Feast of Christ the King
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article describes the Feast of Christ the King. For the title of Christ, see Christ the King.
The Feast of Christ the King (properly the Solemnity of Christ the King) is a holy day in the liturgical calendar celebrated by the Catholic Church and by many Protestants.
Contents |
[edit] History of the Feast of Christ the King
Pope Pius XI instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King on 11 December 1925 in his encyclical Quas Primas. At that time he saw the rise of atheistic communism and secularism as a direct result of man's turning away from Christ's sovereignty, and man's denying of the authority of Christ's Church. This result was "disorder" or a move away from the Divine Order. The Feast of Christ the King was set on the last Sunday in October.
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS Xl DECEMBER 11, 1925: QUAS PRIMAS
After the Second Vatican Council, the calendar reforms of 1969 moved the date of the Feast of Christ the King to the last Sunday before the next liturgical year's Advent (Advent marking the start of the liturgical year and beginning four Sundays before Christmas Day). Before this change, the Sunday before Advent bore the designation "Last Sunday After Pentecost" and had its own special Mass, regardless of the number of Sundays there were between Pentecost and Advent (23 to 28) in that particular year.
[edit] Current practice
[edit] Roman Catholic Practices
Since the revision of the General Roman Calendar that came into effect on 1 January 1970 (cf. motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis), the Solemnity of Christ the King falls on the last Sunday before 27 November. This Sunday, the last in Ordinary Time, is always reckoned as the 34th Sunday of Ordinary Time, since if, in a given year, there are in fact only 33 Sundays of Ordinary Time, the week on whose Sunday the Solemnity of Pentecost falls is omitted. The prayer formulas for the 34th Sunday in Ordinary time are used on the weekdays that follow the Solemnity of Christ the King, as happens also when other solemnities (such as Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the Assumption of Mary, All Saints) or feasts of the Lord (such as the Transfiguration of Jesus, the Triumph of the Cross, the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica) fall on a Sunday.
For religious communities and parishes following the liturgical calendar in the 1962 Roman Missal, i.e., those that follow this extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the First Class Feast of Christ the King occurs on the last Sunday in October. It takes precedence over the occurring Sunday after Pentecost, which, before the 1962 reform, was commemorated. The Mass of that Sunday (readings as well as prayers), rather than the Mass of Christ the King, is said during the week if days which are not feast days occur. Depending on the date of Easter, this can be the 20th, 21st, 22nd, or 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, or (as the 24th Sunday) 3rd Sunday after Epiphany. (The term "First Class Feast", introduced under Pope John XXIII to replace the former "Double of the First Class", was destined to give way in less than 20 years to "Solemnity".)
While green is the colour of the vestments worn at Mass on Sundays of Ordinary Time, the colour of the solemnity or feast whose liturgy takes the place of that of the Sunday is either red or (as in the case of the Solemnity of Christ the King) white.
[edit] Non Roman Catholic Practices
Those churches using the Revised Common Lectionary observe Christ the King Sunday (also titled Reign of Christ Sunday by some) as the last Sunday of the liturgical year, thus in alignment with post-Vatican II Roman Catholic practice. This group includes most major Anglican and mainline Protestant denominations, including the Church of England and the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and other Lutheran bodies, the United Methodist Church and other Methodist bodies, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the United Church of Christ, and the Moravian Church.
For most of these churches, the liturgical color is white for this day. The Revised Common Lectionary appoints scripture readings for this day (which is also simply Proper 29 or the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time) for each of the three years of the lectionary cycle, many of which are shared in common with the current Roman Catholic lectionary.
As an aside, the older Roman Catholic date of the Christ the King feast—the last Sunday in October—is observed as Reformation Sunday by many Protestant denominations.
[edit] Schools and Churches
Many Catholic schools and churches have taken this name, as shown here:
- Christ the King Catholic Church & School In Hollywood CA
- Christ The King Catholic Primary School, Blackpool
- Christ the King Catholic School & Church
- Christ the King Dallas
- Christ the King School Chicago
- Christ the King Catholic Church, Kansas City, Mo
- Christ the King Catholic Church and Primary School, Burmside, Christchurch, New Zealand
Other Christian churches' buildings also sometimes use this dedication, such as:
[edit] See also
- Christ King
- Cristo Rey
- Stir-up Sundayde:Christkönigsfest
fr:Fête du Christ Roi hr:Blagdan Krista Kralja it:Solennità di Cristo Re lb:Christuskinneksfest hu:Krisztus király ünnepe nl:Christus Koning van het Heelal ru:Праздник Христа Царя
