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Categories: All, General, Apostolates, Events, Interviews and Press Coverage, Seminary and Vocations, Sisters
Update: Photos of the Ceremony with Monsignor Camille Perl are now available in our Photo Gallery.
With deepest gratitude to the Blessed Trinity, to Christ Our King, and His Immaculate Mother, to St. Joseph, to St. Michael the Archangel, to our patron saints, to the entire court of heaven, and with filial thankfulness to our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and his faithful collaborators, we have the joy to announce a very important event:
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVIOn the feast day of Our Lady, Queen of the Holy Rosary, the Vice-President of the Commission Ecclesia Dei, Very Reverend Monsignor Camille Perl, has read in our Seminary chapel the official decree by which, in the name of the Holy Father, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest was erected to the status of a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right. Also our Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus received the status of Pontifical Right. The Decree was signed by His Eminence Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos. A Solemn Te Deum followed the reading of the Decree.
Born out of a profound union with the Holy Father in Rome and the Institute's founder and members having always lived in a continuous and unwavering spirit of faithful Romanitas, the Institute was granted the Pontifical Right after the formal time of experience and interrogation which is a traditional custom for the Holy See. Various positive Apostolic Visitations conducted by the Roman Curia and a very favorable consultation of all the Most Reverend Bishops in whose Dioceses we are invited to serve have finalized this canonical process.
After this affirmative evaluation of our spirituality and our international presence and work, the Pontifical Right is an expression of the appreciation of the service of the Institute of Christ the King by the Roman Pontiff and his collaborators to whom we are deeply obliged. The Pontifical Right will make it even easier for the Institute to conduct its service for the Church according to its constitutions and gives to Monsignor the Prior General rights and duties that are in unison with our canonical lifestyle.
View Photos of the Ceremony with Monsignor Camille Perl
BENEDICTO XVI SUMMO PONTIFICI PAX, VITA ET SALUS PERPETUA!
After an opening spiritual retreat preached by Monsignor Wach, our Founder and Prior General, fourteen young men from several countries, including two from Great Britain and four from the United States, have entered our seminary in Gricigliano to begin the first year of their priestly formation. Thirteen of the newcomers are shown in the photo below. Please pray for these young men, who so much rely upon your support today in order to be your priests of tomorrow!
The Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago welcomed a full crowd of people, including the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Consul General of Germany in Chicago, who had come from far and wide as well as from the local surrounding area to attend the Benefit Recital held in honor of His Highness, Paul Duke of Oldenburg, Germany, a long time friend of our Institute, on Saturday, September 27.
After His Highness spoke about his conversion to the Catholic Faith, there followed a delightful program of sacred baroque music and of traditional spirituals sung by the widely-acclaimed tenor, Mr. Trevor Mitchell. The friendly warmth and lively conversation at the reception which followed testified to the success of this fundraising event, which is owed in large part to the generosity of our benefactors and of the volunteers who gave their time and effort.
Due to the encouraging fact that we are blessed with a growing number of qualified oblates in our Institute, we have decided to employ more of our own personnel at our US Headquarters. This also helps our small administration to operate with even greater cost-efficiency. As of October 1st, Abbé Chad Templin will serve as an additional office assistant and will work together with our long term Office Administrator, Mrs. Mary Hall, and office assistant Abbé Georg Emmel.
We wholeheartedly thank Miss Cristina Borges for her untiring efforts as Development Director over the last three years. Miss Borges has contributed greatly to the management of our Offices and to the increase of the local and national awareness level for our activities in this country. Several fundraising events, the regular national newsletters, multiplied contacts to the media and to nationwide donors, and other achievements pertaining to the development of the Institute of Christ the King in this country would not have been possible without the professional skill and dedication of Miss Borges. Grateful for her help in many other occasions, we will keep Miss Borges and her family in our prayers.
For further specific fundraising purposes benefiting our many seminarians, our Shrine in Chicago, and other projects, the Institute of Christ the King has contracted the Novus Group under its President, Mr. Patrick Thornton. Mr. Thornton and his collaborators may be contacting you in the future to give you the opportunity to be part of the Institute’s endeavors in this country.
On Sunday, September 14, members of the Institute of Christ the King celebrated a Solemn High Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Hanceville, Alabama. The conventual Mass was broadcast live on EWTN on the anniversary of the implementation of Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum."
Father Karl Lehnardt, recently appointed Spiritual Director of the Institute's Seminary, celebrated the Mass. Father Matthew Talarico, from the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago, served as Deacon and preached the sermon. Father William Avis, from Old St. Patrick's Oratory in Kansas City, served as Subdeacon.
View the Video Online
- High Quality (300k, Windows Media)
- Medium Quality (100k, Windows Media)
- Mass Booklet (PDF), allowing you to follow along.
Update: A DVD video of the Mass is now available for $25 from our secure online store.
A descendant of Queen Victoria and Czar Alexander II and an acclaimed Chicago-born tenor will come together on Saturday, September 27, to support the restoration of the Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Internationally acclaimed tenor Trevór Mitchell will be performing works of Sacred Baroque music and traditional Spirituals at a benefit recital, proceeds of which will be used for the restoration of the historic church building. The recital will take place at 3:00 PM inside the landmark church building on the south side of Chicago.
Paul, Duke of Oldenburg
Paul, Duke of Oldenburg will be coming from Germany to participate as the guest of honor of the event. A long-time friend and supporter of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, His Highness is active in both the political and social arenas, promoting the cause of family values in Germany. A convert to the Catholic Faith, he will speak briefly about his experience with the beauty of the Latin Mass.
Trevór Mitchell, Tenor
Best known for his work in oratorio and early music, Trevór Mitchell is acclaimed as having "simply the most uniquely beautiful and easily produced tenor instrument most people will ever hear." Mr. Mitchell's career as a soloist has taken him across the United States as well as to Austria, Italy, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and other countries of Europe. He is also a member of the professional nine-voice ensemble “Chicago a cappella.” He will be joined in this unique program by violinist Marty Davids, known for his expertise in early music, and pianist Terree Schofner-Emrich, who will also play period organ.
Donations for the benefit recital are gratefully received. For more information, please call the Shrine at 773-363-7409 or email desk@institute-christ-king.org. Tickets are available at $25.00 a piece.
Donation Form and Promotional Materials
- Form: Participate with Your Contribution (PDF)
- Music Program (PDF)
- Flyer for the Event (PDF)
- Press Release (PDF)
About the Shrine of Christ the King
The Chapter meeting in Gricigliano was blessed with the visit of yet another special guest: Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. After a two mile procession from Gricigliano to the Motherhouse of the female branch of the Institute, the Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest, His Grace blessed and crowned an antique statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Prior General of the Institute, Monsignor Gilles Wach, then renewed the Consecration of the whole Institute to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament then followed. Finally, a festive cena was held in honor of His Grace as the finale to this year’s Chapter meeting.
The Institute's annual Chapter meeting in Gricigliano was honored by the presence of Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux, in whose archdiocese the Institute has a Mass apostolate. Cardinal Ricard is President emeritus of the National Conference of French bishops and the vice-President of the International Conference of European bishops. His Eminence assisted at the throne and preached at a Solemn High Mass. His Eminence also celebrated Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the house of the Institute's Sisters. He said to the gathering of priests: "I thank you in the name of the French bishops for the good work of the priests of the Institute in the dioceses of France."
On Sunday, September 14, members of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest will celebrate a Solemn High Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Hanceville, Alabama. The conventual Mass will be broadcast live by EWTN, the Global Catholic Network, to a worldwide audience of 140 million homes, through TV, radio, and live streaming video online.
September 14th marks the first anniversary of the implementation of Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum" [PDF]. The Solemn High Mass will be in commemoration of, and thanksgiving for, this pivotal document of His Holiness, which confirms that the Latin Rite in its ancient form as presented in the 1962 liturgical books of the Roman Catholic Church was never abrogated and is available to all priests and all faithful who desire it.
The live broadcast on September 14 from Our Lady of the Angels Monastery will take place at 8:00 AM Eastern Time USA, 14:00 Central European Time, 12:00 UTC. There will be a rebroadcast at 11:00 PM Central Time, 9:00 PM Pacific Time.
The Most Reverend Bishop of Tucson, Arizona, assisted at a High Mass celebrated by Msgr. R. Michael Schmitz in the City of Tucson on Sunday, August 17. During the ceremony, Bishop Kicanas announced the coming of the Institute of Christ the King to his diocese and told the faithful that Father Richard von Menshengen will be the priest responsible for the Oratory of St. Gianna.
During the very warm reception which followed, Bishop Kicanas and Msgr. Schmitz answered questions and provided more information concerning this apostolate, as well as thanked the local clergy and laity for their dedication to the Latin Mass community.
Father von Menshengen will celebrate Holy Mass for the first time for the Oratory community on September 21, 2008.
More information about the new apostolate will be forthcoming.
