7 Christ the King Prayers (2026): Act of Consecration and Feast Day

The best-known Christ the King prayer is the Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ the King, which the Church prays every year on the feast of Christ the King. In 2026 that feast falls on Sunday, November 22, the last Sunday before Advent. Below you will find that act of consecration, the prayer of the Mass, and five more short prayers to bring Christ’s kingship into your home this week.

This is a feast for people who have seen a great deal of life. Kings and governments come and go. Christ’s reign does not. As the Catechism puts it, Christ is already “Lord of the cosmos and of history,” even though his kingdom will be fully revealed only when he comes again (CCC 668, 671).

When Is the Feast of Christ the King in 2026?

The official name is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It always falls on the last Sunday of the liturgical year.

	2026
Feast of Christ the King	Sunday, November 22
Thanksgiving (U.S.)	Thursday, November 26
First Sunday of Advent	Sunday, November 29

Because it is a Sunday, you keep the feast by going to Mass. Many parishes also pray the Act of Consecration together after Mass or hold Eucharistic adoration.

A Short History of the Feast

Pope Pius XI instituted the feast in 1925 with his encyclical Quas Primas. The world had just come through the First World War, and many people and governments were living as if God did not exist. The Pope saw this as a root of the unrest of his time. He wanted a yearly feast to remind Christians that Christ must reign in our minds, our wills and our hearts, and in public life too.

At first the feast was kept on the last Sunday of October. After the Second Vatican Council, Pope St. Paul VI moved it to the last Sunday of the Church’s year and gave it its present name. The new date makes a beautiful point: the whole year of grace ends by looking toward Christ, who will come again in glory.

What Does It Mean That Christ Is King?

Christ’s kingship is not like earthly power. Standing before Pilate, Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world” (John 18:36). He came “to testify to the truth” (John 18:37). His throne was the Cross, and his crown was made of thorns.

The Church teaches three things about this kingdom:

1. It has already begun. Christ’s reign is present now, in mystery, in the Church (CCC 669).
2. It is not yet complete. We wait for its fullness when Christ returns, which is why we pray “Thy kingdom come” (CCC 671, 2816–2818).
3. We share in it. By Baptism every Catholic shares in Christ’s kingly office. We reign with him by mastering sin in ourselves and by serving others, especially the poor (CCC 786).

The Church also asks Christians to let Christ’s light shape families, work and society (CCC 2105). This is not about forcing faith on anyone. It is about living the Gospel openly and kindly.

The Readings for Christ the King (2026, Year A)

The Sunday readings follow a three-year cycle. In 2026 the Church reads Year A:

• First reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17. God himself will shepherd his flock.
• Psalm: Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”
• Second reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28. Christ hands the kingdom over to the Father.
• Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46. The Son of Man on his throne judges the nations.

That Gospel is sobering and consoling. The King says, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). In other years, the Church reads Jesus before Pilate (John 18:33-37) or the Good Thief on Calvary (Luke 23:35-43).

7 Prayers to Christ the King

1. Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ the King

This prayer comes from Pope Leo XIII, who consecrated the human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1899. Pius XI asked that it be renewed every year on the feast of Christ the King. It is shown here in the form commonly prayed today.

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race,
look down upon us humbly prostrate before your altar.
We are yours, and yours we wish to be;
but to be more surely united with you,
behold, each one of us freely consecrates himself today
to your Most Sacred Heart.
Many indeed have never known you;
many, too, despising your precepts, have rejected you.
Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus,
and draw them to your Sacred Heart.
Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken you,
but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned you;
grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house,
lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions,
or whom discord keeps aloof,
and call them back to the harbor of truth and the unity of faith,
so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.
Grant, O Lord, to your Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm;
give peace and order to all nations,
and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry:
Praise to the divine Heart that wrought our salvation;
to it be glory and honor forever.
Amen.

If the Sacred Heart is close to your heart, see also this prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

2. Collect for the Solemnity of Christ the King

This is the opening prayer of the Mass for the feast, from the Roman Missal.

Almighty ever-living God,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of the universe,
grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery,
may render your majesty service
and ceaselessly proclaim your praise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

3. The Prayer of the Good Thief

The shortest prayer to Christ the King in the Bible was spoken from a cross. The repentant thief asked, and Jesus promised him Paradise that same day (Luke 23:42-43).

Jesus, remember me
when you come into your kingdom.
Amen.

4. Short Aspirations to Christ the King

These ancient acclamations can be prayed at any moment of the day. “Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands” comes from the Church’s old royal hymns. “Long live Christ the King!” was the cry of the Mexican martyrs of the 1920s, including Blessed Miguel Pro.

Christ conquers! Christ reigns! Christ commands!
Long live Christ the King!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, thy kingdom come.
Amen.

5. Prayer to Christ the King for My Family (Original Prayer)

Lord Jesus Christ, King of my heart and of my home,
I place my family under your gentle rule.
Reign at our table and in our conversations.
Reign in our joys and in our quarrels.
Bring back to you any of my children or grandchildren who have wandered,
and keep them close to your Sacred Heart.
Make our home a small kingdom of peace, forgiveness and prayer,
until we all meet again in your Father’s house.
Amen.

6. Prayer to Christ the King for Our Nation (Original Prayer)

Christ our King, ruler of every nation,
we pray for our country and all who lead it.
Give our leaders wisdom, honesty and a love of justice.
Protect the unborn, the poor, the sick and the elderly.
Heal our divisions and soften hardened hearts.
Let your truth and your mercy shape our laws and our lives,
so that we may live in peace
and serve you in freedom.
Amen.

7. Prayer to Christ the King, Judge of the Living and the Dead (Original Prayer)

Inspired by this year’s Gospel, Matthew 25:31-46.

Lord Jesus, King of glory,
one day I will stand before your throne.
Let me see your face now
in the hungry, the lonely, the sick and the stranger.
Forgive the times I passed you by.
Give me a generous heart for the days I have left,
and at the hour of my death,
welcome me among those on your right hand.
Amen.

How to Celebrate the Feast of Christ the King at Home

• Go to Mass and, if your parish offers it, join in the public Act of Consecration.
• Enthrone an image of Christ the King or the Sacred Heart in a place of honor. A Catholic home altar is a good spot.
• Pray the Act of Consecration as a family after Sunday dinner.
• Do one work of mercy that week in honor of the Gospel: a visit, a meal or a phone call.
• Remember the dead. November is the month of the Holy Souls, so add a prayer for the souls in purgatory.
• Carry the spirit into Thanksgiving four days later with these Catholic prayers for Thanksgiving.

To go deeper into who Jesus is, read what Catholics believe about Jesus.