Christmas and New Year’s Message from the Pastor and Associate Pastor 2025

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Dear beloved parishioners and friends of Christ the King Parish,

Grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you in this holy season.
As we remember and celebrate with joy the birth of Christ this Christmas, we use this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. We thank God for each one of you and for the gift of our faith which has brought us into this CTK parish family.

This year has been a beautiful journey of faith, hope, and renewal in our parish as we responded to the call of our late Holy Father, Pope Francis, and our Archdiocese in celebrating “The Jubilee Year of Hope”. Permit us to recap the many blessings we received during Masses throughout 2025:

  • January 24 – We celebrated the Jubilee of the Word with a blessing to Lectors.
  • February 8 – Jubilee of Armed Forces, Police, Fire and Security personnel – blessing to current and retired persons who serve in these professions.
  • March 7 – Jubilee of the World of Volunteering –blessing of parish and community volunteers.
  • April 4 – Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care workers – We gave blessing to current and
  • retired persons who serve in these professions.
  • April 25 – Jubilee of Teenagers – blessing for those between the ages of 13 – 19
  • May 2 – Jubilee of Workers and Entrepreneurs – blessing for those in the workforce
  • May 30 – Jubilee of Families, Grandparents, Children & the Elderly – blessing for those
  • 55 years of age or more
  • July – August – We put our faith in action with a food drive to support our Society
  • of St Vincent de Paul (our 2 conferences received over 700 items for our emergency
  • pantries valued at approximately $1800.00). This gave hope to our less privileged
  • brothers and sisters in our community and beyond.
  • September 21 – Jubilee of Catechists (also Diocese Jubilee)- blessing for those who serve
  • in these ministries.
  • October 19 – Diocesan Jubilee of Evangelization – our Bilingual mass and
  • Pilgrimage to St, Mary’s Basilica (approximately 90 people attended), it was truly a
  • moment of grace.
  • November 16 – Jubilee of the Poor and the Diocesan Jubilee of Social Justice – blessing
  • for all who serve the less fortunate in our broader community. Our Shelter Committee organized a Community Dinner which provided over 100 meals to those who are food insecure in our community.
  • November 23 – Jubilee of Choirs –blessing to those who share their musical gifts in the parish and community.
  • December 8 – Diocesan Jubilee of Liturgy – We blessed all those who serve in these ministries.

Through these celebrations, the Lord has walked with us this year in every joy and challenge, and our individual and collective witnesses have been a great blessing to our community.

The Jubilee of Hope, Advent and Christmas remind us once again that our God is faithful and he gives us signs of hope each new day to sustain us in our faith journey. In the humility of the Child Jesus, we see the love of a God who comes close, who knows our struggles, and who fills our darkness with his radiant light. We pray that the peace of his presence may transform your homes and your hearts and fill you with the joy that surpasses all human understanding.

We, your pastors, express our deepest gratitude for your love, prayers, caring, generosity, service, support and commitment to the mission of our parish. A million thank you’s to Deacon Larry, the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), Pastoral Council (PC), Finance Council (FC),and all the faith filled volunteers of our 36 Worship, Discipleship, Evangelization, and Fellowship ministries and groups in the parish. Through sharing your time, talents and treasures, each of you has helped make our parish truly a place where people Come to encounter Christ, Joyfully share his love, and where disciples are formed and empowered to go make other disciples.

As we prepare to enter a new year, we invite all parishioners to step forward with renewed faith. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Whatever uncertainties or blessings lie ahead in 2026, we place them confidently in God’s hands. May the coming year be one of spiritual growth, unity, healing, deeper discipleship, and joyful service in our parish family. May the Lord bless our homes with health, peace, and the grace to love one another more deeply. We pray for God’s healing upon the sick, eternal rest for our loved ones who have died and comfort for those who mourn. And for all those who travel this Season, may God grant you safety throughout your journey.

From the depth of our hearts, we wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a grace-filled New Year!

With prayerful blessings,

Fr. Toochukwu Okafor
Pastor

Fr. Alain Dosseh
Associate Pastor

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