Feast of Christ the King: Meaning, History and How to Celebrate It

The Feast of Christ the King is the last Sunday of the Church year, the day Catholics stop and say out loud who is really in charge of history. Not presidents, markets or armies, but Jesus, a king who wore thorns instead of gold and ruled from a cross. In 2026 it falls on Sunday, November 22, one week before Advent begins.

It is a good feast to carry with you. The Risen Christ shows Jesus alive, arms open in front of the cross: the King who conquered by love, worn close to the heart, in silver, gold or black.

What Is the Feast of Christ the King?

Christ the King meaning

Calling Jesus "King" is as old as the Gospels. The Magi came looking for the newborn king, the crowds on Palm Sunday hailed the king who comes in the name of the Lord, and the Book of Revelation gives him his final title: "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:16, KJV). The feast gathers all of this into one Sunday.

It also closes the year on purpose. The Church year begins in Advent by waiting for Christ and ends by proclaiming that he is the goal of everything. Revelation puts it in his own words: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (Revelation 22:13, KJV). If those two Greek letters intrigue you, our guide to the Alpha and Omega symbol shows how Christians have used them for centuries.

A kingdom not of this world

Jesus himself explained what kind of king he is, standing in front of Pontius Pilate on the morning he was condemned:

"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (John 18:36, KJV)

That is the paradox at the center of the feast. Christ's kingship is not a political program and it does not need armies. It is a reign over hearts, built on truth and love, and it is most clearly seen at the moment he looks weakest, on the cross.

Christ the King Sunday 2026: Date and Place in the Church Year

Sunday, November 22, 2026

In 2026, Christ the King Sunday falls on November 22. The US bishops' liturgical calendar gives it its full name, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and the priest wears white. The readings that day are Ezekiel 34, where God promises to shepherd his flock himself, Saint Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15, on Christ handing the kingdom to the Father, and the Gospel of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25.

The last Sunday before Advent

Christ the King is always the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, which means it always falls the Sunday before the First Sunday of Advent. In 2026, Advent begins on November 29, so in the United States the feast also falls on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, a natural moment to give thanks for the year that is ending before a new one begins.

History of the Feast of Christ the King

Pius XI and Quas Primas (1925)

The feast is young by Church standards. Pope Pius XI created it in his encyclical Quas Primas, dated December 11, 1925, during that year's Holy Year. Secularism was growing and nationalism was turning fierce. The Pope wanted Christians to remember, once a year, that Christ reigns over every person and every nation.

In paragraph 28 of the encyclical, he decreed the feast "to be observed yearly throughout the whole world on the last Sunday of the month of October." Elsewhere he insisted that Christ must reign in our minds, in our wills and in our hearts. A kingdom, in other words, that starts inside each believer.

Why the feast moved to the end of the year

In 1969, with the motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis, Pope Paul VI moved the feast to the last Sunday of the liturgical year, gave it its current title, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and raised it to the highest rank, a solemnity. The new date took effect with the calendar of 1970. Placed at the very end of the year, the feast now looks forward to the day Christ comes again in glory, which is exactly what the Gospel of Matthew 25 describes.

Symbols of Christ the King

Most of the Christian symbols you know speak in some way about this kingship. Three of them say it most clearly, and all three are worth looking at again this November.

The crown of thorns

The Gospels tell how Roman soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and pressed it on Jesus' head, mocking him as king of the Jews. They meant it as an insult. Christians have read it ever since as the truest crown he ever wore: a king who suffers for his people instead of making them suffer for him.

The Reverent Weave turns that crown into a ring. A crown of thorns and an olive branch are woven around a 10 mm band in gold-plated stainless steel, US sizes 7 to 12: suffering and peace, side by side, on the hand you use every day.

INRI on the cross

Above the head of Christ on most crucifixes you will see four letters, INRI. They come from the sign Pilate had nailed to the cross: "JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS" (John 19:19, KJV). Meant as the charge against him, it became, without Pilate knowing it, the first public proclamation of Christ the King. Our article on what INRI means on a crucifix tells the full story of those four letters.

The Calvary Crucifix is a traditional example: Christ on the cross under the INRI plaque, with rays behind the crossing and flowered ends on each arm. It measures 43 x 28 mm, in silver-tone or gold-tone plating, on a 20 inch chain.

The open arms of the risen Christ

The third symbol shows what happens after the cross. Most crucifixes show Christ at the hour of his death. A risen Christ image shows the next part of the story: Jesus standing in front of the cross, alive, his arms open. It is the King who has already won, inviting everyone in.

That is the image on The Risen Christ: a 35 x 55 mm polished stainless steel cross with the risen Christ before it, on a 60 cm pearl chain, in silver, gold or black. It suits someone who wants to wear the joy of Easter and the victory of the King rather than the suffering of Good Friday.

How to Celebrate the Feast of Christ the King

At Mass: the Gospel of Matthew 25

In 2026 the Gospel of the feast is the Last Judgment in Matthew 25:31-46. The King separates the sheep from the goats, and the test is surprising: not power or success, but whether we fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, and visited the sick and the prisoner. One line holds the whole feast:

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40, KJV)

At home: a prayer, an act of service

Because the Gospel is so concrete, the best way to keep the feast at home is to do one of the works it names. Bring a bag of groceries to a food pantry, visit an older neighbor, write to someone in prison or in the hospital. With children, read Matthew 25 at dinner and let each person pick one thing to do before Advent starts the next Sunday.

You can also end the day with the simplest prayer of the Gospels, the one the good thief said on Calvary: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" (Luke 23:42, KJV). Few prayers say more about Christ the King in fewer words. And if your family chose a saint to walk with this year, as we suggested in our guide to the meaning of All Saints Day, Christ the King Sunday is a good evening to ask that saint to pray for you too.

Wearing a crucifix as a sign of His kingship

Many Catholics wear a crucifix every day as a quiet sign of whose they are. The feast is a good moment to choose one, or to give one. Our guide to crucifix necklace meaning explains why the body of Christ on the cross matters so much to Catholics.

The Radiant Crucifix is a 35 x 59 mm crucifix in gold-plated stainless steel, with a halo ring and small sparkling stones, for someone who prefers the crucifix to the plain cross. The Holy Visage frames the face of Christ inside an open cross, 30 x 50 mm, in silver or gold on a 60 cm box chain. For something smaller, The Reverent Silhouette cuts the silhouette of Christ and his name out of a round 25 x 27.4 mm medal.

You will find all of them, with many other crosses and rosaries, in our Crosses and Rosaries for Faith and Prayer collection. Shipping is free and tracked: orders are processed within 24 hours on business days and shipped with tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

A King Worth Following

The Feast of Christ the King asks one simple question at the end of every year: who rules your life? The answer the Church gives is a king with a crown of thorns, open arms and a heart for the least of his brothers and sisters. This November 22, go to Mass, do one of the works of Matthew 25, and let the coming of Advent find you a little closer to him.

Sophie Laurent

Jewelry Historian & Curator

Specializing in religious jewelry since 2017, I combine technical expertise in precious metals with a deep passion for Christian symbolism. At Bennett & Cross, my mission is to guide you in preserving your sacred heirlooms.