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St. Mary Basilica celebrated Christ the King Sunday with a Eucharistic procession that started at the church on Union Street and ended with a blessing the bandstand on the Natchez bluff.

During the Eucharistic procession, the Rev. Aaron Williams carried the consecrated host in an ornate vessel called a monstrance under a procession canopy. Parishioners from the church followed Williams to the bluff where he blessed the City of Natchez from the bandstand overlooking the Mississippi River.

After the blessing, the procession returned to the church for light refreshments at the church’s Family Life Center.

Celebrated on the last Sunday of the church’s liturgical calendar, Christ the King Sunday celebrates Christ’s messianic kingship and sovereign rule over all creation.

Below are photos of Sunday morning’s procession down Main Street and to the bluff.