Welcome to the
place for news and information
about sharing in the life of the
Roman Catholic Community --
worldwide and locally here at
Christ the King Parish
Pleasant Hill, CA
We are ready to
help you learn about our beliefs and way of life,
whether you are in the category of "mildly curious" about the
Roman Catholic Community
or "eager to get started and ready
to become Catholic."
A new Summer
Inquiry series is set to begin
on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 7:15 p.m.
Call for details.
Hi, my name is
Al Garrotto. I'm coordinator of the Inquiry and New Catholics programs
here at
Christ the King Parish. It is my pleasure to assist people whose spiritual
journey
has led them to discover if God is calling them to find their spiritual home
within the Roman
Catholic Community. Many of our new Catholics say that the hardest step in the
whole process of becoming Catholic is making that first phone call to say, "Here
I am. What do I do next?" Well, I'm the "next."
When I receive the message that you called or otherwise approached the parish for information, I'll contact you and set up a time when we can get together to discuss your interest and spiritual needs. Then, I'll suggest the best way for you to pursue your inquiry.
For most people that "best way" is a group instruction process called Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The R stands for Rite (or liturgical ceremony). So, the full title of our process is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Sounds pretty stuffy, doesn't it. It's not. We laugh a lot while discussing some "heavy" spiritual and moral themes.
Don't be shy. I'd love to hear from you. You can contact me by calling the parish office at (925) 682-2486 or you can e-mail me.
Yours in Christ,
Alfred J.
Garrotto
RCIA Coordinator
Christ the King Parish
Pleasant Hill, CA
algarrotto@comcast.net
Our Motto
"We take what we believe and do very seriously,
but we don't take ourselves very seriously."
In Memory of Bill Joyce
Bill has served on our RCIA team for the last five years. His gentle wisdom and holiness have touched the lives of many of our new Catholics, making him much beloved among our faith community.
It has been the custom of RCIA Coordinator Al Garrotto to write a haiku poem as a gift to each team member at the end of the RCIA series. To view the poem's written for Bill at the end of the 2005-2008 years . . .
Searching for a Spiritual Home?
In our parish's RCIA process we talk a lot about the need we all have to find a spiritual home. It's our hope that inquirers who come to us will find such a home at Christ the King Parish and in the broader Roman Catholic Community. In his book, The Restless Heart, Ronald Rolheiser expresses the need for a home in these terms:
"Finding a home is not so much a question of finding a building, a city, a
country, or a place where we feel we belong. That's part of it. More deeply, finding a home is a question of moral affinity, of finding another heart or a
community of hearts wherein we feel at one, safe, warm, comfortable, able to be
ourselves, secure enough to express both faith and affection. To find a home is
to feel what Adam felt when he first saw Eve: 'At last, bone from my bone, flesh
from my flesh.' That's not so much an expression of sexual attraction as it is
of moral comfort. What Adam sensed in Eve that he
didn't sense in the rest of
creation was a home."
You're always welcome at our house! The photo at the right shows 17 adults just like you who found their spiritual home at Christ the King Parish and in the Roman Catholic Community. We welcomed them at Easter 2008.
Let us help you find your spiritual home, wherever that might be. If you are interested in being part of our program, I'd like to have a chance to meet you before you attend your first class. Call or e-mail me for an appointment.
"This
is not my house; it is the house of Christ.
It does not ask any comer whether he has a name
but whether he has an affliction.
You are suffering; you are hungry and thirsty;
be welcome."
Words of Bishop Myriel to Jean Valjean,
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
What it Means to be a
Catholic Christian
in the 21st Century
In his Easter
2006 message to the CTK community, Fr. Brian Joyce,
Pastor, wrote:
"The author James Joyce once described the Catholic Church as 'here comes
everybody'! Recently, when Fr. Daniel Berrrigan had a book dedicated to himself
as a 'Christian,' he corrected the author to say that he had left out one
phrase: 'would-be.' We are all 'would-be Christians.' Easter brings together
both 'seekers' and 'finders' (or at least those who think they have found
it all). It gathers once-a-year Catholics and daily Mass communicants. It
welcomes the rigorist and the unsure, the liberal and the conservative,
convinced Catholics, curious non-believers, and everyone in between.
"There's an
important life-giving lesson here. We cannot build a society or a church with
just liberals or just conservatives. To build true community, we need to work
with more than just those who are like-minded. A community, church, or parish
built with just the like-minded is hardly worth belonging to, because it
reflects neither what's best inside the human spirit nor the inclusive embrace
of Christ."
At the end of our 2007
- 2008 RCIA series,
17 "seekers" became "finders."
Read some of last year's new Catholics'
stories.
This could be you.
What Do Catholics Mean by "Conversion"?
Here is a two-part answer to the question. The first part, "Day and Merton: A Downward Path to Salvation," looks at two significant converts to Catholicism of the 20th century.
The second considers conversion in a broad sense that applies to every person, every day, not just to major changes in the direction of our lives "The Meaning of Conversion."
Listen to our RCIA theme song.
"You Called
My Name"
Inquiry
-- • --
Catechumenate
-- • --
Preparation/Enlightenment
--
Mystagogia
---
Music by Tim McCarthy,
Lyrics by Alfred J. Garrotto
Copyright (c) 2006 by T.
McCarthy and A. J. Garrotto
All rights reserved. Contact us to request permission to use.
At the Easter Vigil service on Saturday, March 22, 2008, we received 17 men and women into full participation in the Roman Catholic Community here at Christ the King. These folks prepared themselves for 9-12 months and now, as new Catholics, are excited about their new life in the Roman Catholic Christian Community.
A candidate and her sponsor meet
Bishop Allen Vigneron of the Diocese of Oakland, CA)
at the Rite of Election.
Fr. Joyce introduces our new Catholics
to the Christ the King Community.
Can't Find a Local Roman
Catholic Community
with an RCIA Program?
Not to worry!
You can take instructions in the
Catholic faith as a distance learner.
Yes, you'll need to find a faith community at some point,
but you can get a good headstart at:
"Around the Snack Table"
This is where we'll
answer some of the questions our inquirers
ask during snack breaks. We do our best to respond to all their
questions.
We'll keep adding to this section. (If there's something particular you must
know--RIGHT NOW!--send the RCIA coordinator an e-mail.)
Q:
What are the usual
steps in an adult's process for becoming Catholic?
A:
Becoming Catholic is a 4-step, or 4-phase, process. The linked
chart will
give you a better understanding of this process.
Q:
"What do Catholics believe about the Bible?"
A:
I'm so glad you asked. The Holy Scriptures are one of the most important ways in
which we make contact with God. It isn't the only way, but the Bible is
an essential ingredient in Catholic belief. Let me refer you to two brief
teachings by Fr. Brian Joyce, our pastor, on this topic.
-- "The
Bible: What It Is and What It Is Not"
--
"How
to Read the Bible"
Q:
"I feel so dumb when I go to Mass. I don't know the prayers and responses people
around me are saying."
A:
Okay,
click here
and you'll find a two-page "cheat sheet" with all the Mass responses on it.
Take
it to church next Sunday and you'll be praying like a cradle Catholic.
Q:
"Speaking of the Mass, I've started attending a Catholic Church, but I still
don't know what the Mass is all about? Can you help me?"
A:
I think so, follow this link to an explanation of the
essence of the Mass.
Q: Are science and faith incompatible?
Q. Where does Catholic theology stand on Evolution vs. Creationism?
Q: Why do Catholics display statues and sometimes "pray to" them?
Q: What's up with this Purgatory thing? More about Purgatory (What Ever Happened to It?).
Q: Why are Catholics allowed to celebrate Halloween?
Q: What's an Advent Wreath and what does it mean?
Other Catholic Sites of Interest and Information
Catholic
Encyclopedia--Everything
you ever wanted to know about Catholicism . . . .
(Note: This is very complete and may give you more information than you want,
but it's a gold mine of Scripture, theology and Catholic Tradition.)
Saint of the Day--Practically every day of the year one or more of the saints is honored throughout the Catholic world. Click on the link to read about today's special saint.
Fr. Ronald Rolheiser--One of today's most insightful Catholic spiritual writers, this Canadian priest has written the highly recommended books, The Holy Longing, Against an Infinite Horizon, and The Restless Heart. His weekly columns on his website are thought-provoking and deeply insightful. This is a sight you will want to return to every week.
[NOTE: As we build this site, we will continue to add links to web sites of interest to those inquiring about the Catholic faith.]
If you experience a problem with any of
the links on this website,
please report it, so I can fix it. Thank you.--Al
Garrotto
Site created 9-19-2004
Last updated: 5-8-2008