About Christ the King · University City, Missouri
Christ the King is a Catholic parish in University City, Missouri, in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of St. Louis, founded in 1927 to serve the growing Catholic community in the western St. Louis suburb. The parish operates a PreK-3 through 8th-grade school on its campus on Balson Avenue and is currently pastored by Fr. Chris Schroeder. Following the Archdiocese's 2022-2023 "All Things New" initiative, Christ the King absorbed the nearby parishes of All Saints, St. Rita, and St. Roch on Pentecost 2023, an expansion parishioners call "Christ the King 2.0." Mass is celebrated in English daily, with the Sunday 10:00 a.m. liturgy live-streamed online, and the parish runs Social Justice and outreach programs as part of its mission to bring Christ to its diverse neighborhood.
- Established
- 1927
- Patron
- Christ the King
- Rector
- Reverend Christopher Schroeder (Parochial Administrator of Christ the King and St. Joseph Parishes, since July 1, 2025)
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of St. Louis
Why belong here
Christ the King is a diverse, multigenerational parish — many younger families are second or even third generation members, and since All Things New the parish family includes more than 500 households from varied backgrounds, cultures, and traditions. Members pray together, work together on projects, celebrate together, and support one another through the love of Christ in times of joy and mourning. The parish supports a dynamic, faith-based PreK-3 through 8th-grade Catholic school, embraces Social Justice outreach to the wider University City community, and offers daily and weekend Masses, Saturday confessions, Tuesday Eucharistic Adoration, and a live-streamed Sunday liturgy for those who cannot attend in person.
Mass times at Christ the King
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00-4:45 pm
Adoration times
- Tuesday 6:30 pm (Eucharistic Adoration)
Parish History
Christ the King was founded in 1927 by Archbishop John Joseph Glennon, who appointed Father Daniel J. Ryan to establish a new parish in University City for the area's growing Catholic population. Father Ryan celebrated the first Mass on Easter Sunday 1927 in his apartment on Amherst Avenue; that same year property on Balson Avenue was purchased and ground was broken for a building that would house both the church and a school, plus the pastor's living quarters. Within a decade, the parish was ready for a separate, larger church: ground was broken for the new church and rectory on May 2, 1940, Archbishop Glennon laid the cornerstone in September, and the new Romanesque church was dedicated on May 21, 1941. Over the decades the parish navigated the changes of Vatican II, the racial integration of University City and the resulting demographic shifts, financial ups and downs, and the 2022-2023 Archdiocesan 'All Things New' consolidation that subsumed All Saints, St. Rita, and St. Roch on Pentecost 2023 — an era members call 'Christ the King 2.0.'
- 1927 — Parish established; Father Ryan celebrates first Mass Easter Sunday in his Amherst Avenue apartment
- 1928 — School opens with 48 students in two classrooms, staffed by the Religious Sisters of Mercy
- 1935 — Two wings added to the school; enrollment reaches 185
- May 21, 1941 — Current Romanesque church dedicated
- 2017 — 90th anniversary celebrated with a 'Mass Mob' and Bishop Sheridan returning as celebrant
- May 28, 2023 (Pentecost) — Absorbs All Saints, St. Rita, and St. Roch under 'All Things New'
- 2024 — St. Roch School closes; former convent converted into the current PreSchool building
Mass, Sacraments and Live-Stream Schedule
Christ the King offers daily Mass in English Monday through Friday, with the Wednesday liturgy in the evening; Sunday Masses are at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., and Saturday Vigil is at 5:00 p.m. The Sunday 10:00 a.m. Mass is also live-streamed on the parish's YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person. Reconciliation is heard Saturday afternoons before the Vigil, and Eucharistic Adoration is held Tuesday evenings.
- Sunday: 8:00 am, 10:00 am (10:00 am live-streamed on YouTube)
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm
- Weekdays Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri: 7:00 am; Wednesday: 6:30 pm
- Reconciliation: Saturday 4:00-4:45 pm
- Eucharistic Adoration: Tuesday 6:30 pm
- Holy Days: Christmas (Dec 25) 9:00 am; Christmas Eve 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm; Holy Thursday 7:00 pm; Good Friday 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm; Easter Vigil 8:00 pm; Easter Sunday 8:00 am and 10:00 am
Christ the King Catholic School
The parish has operated a Catholic school almost from its 1928 founding, when it opened with forty-eight students in two classrooms under the Religious Sisters of Mercy. Today Christ the King Catholic School is a co-educational, faith-centered PreK-3 through 8th-grade program under Principal Dr. Monica Freese and Pastor Fr. Chris Schroeder. The school says it is dedicated to the spiritual, moral, intellectual, social, and physical development of each child, that religious instruction begins in preschool and continues through eighth grade, and that children of all faiths are welcome. It is accredited by the National Federation of Non-Public School State Accrediting Association. CKS graduates are consistently accepted into their high school of choice, many going on to leading Catholic high schools in the St. Louis area.
- Levels: PreK-3 (age 3) through 8th grade
- Principal: Dr. Monica Freese ([email protected])
- Administrator: Mrs. Rita Feeney ([email protected])
- Co-educational, all faiths welcome
- Accredited by the National Federation of Non-Public School State Accrediting Association
- Addresses: 7324 Balson Avenue (school), 7338 Balson Avenue (PreSchool, converted from the former convent in 2024)
- School phone: (314) 725-5855
School Mission and Identity
The school's mission states that it is 'a Catholic educational community focused on developing life-long learners' — providing a rigorous, relevant curriculum while embracing diversity, living Gospel values, serving the community, and celebrating stewardship.
- WE are a Catholic educational community focused on developing life-long learners.
- WE provide a rigorous, relevant curriculum.
- WE embrace diversity.
- WE live Gospel values.
- WE serve our community.
- WE celebrate stewardship.
Parish Mission and Identity
The parish mission, drawn from its welcome page, calls the people of Christ the King, 'from our varied and distinctive backgrounds, cultures, and traditions,' to live out three commitments together.
- Love, serve, and worship Christ the King, reigning in our lives,
- Share our joy, witness, and blessings with our neighbors, and
- Continually renew ourselves through the liturgy and the sacraments.
Outreach and Community Life
The parish's welcome page describes a community that not only prays together but works together on projects, celebrates together on occasions of joy, and grieves together in times of mourning — what the parish calls 'a parish family in every sense of the word.' Christ the King's Social Justice programs are an explicit outreach to the wider University City neighborhood, and during Father Foley's tenure the parish became involved in Christian outreach such as Room At The Inn. With 'All Things New,' the 'Christ the King 2.0' community now embraces the former members of All Saints, St. Rita, and St. Roch in addition to longtime Christ the King families, many of them second and third generation.
- Social Justice programs serving the University City community
- Room At The Inn (Christian outreach, joined under Fr. Foley)
- Christ the King 2.0 — unified community welcoming All Saints, St. Rita, and St. Roch parishioners
- Parish census over 500 households following All Things New
- Generations-deep parish identity, with many younger families the second or third generation at Christ the King
Music and Liturgy
Music is a point of pride at Christ the King. The parish credits its strong music program to Father Michael J. Sheridan, who established it as pastor (1988-1993) before going on to Immacolata Parish and being elevated to bishop. The program continues under Music Director Dawn Riske. Father Foley later oversaw a major rebuild of the parish's Wicks Pipe Organ.
- Music Director: Dawn Riske ([email protected])
- Heritage: music program founded under Father (later Bishop) Michael J. Sheridan
- Wicks Pipe Organ major rebuild under Father Timothy Foley
Parish Staff and Contacts
Parish operations are led by a small team, with the school and Pre-School each having their own administrators in addition to the parish secretary and music director.
- Pastor: Fr. Chris Schroeder — [email protected]
- Permanent Deacon: Deacon David Dille — [email protected]
- Music Director: Dawn Riske — [email protected]
- Bulletin Editor: Liz Strickland — [email protected]
- Parish Secretary: Karen Sheridan — [email protected]
- School Principal: Dr. Monica Freese — [email protected]
- School Admin: Mrs. Rita Feeney — [email protected]
- Pre-School Admin: Mrs. Jo Jost — [email protected]
Visit, Contact and Location
The parish complex is centered on Balson Avenue in University City (ZIP 63130). The rectory/parish offices are at 7316 Balson Avenue, the school at 7324 Balson Avenue, and the Pre-School at 7338 Balson Avenue. Parish phone is (314) 721-8737; the school can be reached at (314) 725-5855 (Pre-School press 3).
- Parish: 7316 Balson Avenue, University City, MO 63130 — (314) 721-8737
- School: 7324 Balson Avenue, University City, MO 63130 — (314) 725-5855
- Pre-School: 7338 Balson Avenue, University City, MO 63130 — (314) 725-5855 (press 3)
- Diocese directory listing also notes a second fax/phone line (314) 721-8738
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Daniel J. Ryan (later Monsignor)1927-1963
Founding pastor; appointed by Archbishop Glennon March 18, 1927; celebrated first Mass Easter 1927 in his Amherst Avenue apartment; oversaw the original combined church-school-rectory building and start of the school with the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1928. Retired 1963 at age 81; died 1973.
- Rev. Edwin L. Holle1963-1964
Succeeded Monsignor Ryan; forced to resign the following year because of poor health.
- Rev. Raymond C. Schuermann1964-1988
Pastored for twenty-four years; shepherded the parish through Vatican II and the racial integration of University City despite white flight, declining school enrollments, and financial difficulty. Died November 1, 1988.
- Rev. Michael J. Sheridan1988-1993
Stabilized the parish financially and renovated the rectory; established the parish's strong music program. Left in 1993 to become pastor of Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights; elevated to bishop in 1997; died September 27, 2022.
- Rev. John Ditenhafer1993-2005
During his tenure St. Catherine of Siena and St. Patrick parishes were dissolved and their territory added to Christ the King; led the 2002 renovation of the church. Retired 2005; died June 9, 2018, at age 83.
- Rev. Timothy Foley2005-2015
Put the parish on sound financial footing; oversaw hiring of a new school principal; encouraged outreach such as Room At The Inn; maintained facilities (church roof, windows, steps) and led a major rebuild of the Wicks Pipe Organ.
- Monsignor Mike Turek2015-2025
Led capital campaigns for a new church roof, replacement boiler/A/C, and new sound system in the church and Monsignor Ryan Center (MRC); led 2017 90th anniversary Mass Mob with Bishop Sheridan; shepherded the parish through the 2022-2023 All Things New consolidation that absorbed St. Rita, All Saints, and St. Roch on Pentecost 2023 ('Christ the King 2.0'); oversaw conversion of the former convent into the PreSchool building (2024). Retired June 2025.
- Rev. Christopher Schroeder2025-present
Current Parochial Administrator of Christ the King and St. Joseph Parishes, beginning July 1, 2025.