ourgirls instructed the students andthey loved them. Way to go girls,we are very proud of our alumni!!!

After PE, the students made astop at our snack room. MurielleButler and Betty Becht ran thekitchen and their volunteers as if itwas their own kitchen. When thestudents entered the snack area,

they already had food and clean upservice on hand. If they did not carefor a certain snack, Murielle hadher bases covered and she broughtthem into the kitchen for a specialsnack. Let me tell you the studentswere pampered in the snack area.

Our stewardship journeyextended to our families. Weencouraged them to donate a fooditem for the St. Vincent dePaulSociety. We collected manycanned foods to help stock thepantry.

Our final day began with a cel-ebration in the classroom followedby a barbecue in Shepard’s Square.Thanks to donations of cookies andhamburgers, we had a wonderfulcook out. This was a fabulous timefor our students, worthy of a lastingmemory of VBS at Christ the King.


by Charm Saults

Tim Johnson has been amember of Christ the King parishfor 16 years. His wife, Donna,graduated from Christ the KingSchool and they were married inthe church. At first they wereinvolved with some projects,volunteering where they could. Timand Donna really got involvedwhen Nicholas, their eldest child,started school and playing T-ball.Nicholas will graduate at the end ofthis school year. Their two youngersons, Joshua and Matthew, who arein 6th grade and 4th graderespectively, both play football andbaseball. Tim and Donna arecompletely involved with allchildren, not just their own.

Tim has been president of theathletic association for fiveyears.

Tim worked as assistant coachfor two years.

Tim and Donna have beeninvolved in variousfundraisers.

Tim has worked the beer boothat the carnivals and otherevents.

Donna has been running theconcession stand for twoyears.

Tim said, “There is a lot moreto being president than just holding

meetings and delegating jobs forothers to do. There are endless latenights just completing paperwork;endless paperwork for tryouts,schedules, rosters, physicals,insurance forms, and on and on.”Tim and Donna make decisionsregarding uniforms, trophies,logos, equipment, even what kindof Popsicles for which team. Theyhave been responsible for thefundraising that has meant enlargedand improved playing fields.

Tim tells the kids, “It isimportant to pay attention all thetime you are on the field, so youdon’t get hurt. Do your best on thefield, in school and at home andhave fun, even if you do not winthe game or feel like you did a goodjob. If you try your best, you are awinner.”

Tim has Four Most ImportantThings for his kids. Faith comesfirst, then Family, then Academics,and Sports should be last. If yousucceed in keeping your faith,helping your family, studying hardin school, you will succeed insports. An example of theleadership Tim teaches on the field.One of the kids was having a badday; nothing was going right forhim on the field. Joshua got up tobat and hit the ball, bringing in arun. When he returned to thedugout, he put his arm around theother kid and said, “I hit that onefor you.”

This spring’s season became aspecial one when Tim and the othercoaches Ronnie Burke, DarrenWaldeck, and Rob Boyd felt thatthe 11 and 12 year olds were readyto understand some deeperperspectives. They wanted them tounderstand how important it is forthem to put others’ needs beforetheir own. They would ask them,“What job do the coaches have?”They would reply, “To take care ofus.” Then we would ask, “What isyour job as players?” They wouldanswer, “To take care of eachother.” The frequent exchangeproduced something wonderfulamong the team. The playersbecame closer and cheered eachother on. They encouraged eachother. Tim said, “These childrenlearned the value of putting others

before themselves.” The coachesbelieve they will carry this intotheir adult lives.

C.K.A.A. is unique because itis privately owned. The associationis run 100% by volunteers. There isno support from the city and nooutside funding. They operatesolely off of registration fees anddonations from local businesses orprivate groups.

Tim’s responsibility is tooversee the entire association.There is the Babe Ruth paperwork,meetings to attend and coordinate,registration, field upgrades, clinics,player drafts, fundraising,schedules, and the list goes on. Timsaid, “I could not accomplish thiswithout the support group of theother coaches and my wife Donna.”Donna not only runs the concessionstand during the time her boys areplaying, but also for all the games.Donna also helps Tim with all thepaperwork and phones calls.

Tim and Donna Johnson workas a team for all the kids, not justtheir own.

Consider joining Tim andDonna in this ministry to ourchildren. Tim’s contact number is727-7487. You will not only behelping out; you will have thesatisfaction of working with thekids as well as this inspiringcouple.

Tim and Donna Johnson and CKAA

Emergency Pregnancy ServicesArlington Office

by Frank Becht

E m e r g e n c yPregnancy Services(EPS) is establishing itsthird location at 6903Merrill Road. Throughgenerous gifts fromseveral benefactors, EPShas purchased what wasoriginally a three-bedroom house to serve

as the Arlington Crisis Pregnancy Center. Several groups havebeen involved in almost total renovation of a house used asvarious offices over the years.

Previously, Bishop W. Thomas Larkin Council (formerly ArlingtonCouncil) assisted in the renovation of EPS Riverside Center in June2004. On this occasion, Council 4727 was asked to do more of theoverall repairs to the premises in addition to painting. Several localbusinesses have donated time to make substantial repairs. Many councilmembers and Christ the King volunteers have donated their efforts andtime.

Several other churches in the area including Arlington Baptist andthe Church of the Messiah have been extremely helpful in transformingthe new location into a ministry.

Overall, more than 50 people have been involved in a tremendousoutpouring of support for Right to Life efforts for the ArlingtonCommunity. We are proud to support EPS whose mission is“Empowering women to make fact-related decisions about theirpregnancy without judgment or pressure.”


Pinewood Derbyby Jeff Dela Cruz (age 10)

Just a block of wood, you say? Well, thatblock of wood will make a man out of ya. It’s aproject to bring the whole family together.

The Pinewood Derby Race is a very funevent for all Cub Scouts. Scouts are given a boxcontaining a pine block with two slots forwheels, four plastic wheels, and four nails toattach the wheels to the car. The scouts, withtheir parents’ help, carve, shape, paint, anddecorate the block of wood and turn it into awooden car.

Part of the fun of the Pinewood Derby isshowing spirit through participation. Most of

the Cub Scouts have a few intense minutesduring the competition, but they spend most oftheir time cheering for their fellow scouts.

The fastest cars go to the District PinewoodDerby Race. To get to District, a pack (Tigers,Wolves, Bears, and Webelos) race against eachother. The races are in heats, so every kid gets achance to race in each lane. The tracks have totwo to six lanes. The three fastest cars in eachgroup go to the district race.

This year our competition was very tight.The winners by order of den are:

Tigers: 1st place Eric Smith, 2nd place NoahLopore, 3rd place George Pratt, 4th placeMaison Laflamme, 5th place Kellin Klein

Wolves: 1st place Andrew Blenker, 2nd placeBrandon Rhow, 3rd place Merlin Klein

Bears: 1st place Terry Rhow, 2nd place QuintonGardner, 3rd place Reny Alcantara, 4thplace Tyler Boudreaux 5th place TreySteele, 6th place Nicholas Alligood

Welbelos I: 1st place Jacob Waite, 2nd placeChristopher Luyando, 3rd place PatrickKnight

The winners get trophies and certificates,but yours doesn’t have to be the fastest toreceive an award. Awards are also given forvarious categories:

Scout Spirit - Kellin Klein, Original - TreySteele, Colorful - Nicholas Alligood,Outrageous - Merlin Klein, Detail - Eric Smith,Paint Job - Tyler Boudreaux, Sleekest - TenyAlcantara, Shape - Christopher Luyando,Patriotic - Noah Lepore, Futruistic - QuintonGardner.

The Pinewood Derby is a good time for thescouts to bond with their Akelas and their fellowscouts while having a good time.

Just a block of wood? What were youthinking?

To find out more about Cub Scouting withChrist the King call our Assistant Cub Master,Louis Luyando, at 564-1846.

2008-2009 ScheduleAug. 1, 2 and 3- Kingsley Lake;tubing and swimming in lakeAug. 26 will be the Court ofHonor; all awards for the past 6months, come and encourage yourson.Sept. 12, 13 and 14 –AltamahaRiver; overnight canoe trip, Scoutsmust go on this trip to be eligible togo on the Suwannee River trip inApril.

Oct. 17, 18 and 19 – Florida Caverns; explore caverns, joint trip withcub scoutsNov. 14, 15 and 16 –District Camparee; fun and games at Echokotee.Dec. 12, 13 and 14 –Akela Weekend; welcome Webelos to BoyScouting.Dec. 25, 26, 27, and 28 – Florida Keys; snorkeling, SCUBA,sightseeing and funJan. 16, 17 and 18 –Faver Dykes; TJ will work on the Farm Equipmentmerit badge at Pelencia and we will do a ghost tour Sat. night.Feb. 3 – Court of Honor; awards for past 6 months, come andencourage your son.Feb. 8 – Scout Sunday; 9 a.m. Mass, Cub Scouts and Girl Scoutsincluded

Feb. 13, 14 and 15 – Olustee Battle; we will try to camp where theisland is like we did two years ago.March 13, 14 and 15 – Hidden Pond; two-day backpacking trip, Scoutsmust go on this trip to be eligible to go on the mountain trip in July.April 2, 3, 4 and 5 – Suwannee River; 50-mile canoe trip, Scouts musthave successfully completed the Atamaha River trip or have gone onanother 50-mile trip to go.May 22, 23 and 24 – Owens Springs; swimming and snorkelingJune 7 thru 13 – Camp Shands; summer camp; excellent opportunityfor earning lots of merit badgesJuly 18 thru 26 – Mountain Trip; backpacking the Appalachian Trailand white water rafting on the Chattooga River, camping in FranklinNC. First Class and above only, must have successfully completed theHidden Pond trip.August 7, 8 and 9 – KingsleyLake

The first Tuesday of everymonth will be for a Board ofReview for rank advancements.The board consists of ScottSteele, Chris Smith, Matt Viets,Tim Knight and Father StevenZehler.

by Becki Blenker

Maybe you know someone withfood allergies, or maybe thatsomeone is your own child. As theparent of a child with allergies, Iknow that it is very easy to fall intothe trap of overprotecting my ownchild. I was accustomed to packingall kinds of foods before we left thehouse, and letting him spend thenight only at the homes of people

who were comfortable with hisspecial needs. While scoutinghasn’t completely changed thatbehavior, (I’ll always be morepossessive than a parent of a childwithout a special need), it hascaused me to see the world outsideas a little less frightening.

You see, my son is glutenintolerant as well as having a milkallergy. When kids go camping inscouts, they all eat together the

same foods, which scared me out ofmy mind at first. So, I sat down totalk it out with the Cub Master andother parents, and we came up witha plan to make it work. Andrew isnow able to eat the same foods asthe rest of the kids the majority ofthe time, and I make things likepancakes and pasta for him whenthe others make theirs. There areso many people cooking everymeal that no one even notices that

he eats a few things differentlynow.

Scouting with allergies hasreally accomplished two things formy son that wouldn’t havehappened otherwise: it’s caused hismother to let go a little, and it alsoled him to be more independent ashe watches what he eats when he’saway from me. All in all, scoutingwith allergies is no big deal.

Scouting with Allergies


50th

AnniversaryBishop W. Thomas

Larkin Council 4727by Frank Becht, PGK

The Bishop W. Thomas Larkin Council 4727, formerlyknown as the Arlington Council, will celebrate its 50th yearin 2009. In conjunction with this event, we will publish aprogram book. In it we will illustrate the many activitiesthrough pictures and articles that our Council has beeninvolved in throughout those 50 years. In addition we willhave a section dedicated to our deceased brothers andsisters.

Activities will include a celebration at ResurrectionChurch on January 18, 2009 with breakfast after the 8:30a.m. Mass and brunch following the 11 a.m. Mass. Thefollowing weekend, Saturday, January 24, 2009, we willclose the celebration with a concelebrated Mass by BishopVictor Galeone and former Chaplains of the Council at the5 p.m. Mass at Christ the King. The Fourth Degree HonorGuard will be in attendance and the Fil-Am Choir willperform at this special Mass. Following the Mass, we willhave hors d’oeuvres in the gymnasium with a program anda Gala Dance, the Frank Broome Ball.

We invite the other Councils, the Fourth DegreeAssemblies and our parishes throughout the area to join usin these weekend celebrations. More information will beavailable as time draws closer.

Why Become a Knight Of Columbusby Frank Becht, PGK

To Catholic MenThere are many reasons why you should consider becoming a Knight

of Columbus. If you are 18 years of age and a practicing (not in nameonly) Catholic you are eligible to become a Knight. The Knights ofColumbus is the largest Catholic men’s fraternal organization in the worldformed by Father Michael McGivney in 1882, a perilous time forfamilies. The following are a few of the more important reasons tobecome a Knight.

Knights are men of action The Church and priests need men in action and in prayer. The Knights

of Columbus have often been described as the “Greatest defender of theChurch.” Members of the Knights are prayerful men praying for theirpriests and families and doing many things to support the Church and itscommunities.

Men of Principles-Charity,Unity and Fraternity

Father McGivney, a candidate for sainthood, is a model for all knightsas a living example of faith, hope and charity. As knights, we try to beliving examples to others in our daily lives. The Principles of the Knightsform our actions in our church, families and communities. The Knightsput faith into action.

Right to LifeThe Knights of Columbus are avid supporters of Right to Life. Right

to Life is not a partisan issue but a pre-eminent moral issue. Bishop W.Thomas Larkin Council is an active supporter of Diocesan Right to Lifeactivities as well as supporters of several local crisis pregnancyintervention centers.

Marriage and FamilyThe Knights of Columbus will always pursue laws that protect the

dignity and integrity of Marriage and Family. As knights we pledge tosupport the Church in the battle now raging in many states that areseeking to overturn the sanctity of marriage. Florida will vote on theMarriage Amendment in November 2008. The Knights are making agallant effort to support this amendment.

Support for VocationsThe Knights of Columbus have always been avid supporters of

vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Council 4727 has a plaquehanging on our wall from Pope John Paul II commending the Council forSeminarian support. We have supported several priests ordained for theDiocese of St. Augustine.

Support our young menThe Knights of Columbus also encourage young men 10-18 years of

age to join the Columbian Squires program which is designed to groomyoung men into mature and responsible young leaders and knights oftomorrow through a wide variety of programs involving the communityand Church.

Work with a Saint-to-beFather Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, has

been named “Venerable Servant of God.” Pope Benedict the XVI recentlyissued this Decree of Heroic Virtue for Father McGivney, who is in aprocess of canonization, as a model of Christian life.

Am I Being CalledRecently, our renowned Pastor Thanh Nyugen gave a very interesting

homily. He gave a very challenging call to all of us in which he said, “ IsGod calling on your life? If so, you probably feel afraid. Your fear is verymuch like Peter ‘Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man.’”

Become a Better CatholicWe know you do not have to be a knight to be a good Catholic. Being

a knight helps you be a better person for the simple fact that we are partof a community that expresses concern and care for the many challengesfaced daily by us and our families. We develop unity of purpose in ourlives, concern and action for the poor and underprivileged, and arelationship of purpose in our lives through association with otherCatholic men on a continuing basis.

Try it! Call Grand Knight Jose Praxedes who will assist you in startingyour journey to Knighthood.

K’CeesWomen’s Auxiliary

Membership is open to wives and daughters of Knights of Columbus. SingleCatholic women ages 18 and over are also welcome to join the K’Cees.

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month in the Council hall at8:00 p.m.

The purpose of the K’Cees is to support and encourage the Knights in their manycharitable endeavors. It is the intention of the K’Cees to participate in all or mostCouncil activities.

Please join us for friendship and fun while supporting the Knights of Columbus.For more information call Darlene O’Neal at 724-2857.

Grand Knight - Jose PraxedesDeputy Grand Knight - Fred WheelerChancellor - Michael Warwin Warden - Louie O’NealFinancial Secretary - George CoseoTreasurer - Gus GrigasRecorder - Ryan PraxedesOuside Guard - Michael Stirna

Inside Guard - Netito EspejoAdvocate - John MorrisseyThree Year Trustee - Pat Bianco, PGKTwo Year Trustee - Dennis Scobie, PGKOne Year Trustee - Ralph Mosley, PGKLecturer - Jim BonitatibusDistrict Deputy - Bob Bilik

Knights Of ColumbusInstallation Of Officers

July 2008- June 2009


by Barbara Hanuscin, PresidentQueens & Kings

Anyone who comes in contactwith this man is welcomed as hisfriend. He demonstrates theChristian principal of “Do untoothers as you would have them dounto you.” He is one of the “givers”you encounter in life and most def-initely not one of the “takers.”

His involvement at Christ theKing dates back for over 30 years,and he is not even a registeredparishioner, nor is he a Catholic!He has served in ministry leader-ship positions and on the ParishCouncil. He has actively participat-ed with the Ministry of Hope, withWidows & Widowers, has held var-ious posts in the Queens and Kingsand served as the president of theQueens & Kings for the past 5years. He has even assisted theSociety of St. Vincent de Paul byaccompanying a member on sever-al home visitations. He is eager tohelp in any way and promotes trueChristianity. He has brought othernon-Catholics over to participate insome of the ministries at Christ theKing as well. He organized a cruisethat included members of three dif-ferent denominational churches. Heis truly “ecumenical.”

His generosity is known by afew but mostly he will contributewithout much fanfare. He hasdonated a piano to the Queens &

Kings of Christ the King in memo-ry of his late wife, Marge, and con-tinues financial support to Christthe King in her honor.

Something you might findinteresting about him is that he wasthe youngest of 10 children of aphysician who died at a fairlyyoung age. He didn’t have hisfather to guide him in his adulthoodbut he had the values that wereinstilled in him at an early age tomap his way in life. He survivedthe “Great Depression” and learnedself-reliance.

He served in the Army at theBattle of the Bulge and wasinjured. He had both legs taggedfor amputation, but by the grace ofGod and the concern of an “angel”

of a physician, he was able to keephis legs. This did end his tennis-playing days. After the war, jobswere scarce. He was hired byQuaker Oats and educated throughthe Harvard Business School pro-grams. He worked for Quaker for41 years as a top salesman. He wasinvolved and held posts with theGMRA (grocery organization).

Retirement didn’t slow himdown. He signed up for classes increative writing and watercolorpainting. He has authored severalbooks including some on financialadvice. He has donated paintings toorganizations to use in fundraisingevents and has given many tofriends. He and his late wife wereable to travel to 49 of the 50 statesand many countries in Europe. Hehas an avid thirst for history andknowledge. He once aspired to be aweatherman prior to the war, so heis a “weather buff” and can predictwith more accuracy at times thanthe local television stations.

Besides his active involvementat Christ the King, he is involvedwith the Methodist Men’s groupand has served on the FinancialBoard at Arlington MethodistChurch, where he sings in theSenior Choir. He not only sings inchurch but also performs with agroup elsewhere such as in nursinghomes, for the enjoyment andpleasure of others. He’s a real“Super Senior” and an active mem-

ber of the AARP as well. He sup-ports the environment and othercharitable causes.

He’s a regular early morning“mall walker” at Regency and partof a group of friends who callthemselves “the AttitudeAdjustment Group”. But, there isnothing that needs adjusting withhis attitude.

He finds time to work at homemanaging his investments anddelights in mentoring his twograndsons, of whom he is quiteproud. He’s also become a “pseudograndpa” to a few other children.He’s an “encourager and anuplifter.” He looks at the glass as“half full”, not as “half empty.”

He’s a good listener and a goodconversationalist. He has a knackfor finding the “common thread”with anyone he meets. This is mostlikely carried over from his days asa “road scholar” with Quaker Oats.

Christ the King Parish and hisfriends are blessed to have this“man of excellence” walk besidethem on the journey. At this time,his friends and fellow members ofthe Queens & Kings of Christ theKing, want to say “Thank You” toWilliam T. Campbell (better knownas Bill) for his kindness, patientand giving ways, and for being anexample of true Christianity to allof us. Bill, you are truly a “Man ofExcellence.”

Thank You to a Man of Excellence

Let Your Light Shinewith the Queens and Kings

by Barbara Hanuscin

Over 30 yrs ago a flame of friendship was lit at Christ the King by a group that called itself the Queens & Kingsof Jacksonville. Many of the members were the folks who founded the parish, built the church, church halls,school buildings and started other ministries as well. There are many ministries at Christ the King such as theCKCCW for the women, the Men’s Club for men, the Widows and Widowers for those who have lost aspouse, the LIFE TEENs for teenagers, Music Ministry for those with musical talent,Nurse Ministry for those with medical interests, the Fil-Am for those ofFilipino descent, the Beautification Ministry for those with green thumbs,the Courier for those who write, and the list goes on. But where can you

join in and mix with folks in multiple categories?The Queens & Kings is an interdenominational social fellowship min-

istry that encompasses and welcomes women, men, married couples, wid-ows and widowers, singles, the divorced, the separated both Catholic and

non-Catholic. It’s a group of folks with diverse and interesting back-grounds and varied talents and interests. (If you are close to 50 but not

quite there, you are welcome to join us as a guest until you hit the big5-0.)In the past the Queens & Kings has had speakers, entertainment, cov-ered dish dinners, cruises, and bus trips. They have danced the night awayand much more as you can see when you take a peak at the stack of photoalbums that make up the legacy of Christ the King Parish.

The Queens & Kings torch is passing to a new generation of those 50and over. It’s now up to the “baby boomers” to light their candle to add

to the flame and carry that torch forward. It’s also time for those a bitolder, who have been hesitant in joining in, to give us the gift of your wis-

dom gained by life experiences. Just in case you are wondering, there is “lifeafter 50” but if you don’t have one yet, come and “get a life.”

Please join us on the second Sunday of the month at 12:30 p.m. in the Shirley David Hall. Your presenceis needed to help us chart the course. Your light needs to shine with all of us. So light your candle and joinus in making the flame continue to grow with the Queens & Kings of Jacksonville. We take a recess over thesummer months, so we hope to “See you in September”. For additional information, you may call BarbaraHanuscin at 724-1776, Bill Campbell at 724-3777, or Judy Murphy at 723-5910.


Graduation Talk by MatthewDinh

Wow, look at all the years that have passed, some days mighthave been long and the years were short, but we did it! All thatwe have learned, done, and lived through, our past, has led upto this moment. What a magnificent day this is! Today wewill graduate from Christ the King, and open the door to ourfutures. We are the future of the whole world, the leaders ofour generation. God has been, still is, and will always beguiding and protecting us, and with Him anything ispossible. He is opening our futures to boundlesspossibilities. He also blessed us to have so manyopportunities and people who have guided us in our lives.Our church, school, parents, teachers, friends, and allthose around us have helped us through all we have done.They have taught us many skills, and built a foundation on

which we will later continue to liveon our own. Christ the King

School has enriched our lives,taught us, helped develop our

abilities, and prepared us for ournext step down the road of life.

In the beginning of the schoolyear we were just kids who were stilllearning many things. Now, as thegraduating class of 2008 from Christthe King, we have all grownmentally, socially and physically.Life doesn’t promise to always beeasy, and although we are young and

we still have much to learn, withperseverance and hard work in what we

do, with belief in ourselves, trust in ourinstincts, and most important of all, faith in

our God, He will lead our lives to a brightfuture. On behalf of this graduating class, I would

like to take this opportunity to thank Father Thanh, Father Zehler, Mrs.Chinault, and all the teachers and staff for teaching us valuable lifelessons, helping us through school, and being there for us. May God blesseveryone! Congratulations to the Christ the King graduating class of2008! And to my friends and classmates, I want to wish you success andgood luck in all that you will do, and although we may take differentpaths, we have all made a difference in each other’s lives through whatwe have done. Many of our greatest memories lie with these amazingpeople, and we will cherish these times and people for the rest of ourlives. I would like to end with a quote by Doctor Seuss. “You have brainsin your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in anydirection you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what youknow. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Thank you.

Memoriesby Jan Dela Cruz

Memories. Memories are the moments that when looked back on, asmile streaks upon your face. Each one of us here today has our

own set of memories. Some have eight year’s worth, others havethree. But the one common bond we all share is that each and

every one of our memories is carved into the walls here atCTK. Though after today, we all will be going our separateways, the memories we made here will still live on.

Some of us have memories of a fifth-grade substitute,who asked us all to stand on our desks and “be trees” whenwe were learning how trees take in air.

Others can’t forget how Mrs. Cass’s introduction to uswas “My name is Mrs. Cass, and don’t forget the C.”

But for each one of the memories made, we havecertain people we must thank.

First, we must thank our families.They were there, watching us as

we left for our first day ofKindergarten. They were there,

giving their support as we movedthrough the overdramatic stages of

Middle School. We are our family’spride and joy. If you don’t believeme, my fellow classmates, then takea look behind you. Behold the crowdof people here for you: our families.

Next, we must thank ourteachers. Every quiz, every project,test and essay, all of which we hatedso much, were all tools to prepare us.They were meant to challenge our logicand creativity, pushing them to evengreater levels. Our teachers have spentmany years trying to prepare us for the yearsthat lie ahead as we move on to high school. Thanksto our teachers, we have grown ready to take on anything that we mayface in these next years.

Finally, we must thank God. The Catholic faith we’ve been taught atCTK, in both word and in action, has shaped all of us to be more likeChrist. We’ve learned that even during the darkest, most tragic andhopeless moments in life, God is there. Through God, all things arepossible. With Him, there is nothing to fear. I hope that no matter wherewe go, we realize that each of us has a loving God, watching andsupporting us in every way He can.

Tonight marks the end of our middle school careers. Tonight, we leavebehind the all-too-familiar sound of the school bell, the steps that we eachclimb every morning at 7:30, the smell of freshly-brewed coffee in Mrs.Cass’s room. Even though we leave each and every memory behind, theyare irreplaceable in our hearts.

May the sounds of laughter forever ring within these CTK hallways.May all the smiling faces continue to shine within every single classroom.

Tonight marks the end of many years of hard work and the beginningof many years of promising potential. I would like to leave you tonightwith a line from Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Morddecai Ali VanAllen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Yourmountain is waiting. So…get on your way!

My fellow graduates, congratulations and good luck with the nextphase of your life journey. The night is ours, and the rest of our lives liesahead of us. No matter where we all go, we will forever be CTK Ravens.Thank you all and God Bless.

Scrip is back for the school year!Scrip is a way for the school and parish ministries to raise money.

For each gift card purchased, a percentage of the total goes back to theschool or parish ministry.

To order Scrip, you must go online to shopwithscrip.com andregister with an email and the enrollment code for Christ the King:C14CA3534L79 and click join.

Parish ministries need to designate their ministry in the area where itasks for student or teacher. Parents need to designate their child in thisarea.

Orders are placed online, and the money needs to be turned into theCTK school office by Monday morning, 9:00 a.m. Your order will beready for pick up in the office on Thursdays after 12:00 p.m. For familiesof students, your order can go back with your child. The first Scrip orderwill be on August 25.

For more information, please contact Sallie Wnuk @ 737-9470.

Our Beautiful Restored Grotto


Christ The King SchoolHigh Achievers

by Frank Becht

It is with great pleasure that we can announce that several of ourChrist the King School graduates, who are attending Bishop Kenny HighSchool, are High Achievers. For the second quarter of the year of 2007-2008 Scholar Athlete Award letters were received by Jason Infante, ClayLudwig, Trenton Raesemann, Chad Wendle and Bobby Yarborough.

The award was established by Bishop Kenny Athletic Department tohonor all students who achieve and maintain a 3.0 or higher grade pointaverage during the quarter in which they participate in athletics.

For the second quarter, 65% of Bishop Kenny athletes achieved a 3.0GPA or better average. Coach Bob West states this “proves that academ-ics and athletes are partners for educational excellence.”

Along with Coach West, we congratulate these students for their ded-ication and achievement. We must also commend their parents, our prin-cipal Stephanie Chinault and teachers of Christ the King School forinstilling in these students the character and qualities to make themAchievers.

Math-A-Thon, 2008by Mrs. Susie Cooney

Top Student Pledges3rd Place: Emily Holthouser2nd Place: Isaiah Ybarra1st Place: Cody McElveen

2008 Total Pledges: $2073.991991-2008 Total Pledges: $87,467.22

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced today the successfulcompletion of the Math-A-Thon at Christ the King Catholic School inJacksonville, FL. The Math-A-Thon is an entertaining and enjoyable wayfor students to review basic math skills through the use of speciallydesigned Funbooks. Each participant is asked to recruit sponsors (family,friends) who will pledge donations based on the number of problemscompleted. To make it a complete family effort, a special parent answerguide is easily detached from the Funbook for checking the student’swork. The event was facilitated by Christ the King math teachers.

The students who participate in the program learn to do more than justmath problems; they also learn the importance of helping children whoare less fortunate than themselves. Through the Math-A-Thon, they areable to help provide a future for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Childrenwith more than 200 forms of cancer and other catastrophic diseases findhope at St. Jude. Since its founding in 1962 by the late entertainer, DannyThomas, the survival rates for most forms of pediatric cancer have risendramatically. In fact, today more than 70% of all children with cancer willsurvive their bout with the disease. St. Jude fully credits these successesin treatment to the generous support of people around the world, includ-ing the students at Christ the King School.

“We are very proud of our students for working so hard on the Math-A-Thon,” said Mrs. Susie Cooney, volunteer coordinator for 17 years.“With their help, St. Jude Hospital will be able to create new treatmentsthat may one day lead to a cure for many forms of cancer that will bene-fit the children of our state, our country, and around the world. I also wantto extend our thanks to the Jacksonville community for supporting ourstudents. It takes all of us to make a difference in the lives of children withcancer, and we can all feel proud of our response.”

Local Contact: Mrs. Susie CooneyChrist the King Catholic School (904) 724-2954

4aBeau Butler**Sara DebellisDeanna Hickox**Gracie Korkmaz**Kiana MallinsonAlexander MannJennifer VegaDavid Williams

4bLexie Byerley**Emily DuncanChristopherLuyando**Michael O’ConnellCarolyn MorganAndy QuachEmmy TackettAsia ThorpeClaire Wnuk

5aColin BoydJelito CallantaYasmeen Chan**Joseph DurkinJennifer Essick**Miguel FloresJenny GreenHailey GuinnRachel HouseDavid LongeneckerDonna MahfouzPaola RamosCamille Rodriguez**Erica StanfillKelly WolfeAnnalee Pesnell

5bJohn AshleyGeorge AssiRicky BoyetteJeffrey Dela Cruz**

Julia EasonAshlinne HickoxJoshua JohnsonRachel LesherCassidy LewisMathew Lynch**Cody McElveenDrew MikellLarissa OginJanel Palomo**Megan Schroder**Michael Urbizu

6aRachel Belen**Matthew DinhMichael MartinWilliam Morgan**Tristan ReyesGregory ShannahanKatie SmithLeann Snow

6bRhett ButlerIggy JuegoElizabeth O’MalleyBrandon ParkerQuinton PoolerRoyce Reyes**Alexander RicherKelsey Smith**Courtney WildesDavid Yarborough**

7aChristian Chan**Stephanie GrochmalLauren ReynoldsJohn Luke Vega

7bErica ChristensonPalmer FryePeter House**

Mallorie LesherMark Wnuk

8aJohnarmon AntolinBrooke AsherMaverick ClaxtonJan Dela Cruz**Andrew Dinh**Stephanie JoostMiranda McCown

8bAshley AndersonKarla Aguirre-GuzmanJon CallantaBrandon ChinPaul Longenecker**Ashlea McCroneChristopher SalibaVictoria Salud**Albert TineAlexandra Young** Denotes All A’s

Christ the King Star StudentsFourth Quarter, 2008

1A - Hope Barras1B - Gabriel Dioso2A - Jared Bowling3A - Elly Rodriguez4A - Reem Farhat

4B - Harrison Abercrombie5A - Silvia Montana

5B - Helen Vu6A - Patrick O’Neal6B - Kelly Maroney

7A - Lauren Reynolds8A - Samantha Nagle8B - Alexandra Young

Art K-5 - Mia SolisArt 6-8 - Katie Tackett

Computers K-5 - Tyler ChinComputers 6–8 - William Morgan

Library K-5 - Sydney BarrettLibrary 6-8 - Wesley OliverMusic K-4 - Blessing Essien

Music 6-8 - Palmer FryeLiturgical Music - Rachel House

PE K-5 Austin StillwagonPE 6-8 - Heather BeckhamSpanish 1-5 - Kelly Wolfe

Spanish 6-8 - Tristan Reyes

Christ The King SchoolHonor Roll

Fourth Quarter2007-2008


Barbara Lesher Vacation Bible SchoolPeter House Fish FryJeff Broekman Fish FryJeff Asher Fish FryJohn & Tammy Patti Fish FryDebbie House Visitation of the SickMicah Ethridge CursilloJohn Klinkenberg Parish Council/Knights of ColumbusDiane Longenecker Alter ServersJohn Lewis Lector/ Knights of ColumbusFred Gardner Boy ScoutsBecky Schroder Girl ScoutsScott Steele Cub MasterKevin Wolfe CTK CourierPatrice Pruitt Ministry of HopePeter Chan ChoirBill Joost CTK Men’s ClubTim Johnson CKAATeachers of CK Children’s LiturgyDeidre Hicks MOMS MinistryJenny McClellan St. Vincent DePaulArmond Antolin Knights of ColumbusMike Yarborough Knights of ColumbusVirgilio Flores Knights of ColumbusGreg Gagnon Knights of ColumbusLawrence Dioso Knights of ColumbusMarcus Buckelew LectorKathy Desclefs LIFE TEEN BandHung Mai Vietnamese MinistryRon Lynch LectorDan Sanford Cub ScoutsJosephine Stanfill Girl Scouts

Do You Know TheseFaces?

by Stephanie Chinault

Christ the King School would like to feature some of our schoolparents who wear many volunteer hats, both in school and in parishactivities.

To be a parent takes a special commitment. Love and care are neededto make children grow. But today’s world includes additional responsi-bilities. Parents drive their children to extra curricular activities such asbaseball games and dance lessons; and, they oversee their children’sacademic responsibilities such as Social Studies projects and bookreports. Additionally, parents stay busy with their own jobs, running theirhouseholds, and volunteering at their children’s school. Despite all ofthese endeavors, some special parents manage to volunteer at Christ theKing Church as well. Maybe you recognize these school parents.


Next weekend we will load up a bus full of teens to once againcelebrate our annual Fall Retreat on Labor Day weekend. Thissemester’s theme “For Your Glory” focuses on doing all things for theglory of God. Ten years ago, LIFE TEEN went to Camp Immokalee forthe first annual Fall Retreat. Please pray for our teens who will becoming on retreat, and for our Parents for Life, CORE Team, and Musicfor Life as we minister to the teens of our parish. Come and celebratewith us at LIFE TEEN Mass as the teens return for Mass on August 31stat 5:00 p.m. We would love to see you there!

Steubenville Youth Conference inBoca Raton

by Katie Szarkowski

“I am not a parrot, I don’t just speak what I have heard, I am this, awitness.” This was the refrain to the theme song for this summer’sSteubenville Youth Conference. While we sat in session after session atthe conference, I just kept thinking to myself, what does it mean to be awitness? In this day and age, when I hear the word witness, I think ofwitnessing something horrific like a crime or a car accident, but the wordwitness means so much more. Webster’s dictionary defines a witness asattestation of a fact or event. What truly struck me about this definition isthat you can be a witness to something that is great, and not justsomething tragic. I have witnessed couples in love, exchanging weddingvows, I have witnessed the birth of a new child into the world, I havewitnessed teens giving of themselves at Camp I am Special, but more thananything I have witnessed the love God has for me in my own life and inthe lives of the teens here at Christ the King.

In mid June LIFE TEEN loaded up a small but mighty group of teensto attend the Steubenville Youth Conference in Boca Raton, FL. Theweekend was full of speakers giving testimony to the amazing power ofGod in their own lives, and how we are called to witness that love to otherpeople. The teens had the opportunity to go to Adoration both Fridaynight and Saturday night, to go to Reconciliation, attend Mass, and to heara lot of amazing speakers. As we left Boca Raton I asked the teens whatit meant to be a witness in their own lives.

Many said it meant being a true Catholic even when it is hard. Otherssaid it was telling their parents I love you and that God loves them too.Still others said they are a witness by doing community service. I oftenforget that I am a witness to the greatest event in history every day of mylife; I am a witness of the Resurrected Jesus. So many times my visiongets cloudy and my testimony gets quiet. I am gently reminded that in thefirst book of Acts, I am called by Christ to be a witness. Jesus did not askme to be a witness; he has called us out as his witnesses to give testimonyto his great power and love. I have witnessed how Jesus Christ changesthe lives of teens in our community. I have witnessed teens giving upeverything they have to enter the priesthood or religious life. I havewitnessed our own parish family coming together for Mass to celebrateJesus in the Eucharist. Come and be a witness to the amazing things Jesusis doing in the lives of the teens here at Christ the King. Come andcelebrate with us at LIFE TEEN Mass and witness it for yourself.

by Jeanette Ghioto

Ten years ago this month Parents for Life began at Christ the King.I had just retired from AT&T and started my new job at Catholic

Charities. The last thing in the world that I needed was a volunteer job.BUT, the Lord had a different plan! Nancy Powers was a friend of a friendand I was very surprised when one day my phone rang; it was Nancy –inviting me for a steak dinner at Longhorn. I KNEW there would be an“ask” associated with this dinner somewhere. Sure enough, Nancy askedme if I would head up the group of adults who would be called Parentsfor Life (PFL). This group would support the LIFE TEEN Parish programbased at Christ the King.

I decided to take a personal field trip to St. Anne’s Parish in Atlantaand check out their LIFE TEEN Program. I also made arrangements tomeet with the PFL coordinator who was affectionately called “thegeneral.” I can remember that I cried through the entire LIFE TEENMass. I was so moved by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when theyoung people all came forward. After Mass I briefly attended the LifeNight and then joined the general and her team of parents. Interestinglyenough, this group included adults from many walks of life – some werenot parents at all but rather adults who knew that the future of our Churchwas in our youth and wanted to be a part of the future through the youngpeople..

Fifty adults from many different careers and walks of life would cometogether every week in support of the LIFE TEEN program at St. Anne’s.They would make sure that snacks were provided for the Life Nights andsupport the retreats that were presented twice each year. The generalexplained to me that PFL was a group that was in service to LIFE TEEN.PFL would cook and clean and tactically help create an atmosphere offaith and holiness so that teens would be most inclined to hear and answerthe Lord’s call. They had a lot of fun, too.

I carried all of these ideas back to Jacksonville and then prayed thatour Lord would send people of faith to help. Sure enough many parentscame forward. We served the teens and thereby served the Lord and Hiscall to build His Church.

Many teens have come closer to Christ thanks to LIFE TEEN – I thinkmany adults have also renewed their faith in their work as Parents ForLife. CONGRATULATIONS Christ the King for 10 faithful years inservice to God through Parents For Life.

“At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who isthe greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placedit in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn andbecome like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in thekingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18: 1-4

Happy 10th

BirthdayParents for Life!

Some of the Parents for Life 1998

The first LIFE TEEN event was Mass at Metropolitan Park.Can you believe this was ten years ago?


Ordination 2008Ordination 2008

The priest continues thework of redemption on

earth...The Priesthood is the love

of the heart of Jesus.-Cure of Ars

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