Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

On the last weekend of every liturgical year, we celebrate The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 in response to the growing secularism in the public realm. “He recognized that attempting to ‘thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law’ out of public life would result in continuing discord among people and nations.”1 His encyclical Quas Primas (“In the First”) can be found here at Encyclical of Pop Pius XI. The prominence of this beautiful feast day coincides with an added visual restoration of the sanctuary of St. Francis Church. During recent repairs around the window above the sanctuary, several wooden pieces were discovered at the top of the baldacchnio (canopy). After examining historical church photographs from the earlier part of the century, the priests realized that the pieces were the original ornamentation of the baldacchino above the high altar. Although we did not have enough pieces for the entire area, a parishioner kindly offered his woodworking skills to duplicate, repair, and reinstall the pieces to their original positioning adorning the sanctuary. Our bulletin cover shows images from St. Francis Church as it looked in 1940’s. As we celebrate the kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ, we give praise and thanksgiving for our beautiful church structures that exemplify the hidden heavenly realities. May we always look at our sanctuaries and profess Christ as King of our hearts, our community, and our world.