Corpus Christi Blog

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I recently received this letter from a parishioner & teacher at the parish and school I was at before coming to Corpus Christi. I was so thankful to hear how much our Lord has done in this woman’s heart and life, and so honored to hear that He used me to be a catalyst. I might have planted a seed, but God watered it and caused the growth, so this story is about God’s amazing love and unwavering pursuit of our hearts. I thanked her personally, and I asked her permission to share parts of her letter in an effort to inspire others to grow in their relationship with God, too. As you will read, although she was somewhat (perhaps reluctantly) practicing her faith, this woman didn’t really know what it meant or looked like to have a relationship with God. I know many people who go to Mass could probably say the same thing. Not only will you see how much her relationship with God has helped and changed her for the better, but also the joy and freedom she feels now that she knows the love of God and is actively fostering that relationship. Notice how this relationship with God has changed her outlook on life, how much she is growing in trusting the Lord and putting Him in the center of her life, and how she truly is making great strides now in becoming a disciple (something we all are called to do).

However, this parish didn’t have Discovering Christ, which is a ministry I brought to Corpus Christi to help foster the type of relationship with God she writes about. So, as you read this and find yourself wanting more of what she has, consider this an invitation from me to sign-up for Discovering Christ. Our next session begins Jan 14th. I know God is pursuing you, calling you to a deeper and deeper relationship. Perhaps Discovering Christ will be the catalyst God uses in your life to give you the joy and freedom this woman is experiencing.

Through Him, with Him, in Him,
Fr. Chad King

Dear Father Chad,
I don’t know if you even remember me, but you and I met before you took on your head pastor position.

You have such a positive, energetic, welcoming demeanor, and I felt it was the right time, person, and place to to share my first confession with you in twenty years. I had struggled with my Catholic Faith for two decades, endured some truly difficult situations, questioned “God’s love for me,” and turned away from the Church. I had absolutely no understanding of Jesus, faith, and having a relationship with Him. I was lost. I was in an unhealthy, unhappy marriage, acted like a single mom to my only daughter, and felt alone.

1. Thinking that what you do or say is better than what others do or say;
2. Always wanting to get your own way;
3. Arguing when you are not right or — when you are — insisting stubbornly or with bad manners;
4. Giving your opinion without being asked for it, when charity does not demand you to do so;
5. Despising the point of view of others;
6. Not being aware that all the gifts and qualities you have are on loan;
7. Not acknowledging that you are unworthy of all honour or esteem, even the ground you are treading on or the things you own;
8. Mentioning yourself as an example in conversation;
9. Speaking badly about yourself, so that they may form a good opinion of you, or contradict you;
10. Making excuses when rebuked;
11. Hiding some humiliating faults from your director, so that he may not lose the good opinion he has of you;
12. Hearing praise with satisfaction, or being glad that others have spoken well of you;
13. Being hurt that others are held in greater esteem than you;
14. Refusing to carry out menial tasks;
15. Seeking or wanting to be singled out;
16. Letting drop words of self-praise in conversation, or words that might show your honesty, your wit or skill, your professional prestige…;
17. Being ashamed of not having certain possessions…

Read the original article here.

I’m so excited to take on the role of Youth Minister and continue to serve the youth of this parish. I know that saying goodbye to Anthony was bittersweet, but I hope to build onto the strong foundation that he’s formed and help the ministry flourish at a new level! I have already felt so welcomed by this community during my first few weeks here, especially by the amazing parish staff. I’m looking forward to getting to know the families of Corpus Christi and integrating my own into parish life.

I’d like to take this opportunity to briefly introduce myself. My name is Grace Rivera and I was born and raised as a Diocese of Phoenix Catholic. I grew up at Saint Maria Goretti Parish in Scottsdale, where my parents were married and my husband, Daniel and I were married as well, two years ago last May. I think it’s important to mention that I am the young Catholic woman I have become today due to two main influences: my parents and a great high school youth group. My parents took their role as the primary teachers of the faith seriously, and instilled in me, my brother Noah, and my sister Rose, a deep love for Jesus Christ and His Church. By their example, I have been able to establish a home and mission within the Body of Christ.

Father Chad spoke to everyone about a “do-it-yourself” retreat in preparation for Marian Consecration. He welcomed everyone to share in this retreat and invited participants to come every Thursday night. The retreat is called 33 Days to Morning Glory. I would like to share a short story, or should I say, a gift from God, with everyone. In our house we have a prayer room. Every morning at 6:30 AM, before my wife, Rose leaves for work, I will go in there to light six candles – a candle for Jesus, St. Michael the Archangel, Guardian Angel, St. Joseph, St. Jude, and Mother Mary. In the middle of those candles is a statuette of the Divine Mercy image of Jesus. We start every morning with the Holy Rosary followed by the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Then we pray for a list of people and finish with a prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel. When we're done, my wife will put out all six candles and finish getting ready for work. After my wife leaves, I would go back upstairs and do some work on the computer. One morning, when going back upstairs to our prayer room, I notice all six candles were still alight. I called my wife and told her, “you forgot to blow out the candles this morning.” She replied, “No, I did blow them all out.” So after that day, we would double check the candles before leaving the room.

Dear Parishioners of Corpus Christi,

I first want to thank all of you for so warmly welcoming me into your parish; it has been a great joy to be here. So many people approach me and tell me what a great joy it is to see me here, but I know that the blessings are coming abundantly more from you, rather than the other way around!

I recently had the great joy of being present at the ordination masses of the transitional deacons as well as for our newest priests! This is a special time for the whole diocese, but in a unique way for the priests and the seminarians. Our Lord speaks in profound ways to us in these masses; he graces us in a way that is so difficult to explain! By God’s grace that could be me in 6-7 years!

It was a couple of days before Christmas in 2013 that I fell and broke my right shoulder in two places. As a result of the fall, I also tore my ulnar nerve in my right arm. The ulnar nerve services feeling in approximately half the hand. My two last fingers and the side of my hand had no feeling. What I did experience was severe nerve pain and burning. After six weeks in a sling and then six weeks of rehab for my shoulder, I finally was able to have surgery to reattach my nerve. After surgery, the doctor told me that some people see immediate relief and some may take a year or some may never get any relief. Several weeks went by and I had no relief from the burning nerve pain and still no feeling in my fingers and side of my hand. The pain was unrelenting. Being right-handed, I couldn’t write any more as well.

After joining the parish with my family in April 2017 and attending weekly Mass, I was still feeling like I needed something more. This feeling has been with me my whole life, but has been heightened since having children. I just couldn’t pinpoint what was missing.

After starting Discovering Christ, I realized that I was missing out on a personal relationship with God. Through the series, I was able to cultivate this relationship. It was like planting a seed that will grow and I will be able to nourish for the rest of my life. It’s had such a profound impact on me and I know that I will always look back on this experience in absolute wonder of its influence.

I consider myself a re-vert, a cradle Catholic, as well as a convert. I know that sounds crazy, but I can explain.

My father was Catholic and my mother a new convert to Catholicism. I was baptized in ‘62 and received all of the sacraments. I grew up under a much misguided understanding of Vatican II. My parents were deeply influenced by the progressive spirit of the Counsel. Consequently, that misguided spirit colored my perception of Catholicism. By high school I was questioning the faith and this questioning was met with no answers or, as I now know, incorrect answers. My questioning continued as I went to college, met my first husband and had my daughter. I expected my marriage to work because I was taught and believed that marriage was forever. Unfortunately, that firm belief alone was not enough to make it work, especially when faith had not informed my selection process of a life-time mate. The relationship proved destructive before the vows were even finished and it lasted two painful years. The failure of my marriage was brutally devastating to my sense of self. I thought that if this was the best influence Catholicism could have in my life, then it wasn’t for me. This experience sealed my belief that the Church was void of the sacred and was a closed community, in which there was no place for someone like me, someone divorced. For me, this was the finish of any Catholic faith.

Before anything else, I want to express my sincere thanks to all of the parishioners of Corpus Christi who truly allowed me to go on this trip, and especially to those who kept me in their thoughts and prayers as I traveled to El Salvador.

Being raised in the Church and receiving Catholic education in all thirteen years of my schooling, I had heard the idea of “seeing God in all things” too many times. Over the years, as I became somewhat more understanding of God and His role in my life, I felt that I was doing something wrong solely because I was failing to see Him in the life that surrounded me. However, upon returning from El Salvador, I have realized that I was not doing anything wrong in my search, rather the privileged world around me was one that lacked God’s real presence. As I dove deeper into my connection with God through this trip, I have completed the first two steps of the pastoral circle, and now I must work towards the third. It was in El Salvador that I witnessed God in all things, judged the way God portrayed Himself through the crucified people, and thought through how I must act to embody their abundant love and generosity here at home.

Dec. 11, 2017

Dear Fr. Chad,

Sharing my personal spiritual journey starting from Discovering Christ, then Following Christ and Sharing Christ, has been on my mind, especially with the retreat we last had with David Lins. Please accept our sincerest gratitude for shepherding us through these spiritual journeys.

I decided to share in the hope that it will encourage our community members to start their special spiritual journey as my husband and myself did. It strengthened our belief of God’s existence and brought hope to lost souls and those in despair, (just as we once were) to find PEACE, LOVE and JOY!