"Cook the truth in charity until it tastes sweet," this famous quotation of St. Francis de Sales is the principle of our apostolic work. Fruitless discussions or, worse, uncharitable polemics never help to attract souls to the Lord. Again, St. Francis de Sales said: "One drop of honey attracts more bees than a barrel of vinegar." The revealed truth of our Holy Catholic Faith is, in itself, attractive because of its depth, brilliance, and logic. Wherever it appears clothed in the beautiful garments of charity, it becomes ever more acceptable to those who might otherwise fear its inevitable consequences for our lives and the sharpness with which it cuts through our weaknesses and our excuses. The famous religious poet, Gertrude von Le Fort, wrote of the Church and the revealed Truth: "I have fallen in your Faith like in an open sword, and you have cut all my anchors." How much more easier does a soul accept the grandness and the majesty of Divine Faith when it is presented with the merciful charity and patient meekness that Our Lord himself shows all the time to His children.

A Patron and Example

      That is the reason why the members of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest strive to follow the example of St. Francis de Sales, who was, at the same time, one of the most knowledgeable theologians of his period and the "Doctor of Charity." Certainly, our attempt to teach truth with charity and to live also in our communities a life according to the great commandment of charity is a goal that can only be achieved with a daily struggle against ones own shortcomings and continuous collaboration with the gifts of grace. Charity does not replace daily mortification. On the contrary, who wants to be full of charity towards the Lord and his neighbor has to mortify his own will continuously, therefore, St. Francis de Sales, the great teacher of Divine Love and apostolic charity, has been rightly called "the most mortifying of the Saints."

Worldwide Institute

   This period of apostolic charity has already led the Institute to different tasks in various countries. We have not only our seminary near Florence and a formation house near Salzburg on the German side, we have parishes, chapels, and aposotlates all over Europe, apostolates in the United States, and we have schools and military chaplains and also missions in Africa. The mentality and the culture of the people is certainly different everywhere, but their spiritual needs and the openness of their souls to the Divine Gifts is also similar everywhere. More and more young people continue to join our apostolates, and we are delighted to see how many of these families show a profound appreciation of the gift of life. If only for the many children that frequent our churches, we could already be sure that the liturgical tradition of the Church will survive in the future. Quite a few of our vocations have already recruited themselves out of these families, and we are sure that others will soon follow. The diversity of the apostolic tasks of our members shows very well that the Institute is not closed in a corner of the Church but it lives with the grace of God in Her very heart. Our faithfulness to the Roman Pontiff and the "Romanity" of the spirit of the Institute are equally an inheritance of St. Francis de Sales. We want to make sure that the faithful in contact with the Institute are "feeling with the Church" because this "sentire cum Ecclesia" has always been a very important distinction mark of Catholic tradition.

"To Be Good What We Are"

    Thirty-five houses in ten countries, fifty priests, and over sixty seminarians in fifteen years are perhaps sufficient proof that the Institute is on the right path within the Church. It is not our intent to grow quickly and to become mushroom-like, that is big and weak, but to consolidate our Institute by a careful selection of possible candidates and by an always-growing emphasis on a solid community life according to our own spirituality. We do not press our candidates into a typical uniformity of mind and expression, but again we follow St. Francis de Sales who commands us "to be good at what we are," which means that through the collaboration with the grace of God, everyone has to develop the different talents and gifts according to the will of the Lord and to eliminate from his character those traits that are opposed to the divine teachings. It is a combat for life but a fraternal community, the participation in the mysteries of the liturgy, and the continuous study of the marvelous tradition of the Church as reflected by Scripture and the Magesterium, which are the appropriate instruments that give us the strength never to cease in this battle but to look forward to it every day with renewed joy and confidence.