Christ The King and the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate

Tomorrow the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ The King - one of my favorite feast days.

This, I suspect, has its roots in my high school and college years, when I was an active member of the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate. Christ the King was one of the two major celebrations of the MCA (the other being Pentecost). On each of these feast days, MCA members and other members of the Missionary Cenacle Family would head to the Shrine of Saint Joseph in Stirling, New Jersey, for a day of various activities, culminating in the offering of Holy Mass. Although the memories are a bit hazy, I still treasure these experiences.

Unfortunately (from my point of view), there are no longer any MCA groups in New England. Usually the cenacles (as the local groups are called) were under the wing of one of the Cenacle local religious communities. In years past, there were communities of the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity (the order of sisters) in Southington, CT, and in Norwood and Hyannis, MA. However, these communities are no longer here.

 I do believe, though, that the MCA spirit is still within each of us who were active in the MCA while it was in the region. May the seeds that were planted and nurtured during this time (and the seeds that continue to be planted and nurtured) bear much fruit.

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Unlike many lay groups associated with religious orders, the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate was established first, and the religious orders grew out of its ministry.  It was founded by Father Thomas Augustine Judge, a Vincentian priest who was born in Boston. In the spirit of Vatican Council II (but decades before it was convened), he saw the importance of lay persons being witnesses for Christ in the workplace and wherever they were.

For a reflection on being an MCA missionary, please visit:

Pat Regan, MCA: A Reflection on the MCA Vocation