SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING

Celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 with his encyclical Quas primas to respond to growing secularism. The Holy Father saw that attempting to “thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law” out of public life would result in continuing discord among people and nations.

The Solemnity reminds the faithful that Christ reigns as king of the entire world forever, and it encourages Catholics to respond to this reality. Pope Pius XI notes: “The kingship and empire of Christ have been recognized in the pious custom, practiced by many families, of dedicating themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; not only families have performed this act of dedication, but nations, too, and kingdoms” (Quas primas, 26). Let us rededicate ourselves to bearing witness to the reign of Jesus Christ and his Sacred Heart.