The Annual Global Celebration of Youth and Young Adults

Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Christ the King Sunday) | November 22-23, 2025

Global Celebration of Young People Christ the King Sunday

On this feast day... the Church proclaims the Kingdom of Christ, already present, but still growing in all its mystery towards its full manifestation ... young people are indispensable bearers of the dynamics of the Kingdom of God, the hope of the Church and the world. - St. John Paul II

SAVE THE DATE: NOVEMBER 23, 2025

Pope Leo XIV prepares to give his homily

His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, will continue to celebrate youth and young adults on November 23, 2025, the Solemnity of Christ the King, which Pope Francis established in 2020, when he called for a renewal of the annual global celebration of young people in local Catholic communities which began with Pope John Paul II in 1986. Pope Francis noted at the time: "The center of the celebration remains the Mystery of Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Man, as Saint John Paul II, the initiator and patron of WYD, always emphasized."

ANNUAL THEMES - 2024 to 2027

As the Church prepares for these gatherings - both annually and in Rome - the Holy Father has given a two-year guide to mark the journey, under the theme of hope, a virtue that the world is in need of and that shines forth particularly in young people. The themes can be seen as an extension of the Jubilee Holy Year (2025) in that they speak of the courageous hope and witness that young people can offer to the world through the lens of Christ and the Gospel.

  • 39th Global Celebration / World Youth Day, 2024-2025: “Those who hope in the Lord will run and not be weary” (cf. Is 40:31).
  • 40th Global Celebration / World Youth Day, 2025-2026: "You also are my witnesses, because you have been with me” (Jn 15:27)
  • 41st Global Celebration / World Youth Day, 2026-2027: "Take courage! I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33)

For guides and other resources on the Christ the King Annual Celebration of Young People, please look to our Christ the King Annual page here.

NOTE: Dioceses, eparchies, parishes, campuses, apostolates, and other communities are free to adapt the themes, within reason, to integrate their cultural context and local circumstances. Furthermore, the annual date of the global celebration (Christ the King Sunday) is recommended but can be adapted to fit the pastoral needs and calendars of the community.

World Youth Day pilgrims wait for Pope Francis to arrive for a July 30 prayer vigil at the Field of Mercy in Krakow, Poland. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

Every Catholic faith community around the world is encouraged to celebrate and reflect on youth and young adults annually on Christ the King Sunday.

To support that celebration, the USCCB has published A National Pastoral Resource Guidebook for the Global Celebration of Young People, available here, among other helpful tools for local Catholic communities in the United States and beyond:

National Pastoral Guidebook for the Global Celebration of Young People

Webinars on Preparing for the Global Celebration

Pope Francis video message for vaccine ad campaign

"As we prepare for the next intercontinental edition of World Youth Day, I would also like to renew its celebration in the local Churches... I have decided, beginning next year, to transfer the diocesan celebration of WYD from Palm Sunday to Christ the King Sunday... Dear young people, cry out with your life that Christ lives, that Christ reigns, that Christ is the Lord! If you keep silent, I tell you the very stones will cry out! (cf. Lk 19:40)." - Pope Francis, Homily for Christ the King Sunday Mass, November 22, 2020

Additional Resources from the USCCB

Annual Messages for Christ the King Sunday

  • 2024 Message: “Those who hope in the Lord will run and not be weary” (cf. Is 40:31)
  • 2023 Message: “Rejoicing in hope” (cf. Rom 12:12)

Additional Resources from the Vatican

Christ the King guidebook prayer