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 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
| 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 and Jan van Eyck (AD 1427)
| official_name =
| nickname =
| observedby = Catholic Church
Lutheranism
Anglican Communion[https://archbishop.anglicanchurchsa.org/2011/11/feast-of-christ-king.html The Feast of Christ the King, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, anglicanchaurchsa, 21 November 2011]
Methodist churches
Moravian Church
Church of the Nazarene
Reformed churches
Western Rite Orthodoxy29 October, Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate. https://www.orthodoxwest.com/kalendar
Other Christian denominations
| litcolor = White
| longtype =
| significance =
| begins =
| ends =
| frequency =
| firsttime = 31 October 1926
| date = Last Sunday of the liturgical year; from 20–26 November, inclusive (in Ordinary Form),{{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}} or final Sunday of October (in 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 services
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, is a feast in the liturgical year which emphasises the true kingship of Christ. The feast is a relatively recent addition to the liturgical calendar, instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI for the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. In 1970, its Roman Rite observance was moved from October to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time and thus to the end of the liturgical year. The earliest date on which the Feast of Christ the King can occur is 20 November and the latest is 26 November. It typically marks the end of Ordinary Time, which continues up until Advent Sunday, the first day of Advent. Depending on the year, Saint Andrew's Day, significant in some cultures, may fall prior to Advent Sunday. Thus, Christ the King is typically the last or second-to-last calendrical feast of the liturgical year.
File:Christ the King Antipolo Cathedral 2023-11-26.jpg, Philippines]]
The Lutheran, Anglican, Moravian, Methodist, Nazarene, Reformed and United Protestant churches also celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, which is contained in the Revised Common Lectionary;Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings Proposed by the Consultation on Common Texts, Augsburg Fortress, 2005, pp. 304–305, {{ISBN|0806649305}} 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. It is also observed on the same computed date as the final Sunday of the ecclesiastical year, the Sunday before the First Sunday of Advent, by Western Rite parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.[http://rwrv.org/files/FraternityJulianCalendar-2012.pdf Fraternity of St. Gregory the Great calendar] Roman Catholics adhering to the 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 final Sunday of 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 his by 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."[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]
The Feast of Christ the King has an 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{{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 }} ! scope="col"| Extraordinary Form |
|---|
| 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 instituted the Feast of Christ the King in his encyclical Quas primas{{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}} of 1925, in response to growing secularism and secular ultra-nationalism, and in the context of the unresolved Roman Question.{{Cite book|last=Kershaw|first=Ian|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/952022143|title=To Hell and Back: Europe, 1914-1949|date=2016|isbn=978-0-14-198043-0|location=New York|oclc=952022143}}
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.{{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}} The campus is an unapologetic love letter to its royal namesake, featuring a towering 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 title of the feast was Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Regis ([of] Our Lord Jesus Christ the King), and the date was established as "the last Sunday of the month of October – the Sunday, that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints".[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]
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 new date of the final Sunday of the liturgical year. Through this choice of date "the eschatological importance of this Sunday is made clearer".Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 63 The feast was assigned the highest rank of solemnity.[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] The 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 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 ferias (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.{{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}}
The most common breviary of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, published by the 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."{{Cite book |title=Divine Office: Horologion-Octoechos-Triodion-Menaion |publisher=The Basilian Fathers |year=2003 |edition=1st |location=Stamford |page=1051 |language=en}}
= Moravian Church =
In the Moravian Church, Reign of Christ Sunday is the feast marking the end of Pentecostide.{{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}} White is the liturgical colour associated with the Reign of Christ.
= Lutheran Churches =
In the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Sweden and the 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 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,"{{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}} when "[t]he year that begins with the hope of the coming Messiah ends with the proclamation of his universal sovereignty."{{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}}
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."{{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}} 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 Churches, such as the Christian Reformed Churches, 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".{{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}}
In the Presbyterian Churches, 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)."{{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}}
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.{{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}}
= Methodist Churches =
The Feast of Christ the King is observed in the Methodist Churches, such as the United Methodist Church, as the last Sunday of the liturgical season of Kingdomtide.{{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}}{{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 }} The season of Kingdtomtide itself starts on Trinity Sunday and culminates in the Feast of Christ the King. Some Methodist parishes have been dedicated to Christ the King.{{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}}
=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.{{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}}
See also
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:Christian Sunday observances
Category:Festivals established in 1925
Category:Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)