Dear Christ the King Family,
Even though we’re in the thick of Ordinary Time in our Liturgical Year, you’ll notice a few things are different this Sunday. Instead of our usual green, this Sunday you will see red because a major Feast of our Church happens to fall on a Sunday this year—the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross! This feast day commemorates when the first Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built and consecrated over the tomb where Jesus was buried in Jerusalem during the reign of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome. Constantine’s mother, St. Helen, played a crucial role in efforts to build pilgrimage sites and churches in the Holy Land and, most notably, she and those working with her rediscovered the relics of the True Cross, which was put on display (“exalted”) for veneration in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on September 14th, 335. Each year this feast day is a powerful invitation for us to rediscover the rich spiritual significance of the Cross of Christ in our lives and the Hope it promises.
Another different thing this weekend will feature is a special video announcement from Bishop Kevin Rhoades about the Synod he is convoking for the Diocese of Ft. Wayne-South Bend. This is an incredibly exciting moment because a bishop has not called for a synod in this diocese in a hundred years! Much like the World Synod that Pope Francis held from 2021-2024 (which Bishop Rhoades was inspired by as a delegate from the US), a synod is an opportunity to reflect on how we have been journeying together in the faith as the Church and ways the Holy Spirit may be calling us to journey together going forward. The impetus behind Bishop Rhoades’s decision to have a synod is for this local church, the diocese, to come together and share in ways the Holy Spirit is moving us to grow as vibrant, mission-oriented communities of faith, hope, and charity. Similar to the World Synod but on a smaller diocese-scale, this process will entail each of the parishes coming together in prayer and offering times for attentive and prayerful listening and sharing on our experiences in the Church as many different members of One Body in Christ.
The process of the Synod will run from this Fall into 2026 and culminate with the official Synod gatherings at the Cathedrals in Ft. Wayne and South Bend in November of 2026. Coming up this Fall/Winter here at Christ the King, we will take on our parish role in offering space for participation in the Synod. Stay tuned for more information in the weeks to follow, and you can find additional information on the diocese website at: https://diocesefwsb.org/synod/
I find it incredibly Providential that the Synod will open on this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Much like how St. Helen rediscovered the True Cross that led to a flourishing of the faith, may the Synod help us to rediscover who we are as the Body of Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to inspire and renew us as disciples sharing in Our Lord’s mission.
Come, Holy Spirit!
Fr. David
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