The Pastoral Council is an advisory board designed to consult with the pastor
regarding aspects of parish life that support wholeness and holiness. The council
strives to assure that all aspects of parish life reflect the mission and ministry
of Jesus. The PPC meets at the discretion of the Pastor.
Adult Education is a program offered to the parish to foster spiritual growth.
Programs cover a variety of subjects such as Basic Bible study, Our Catholic
Creed, Vatican 11 and others. They are usually video presentations with discussion
following. Sessions are held in the fall and spring on Thursdays at 9:15 a.m.
and /or 7:00 p.m.
The Finance Council is an appointed advisory council to assist the pastor in financial
matters. It prepares Christ the King's annual budget, gives advisement to the pastor on
plant repairs and maintenance, helps in the formulation of the school's tuition, and
prepares the end of the year parish financial report for the diocese. Meetings are called
at the discretion of the pastor.
The Altar and Rosary Society is a church organization open to all women of
Christ the King Parish committed to being of service to the Church through volunteer
and social activities. They are affiliated with the Diocesan Council of Catholic
Women. All women of the parish are considered members of the Altar and Rosary
Society. All meetings are announced in the weekly church bulletin.
The Holy Name Society is the Men's Group of our parish family. They sponsor religious,
social and fund-raising events within the parish. The Holy Name Society supports many
needs of the church and school including athletics and scouting. All men of the parish are
considered members of the Holy Name Society and are welcome at meetings that are announced
in the weekly church bulletin.
The Arts and Crafts Club meets weekly on Tuesdays to work on individual projects
or group endeavors. An Arts and Crafts Bazaar is held in the fall with the proceeds
going to the parish. We solicit handmade items from our parishioners for this
sale. Members eager to learn new crafts may attend classes introducing new projects
including embroidery, quilting, flower arranging, etc. Any member of the parish
is invited to join the Arts and Crafts Club.
The Christ the King Over 50 Club is a social and support organization in our parish
community with membership open to all parishioners who have passed the half-century age
mark. Whether single or a couple, all parishioners over age 50 are welcome. The group
meets on the First Friday of each month (October through May) following the 5:30 p.m.
Mass. A potluck is held with entertainment and speakers and a short business meeting.
The "'Legion of Mary" is a worldwide organization founded in Ireland
in 1921. The object of the Legion is the glory of God through the sanctification
of its members by prayer and active cooperation. All prayers are devoted to
the Blessed Mother. There are two types of memberships: active and auxiliary.
Active members meet weekly on Tuesdays in the St. Joseph's Room. Auxiliary members
support the Legion through prayer. They pray the rosary daily along with prayers
in the Tessera, a special leaflet containing the prayers of the Legion.
The Christ the King St. Vincent de Paul Society was established approximately 20 years
ago. They meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the St. Joseph's Room,
except during the months of June, July and August. Their major projects include the
Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for the needy, underwriting meals at St. John's
Breadline, contributions to non-profit organizations and emergency aid cases. The Chapter
is strong and healthy and it continues to serve the needs of the poor and disadvantaged.
New members are always welcome.
The Youth Ministry is a program involving all youth of the parish in the 7th through
12th grades. The goals of this ministry are to foster a total personal and spiritual
growth of each young person; to involve youth in responsible participation in life,
mission and work of our faith community; and to encourage our youth to become disciples of
Jesus Christ by witnessing their faith in living and working for justice, peace and human
dignity. To achieve these goals the program includes a balance of spiritual, social and
service activities such as Teen Masses, discussion groups, sports activities, lockins,
dances, fund-raisers and community service projects.
The Liturgy Committee provides direction to the public prayer of our parish
family and is composed of the leaders/coordinators of each of our parish ministries
... Art & Environment, Music, Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors Ushers, etc.
This group meets once a month to coordinate and unify the efforts of the individual
organizations, to "brainstorm," to plan long term-events and to set
goals for the parish as a whole.
The primary purpose of our Christ the King musicians is to bring people closer to God
through music. Our focus is to enhance congregational singing, thereby uniting us as one
through sung prayer. Through a cooperative spirit and a willingness to learn, our singers
and instrumentalists strive for quality in order to bring themselves and our community to
a closer union with God. The various musical groups are as follows:
CTK Adult Choir
The Christ the King adult choir is composed of registered CTK members who show a talent and/or interest in sung prayer. The adult choir rehearses on Thursday evenings in the church from 7:00-8:30 p.m. During the Christmas and Easter season, they rehearse until 9:00 p.m.
CTK Cantor Group
The cantor group consists of choir members who have a trained solo voice of any range. These members of the choir lead the responsorial psalms and acclamations. Alone, they also provide music at one of our weekend Masses each week. They join the choir members for rehearsals on Thursday evenings and continue with a "cantor only" rehearsal from 8:30-9:30 p.m. They also join the choir members for our major church celebrations.
CTK Guitar Group
This group sings at the 11:00 a.m. Mass two times per month. This group, perhaps more appropriately called a "contemporary ensemble", consists of guitarists, a pianist and a few vocalists. Whereas the other groups focus on a wide variety of musical styles, this group's repertoire is primarily contemporary due to its instrumentation. This group rehearses on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m., prior to the 11:00 a.m. Mass.
CTK Instrumentalists
Keyboardists, pianists, organists, woodwind players, percussionists and guitarists are among our CTK instrumental players. The CTK instrumentalists are the backbone of all of our musical groups. They rehearse with the other
musicians and provide a solid foundation for our singers, as well as provide their own type of prayer through instrumental arrangements of musical works.
CTK Teen Choir
The teen choir consists of 25-30 high school students who demonstrate a willingness and ability to be active in a parish ministry. Their leadership role prepares them for the future position they will hold as leaders of our church. They are a dedicated group of teens who rehearse each Wednesday evening from 5-6:00 p.m. in the church. They sing at one Mass per weekend, and join the adult musicians in major church celebrations. Eighth grade students are admitted by invitation only.
CTK Funeral Choir
This generous group of volunteers is "on call" to provide music at our Masses of Resurrection, usually with a day or two notice. The majority of our funerals are during the day, so members of this group need to be available during daytime hours. This group rehearses once a year, during the month of November and 30 minutes prior to each funeral.CTK Children's Choirs
The 5th through 8th grade school choir, known as the Jr. Crusaders, along with the "class of the week" provide support for the assembly singing for the Wednesday morning school Masses during the school year. This group consists of auditioned students who show a talent and/or interest in the areas of music, drama and dance. This group also has a show choir repertoire and provides entertainment at various social, civic and church events throughout the year.
CTK Funky Alleluias
This group includes first through seventh grade CTK and PSR students who enjoy lifting their voices and hearts to God in song. They lead the singing at designated Children's Masses. This group also provides music for the Children's Christmas Mass.
This program is designed for small children who leave after the opening prayer of Mass
with volunteer leaders and return during the Offertory of the Mass. During the 20 minutes
or so that they are gone, they will hear the Mass readings from the Children's Lectionary
and discuss them, along with various activities, music and children's bulletins. They meet
during the 9:30 a.m. Mass each Sunday, excluding major holidays. Adult volunteer leaders
are always needed and welcomed.
Caregivers: Interfaith Volunteers of Springfield (CIVS), a program coordinated through
St. John's Hospital Third Age Living, works through partner churches to provide volunteer
help for older adults and their families. CTK Caregivers assist persons to maintain
independence, dignity and quality of life by providing transportation, errand running,
friendly visits, home repair/home maintenance and short term respite care. Time commitment
by the volunteers is flexible and persons who register and attend an orientation must have
liability coverage. New volunteers are always needed. Individuals needing assistance or
wishing to volunteer should contact either CIVS at
726-2134 or the CTK Coordinators.
CIVS Mission Statement
Caregivers: Interfaith Volunteers of Springfield (CIVS) is a network of religious
congregations and community agencies who through groups of trained volunteers assist the
frail elderly and their families maintain their independence, dignity, and quality of life
and prevent unnecessary institutionalization.
Christ the King Parish is responsible for the pastoral care of two nursing
homes, SPRINGFIELD HEALTHCARE CENTER and LEWIS MEMORIAL CHRISTIAN VILLIAGE.
Visits are made to each nursing home by two groups each Monday morning. A priest
celebrates Mass at each nursing home once or twice a month, Springfield Healthcare
is celebrated at 10 a.m. and Lewis Memorial is celebrated at 11 a.m. On the
other week, a Communion Service is held and the Rosary recited. Those who visit
the nursing homes are mandated to be able to give out Communion. If you would
like to volunteer for this ministry, please call the parish office.
The purpose of Moms-In-Touch International is to encourage mothers and others
to meet and to pray for children and schools. They desire to be a positive encouragement
and support for public and private schools, praying that our schools may be
guided by biblical values and high moral standards. Moms-In-Touch meet on Tuesdays
from 1:30-2:30 p.m. during the school year. They meet twice during the summer.
The CTK Preschool Playgroup is a group made up of stay-at-home Moms, moms who
work part-time, and children, ages newborn through kindergarten. They meet on
Monday mornings for friendship and fun. The Playgroup helps develop friendships
with other families in the parish and gives the children a chance to interact
with other children their age. They do crafts, have field trips, freeplay, celebrate
holidays with a special party, have a Christmas cookie exchange each year, occasionally
have a Couples Night Out and on the first Wednesday of each month, have a Moms
Night Out for dinner, socializing and planning activities for the following
month.