This year marks 100 years since Pope Pius XI first instituted the Feast of Christ, King of the Universe.
To commemorate the centenary, EWTN Ireland has produced a new four-part series exploring what the kingship of Christ truly means — in Scripture, in history, and in the lives of believers today. The series premieres from the Vatican to the whole world, bringing its message from the heart of the Church.
Fr. Bernard McGuckin explains how the idea of kingship has shaped human life and Christian faith:
“After the French Revolution, the kingships disappeared pretty well all over the world with a few exceptions. But the concept of kingship is rooted in family life. The father is actually the king of the family. He is the one who gives the laws of the family.
He also supports the family and he’s the judge in the family of what is right and wrong. So Jesus plays all those three roles in the world, in the life of each one of us. So he is the king of hearts, primarily not king in any other way. So he is the king of kings and the Lord of lords. And people understand that they cannot live their lives without some sort of guidance. And they’re given this marvellous guidance. And it’s the kingship of Christ.”
According to Aidan Gallagher, Head of EWTN Ireland, the project has been in preparation for more than a year:
“Father Bernard McGuckin, a very well-respected Jesuit, came to me roughly 18 months ago and suggested that cognizance of the kingship of Christ was going to be a big thing come November, December 2025. (…)
And because Father is such a marvellous talent, we were, after some hard work, able to establish that essentially. The series would comprise 4 separate episodes, one being the evidence for the kingship of Christ in the Old and New Testament.”
The four episodes were filmed in Rome in collaboration with the EWTN Vatican Bureau and required around six months of production, culminating in a screening from the Vatican.
Reflecting on the purpose behind the project, Andreas Thonhauser notes:
“Why we did this series, is where does the Kingship stand today? Where is the relevance of kingship to us as individuals in terms of the struggles that we have in our everyday lives, just from morning to night?”
He continues:
“You know, when God created us, He created us for a purpose. And obviously, recognizing that kingship each and every day is part of our calling. But dare I say, you know, growing towards greater perfection. Certainly we’ll never be perfect in this world, there’s no question about that. But a God calls us to perfection. And this model of kingship, where we have an allegiance to Him, is certainly very much a calling in that.”
As the Church celebrates a century of the Feast of Christ the King, this new series from EWTN Ireland invites viewers to rediscover a kingship that stretches from Scripture and history into the struggles of everyday life.
The series is available to watch on demand on the EWTN Ireland website.
Adapted by Jacob Stein. Produced by Alexey Gotovskiy; Camera by Gianluca Gangemi; Video edited by Gianluca Gangemi
