a. Eucharist
The Sacrament of Holy Communion, also known as Eucharist, is the very source of our entire lives as Catholics because it not just a symbol but really the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. In the Sacrament, the very essence or substance of the bread and wine is completely changed and Christians enter into unity with Christ and the Church. Because the Eucharist is Christ Himself, we say that the Eucharist is ‘the source and summit’ of the Christian life. The Church encourages all its members, in a state of grace, to partake of Holy Communion weekly at the Sunday Mass.
b. Baptism
In the Holy Sacrament of Baptism, we are ‘born of water and the Spirit,’ we are given the ability to ‘walk in the newness of life,’ and we fulfill the command of Christ to ‘make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ The sacrament is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission. Through baptism, we become part of the royal, priestly people of God, called to holy lives of prayer and service. We at Christ the King Parish are excited to help you with the baptism of your child, since baptism brings new life into the Church and the parish.
It is most appropriate to provide children with the grace of the Sacrament of Baptism and to welcome them into the community of faith within six months of birth. Solo baptisms can be scheduled any day of the week at six different time slots – 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 3 pm, and 4 pm – except on Sundays when the 11 am slot is reserved for Mass Baptism. For Mass Baptism, a maximum of eight children can be accommodated on first come first serve basis assuming paperwork is complete.
If you would like to have your child baptized here at CTK, you will need to contact Ms. Bella Consulta at the Parish Office to begin the process. She will provide you with the paperwork, arrange for a meeting with the parish priest or his representative, arrange for your participation in baptismal preparation classes, and assist you in selecting a free date and hour for the baptism. Please give us a call at least two months before the date you desire your child to be baptized. We welcome your call even prior to the birth of your child.
c. First Communion
Children typically begin preparing to receive their First Holy Communion or First Eucharist once they reach the Second Grade. With most of the children in the parish villages studying in Catholic schools, the priority of CTK is Libis Elementary School.
For 2016, First Communion is scheduled for November 12. To be eligible, child candidates should attend First Communion Catechetical classes scheduled for September 24, October 8, October 15, and October 22. Classes are from 2:00 to 4:00 pm Saturdays. Please contact Ms. Edith Cadion at the Parish Office for details and registration.
d. Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation is a Sacrament of Initiation. It is a kind of personal Pentecost, a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that makes us doers of the Word of God, not hearers only. Confirmation completes the good work that was begun in baptism and that is continually strengthened in receiving the Eucharist since the child’s First Communion.
Confirmation is usually received when one approaches or enters his or her young teenage years. With most of the children in the parish villages studying in Catholic schools, the priority of CTK is Libis Elementary School.
For 2016, Confirmation is scheduled for November 19. To be eligible, child candidates should attend Confirmation Catechetical classes scheduled for October 8, October 15, October 22, and November 5. Classes are from 2:00 to 4:00 pm Saturdays. Please contact Ms. Edith Cadion at the Parish Office for details and registration.
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
– Acts 2:1-4
Why We’re Confirmed?
e. Marriage
Welcome to Christ the King Parish Church in Greenmeadows Avenue and we congratulate you on the occasion of your engagement and upcoming marriage. If you are considering CTK as the place for you to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage, we want to support and assist you in the best way possible as you embark on this very important commitment in your lives.
Marriage is the unique Sacrament which binds one man and one woman together in a covenant under God and His Church. It is a Sacrament of vocation, a response to a specific calling that God has placed in the hearts of a couple. It is a bond that lasts for life which is permanent, faithful, and fruitful. Marriage is not just about two people, but is the foundation of the family, the ‘domestic church’, the most basic and foundational structure, not only for the Church, but for all of society.
At CTK, weddings are held at 10 am, 1:30 pm, and 3:30 pm from Mondays to Saturdays. They are never celebrated on Sundays. Also, the Church discourages celebration of weddings during the season of Lent.
Christ the King Greenmeadows Church is a very popular wedding venue for several reasons: the church is fully air-conditioned; all-glass walls and stained glass windows allow the sun to pass through; huge parking space that can accommodate over 200 cars; a semicircular driveway that leads all the way to the church’s entrance; easy accessibility from Katipunan, C5, Ortigas, EDSA and Shaw Blvd; numerous wedding reception venues within 10-15 minutes of the parish, including its own elegant Parish Social Hall that can accommodate 500 guests; and a garden right in front of the church for post-nuptial photo sessions. However, because it is so popular, it is usually wise to reserve a year in advance.
Since marriage in the Catholic Church is a sacrament and a lifetime commitment, one of the ways we value and honor it is by taking time to help couples prepare. All parishioners begin this process by completing the required documents, which include birth, baptismal, and ‘Not Married’ certificates, civil marriage license, bann publication, parish permissions, and principal sponsors’ list.
Afterwards, couples are required to participate in a Marriage Vocation Program, or MVP, scheduled quarterly or even more frequently depending on the queue. The Marriage Vocation Program is composed of six sessions over two full days, with each session lasting 1.5 to two hours, and facilitated by several experienced Team Couples. The main objective of the MVP is to “prepare couples for matrimony”, that is, to strengthen the bond that exists between the engaged couple, to facilitate a more profound knowledge of the other person that might not have been attained despite years of togetherness, and to impress on them that their differences, uniqueness, and individuality could in fact be enriching and complementary. But if the program uncovers incompatibility issues that could be source of constant conflict, there is sufficient time to discuss and resolve these incompatibilities to mutual satisfaction, or at worse, to postpone the wedding until issues are resolved. Permanent cancellation of the wedding should also not be ruled out.
For every session, the lead couple-facilitator spends half an hour to share their own experiences. The leads usually emphasize their own early struggles and day-to-day adjustments, underlining the point that there are never any “perfect relationships”. This is then followed by couples independently answering questions around marriage expectations specific to the session. Couples are enjoined to answer honestly, not what they believe is the correct answer or what the other person will also answer. The couples then get together to show each other their answers and discuss the differences. They read twice – first to understand what was said, then the second time, to understand where the beloved is coming from. This is always underscored as the most important part of the session. The intimate discussion of differences in answers helps the couple get to know each other better and hopefully arrive at consensus, acceptable compromise, or some form of win-win solution. The session concludes with small group sharing – but without any couple being forced to share if they don’t want to. By last count, Christ the King Parish Greenmeadows had facilitated the pre-cana seminar for more than 3,000 couples – and still counting – who were preparing for their wedding at CTK.
Couples must then attend the canonical interview which is slated every Wednesday, at 9 a.m. to be conducted by the resident parish priest of Christ the King Parish. Only after the interview will the wedding date be finalized on the parish calendar.
Please contact Ms. Dodo Asuncion for additional questions or to get started on your wedding planning process.
Why a Catholic Marriage?
f. Penance & Reconciliation (Confession)
The Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as Confession or Penance, is a beautiful expression of the infinite mercy and love that God has for all of us. It is a healing remedy for our sinfulness, calling us to discover the struggles that cause sinful acts and present them to God in the presence of the priest. In the Sacrament or Reconciliation, the penitent, that is, the one seeking forgiveness, meets one on one with a priest to confess their sins. With sincere contrition and intent to not sin again, they will receive formal absolution and often pastoral encouragement concerning the Christian struggle with sin.
All adult Christians are encouraged to consider approaching this sacrament at least twice a year especially during Advent and Lent. Although serious matters should be brought before the priest, our lesser sins are healed through the celebration of Mass or with sincere contrition and any good work. We hope that you take advantage of this wonderful Sacrament; it is never too late to experience the healing and forgiveness of God.
Confessions can be made on:
· Mondays to Fridays at 6:45 am (right after the 6 am masses)
· Saturdays, 30 minutes before the 6 pm and 7:30pm masses
· Sundays, 30 minutes before all masses beginning with the 7:30 am mass
Depending on availability, a CTK priest may also provide the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation by appointment or as requested by the homebound, the sick, and the dying. Please call the Parish Office at 633-0280 for emergencies and special needs.
Why We Confess?
Click here for a simple guide to examine your conscience.
g. Anointing of the Sick
If you are seriously or chronically ill, weakened by age, or preparing for serious surgery, there is a powerful help available for you here in our Church. Most especially, we want you to be spiritually fortified and experience the peace that God alone can give. So it is natural and wise to turn to God, our Father, and to Jesus, our Savior, with your needs, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
The anointing of the sick is a sacrament of healing, in which the priest prays, lays hands, and anoints the sick person with blessed oil. It may be preceded by the sacrament of reconciliation and followed by Eucharist. The sacrament may be repeated if the recipient suffers from a different illness or injury or if the same illness or condition becomes more serious. Elderly people may be anointed if they have become weakened even though no serious illness is present.
The idea behind this sacrament is that we are all members of the body of Christ. When one of us suffers, all of us suffer, and all of God’s creation suffers with us. Through the Sacrament of Anointing, Christ strengthens the faithful who are afflicted by illness, providing them with the strongest means of support. Jesus showed great concern for the bodily and spiritual welfare of the sick and commanded his followers to do the same. The celebration of this sacrament is an opportunity for the deepening of the faith of the community who are able to witness the faith and devotion of those being anointed.
This is a ministry of comfort. Through Anointing, the sick are reminded that Christ and the Church are in communion with their suffering. The Holy Spirit shares the blessings of health, trust in God, and strength against temptation. In ‘olden days’, people waited until the person was near death before they called the priest. Today it is preferred that the priest be called at the beginning of a serious illness and not at the end. The Catechism puts it this way: “The Anointing of the Sick ‘is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.'”
If you or someone you know needs the anointing, please call the Parish office at 633-0280, any Tuesday to Sunday, from 8 am to 12 noon, and 1:30 pm to 5 pm. You can also speak with the officiating priest after Mass for an anointing appointment. Depending on availability, one of our priests can set up an appointment for the anointing, whether in the hospital, at home, or in a care facility.
Who It’s For?
