Christ the King


Dear Friends in Christ,

Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday (October 27, 2024) is the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Also called simply Christ the King, this first-class feast is always celebrated on the last Sunday in October. It will be followed on Monday the 28th by the Feast of Ss. Simon and Jude, Apostles. The last three days in October are vacant, but the week will culminate with two more first-class feasts: All Saints on Friday (November 1st) and All Souls on Saturday (November 2nd). All Saints celebrates all the saints in Heaven, both those whose feast days appear on the liturgical calendar and those who have not been canonized and may never be. (The process leading to canonization sometimes takes decades or even centuries to reach its conclusion.) All Souls is the day dedicated to the faithful who aspired to reach Heaven but presumably fell short. They are now in Purgatory undergoing the painful process of purification necessary to achieve the purgation of sins not confessed and atoned for in this life. The Church calls on us to pray for them throughout the month of November. Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine et lux perpetua luceat eis.


Calendar of Saints and Special Observances

Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962 or on the liturgical calendar of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary.

DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)

Sunday, October 27 – Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christ the King) (I)

Monday, October 28 – Ss. Simon and Jude, Apostles (II)

Tuesday, October 29 – Feria

Wednesday, October 30 – Feria

Thursday, October 31 – Feria

Friday, November 1 – All Saints (I)

Saturday, November 2 – All Souls (I)


Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christ the King)

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for Mass in the Extraordinary Form for the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christ the King) with either English or Spanish translation. The English version includes a commentary on the feast by Dom Prosper Guéranger, OSB from The Liturgical Year. In addition, we provide a link to a New Liturgical Movement article by Dr. Michael P. Foley on “The Orations of the Feast of Christ the King.”


Latin Mass Schedule: Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ –

Christ the King (October 27, 2024)

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • 11:30 a.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas (Followed by Eucharistic Procession)
  • 12:30 p.m., Saint Ann (Followed by Eucharistic Procession: See Announcements below)

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • 8:30 a.m., Saint John the Baptist (Tryon)
  • 9:00 a.m., Our Lady of the Angels (Marion)
  • 1:00 p.m., Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock)
  • 1:30 p.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro)

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • 12:00 p.m., Prince of Peace (Taylors SC)
  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)

Note: Travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the regular schedule of Mass times.


Latin Mass Weekday Schedule: Week of October 27

Note: Friday, November 1st, is the Feast of All Saints, a holy day of obligation. Saturday, November 2nd, is the Feast of All Souls, a 1st-class commemoration of the faithful departed offered especially on behalf of the poor souls in Purgatory.

Tuesday October 29

  • Our Lady of the Mountains (Highlands) – 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday October 30

  • Saint Ann – 6:00 p.m.

Thursday October 31

  • Saint Thomas Aquinas – 7:00 p.m.
  • Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro) – 6:30 p.m.

November 1 (Feast of All Saints)

  • Saint Ann – 7:00 a.m.
  • Saint John the Baptist (Tryon) – 8:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m.
  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – 12 noon
  • Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock) – 6:30 p.m. (No 9:30 a.m. Mass)
  • Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC) – 6:30 p.m.

November 2 (Feast of All Souls)

  • Saint Ann – 9:00 a.m. Solemn High Mass (Followed by parish carnival)
  • Saint Thomas Aquinas – 10:00 a.m. (Followed by blessing of religious objects)
  • Saint John the Baptist (Tryon) – 8:30 a.m. (Requiem funeral Mass for a parishioner - open to all)
  • Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock) – 10:00 a.m.
  • Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro) – 11:00 a.m.
  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m.
  • Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC) – 1:00 p.m.


Note: Prince of Peace Parish (Taylors SC) offers a 12 noon Latin Mass every weekday (M-F) and 8:00 a.m. Saturday.

Additionally, travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in Mass times.


Feast of All Saints – Feast of All Souls

As the Feast of All Saints, a holy day of obligation, will be celebrated Friday (November 1st), we provide a link below that can be used to download a printable copy of the Proper Prayers for Mass in the Extraordinary Form with English translation.

As the Feast of All Souls, a 1st-class commemoration of the faithful departed, will be celebrated Saturday (November 2nd), we provide links below that can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for Mass in the Extraordinary Form for the first, second and third Masses of the day with English translation. (On All Souls Day, the Church allows priests to offer three Masses)


Pray for Our Priests

At the recent Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress, Carolina Traditional Liturgy Society launched a "Pray for Our Priests" campaign, soliciting prayers on behalf of our diocesan priests. Please join those already engaged in this prayer initiative by pledging as many Hail Marys as your heart will allow! Our goal is to secure the recitation of 150,000 Hail Marys for the 133 diocesan priests before the end of the liturgical year on November 30th. As we all know, spiritual warfare between angels and demons rages continually, and prayer is a powerful weapon in the battle.

During a recent talk, Living Through these Trying Times: Faith in Trials (1/5), Father Chad Ripperger (at the 13-minute mark), said that we must pray for the protection of our clergy and pray in a very specific way. He noted that we should call on Our Lady and give her our prayers for our priests and also ask her to protect and hide us and our prayers from the demons, to prevent them from undermining the effects of the prayers (click here to listen).

To participate in the “Pray for Our Priests” campaign, please visit the Carolina Traditional Liturgy Society website or use the link below, keeping in mind that you can always add Hail Mary’s once your initial pledge has been met.

Oremus!

[Add Your Hail Marys Here]


Announcements

Annual Eucharistic Procession This Sunday – The annual Eucharistic Procession in honor of Christ the King will begin immediately following the 12:30 p.m. Traditional Latin Mass at Saint Ann this Sunday. It will proceed to Holy Trinity Middle School, where more prayers will be offered, and then the procession will then return to Saint Ann for concluding prayers within the church at approximately 3:00 p.m. 


Plenary Indulgence for the Feast of Christ the King – A plenary indulgence may be obtained on the Feast of Christ the King under the usual conditions (Mass attendance, confession, the avoidance of serious sin, and recitation of prayers for the intentions of the Pope) when praying An Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a church. The Saint Ann Eucharistic Procession generally ends with recitation of the Act of Consecration which may be found in this article from The Missive.


All Souls Novena of Masses and Indulgences – St. Ann will again offer a Novena of Masses for the Poor Souls in Purgatory during the month of November. The names of those one wishes to have remembered in this special way may be submitted either by collection envelope or online. In addition, the Book of the Dead will be available in the narthex of the church for enrollment of the names of deceased loved ones. All those whose names are submitted will be especially remembered in the Litany of the Dead to be offered after every daily Mass in November.

A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful - applicable only to the souls in purgatory - who devoutly visit a cemetery to pray for the dead during the first eight days of November (see “Prayers at the Cemetery” below).

A plenary indulgence, also applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful who piously visit a church or public oratory on All Souls Day to pray the Our Father and recite the Creed. One must be baptized and in the state of grace; free from an attachment to sin; go to confession within 20 days; receive Holy Communion on the day of visitation; and offer prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (again, the Our Father and Creed will suffice).


FSSP Novena of Masses – The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) will also offer its annual novena of Masses on behalf of the dead, beginning on All Souls Day and concluding on November 10th. Those wishing to enroll deceased loved ones may do so by making use of the following link: All Souls Novena.


Prayers at the Cemetery Saint Ann Homeschool Ministry invites everyone to join them at Belmont Abbey Cemetery on Sunday, November 3rd, at 3:00 p.m. (following the 12:30 p.m. Latin Mass at St. Ann) to pray for the Souls in Purgatory. Father will lead the prayers. After the prayers for the Poor Souls have been said, “soul cakes” (doughnuts), coffee, and other treats will be served. Drinking water and napkins will be provided. (Note: Coffee and snacks will not be available at St. Ann following the 12:30 p.m. Mass.)


Disaster Relief – Catholic Charities is requesting monetary donations to support disaster relief efforts in western North Carolina in the wake of the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Helene. The following website has been established to facilitate the donation of funds to help survivors recover from the catastrophic flooding caused by the storm: Donate to Disaster Relief for Western North Carolina. One can also give directly to the parishes that are also assisting those affected: Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country, Boone and Saint Bernadette, Linville. Please continue to pray for those who lost their lives or their homes or were otherwise affected by the recent storm.


Prayers for the Election – The following special prayer initiatives have been launched in anticipation of the national election scheduled to take place on November 5th:

54-Day Rosary Novena: Fr. Reid has encouraged participation in the 54-Day Rosary Novena already underway in connection with the upcoming national election. The novena began Friday (September 13th) and will conclude on Election Day (November 5th). Participants are asked to pray the Rosary daily for the intention that God’s will may be done in the election. “But also pray,” Fr. Reid urged, “for the respect and protection of life in all its stages; for the sanctity of marriage and families; for the upholding of constitutionally protected religious freedom; and for a return of our nation to God and holiness. And, of course, we should pray for peace in our world.” Fr. Reid also encouraged those who join in the 54-Day Rosary Novena to fast during this period, giving up something to reinforce their dedication to the prayer intentions.

Fr. Chad Ripperger’s Prayer for the Election: Fr. Chad Ripperger, who spoke at Saint Thomas Aquinas last year, has asked the faithful of the United States to pray for our nation as the election approaches. Fr. Ripperger, a Latin Mass priest and founder of the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother (the Doloran Fathers), is perhaps best known for his work as an exorcist. He has written a special prayer consecrating the election and its outcome to Our Lady. The text of the prayer may be found at the end of this update or downloaded via this link.


Holy Face Devotions

Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:

  • St. James (Concord) – Monday, 10-10:30 a.m. (in the cry room)
  • St. Mark – Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. (new time and day effective October 22)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesday, 6:00 a.m.
  • St. Ann – Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (following 7:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)
  • St. Michael the Archangel (Gastonia) – Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. (following 8:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)
  • Holy Spirit (Denver) – Tuesday, 10-11:00 a.m. (following the 9:15 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)
  • St. John the Baptist (Tryon) - First Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (after 8:30 a.m Latin Mass) - NEW

“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).


Latin Mass and Liturgical News

  • Jewel of the Soul – A Short Review by Fr. William Rock, FSSP for The Missive takes a look at a recently published English translation of Honorius Augustodunensis’s 12th-century liturgical commentary, noting its “heavy emphasis on the allegorical or spiritual interpretation of the rites.” [Jewel of the Soul – A Short Review]
  • Review of the New Edition of Honorius of Autun’s Jewel of the Soul is the review by New Liturgical Movement editor Gregory DiPippo that inspired Fr. William Rock to read the newly published English translation and write his own short review noted above. We take this opportunity to offer both perspectives on this 12th-century liturgical commentary. [Review of the New Edition of Honorius of Autun’s Jewel of the Soul]
  • Only love will save humanity, pope says in encyclical on Sacred Heart as reported by the Catholic News Herald on the Holy Father’s new encyclical Dilexit Nos, which is the first encyclical on the Sacred Heart since Pope Pius XII in 1956. [Only love will save humanity]
  • Three Hearts Pilgrimage 2024 is a report from the monks of Clear Creek Abbey regarding the annual three-day pilgrimage that concluded with a Pontifical Mass celebrated by the Right Reverend Fr. Jean Pateau, Abbot of Notre-Dame de Fontgombault, including his homily. [Three Hearts Pilgrimage]
  • The Marriage of Blessed Karl and Princess Zita is an excerpt from Charles Coulombe’s book Blessed Charles of Austria and posted by OnePeterFive provides background on this royal courtship and marriage whose wedding date now serves as Blessed Karl's feast day (and God willing someday Servant of God Empress Zita) which is October 21. [The Marriage of Blessed Karl and Princess Zita]
  • Moral Questions Regarding Voting by Cardinal Raymond Burke is an important presentation released October 22 about the Catholic principles for voting and choosing candidates in this important election and provides much needed clarity about how Catholics can faithfully exercise their right to vote. [Moral Questions Regarding Voting]
  • Return to Our Lady: Sixteenth Reflection is the latest offering from Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke for those participating in his Nine-Month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe on behalf of the Church and the world. Cardinal Burke provides a video presentation of his reflection, together with the text of his message, the prayer to be recited daily by participants and links to valuable background material regarding St. Juan Diego’s miraculous encounter with Our Lady in 1531. [Return to Our Lady Sixteenth Reflection]
  • There’s Something Fishy about that there Rosary by Fr. William Rock, FSSP, writing for The Missive during this month of Our Lady and her Most Holy Rosary, begins with the historic sea battle at Lepanto but then takes a deep dive into matters relating to the Rosary itself. [There’s Something Fishy about that there Rosary]
  • New director named for diocese’s Divine Worship Office is an announcement from Bishop Martin noting the appointment of Father Noah Carter as the new director for the diocese's Divine Worship Office. We extend our congratulations to Father Carter and ask our readers to pray for him as he assumes this new role. [New director named for diocese’s Divine Worship Office]

Saints and Special Observances

The Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ – or Christ the King – was decreed by Pope Pius XI in his encyclical Quas Primas, given at St. Peter’s in Rome on December 11, 1925. The Holy Father called for the annual celebration of the feast on the last Sunday in October. The feast was instituted as a corrective to the “manifold evils in the world due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives. . . . In establishing the annual liturgical celebration of Christ the King, the Pope asserted, “that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ; and that We promised to do as far as lay in Our power.

First among the blessings Pope Pius XI hoped would “accrue to the Church, to society, and to each one of the faithful, as a result of the public veneration of the Kingship of Christ” was the following:

When we pay honor to the princely dignity of Christ, men will doubtless be reminded that the Church, founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state; and that in fulfilling the task committed to her by God of teaching, ruling, and guiding to eternal bliss those who belong to the kingdom of Christ, she cannot be subject to any external power.

The Pope quoted his predecessor, Leo XIII, regarding the inevitable consequences of excluding God from the communal life of the people:

‘With God and Jesus Christ,’ we said, ‘excluded from political life, with authority derived not from God but from man, the very basis of that authority has been taken away, because the chief reason for the distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated. The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation.’

“When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King,” Pope Pius wrote in Quas Primas, “society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony. As we near the culmination of our ongoing state and national elections, it becomes ever more apparent that the nation has forfeited those blessings by its failure to accept Christ as king and by its determination to deny God a place in the life of the people.

A link to the full text of the encyclical is provided below.

Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat!

[Quas Primas (December 11, 1925) | PIUS XI]


Closing Commentary

We offer, in closing, an excerpt from Dom Prosper Guéranger’s commentary on the “The Feast of All Saints.” A link to the full text from The Liturgical Year follows. The commentary is followed by Fr. Chad Ripperger’s “Consecration of the Election to the Blessed Virgin Mary.”


November 1 – Feast of All Saints

Time is no more; it is the human race eternally saved, that is thus presented in vision to the prophet of Patmos. Our life of struggle and suffering on earth is, then, to have an end. Our long lost race is to fill up the angelic ranks thinned by Satan’s revolt; and, uniting in the gratitude of the redeemed of the Lamb, the faithful spirits will sing with us: Thanksgiving, honor, and power, and strength to our God for ever and ever!

And this shall be the end, as the Apostle says; the end of death and suffering; the end of history and of its revolutions which will then be explained. The old enemy, hurled down with his followers into the abyss, will live on only to witness his own eternal defeat. The Son of Man, the Savior of the world, will have delivered the kingdom to God his Father; and God, the last end of creation and of redemption, will be all in all.

Long before the seer of the Apocalypse, Isaias sang: I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and elevated, and his train filled the temple. And the Seraphim cried one to another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth is full of his glory. The train and fringes of God’s vesture are the elect, who are the adornment of the Word, the splendor of the Father. For since the Word has espoused our human nature, that nature is his glory, as he is the glory of God. The Bride herself is clothed with the justifications of the Saints; and when this glittering robe is perfected, the signal will be given for the end of time. This feast announces the ever-growing nearness of the eternal nuptials; for on it we annually celebrate the progress of the Bride’s preparations.

Blessed are they that are called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb! Blessed are we all, who have received in Baptism the nuptial robe of holy charity, which entitles us to a seat at the heavenly banquet! Let us prepare ourselves for the unspeakable destiny reserved for us by love. To this end are directed all the labors of this life: toils, struggles, sufferings for God’s sake, all adorn with priceless jewels the garment of grace, the clothing of the elect. Blessed are they that mourn!

They that have gone before us wept as they turned the furrows and cast in the seed; but now their triumphant joy overflows upon us as an anticipated glory in this valley of tears. Without waiting for the dawn of eternity, the present solemnity gives us to enter by hope into the land of light, whither our fathers have followed Jesus the divine forerunner. Do not the thorns of suffering lose their sharpness at the sight of the eternal joys into which they are to blossom? Does not the happiness of the dear departed cause a heavenly sweetness to mingle with our sorrow? Let us hearken to the chants of deliverance sung by those for whom we weep; little and great, this is the feast of them all, as it will one day be ours. At this season, when cold and darkness prevail, nature herself, stripping off her last adornments, seems to be preparing the world for the passage of the human race into the heavenly country. Let us, then, sing with the Psalmist: “I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord. Our feet as yet stand only in thy outer courts; but we see thy building ever going on, O Jerusalem, city of peace, compacted together in concord and love. To thee do the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, praising the name of the Lord; thy vacant seats are being filled up. May all good things be for them that love thee, O Jerusalem; may peace be in thy strength, and abundance in thy towers. For the sake of my brethren and of my neighbors, who are already thy inhabitants, I take pleasure in thee; because of the Lord our God, whose dwelling thou art, I have placed in thee all my desire.”

[November 1 --Feast of All Saints]