Christ The King Parish In Dubois County Celebrates Its Birth
On March 1, St. Ferdinand Parish in Ferdinand merged with St. Henry Parish in St Henry to form Christ the King Parish. On Feb. 26, a kickoff celebration drew almost 500 people from the merging parishes representing more than 200 families.
The merger is the culmination of preparation that involved members of both communities working to bring the gifts of each community to bare in service of our Lord. The Church buildings will retain their names – St. Henry in St. Henry and St. Ferdinand in Ferdinand – and the strong relationship that existed with these two great King Saints over the years will continue and grow even stronger.
This Feb. 26 event was wonderfully successful due to the many people from St. Ferdinand and St. Henry who organized, brought desserts, decorated, and committed their time to come together as one people. The main meal was catered by Meyer Catering, and all had a great time.
The parish merger committee greeted the guests and explained that even though a lot of work has already taken place there is much more work to do. Deacon James King introduced a new parish ministry manual and asked parishioners to answer their calling for service. Pastor Father Jack Durchholz led the gathering in a prayer and thanked the merger committee for their hard work.
Inasmuchas this is a time of change, indicative of our time in history, all had an opportunity to embrace a sense of accomplishment and hope – a hope that will lead Christ the King Parish into the future. The name Christ the King, which was selected by a significant majority of members of the merging parishes, demonstrates the unity and hope present in our new community.
St. Henry had this hope; it called him to his ministry, St. Ferdinand had this hope; it also called him to his ministry. Members of Christ the King have this hope; it calls us to our future ministry and life of faith. Christ is our King!
The Message is grateful to Mike Steffe for sharing this report and photos with us.
