On the east side of Lansing, just off Miller Road, Cristo Rey Church has built its identity around two languages and a single Eucharist. The Roman Catholic parish, part of the Diocese of Lansing, gathers every week in English, in Spanish and in both at once, and it carries into its life the devotions, music and celebrations of a community rooted in Mexico, Cuba, Bolivia and other Latin American countries. From the Saturday evening English Mass to the Spanish-language novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe in December, the rhythms of the parish run through the entire calendar year.
The Week's Masses: Three Languages, One Altar
The cornerstone of Cristo Rey is its daily and weekend Mass schedule, which is built to meet parishioners where they live linguistically. Weekday Masses are offered in Spanish on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 10:15 a.m. Friday Mass at noon is in English, and on the second and fourth Fridays of the month it is celebrated at the Cristo Rey Center at 1717 N. High Street in Lansing, hosted at Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton Counties.
The weekend opens on Saturday with the Vigil Mass at 5 p.m. in English. Sunday brings a 9 a.m. Mass in Spanish followed by a 12 p.m. bilingual Mass that draws on both the 9 a.m. Spanish choir and the bilingual 12 p.m. choir. Reconciliation is heard on Thursdays at 7 p.m., after the evening Spanish Mass, and on Saturdays from 4 to 4:45 p.m., with appointments available through the parish office at (517) 394-4639.
The Seven Sacraments and a Door for Every Stage of Life
Cristo Rey celebrates all seven sacraments, with formation and preparation that reflect its bilingual character. Baptism of infants begins with an interview with Father Vincent, followed by a parents' and godparents' talk held the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon. Older children and adults who have not been baptized join the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA), a yearlong discernment and formation process with classes each Sunday from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. in San Martin Hall.
First Communion preparation assumes at least two years of religious education for younger children, with older students moving through the OCIA pathway. Confirmation is offered to high school students who have received Baptism and First Communion, with preparation coordinated through the parish office. Marriage preparation is led directly by Father Vincent Richardson, who invites couples to begin the conversation well in advance of the wedding date. Anointing of the Sick is available by request and is also given during the 10:15 a.m. Mass on the first Wednesday of every month.
From the Sanctuary: Choirs, Lectors and Servers
Music at Cristo Rey is led by two choirs. Arnold Hennig directs the 9 a.m. Spanish choir, and Corinne Kendall directs the bilingual 12 p.m. choir. Both choirs welcome new members at any time, whether by voice or instrument. The parish draws on a passage from Exodus 15 to frame its understanding of liturgical music: songs of love, joy, repentance and especially of praise, petition and thanksgiving whose purpose is to glorify God and sanctify the faithful.
The Liturgy Commission recruits and trains lectors, Eucharistic ministers, commentators and altar servers, and the commission offers formation twice a year along with an annual retreat. Ushers welcome visitors at the weekend Masses, and a Sanctuary Care team tends to the cleaning and decoration of the church, with special attention at Christmas and Easter. A separate Homebound Ministry, known in Spanish as the San Lucas Ministry, sends pairs of ministers to visit parishioners who can no longer attend Mass and to bring Communion to those who desire it.
Faith Formation for Every Age
Religious Education gathers children and youth each Sunday at 10:15 a.m. in San Martin Hall, preparing them for First Communion and Confirmation and serving as the foundation year for those who will later move into OCIA. Older teens find their place in the Youth Ministry, which meets on Sunday evenings in the Youth Room and offers a yearlong rhythm of activities, including the Way of the Cross, the Posadas, a fish fry during Lent and a pilgrimage to the National Catholic Youth Conference.
For adults, the parish runs the Formacion de Fe para los Adultos program each Sunday after the 9 a.m. Spanish Mass in the Guadalupe Hall. Each year a different theme is taken up - the sacraments, the Church, the saints, evangelization, Mary, the Scriptures - with food prepared by parish ministries to accompany the conversation. On Tuesday evenings, a Bible study called Tacos and Theology meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and draws together a more English-speaking group; recent seasons have worked through the Acts of the Apostles, asking what set the first communities on fire and how the early Church faced persecution.
Adults discerning the Catholic faith enter OCIA, and a separate Bible study group, Grupo de Estudio Biblico, meets in Spanish. The Seniors Program gathers every Wednesday (except during the summer) at the 10:15 a.m. Spanish Mass and continues afterward in San Martin Hall with lunch, bingo and occasional health talks. Cursillo and Familias en Mision Apostolica (FAMA) round out the small-group life of the parish.
A Celebration of Latin American Devotions
The parish's cultural calendar is one of the clearest expressions of its identity. The annual Cristo Rey Fiesta over Memorial Day weekend is the largest fundraiser of the year and one of the largest cultural events in the Lansing area, drawing volunteers from across the parish for months of preparation. Inside the church, the year moves through feasts that reach into Mexico, Cuba and Bolivia.
The feast of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba, is celebrated on the Sunday before September 8 with a novena that begins the Friday before, a Spanish Mass and a procession. The novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe runs from December 3 through December 11 at 7 p.m. and ends with the traditional Serenata, when mariachis, choirs and individuals sing to the Virgin; on December 12 the Mañanitas are sung at 6 a.m. and the feast Mass is offered at 7 p.m. Las Posadas take the parish through the nine nights from December 16 to 24, with pilgrims and innkeepers acting out the search for shelter before the midnight Christmas Mass and the Arrullo of the Christ Child.
The year opens with the Rosca de Reyes on Epiphany and moves into the Presentation of the Lord (Candelaria) in February. Lent brings the Outdoor Way of the Cross, which begins at the State Capitol and walks to the Cristo Rey campus, followed by the Good Friday Liturgy with the Veneration of the Cross. In Holy Week, the parish celebrates the Paschal Triduum with Mass on Holy Thursday at 7 p.m., the Good Friday liturgy and the Easter Vigil at 8:15 p.m. The Procession of Silence and the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows are prayed in the evening of Good Friday. November brings the Dia de los Muertos celebration, with the Altar of the Dead at the entrance of the church, photographs and candles for loved ones brought in procession at the 7 p.m. Mass, and prayers for the faithful departed. The parish also keeps the Bolivian devotion to Our Lady of Urkupina.
Quinceanera preparation is offered twice a year, with classes in March and September, and the celebration is treated by the U.S. bishops as an opportunity to catechize young women and recover the meaning of a tradition rooted in the Mexican people and other Latin American countries. Requirements include 20 hours of community service in the parish, attendance at a Saturday talk with a parent, and participation in Religious Education classes.
Charity and Justice: Feeding, Visiting, Walking with Families
The Charity and Justice Commission frames its work around the words of Matthew 25, "I was hungry and you fed me," and carries out a year of fundraising events and direct service. The annual Thanksgiving basket distribution is one of its main community moments. Through the year the commission supports Samaritas Refugee Foster Care and other efforts tied to immigration and peace and justice.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul visits homes in the surrounding neighborhood to identify and meet the concrete needs of families. The parish Food Distribution ministry prepares boxes for families in the community, with pickups on Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon; registration with Lupe Castillo is required in advance. Knights of Columbus and Alcoholics Anonymous (Alcholicos Anonimos) also meet at the parish as part of its charity and justice work, and Fe y Esperanza, the parish's own fundraising arm, helps finance both spiritual and material needs of the parish.
Hall Rentals and a Parish That Welcomes the Community
Cristo Rey's campus includes San Martin Hall, a banquet facility available for celebrations, and the smaller Guadalupe Hall for more intimate gatherings. Both are available for rent through Jose Flores at (517) 204-2182. The hall also hosts Adult Faith Formation, the Seniors Program and the Religious Education and OCIA classes, making it the working center of parish life outside the sanctuary.
The parish office is open Monday through Friday with extended hours Tuesday through Thursday, and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 1:30 p.m. Mass intentions can be requested through the office or by emailing magallyjb@cristoreychurch.org, and sacramental certificates are issued through the parish for any baptism, first Communion or confirmation received at Cristo Rey. Funeral services can be arranged with Father Vincent, either through a funeral home or directly for those choosing cremation.
Online Giving and Staying Connected
Parishioners and friends of Cristo Rey can give online through ParishSoft Giving, and the parish bulletin is posted weekly in English and Spanish. The parish maintains a presence on Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter), and links from the parish site point to online faith formation programs such as CAMINO and STEP through the McGrath Institute at Notre Dame, as well as to FORMED, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Diocese of Lansing, Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton Counties and Vatican News. Whether a visitor arrives for the Spanish weekday Mass, the Saturday evening English Vigil, the Sunday bilingual celebration or one of the great Marian feasts of the year, Cristo Rey opens its doors with a simple and consistent welcome: all are welcome.