View source for Feast of Christ the King

{{Short description|Christian feast at the end of the liturgical year}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name  = Solemnity of Christ the King
| type          = Christian
| image         = Jan van Eyck - The Ghent Altarpiece - God Almighty - WGA07630.jpg
| imagesize     = 
| caption       = Painting of [[Christ in Majesty]] from the ''[[Ghent Altarpiece]]'' by [[Hubert van Eyck|Hubert]] and [[Jan van Eyck]] (AD&nbsp;1427)
| official_name = 
| nickname      = 
| observedby    = [[Catholic Church]]<br />[[Lutheranism]]<br />[[Anglican Communion]]<ref>[https://archbishop.anglicanchurchsa.org/2011/11/feast-of-christ-king.html ''The Feast of Christ the King'', Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, anglicanchaurchsa, 21 November 2011]</ref><br />[[Methodist]] churches<br />[[Moravian Church]]<br />[[Church of the Nazarene]]<br />[[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] churches<br /> [[Western Rite Orthodoxy]]<ref>29 October, Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate. https://www.orthodoxwest.com/kalendar</ref><br />Other Christian denominations
| litcolor      = White
| longtype      = 
| significance  = 
| begins        = 
| ends          = 
| frequency     = 
| firsttime     = 31 October 1926
| date          = Last Sunday of the [[Liturgical year]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.learnreligions.com/when-is-the-feast-of-christ-the-king-541624 |title=When Is the Feast of Christ the King? |date=July 29, 2018 |first=Scott P. |last=Richert |website=Learn Religions |access-date=2020-10-18 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> or last Sunday in October (Extraordinary Form)
| date{{LASTYEAR}} = {{ubl|{{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}} (ordinary form)|{{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR}}|November|1|Sunday}}}} (extraordinary form)}}
| date{{CURRENTYEAR}} = {{ubl|{{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{CURRENTYEAR}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}} (ordinary form)|{{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{CURRENTYEAR}}|November|1|Sunday}}}} (extraordinary form)}} 
| date{{NEXTYEAR}} = {{ubl|{{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}} (ordinary form)|{{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR}}|November|1|Sunday}}}} (extraordinary form)}}
| date{{#time:Y|+2 years}} = {{ubl|{{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{#time:Y|+2 years}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}} (ordinary form)|{{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{#time:Y|+2 years}}|November|1|Sunday}}}} (extraordinary form) }}
| celebrations  = 
| observances   = [[Church service]]s<br />[[Eucharistic adoration]] for a full day
| relatedto     = 
}}

The '''Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe''', commonly referred to as the '''Feast of Christ the King''', '''Christ the King Sunday''' or '''Reign of Christ Sunday''',<ref name="Moravian2012"/> is a feast in the [[liturgical year]] which emphasises the true [[Christ the King|kingship of Christ]]. The [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]], [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]], [[Anglicanism|Anglican]], [[Moravian Church|Moravian]], [[Methodism|Methodist]], [[Church of the Nazarene|Nazarene]], [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] and [[United Protestant]] churches celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.

The feast emphasises the true kingship of Christ after the upheavals resulting from the First World War and the end of all four major monarchies in mainland Europe{{cn|date=October 2025}}. It was meant to respond to the rise of atheism and secularization.<ref>https://www.usccb.org/committees/religious-liberty/solemnity-christ-king-background</ref> For the [[Roman Rite]], it was instituted by [[Pope Pius XI]]. In 1970, its observance was moved from end of October to the last Sunday of [[Ordinary Time]] and thus to the end of the liturgical year. The [[Methodist]], [[Anglican]] and [[Presbyterian]] Churches often observe this as part of the liturgical season of [[Kingdomtide]], which runs between the Fourth Sunday before [[Advent]] and the Feast of Christ the King. The earliest date on which the Feast of Christ the King can occur is 20 November and the latest is 26 November. It heralds the end of Ordinary Time, which continues up until the First Sunday of [[Advent]]. Depending on the year, [[Saint Andrew's Day]], significant in some cultures, may fall prior to the First Sunday of Advent. 

[[File:Christ the King Antipolo Cathedral 2023-11-26.jpg|thumb|An image of Christ the King at the [[Antipolo Cathedral]], Philippines]]
It is contained in the [[Revised Common Lectionary]].<ref>''Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings'' Proposed by the Consultation on Common Texts, Augsburg Fortress, 2005, pp. 304–305, {{ISBN|0806649305}}</ref> It is also observed on the same computed date as the last Sunday of the Liturgical year, the Sunday before the First Sunday of Advent, by [[Western Rite Orthodox|Western Rite]] parishes of the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]].<ref>[http://rwrv.org/files/FraternityJulianCalendar-2012.pdf Fraternity of St. Gregory the Great calendar]</ref> Roman Catholics adhering to the [[Tridentine Mass|Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite]] use the [[General Roman Calendar of 1960]] and continue to observe the [[Solemnity]] on the date established in 1925, the last Sunday in October.

==Origin in patristics==
{{Further|Christ in Majesty}}
According to [[Cyril of Alexandria]], Christ "has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but by his essence and by nature. His kingship is founded upon the [[hypostatic union]]. From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures."<ref name=quas>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_11121925_quas-primas_en.html Pope Pius XI, ''Quas primas'', Nr. 7, Libreria Editrice Vaticana]</ref>

The Feast of Christ the King has an [[eschatology|eschatological]] dimension, pointing to the end of time when the kingdom of Jesus will be established in all its fullness to the ends of the earth.

==Observance==
=== Roman Catholic Church ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:2em; text-align:center;"
|-
|+Dates for the Feast of Christ the King, {{LASTYEAR|5}}–{{NEXTYEAR|5}}
|-
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col"| [[Ordinary Form]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/liturgical-calendar/ |title=Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America |year=2014 |publisher=[[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]] |access-date=2012-02-21 |archive-date=2016-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207053126/http://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/liturgical-calendar/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! scope="col"| [[Extraordinary Form]]<br>([[General Roman Calendar of 1960|1960 calendar]])<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.lms.org.uk/find-a-mass/liturgical_calendar_2015 |title=Liturgical Calendar 2015 |year = 2015 |publisher=[[The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales]] |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150204144259/http://www.lms.org.uk/find-a-mass/liturgical_calendar_2015 |archive-date=2015-02-04 }}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| {{LASTYEAR|5}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR|5}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR|5}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row"| {{LASTYEAR|4}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR|4}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR|4}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row"| {{LASTYEAR|3}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR|3}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR|3}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row"| {{LASTYEAR|2}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR|2}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR|2}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row"| {{LASTYEAR}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{LASTYEAR}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row" style="background-color:gold" | {{CURRENTYEAR}}
| scope="row" style="background-color:gold" | {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{CURRENTYEAR}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| scope="row" style="background-color:gold" | {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{CURRENTYEAR}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row"| {{NEXTYEAR}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row"| {{NEXTYEAR|2}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR|2}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR|2}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row"| {{NEXTYEAR|3}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR|3}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR|3}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row"| {{NEXTYEAR|4}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR|4}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR|4}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|-
! scope="row"| {{NEXTYEAR|5}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR|5}}|December|25|Sunday}}-28 days}}
| {{#time: d F| {{Weekday before date|{{NEXTYEAR|5}}|November|1|Sunday}}}}
|}
[[Pope Pius XI]], who wanted to crown the [[Jubilee in the Catholic Church|jubilee year]] of 1925 by the institution by the introduction of a new feast to honour the kingship of Christ instituted the Feast of Christ the King ''(Festum Domini nostri Jesu Christi regis)''<ref>Anselm Schott OSB, ''Das Meßbuch der heiligen Kirche'', Verlag Herder Freiburg, 1952, p. 366</ref> with his [[Encyclical#Catholic usage|encyclical]] ''[[Quas primas]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_11121925_quas-primas.html|title=Quas primas|author=Pope Pius XI|date=11 December 1925|access-date = 3 November 2021 | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana}}</ref> of 1925, in response to growing secularism and secular ultra-nationalism, and in the context of the unresolved [[Roman Question]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kershaw|first=Ian|title=To Hell and Back: Europe, 1914-1949|date=2016|isbn=978-0-14-198043-0|location=New York|oclc=952022143}}</ref>

In November 1926, Pope Pius XI gave his direct assent for the priest of a promising young parish in [[Mount Lookout, Cincinnati]], to establish the first church dedicated to Christ under the title of King. In May 1927, a purpose-built sanctuary was consecrated. 1956 saw the construction of the current church, led by the architect [[Edward J. Schulte]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ourlordchristtheking.org/about-us/history/|title=History|last=Our Lord, Christ the King (Cincinnati, Ohio)|date=July 19, 2021|website=OurLordChristTheKing.org}}</ref> The campus is an unapologetic love letter to its royal namesake, featuring a towering [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] mosaic of Christ, crowned and robed, above the high altar where Catholic practice usually expects a crucifix (most Protestant institutions simply employ symbolic crosses). This instance illustrates a marked change of tone that arose as a product of the Vatican's endorsement of this feast and the associated devotional.

The date was established as the last Sunday of the month of October, the Sunday which immediately precedes the Feast of [[All Saints' Day|All Saints]].<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_11121925_quas-primas_en.html Pope Pius XI, ''Quas primas'', Nr. 28, Libreria Editrice Vaticana]</ref> 

In his [[motu proprio]] ''[[Mysterii Paschalis]]'' of 1969, [[Pope Paul VI]] amended the title of the Feast to ''Domini Nostri Iesu Christi universorum Regis'' (Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe). He also moved it to the last Sunday of the liturgical year. Through this choice of date "the [[eschatology|eschatological]] importance of this Sunday is made clearer".<ref>''Calendarium Romanum'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 63</ref> The feast was assigned the highest rank of solemnity.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19690214_mysterii-paschalis_en.html motu proprio ''Mysterii Paschalis'']</ref>  The [[Liturgical colours|liturgical vestments]] for the day are white.

In the extraordinary form, as happens with all Sundays whose liturgies are replaced by those of important feasts,{{NoteTag|1= Examples are the Solemnities of the [[Holy Name of Jesus]], the [[Holy Family]], and [[Trinity Sunday|the Most Holy Trinity]]. Indeed before the reform of [[Pope Pius X]] most Sundays deferred to any feast of the rank of double, and these were the majority. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=E7sPAAAAIAAJ&dq=missale+romanum&pg=PP3 Missale Romanum, published by Pustet, 1862])}} the prayers of the Sunday on which the celebration of the feast of Christ the King occurs are used on the [[feria]]s (weekdays) of the following week. The Sunday liturgy is thus not totally omitted.

Since 2021, the diocesan-level celebrations of [[World Youth Day]] have taken place on the Solemnity of Christ the King.<ref>{{Cite web|author=ZENIT Staff |url=https://zenit.org/2020/11/22/pope-changes-diocesan-celebration-of-wyd-from-palm-sunday-to-christ-the-king-sunday/|title=Pope Changes Diocesan Celebration of WYD from Palm Sunday to Christ the King Sunday |publisher=zenit.org|date=22 November 2020|access-date=23 November 2023}}</ref>

The most common [[breviary]] of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church|Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church]], published by the [[Order of Saint Basil the Great|Basilian Fathers]], contains propers for the "Feast of Christ the King" which is celebrated on the last Sunday in October or on the fifth Sunday before the Nativity of our Lord.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Divine Office: Horologion-Octoechos-Triodion-Menaion |publisher=The Basilian Fathers |year=2003 |edition=1st |location=Stamford |page=1051 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Moravian Church ===
In the [[Moravian Church]], Reign of Christ Sunday is the feast marking the end of [[Pentecostide]].<ref name="Moravian2012">{{cite web |title=Lectionary |url=https://www.moravian.org/southern/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2013-Updated-Lectionary-Complete-for-the-Web-table.pdf |publisher=[[Moravian Church]] |page=2 |date=2012}}</ref> White is the liturgical colour associated with the Reign of Christ.<ref name="Moravian2012"/>

=== Lutheran Churches ===
In the [[Evangelical-Lutheran]] [[Church of Sweden]] and the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland|Church of Finland]], this day is referred to as '''Judgement Sunday''', previously highlighting the final judgement, though after the Swedish Lectionary of 1983 the theme of the day was amended to the ''Return of Christ''. A distinct season of [[Kingdomtide]] is or has been observed by a number of churches on the four Sundays before Advent, either officially or semi-officially.

In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, this day is referred to as "Christ the King Sunday", or, alternatively, the "Realm of Christ/Reign of Christ" Sunday, and is observed on the last Sunday of the liturgical year.

=== Anglican Churches ===
[[File:ChristKing.jpg|thumb|left|[[Altar cloth]] used for the Feast of Christ the King at an Episcopal church]]
In the [[Church of England]], the Feast of Christ the King falls on "the Sunday next before Advent",<ref>{{cite web |title=The Church's Year: Rules |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/rules |website=Common Worship |publisher=The Church of England |access-date=11 December 2021}}</ref> when "[t]he year that begins with the hope of the coming Messiah ends with the proclamation of his universal sovereignty."<ref>{{cite web |title=All Saints to Advent |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/times-and-seasons/all |publisher=[[The Church of England]] |access-date=8 February 2021 |language=English}}</ref>

In the [[Episcopal Church (United States)]], Christ the King Sunday "is unofficially celebrated in some Episcopal parishes, but it is not mentioned in the Episcopal calendar of the church year."<ref>{{cite web |title=Christ the King Sunday |url=https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/christ-the-king-sunday/ |website=An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church |publisher=The Episcopal Church |access-date=11 December 2021}}</ref> However, the collect for that Sunday, which mentions Jesus as "King of kings and Lord of Lords" indicates an affinity with the feast day, something that has led to its wider celebration within the Episcopal Church.

=== Reformed Churches ===
The [[Continental Reformed Church]]es, such as the [[Christian Reformed Church in North America]], assign the following hymns to be used on the Feast of Christ the King: "[[Crown Him with Many Crowns]]", "[[Lo! He comes with clouds descending]]", and "Rejoice, the Lord Is King".<ref name="Meeter">{{cite web |last1=Meeter |first1=Daniel |title=Christ the King: Service planning for the last six Sundays of the church year |url=https://www.reformedworship.org/article/june-1994/christ-king-service-planning-last-six-sundays-church-year |publisher=[[Christian Reformed Church in North America]] |access-date=8 February 2021 |language=English}}</ref>

In the [[Presbyterian Church]]es, such as the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]], at the Feast of Christ the King (Feast of the Reign of Christ) "the church gives thanks and praise for sovereignty of Christ, who is Lord of all creation and is coming again in glory to reign (see Revelation 1:4-8)."<ref>{{cite web |title=Christ the King/Reign of Christ |url=https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/worship/christianyear/christ-king-reign-christ/ |publisher=[[Presbyterian Mission Agency]] |access-date=8 February 2021 |language=English}}</ref>

In the [[United Church of Christ]], a [[Congregationalist]] denomination, the Feast of Christ the King is the last Sunday of the liturgical season known as the Time of the Church.<ref>{{cite web |title=Liturgical Colors and the seasons of the church year |url=https://www.ucc.org/worship-way/worship_liturgies_liturgical-colors/ |publisher=[[United Church of Christ]] |access-date=8 February 2021 |language=English}}</ref>

=== Methodist Churches ===
The Feast of Christ the King is observed in the [[Methodist Church]]es, such as the [[United Methodist Church]], as the last Sunday of the liturgical season of [[Kingdomtide]].<ref name="Baber2017">{{cite web |last1=Baber |first1=Charlie |title=Changed from Glory Into Glory |url=https://um-insight.net/topics/christ-king-sunday/ |publisher=United Methodist Insight |access-date=8 February 2021 |language=English |date=21 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="FCOO2013">{{cite web |title=Kingdomtide |url=https://firstchurchorlando.org/news/2013/kingdomtide/ |publisher=First United Methodist Church of Orlando |access-date=8 February 2021 |language=English |date=7 September 2013 |archive-date=22 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522164500/https://firstchurchorlando.org/news/2013/kingdomtide/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The season of Kingdtomtide itself starts on [[Trinity Sunday]] and culminates in the Feast of Christ the King.<ref name="FCOO2013"/> Some Methodist parishes have been dedicated to Christ the King.<ref>{{cite web |title=Christ the King Methodist Church |url=https://christthekingmethodist.org/ |publisher=Christ the King Methodist Church |access-date=8 February 2021 |language=English |archive-date=13 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613192848/http://christthekingmethodist.org/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===United Protestant Churches===
In [[United Protestant]] Churches, such as the [[United Church of Canada]], [[Uniting Church of Australia]], [[Church of North India]], [[Church of Pakistan]] and [[Church of South India]], the Feast of Christ the King (Reign of Christ), is observed as the last Lord's Day of the liturgical calendar.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reign of Christ A |url=https://pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au/?p=1166 |publisher=Pilgrim Uniting Church |access-date=8 February 2021 |language=English |date=21 November 2017}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Stir-up Sunday]]
* [[List of things named after Christ the King]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-benedict-angelus-for-the-feast-of-christ-the Pope Benedict XVI, "Pope Benedict: Angelus for the feast of Christ the King", News.VA]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903065332/http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-benedict-angelus-for-the-feast-of-christ-the |date=3 September 2014 }}

==External links==
* {{commonscat-inline}}

{{Liturgical year of the Catholic Church}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Catholic holy days]]
[[Category:Christ the King]]
[[Category:Christian Sunday observances]]
[[Category:Church of Sweden]]
[[Category:Festivals established in 1925]]
[[Category:Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)]]
[[Category:November observances]]
[[Category:October observances]]
[[Category:Pope Pius XI]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1925]]