Fall is a hopeful time for us, as we anticipate the cooler weather and the holidays that follow!
As you are aware, October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary to honor Our Blessed Mother and to meditate on the life of Our Lord. Pope Leo invites us to pray the Rosary every day this month for peace, and a Rosary for Peace will be prayed in St. Peter’s Square on October 11th. We encourage you to join our Christ the King community in praying the rosary, and there are many opportunities to do so, including before every daily mass.
September saw a busy and fruitful month for the Altar Society. On Sunday, September 14, Jacqueline Mauer and her committee welcomed back our parish community with our first Community Donut Sunday in our brand-new Parish Center. Many thanks to Jaqueline and to all of her helpers. It was well attended, and there were plenty of donuts and refreshments for all. The 29 visiting seminarians and two guest priests were very happy and even got a box of donuts to go! Sheila Patrick represented the Altar Society well and convinced a few ladies to join our wonderful group.
On September 17, our fundraising chairs Gayle Agnew, Betty Hovas, and Dianna Unis hosted the Bingo Luncheon Kick-Off meeting in the Parish Center, and they are well on their way to putting together a fabulous event next spring. On September 24th, we celebrated the officers of the Kingsmen, St. Anne’s, Christ the King Parents’ Association and the Altar Society with an inspiring induction Mass by Fr. Tony. Thank you to Father Tony, to Andrée Hawkins for serving as our lector, and to Susan Kairis and her committee for a lovely fall inspired Brunch after Mass. We were pleased that Laura Ninesling, Andrew Petiprin and Natalie Harris could joins us.
On September 29, our Sacristans led us in Fall Cleaning Day of the church. Thank you to Marlyn
Conrow, Gloria Erdman and all who helped in cleaning our beautiful church. It is a big undertaking, and every volunteer made a difference!
As we head into October and the rest of the year, remember to go to the website to see the exciting and inspirational events and programs planned for this year. After you log in to ctkaltarsociety.org, go to Members Only, click on Upcoming Events, and follow the prompts to sign up. There are also many ways to participate and connect with other members of the Altar Society by volunteering. After logging in, go to Members Only, click on My Profile, and then check any volunteer opportunities that interest you. If you need help, contact Lorraine Hellinghausen at lhellinghausen@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you and sharing these experiences with you.
Here are some highlights for October:
Mah Jongg Mondays have begun! If you are interested in learning or playing Mah Jongg, sign up on our website under Upcoming Events. Mah Jongg is a fun way to socially connect with other members. We are grateful to Erika Spinazzola for providing this opportunity for our members.
First Friday Adoration is a spiritual opportunity offered by Christ the King Church thanks to the leadership of Beverly Marroy and Debbie Begert. We encourage you to take one hour on the first Friday of every month to sit in God’s presence in our beautiful church.
On Tuesday, October 7th, Gina Rischard is hosting a New Member Meet and Greet at her home. If you have recently joined the Altar Society, look for the paperless post invitation in your email.
Programming chairs Lauri Miller and Stephanie Strange have a special event planned for Wednesday, October 22nd at 10 am in the Parish Center. Charismatic speaker Joseph Rodriguez will be giving a talk titled “Living Life as a Pilgrim.” Mr. Rodriguez has led many Catholic pilgrimages and is sure to enlighten us. Please join us!
For those who signed up for a physical membership directory, they should be arriving this week. Remember, an online directory is always available at the CTKAS website.
Lastly, please reach out to Rose Hoff at rose.stanzel.hoff@gmail.com if you would like her to include someone in need of prayers on our prayer chain or if you would like to receive her beautiful prayer chain emails.
I look forward to a wonderful fall of faith and fellowship with you.
With gratitude,
Ana Yoder
Altar Society President 2025-2026