Processions proclaim Jesus as Christ the King

KATY — Hundreds of parishioners at St. Bartholomew the Apostle Catholic Church in Katy marked the Nov. 23 Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, by joining a Eucharistic procession, honoring the day with a public display of their faith as they walked from the parish to Katy City Hall, a three-mile roundtrip.

“In 1925, the pope established this big solemnity, and we’re very happy to celebrate this day,” said Father Miguel Solorzano, pastor of St. Bartholomew. “It was established during a time of difficulties in some countries, like Mexico, where there was religious persecution. The Cristeros used to cry out, ‘Viva Cristo Rey!’ while they were being martyred, so this festivity resounds especially with them and with all of us today. We recognize Jesus as the ruler of the whole universe.”

Father Solorzano said the significance of the Solemnity of Christ the King can be seen in the readings for the Mass as it recalled the story of King David being anointed king of Israel in the first reading from 2 Samuel, foreshadowing the kingship of Jesus Christ, and in the Gospel of Luke, the redemption of the good thief, who received salvation from Jesus, while hanging next to him on the cross.

The solemnity is celebrated on the very last Sunday of the liturgical year, with the following weekend beginning a new liturgical year as the first Sunday of Advent.

The celebration began with  Mass, and all in attendance were invited to join the Eucharistic procession that would begin after Mass. From the narthex of the church building, attendees traveled on foot several blocks to the front of Katy City Hall, where everyone stopped for a brief moment of prayer, then journeyed back to the parish and closed with benediction inside the church.  A Eucharistic procession stops for prayer in front of City Hall in Katy on Nov. 23. Hosted by St. Bartholomew the Apostle Parish in Katy, the candle-lit three-mile procession honored the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. (Photo by Marcus Norwood/Office of Communications)Families and parishioners of all ages and ethnicities walked in the procession, carrying lit candles helping to light the way, creating a scenic view of the crowd worshiping Jesus in the Eucharist as they passed through neighborhood streets, with residents onlooking and taking pictures from their front yards. 

Songs were sung in English and Spanish, and prayers were recited as Father Jose Kumblolickal, parochial vicar of the parish, carried the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament to lead the procession.

Ali Neumann, who helped organize a group of young girls in the procession, said the event helps show Christ to the community.

Typically, girls scatter flower petals ahead of the procession, but this year they carried candles as the sun set on the group that evening.

“It’s a great way for the girls to be able to participate in the procession,” she said.

Neumann said the procession brings the love for Christ, the Eucharist and the Church to the city of Katy.

“For me, it’s a way to show outwardly a devotion that I feel inwardly,” she said. 

David Robson, who serves on the parish’s liturgical committee and trains altar servers for Masses and the procession, said the procession helps parishioners live out their faith.

“One year, we were coming up on this feast, and we read the document establishing the feast, and it talks about processions and different external acts of devotion, and we’re always trying to discern how God is calling us as a parish to live out our faith,” he said.

Robson said the procession for Christ the King Solemnity is a way for the parish to bring Christ out into the streets so people can see Him, encourage each other and show their faith in God.

Other Catholic communities around the Archdiocese also celebrated the Solemnity of Christ the King with Eucharistic processions, including St. Mary’s Seminary and St. Rose of Lima Parish in Houston and the Church of the Annunciation in downtown Houston.