Welcome to Christ the King - St. Stephen Parish

Summer Masses at St. Stephen

Notice: Temporary Relocation of Masses


Beginning Monday, June 9, 2025, all Masses will be celebrated at St. Stephen’s Campus:


1101 Keaveny Ct, Walnut Creek, CA 94597


There will be no Masses at Christ the King Campus until October.


We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and flexibility during this time. This temporary move is necessary due to a major renovation of the Christ the King church roof.

Your prayers and continued support, especially through donations, are deeply appreciated as we work to restore and preserve our sacred worship space.

Thank you and God bless you


All Masses at Christ the King Church will be moved to St. Stephen Church as we remodel the Christ the King church roof.


Saturday: 4:00 PM,  5:05 PM


Sunday:

  • 7:00 AM
  • 8:00 AM
  • 9:30 AM
  • 11:00 AM
  • 4:00 PM

Weekday Masses: 9:00 AM (Monday-Saturday)


Directions to St. Stephen Church

1101 Keaveny Ct, Walnut Creek, CA 94597

 

  • Take Gregory Lane towards Pleasant Hill Road
  • Turn left on Pleasant Hill Road
  • Pleasant Hill Road turns into Camino Verde after crossing Geary Road
  • Turn Left on Conejo Way
  • Turn Right on Keaveny Court

Weekly Bulletin

Our bulletins are a snapshot of important events at Christ the King - St. Stephen.  You'll find everything from Fr. Paulson's letter to what's happening with Youth Ministry.

New Parishioner Registration

With our ministry management system REALM it's easy to become a registered member of Christ the King - St. Stephen.  We build a stronger church by becoming a closer community through better communication.

Come Celebrate with Us

Christ the King Campus

Monday - Friday

9:00am (livestreamed)


First Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Mass

5:00 PM - 6:00PM, Mass at  6:00 PM  (exposition and Mass livestreamed)


Saturday

9:00 AM & 4:00 PM Vigil Mass (both Masses livestreamed)

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM Confessions


Sunday

7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM, and 4:00 PM (10:30 AM Mass livestreamed)


St. Stephen Campus

Monday - Friday

8:00 AM


Saturday

4:30 PM - 5:00 PM Confessions, Mass at 5:00 PM


Sunday

9:30 AM

Dear Friends,


We live in an age when politics has seeped into nearly every corner of life — our friendships, our families, our churches, and even our sense of identity. It has become the lens through which we interpret almost everything and everyone. What was once a means to serve the common good has too often become a rival religion, complete with its own creeds, enemies, and rituals of outrage.


When everything is politicized, truth becomes negotiable, compassion becomes weakness, and unity becomes impossible. We no longer ask, “What is right?” but “Whose side are you on?” The result is a society marked by division, fear, and cynicism. Sadly, our allegiance to political parties or ideologies sometimes overshadows our deeper belonging to God and to one another.


But as Christians, we are called to be different. Jesus never sought to build a political kingdom or claim power for one nation. He said clearly, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). The Gospel calls us not to conquest but to conversion — not to domination but to love of neighbor. This leaves no room for the idea of Christian nationalism.


In the Gospel of John, there is a story that speaks directly to this moment — the healing of the man born blind (John 9). Jesus spits on the ground, makes mud, and anoints the man’s eyes. When the man washes in the pool of Siloam, he returns seeing — for the first time in his life. But what follows is even more remarkable: he begins to see not only with his eyes but with his heart. He recognizes who Jesus truly is — “Lord, I believe,” he says — while others, though they can see physically, remain spiritually blind.


This story is not only about healing; it is about illumination. Faith gives us new sight — to see the world, others, and even ourselves through the light of Christ. Without that light, we risk seeing only through the dim lens of ideology, fear, and self-interest.

History gives us examples of those who let faith illumine their vision in dark times. In the 16th century, England was torn apart by political and religious conflict. At the center of that storm stood St. Thomas More — a brilliant lawyer, a devoted husband and father, and a trusted advisor to King Henry VIII. When the king demanded that he take an oath contrary to his conscience and the teachings of the Church, More faced a decision that would cost him everything. Friends urged him to compromise, to bend just a little. But More, guided by faith, saw that no political loyalty could outweigh the call of Christ.


Centuries later, St. Oscar Romero lived that same Gospel courage in El Salvador. Surrounded by violence and injustice, Romero refused to take sides. Instead, he chose to stand with the suffering Christ in the poor. “A faith that does not become culture, that does not become the air we breathe,” he said, “is a dead faith.” His vision of faith cost him his life, yet it continues to awaken consciences around the world.


Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). Faith, when truly alive, must shine on everything — not just our Sunday worship but our weekday decisions, our conversations, our votes, and our treatment of others.


St. Paul reminds us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). To let faith shine means allowing Christ’s light to penetrate every part of our perspective — especially where we are tempted to separate the sacred from the secular, or our beliefs from our actions.


The saints remind us that holiness is not withdrawal from the world, but integrity within it. Their politics were not driven by ideology but by conscience. Their faith was not private sentiment but public witness.


Pope Benedict XVI once said, “Faith enables reason to do its work more effectively and to see more clearly what is true and good.” When faith lights our way, we begin to

see beyond labels and partisanship. We recognize Christ in those who disagree with us, compassion in those we oppose, and truth that transcends all sides.


True Christianity transcends borders and parties. The Church is not the servant of any nation or ideology — it is the Body of Christ, sent to the whole world. Our mission is not to make nations Christian by law, but to make hearts Christlike by love.


The Gospel this weekend ends with a haunting question from Jesus: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” He wasn’t posing a casual question—it was a piercing challenge. It forces us to look honestly at the world we’re shaping and the hearts we’re cultivating. When faith fades, fear takes its place. When belief in God weakens, ideologies rush in to fill the void, demanding the loyalty that belongs only to Him.


Let us pray that when He comes, He will find in us not a world lost in politics or ideologies, but hearts steadfast in faith—faith that works through love, that endures through trials, and that keeps its eyes fixed on the eternal Kingdom that is not of this world.


Fr. Paulson

Sign Up for Staying Connected

What's Happening at Christ the King - St. Stephen

Livestreamed Masses

The following Masses are livestreamed for those who are unable to celebrate with us.


St. Stephen Campus
Monday - Friday

9:00am (and livestreamed)

First Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Mass

5:00pm - 6:00pm Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament followed by Mass

Saturday
9:00am
4:00pm Vigil Mass

Sunday
11:00am

Watch on YouTube

Staying Connected Archive


View the last 4 editions of Staying Connected

Contact Us

Send us a Message


Christ the King Church

199 Brandon Rd, Pleasant Hill CA

St. Stephen Church

1101 Keaveny Ct, Walnut Creek, CA