Rectory: 783-7459 Fax: 789-3671

Religious Formation: 789-0417

www.ctkri.org Email: info@ctkri.org

Rev. Joseph Creedon Parish Priest Mrs. Nancy Drennan Pastoral Associate Mr. Thomas Kendzia Director of Music Mrs. Andrea Theroux Assist. Director Music

Mrs. Jennifer Marran Director of

Religious Formation Mrs. Georgann Lardaro Assistant Director of Religious Formation Mrs. Brenda Tougas

RF Admin. Assistant Ms. Beth Hogan Parish Manager Mrs. Christine Quigley

Assist. Parish Manager Mr. Joseph Hyde

Custodian Mrs. Lucita Taboada Housekeeper

URI Catholic Center Rev. Matthew Glover Chaplain Mrs. Judy Klopfenstein

Admin. Assistant 874-2324

Confession: Saturday: 4 p.m.

Masses: Saturdays: 5 p.m. Sundays: 8, 9:15,

11:35 a.m., 8 p.m.

Monday – Friday at Noon at the

Catholic Center

CHRIST THE KING PARISH MISSION STATEMENTChrist the King Parish is a welcoming and open Catholic community, believers in the Gospel ofJesus Christ. We live out the challenge of our Baptism by sharing Time, Talent and Treasure.

We strive through the celebration of the Eucharist and participation in lay ministries, educational opportunities and community outreach to become the eyes and hands of Christ.

PARISH MEMBERSHIP: We welcome all new parishioners and ask you to register as soon as possible to ensure your full participation in the life of our parish. Please advise the parish office of any telephone/address changes.

Christ the KingParish180 Old North RoadKingston, RI 02881

Solemnity of theEpiphany of the LordJanuary 2, 2011

PONDERINGTime is a funny if precious gift. We have justflipped the page to a new year. Those of us whostill write checks upon occasion or still send hand-written letters or notes will no doubt write 2010instead of 2011 for a while, but that hardly qualifiesas earth shattering news.Some can hardly wait for 2010 to be over. Therewas for them too much suffering, too much pain,and too much bad news. For them 2011 has to be anupgrade. Others want to cling to 2010. For themthere was only good news, promotions and contin-ued good health. For them 2011 could be a case ofpushing their luck.What will the coming year hold for us? What wasthe year just passed like for us? I forget the saintwho said, “For all that has been, ‘Thank You,” forall that will be ‘Yes!’” Whether we are able to sayand mean such a concept is nowhere near as im-portant as our willingness to meditate on itsmeaning.The longer I live the more I am amazed howquickly the years fly by. When I realize how old Iam, how long I have been ordained, how long Ihave been blessed to be part of this community offaith I am always left to ponder why it seems muchshorter than it really is.Could it possibly 12 years since we all lived thoughthe Y2K crisis? Could it really be 11 years since thebuildings came tumbling down in New York City?During Christmas I love catching up with our col-lege students who are home on vacation. I alwaysask what year they are in and am completely un-prepared for them to say Junior or Senior yearwhen it seems they just went off to college yester-day. When I run into folks from my past, I am un-prepared for them to be as old as they are. How canthey be aging when I am not?Yes, time is a precious and mysterious gift. OurGod, who lives outside of time, has through Jesusentered into time. That is a mystery I will neverfully appreciate. As we begin another new year,may we remember this quote, “The past is history,the future is mystery, the today is gift and that iswhy we call it the present.”Happy New Year!

MASS INTENTIONSSunday, January 28 a.m. Joseph and Nickki Cottone9:15 a.m. George St. Germain

William O’Malley11:35 a.m. Mary Ellen McLaughlin Bob DonohueThursday, January 612 p.m. George St. GermainSaturday, January 85 p.m. Robert Manning

Corliss Manning Wotherspoon Philip DuriganSunday, January 99:15 a.m. Frederick Higgins

Katherine Helweg Peter Kirilenko

11:35 a.m. William A. McGarry, Sr. Helen F. McGarry

Raymond Donnelly

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHTToday we remember the three wise men from theEast who came to pay homage to the infant Jesus,bringing Him rich gifts of gold, frankincense andmyrrh. The gifts we bring – our time, service andsome share of what we earn for the work we do –are equally precious in His sight.

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISMThe sacrament of Baptism will becelebrated during the 9:15 a.m. liturgy onSunday, January 9. Five new members will be wel-comed into our community of faith. We joyfullyannounce these children and their parents:

Caroline Josephine Crupe,daughter of William and Meghan Crupe, Jr.

Oliver Douglas Krupp, son of Brandon and Andrea Krupp

Lyla Herminia Lewandoski,daughter of Eric and Melissa Lewandoski

Hayley Jean Maxwell,daughter of Brandon and Stacey Maxwell

Wyatt Warner McCann,son of John and Amanda McCann

RELIGIOUS FORMATIONClasses resume on January 9 for gradesPre-K – 10.

First Communion – Grade 2The second Parent Meeting for the First Commun-ion program is Wednesday, January 12 at 7 p.m. inthe parish hall. Sign-ups for First Communiondates begin at 6:30 p.m.

Faith Through the Years – GenerationsIt is that time of year again when the ReligiousFormation committee and the 4th grade RF classesbegin to prepare for the upcoming GenerationsUnit. This unit deals with family life: caring,learning and sharing among members of our im-mediate and extended families. Many children to-day do not have the opportunity to interact withthe older population. Perhaps you can help us onSunday, February 13. We are looking for seniors,singles or couples, who would be willing to visitone class and share some memories about theirchildhood and its similarities and differences withtoday’s world. Please call the RF Office at 789-0417to help.

First Reconciliation – Grade 5The second parent meeting for First Reconciliationprogram is Wednesday, January 26 at 7 p.m. in theParish Hall. If you have had a child who was in theprogram within the last three years this meeting isoptional.

Scout Religious AwardsAll Cub Scout (Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei) andBrownie Girl Scout (For the Love of God, HolyFamily) completed work is due on January 29. TheParish Scout Religious Awards Mass is Saturday,March 5 at 5 p.m.

Confirmation NotesThe next class for both Phase I & Phase II, in Wash-burn/Parish Hall is Sunday, January 9.

ADVENT FOOD COLLECTIONThe Social Action Committee wants to thank themany generous members of the Christ the KingParish community who donated so much food tothe families who have used the emergency foodpantry this year. They all received overflowingAdvent baskets. Many people showed up to sort,organize and to deliver the food that gives morethan 30 families a delicious Christmas dinner, aswell as supplying food for January.  

ADULT EDUCATIONOn Tuesday, January 11 at 7 p.m. in the parish halljoin our presenter Rev. Robert Hawkins, Pastor ofSt. Luke Church, Barrington. R.I.Sometimes we say a lot with just a few words. TheMarines say, “Semper Fi”, Nike says, “Just Do It”,the Boy Scouts motto is “Be Prepared”. As a com-munity, in the Creed we say the church is “one,holy, catholic and apostolic”. This presentationwill unpack these few words in the hope that wecan grow in our Catholic identity.

STEPHEN MINISTRY MESSAGENew Year’s Resolution time. So many of themdon’t last for more than a few hours. In these diffi-cult times, a Christian friend, with no agenda ex-cept to share your troubles and work with you to-ward finding a solution, may be just what you needto start the new year. Why not make a resolution tocall and ask for a Stephen Minister. Someone whowill talk with you, listen to your feelings and con-cerns, and will help you to get through the toughtimes. Contact Carol Hartley at 783-4036 (emailcarolhartley@cox.net), Larry Bartley at 965-7276(email LJBJR@cox.net) or call the office at 783-7459.

VIEWS FROM THE PEWWe received many Views from the Pew about therecent funeral for our parishioner, John Addington.Due to space limitations in the bulletin we havereprinted them and posted them on the bulletinboards in the hallway.

STOREHOUSE DESSERTSChrist the King has generously supported theStorehouse by providing desserts for their Fridaynight meals. Christ the King is responsible for theFriday, January 21 meal and if you can drop off adessert on that Friday between 9 – 10 a.m. or 4 – 5p.m. on Allen Ave., Wakefield, it would be greatlyappreciated. Contact Karen Hawkins at 792-2249for more information or directions.

CALENDAR FOR JANUARY 3 – 9Monday, January 37 p.m. Religious Formation Comm./Library7 p.m. Stephen Ministry Support/HallTuesday, January 47:30 p.m. ChoirWednesday, January 58:30 a.m. Staff Meeting/LibrarySaturday, January 84 p.m. ConfessionSunday, January 99:15 a.m. Baptism5:30 p.m. PH I/Washburn5:30 p.m. PH II/Hall

The Twelve Days of ChristmasDennis Bratcher

The Twelve Days of Christmas is probably the most misunderstood part of the church yearamong Christians who are not part of liturgical church traditions. Contrary to much popularbelief, these are not the twelve days before Christmas, but in the Western Church are the twelvedays from Christmas until the beginning of Epiphany (January 6th; the 12 days count from De-cember 25th until January 5th).The origin of the Twelve Days is complicated, and is related to differences in calendars, churchtraditions, and ways to observe this holy day in various cultures. In the Western church, Epiph-any is traditionally celebrated as the time the three Wise Men or Magi arrived to present gifts tothe young Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12). In some cultures, especially Hispanic and Latin American cul-ture, January 6th is observed as Three Kings Day, or simply the Day of the Kings. Even thoughDecember 25th is celebrated as Christmas in these cultures, January 6th is often the day forgiving gifts. In some places it is traditional to give Christmas gifts for each of the Twelve Daysof Christmas.The Twelfth Night is January 5th, the last day of the Christmas Season before Epiphany (Janu-ary 6th), and often included feasting along with the removal of Christmas decorations. Frenchand English celebrations of Twelfth Night included a King’s Cake, remembering the visit ofthe Three Magi, and ale or wine. In some cultures, the King’s Cake was part of the celebrationof the day of Epiphany.The popular song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is usually seen as simply a nonsense songfor children. However, some have suggested that it is a song of Christian instruction dating tothe 16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of theFaith. They contend that it was a mnemonic device to teach the catechism to youngsters. The“true love” mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The “me”who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith.Each of the “days” represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for childrento learn.However, many have questioned the historical accuracy of this origin of the song The TwelveDays of Christmas. It seems that some have made an issue out of trying to debunk this as an “ur-ban myth,” some in the name of historical accuracy and some out of personal agendas. There islittle “hard” evidence available either way. Some church historians affirm this account as basi-cally accurate, while others point out apparent historical discrepancies. However, the “evi-dence” on both sides is mostly in logical deduction and probabilities.It is certainly possible that this view of the song is legendary or anecdotal. Without corrobora-tion and in the absence of “substantive evidence,” we probably should not take rigid positionson either side and turn the song into a crusade for personal opinions. That would do more toviolate the spirit of Christmas than the song is worth. So, for the sake of historical accuracy, weneed to acknowledge this uncertainty.However, on another level, this uncertainty should not prevent us from using the song in cele-bration of Christmas. Many of the symbols of Christianity were not originally religious, in-cluding even the present date of Christmas, but were appropriated from contemporary cultureby the Christian Faith as vehicles of worship and proclamation. Perhaps, when all is said anddone, historical accuracy is not really the point. Perhaps more important is that Christians cancelebrate their rich heritage, and God's grace, through one more avenue this Christmas. Now,when they hear what they once thought was a secular "nonsense song," they will be remindedin one more way of the grace of God working in transforming ways in their lives and in ourworld. After all, is that not the meaning of Christmas anyway?

-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright © 2005, Dennis Bratcher