A journey of penance, prayer, and public witness to Christ the King
What is the Christus Rex Pilgrimage?
What is the Christus Rex Pilgrimage?
The Christus Rex Pilgrimage is a traditional Catholic pilgrimage held each October in regional Victoria, tracing a 90km route from St Patrick’s Cathedral in Ballarat to Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo. Founded in the spirit of Pope Pius XI’s 1925 encyclical Quas Primas, the pilgrimage is a public act of reparation and witness to the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Over three days, pilgrims walk in prayer and penance, chanting the Rosary, singing hymns, listening to spiritual reflections, and supporting one another along the way. Daily Mass is offered according to the 1962 Roman Missal, and the journey culminates in a Solemn Mass for the Feast of Christ the King.
Who Organises It?
The pilgrimage is organised by the Christus Rex Society Inc., a volunteer-run, non-profit association. The Society’s members dedicate their time throughout the year to ensure the pilgrimage remains prayerful, well-organised, and accessible for all who seek to honour Christ the King.
Why Christ the King?
The Christus Rex Pilgrimage takes its name and purpose from the Feast of Christ the King, instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 through his encyclical Quas Primas. In the wake of war, secularism, and growing hostility to the Church, Pius XI declared this feast to assert the kingship of Christ over all nations—not only in the hearts of the faithful, but in families, societies, and civil life.
He placed the feast on the final Sunday of October in the traditional liturgical calendar, just before All Saints, reminding the faithful that the reign of Christ is not a distant hope, but a present and urgent reality. The Pilgrimage is held each year on this feast, and is a public act of witness and reparation. It is a call to conversion—both personal and national.
Our HIstory
The Christus Rex Pilgrimage was inspired by the great Pentecost pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, revived in France in the early 1980s by a small group of Catholics devoted to the traditional liturgy. That pilgrimage grew rapidly, attracting thousands from around the world.
A few Australian pilgrims, moved by this witness, sought to establish a similar tradition here. They faced a daunting task—finding two Cathedrals in Australia a three-day walk apart, appropriate for the worthy celebration of the traditional liturgy. In the end, the road from St Patrick’s Cathedral in Ballarat to Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo stood alone as the clear choice.
The first Christus Rex Pilgrimage took place in 1991 with about a dozen pilgrims from across Australia, led by Fr John Parsons. Much was different then—no marshals, no portable toilets, and the Saturday night stop at Maldon doubled as the location for Sunday Mass. That evening, pilgrims were treated to a home-cooked roast dinner by long-time volunteers Marie and Michael Houlihan, fondly remembered by many.
Though the pilgrimage has grown over the years, it remains rooted in the same spirit: penance, prayer, tradition, and the public honouring of Christ the King.