If you have a soft spot for classical music and old buildings, there is a weekend coming up that fits the bill. The Christ the King Music Festival is back in St. Louis, and this year it lands at the St. Francis de Sales Oratory, also known as St. Francis de Sales Church, over at 2653 Ohio Avenue in South St. Louis. The dates to circle are October 23, 24, and 25, with the festival running from midnight to midnight each day. The best part for a casual drop-in is that admission is free.
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The venue itself is a good reason to go. Often called the Cathedral of South St. Louis, it is the second largest church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was originally founded in 1867 to serve a German Catholic congregation, with the cornerstone laid on September 15 of that year. The building you see now was consecrated on November 26, 1908, after the original church was destroyed in the Great St. Louis Earthquake and tornado of 1896. It is built in the German neo-Gothic style and sports a 310-foot bell tower that is hard to miss.
As for the music, the headline is a candlelight concert of baroque music performed by the Kingsbury Ensemble, a professional early music group based right here in St. Louis. They were founded in 1999 under the artistic direction of Maryse Carlin, so they are not new to the city. The other major musical moment is a Solemn High Mass featuring Charles Marie Widor's Messe, Op. 36, performed with the Floriani Sacred Music ensemble, a professional men's vocal group founded in 2021. Between those two, the festival rounds out with a sacred music workshop for choirs, a vintage ballroom tutorial, and a formal Ball, so there is a bit more going on than just sitting and listening.
Beyond the concerts, there is a festival bazaar and craft vendors, plus workshops scattered across the weekend, which makes it easy to wander in for an hour or stay for the afternoon. The festival is put on by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Feast of Christ the King, which Pope Pius XI established in his 1925 encyclical Quas primas. That anniversary theme runs through the whole weekend, from the Mass to the workshops.
It is the kind of event that rewards a little planning. Because it is free and spread across three days, you can pick the one or two things you actually want to see rather than trying to do it all. The candlelight concert and the Solemn High Mass are the obvious draws, but the bazaar and the workshops fill in the gaps in between. Whether you are there for the baroque music, the history of the building, or just a free weekend activity in South St. Louis, it is worth a look. Just keep the Ohio Avenue address handy and pick the day that works best for you.
Published Date
21 October 2026
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