Building the Kingdom of God Pastoral Plan
 

“But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

As Catholics, we are called to bring the Lord into our hearts, into our homes, into our workplaces, and into our community. We are called to build up the Church that exists as a sign and instrument of intimate union with God. We labor with and for the Lord that the Kingdom of God may be made known here on earth while we wait for the glory of Heaven.

In September of 2019, our parish launched a three-year pastoral plan with one focus: “Building the Kingdom of God.” The Lord desires to give us His Kingdom, to give us Himself, and He invites us to work with Him so that His loving reign may be established in ourselves and in our community here at the Parish of Christ the King. This public declaration of our mission is not our mission alone. In Bishop Konderla’s letter, God Builds a House, we see the desire to “build a culture of Catholic discipleship and community,” for “invitation,” for “relationship with Jesus Christ,” for “evangelization.” We are told that the purpose of the diocese, and the Church at large is to know, love, and serve God. Our priorities as a diocese are to strengthen the Domestic Church, form Catholic leaders, and make missionary disciples. All of these things build up the Kingdom of God. By Building the Kingdom of God, we participate in the vision of the diocese and of the universal Church. We are not alone in our mission. We are part of something greater.

We have broken the three years into intentionally focused subsets of our bigger vision:

Year One (2019-2020): "Building the Kingdom of God Within Us"
We begin by Building the Kingdom of God in ourselves through prayer, spiritual discipline, better understanding of traditional devotions, etc. We will strive to be docile to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to form us and inspire us with deeper love and desire for God and the pursuit of holiness. 

Year Two (2020-2021): “Building the Kingdom of God Upon Us” 
Jesus said to Peter, “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18). We will focus on familiarizing ourselves with Christ’s Church, His Bride—in understanding who she is, what she teaches, and why she teaches it.

Year Three (2021-2022): “Building the Kingdom of God Among Us”
With love of our Lord and knowledge of His teachings, we will focus on practicing missionary skills: sharing the Gospel, serving the poor, gathering in intentional community, sharing our personal testimonies and our faith with friends, family, and coworkers, inviting others into a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Each year's journey is designed to allow God to build His kingdom within our parish. As colaborers, we are responsible for being active participants in laying this foundation. Through your participation, and God's grace, we hope for our parish to

  1. know the person of Jesus Christ and have a relationship with Him that affects our daily lives,
  2. be familiar with the Church and her teachings,
  3. be confident in sharing the faith with family, friends, and coworkers and,
  4. be filled with peace, joy, compassion and parishioners striving for virtue.
Together, with complete trust in the Lord, we can truly be transformed into better men, women, children, husbands, wives, priests, sisters, brothers; we can be transformed into the holy People of God who strive first for His Kingdom and hope to enjoy the fullness of His Divine Love for eternity. And with your help and complete trust in the Lord and His faithfulness to us, we are confident that these three years will be a time of exceptional growth.
 

Year Two: "Building the Kingdom of God Upon Us" (current year)

Jesus said to Peter, “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18). We will focus on familiarizing ourselves with Christ’s Church, His Bride—in understanding who she is, what she teaches, and why she teaches it.

Initiatives: 

  1. Establishing a Comprehensive Catechetical Series
  2. Formation of Mentor Couples and Ministry Leaders
  3. Family-based Catechesis ​

Current Events:

  • Catechetical Video Series
    We are excited to kick off Year Two of Building the Kingdom of God (Upon Us) with a 10-month catechetical video series. With topics ranging from salvation, to Mary, diversity and more, Fr. Elkin will address foundational teachings of the Catholic Church. Sign up and each month you will receive an email containing a presentation from Fr. Elkin, related scripture, resources and discussion questions. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to submit your questions on that month's topic for the chance to be answered during a monthly Q&A video with our priests.

    Join the series at any time by simply signing up today!

    Content:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year One Recap: "Building the Kingdom of God Within Us" (2019-20)

In 2019, our parish began by Building the Kingdom of God in ourselves through prayer, spiritual discipline, better understanding of traditional devotions, etc. We strived to be docile to the Holy Spirit and allowed Him to form us and inspire us with deeper love and desire for God and the pursuit of holiness. 

Initiatives:

  1. An Increased Offering of Retreats: Two Annual Parent Retreats, Men’s and Women’s Silent Retreats, Annual Road to Emmaus Retreat

  2. Promoting Prayer, Sacraments, and Devotions: Colossians Family Challenge, Eucharistic Adoration opportunities, availability of Confession

  3. Spiritual Direction

Fruits of Year One:

As Catholics, we are called to bring the Lord into our hearts, into our homes, into our workplaces, and into our community. Hear from fellow parishioners on how Year One impacted them and the areas in which they experienced spiritual growth.

Survey:

While each year builds upon the previous, it is important to pause and reflect on the fruits gained upon the conclusion of each year. We encourage all parishioners to fill out this short survey so we can better plan and serve the needs of our community this year.