Short answer: In the current Roman calendar, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, falls on Sunday, November 22, 2026, the last Sunday before Advent begins on November 29. In the traditional (1962) calendar used at the Traditional Latin Mass, the Feast of Christ the King is kept on the last Sunday of October, which was October 25, 2026. Pope Pius XI established the feast in 1925 to remind the world that Jesus Christ is King over individuals, families and nations. A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who publicly recite the Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ King on the solemnity, under the usual conditions.
Why did the Church create the Feast of Christ the King?
The feast is young by Church standards. Pope Pius XI instituted it on December 11, 1925, in his encyclical Quas Primas. The world was still reeling from the First World War. Secularism was spreading, and new ideologies were teaching that faith belonged only in private, if anywhere at all.
Pius XI’s answer was not a political program but a feast day. He taught that the many evils in the world came from people and nations pushing Christ and His law out of their lives and public affairs, and that lasting peace could only come through the reign of Christ. His motto summed it up: Pax Christi in Regno Christi, “the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ.”
Why are there two dates?
When Pius XI established the feast, he placed it on the last Sunday of October, just before All Saints’ Day. That is still its date in the 1962 Missal, which is why parishes offering the Traditional Latin Mass celebrated it on October 25 this year.
After the Second Vatican Council, the 1969 calendar moved the celebration to the last Sunday of the liturgical year, renamed it the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and gave it a strong focus on Christ’s return at the end of time. In 2026 that falls on November 22.
Both dates teach the same truth: the October date stresses Christ reigning now over society, the November date His return in glory to judge the living and the dead.
What does it mean that Christ is King?
His kingdom is not of this world, but it is in this world
Standing before Pilate, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Pilate asked, “So you are a king?” and Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).
Christ’s kingship isn’t about armies or borders. He reigns by truth, by His sacrifice on the Cross, and by grace. Yet His reign is not confined to the sanctuary. The Catechism teaches that Christ’s reign is already present in His Church, though it is not yet fulfilled “with power and great glory” (CCC 671), and that the Church makes known the kingship of Christ over all creation, and in particular over human societies (CCC 2105).
The King will judge us by love
In 2026 the Gospel for the solemnity is Matthew 25:31–46, the Last Judgment. The King separates the sheep from the goats, and the measure is concrete: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). The King who rules the universe asks whether we fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, and visited the sick and imprisoned.
Every baptized Catholic shares in His kingship
Through Baptism we share in Christ’s priestly, prophetic and kingly office (CCC 783–786). We live out that kingly share by mastering our own passions and sins, and by serving others, because for Christ, to reign is to serve.
¡Viva Cristo Rey! The Cristero martyrs
For many Mexican and Mexican-American Catholics, this feast has a special voice. During the persecution of the Church in Mexico in the 1920s, Catholics who resisted the government’s anti-Catholic laws became known as Cristeros, and their cry was ¡Viva Cristo Rey!, “Long live Christ the King!”
Blessed Miguel Pro, a Jesuit priest, was executed by firing squad in Mexico City in 1927. Before he died, he stretched out his arms in the form of a cross and cried, “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” The teenage martyr St. José Sánchez del Río, canonized by Pope Francis in 2016, was killed in 1928 after refusing to renounce his faith, and he is remembered for the same cry. Their witness is a reminder that Christ’s kingship is worth living for, and even dying for.
How to gain the plenary indulgence on Christ the King
The Church’s Enchiridion of Indulgences grants a plenary indulgence to the faithful who, on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, publicly recite the Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ King (Iesu dulcissime, Redemptor). Recited privately or on other days, the prayer carries a partial indulgence.
Many parishes pray this act together after Mass on the solemnity. Ask your parish whether it will. To gain the plenary indulgence, also fulfill the usual conditions:
- Sacramental Confession (within several days before or after; about 20 days is the common guideline)
- Holy Communion
- Prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father (for example, an Our Father and a Hail Mary)
- Detachment from all sin, even venial sin
Has it been a while since your last confession? Our step-by-step guide on how to go to Confession walks you through it.
The act begins: “Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before you. We are yours, and yours we wish to be…” The full text appears in the Enchiridion of Indulgences and in many Catholic prayer books.
Ways to celebrate at home
- Enthrone the Sacred Heart in your home, honoring Christ as King of your family.
- Do one work of mercy from Matthew 25 this week.
- Tell your children about the Cristero martyrs.
- Prepare for Advent, which begins November 29, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
When is Christ the King Sunday in 2026?
Sunday, November 22, 2026, in the current Roman calendar. In the traditional 1962 calendar, it was Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Is Christ the King a holy day of obligation?
It always falls on a Sunday, so the Sunday obligation to attend Mass applies.
What does “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” mean?
“Long live Christ the King!” It was the rallying cry of Mexico’s Cristero martyrs, including Blessed Miguel Pro and St. José Sánchez del Río.
Let Christ reign, every day, with Walsingham Radio
Walsingham Radio was founded by Cesar Ramirez in Murrieta, California, to share the truth of the Catholic Faith 24/7. On our shows, such as Catholic Answers Live, The Patrick Madrid Show and The Truth & Justice Show with Terry Barber, Catholic apologists answer real questions about Christ, His Church and the sacraments. Listen on our radio stream, send us a question or prayer request through our contact page, and if this mission has blessed you, please consider supporting Walsingham Radio. ¡Viva Cristo Rey!
