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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, including pictures, will be forthcoming.
The Institute has released a new documentary video about the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago. The video, narrated by Monsignor Michael Schmitz, explains the rich history and bright future of the magnificent church, for which funds are now being sought for its restoration. VIEW THE VIDEO
Renovation efforts at St. Francis de Sales Oratory have received public recognition with the reception of the "Golden Brick Award," bestowed by the DeSales Community Housing Corporation.
The Corporation, which spun off from St. Francis de Sales Parish as a separate legal entity decades ago, gives the award to people and/or projects that have contributed positively to the Tower Grove East and Fox Park neighborhoods. Nominees may include businesses, institutions, or even individuals that have demonstrated a commitment towards improving the neighborhoods.
The project, which won the award for the Oratory this year, was the renovation of the vesting sacristy in the church building, a renovation which resulted in the replication of a chapel built by St. Louis King of France. Although this represents just one of many projects in the restoration of St. Francis de Sales church and rectory, it was considered significant, especially because the sacristy project was involved in a Papal award, the Bene Merenti, recently given to Abbe Alexander Willweber of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
When the Institute was first given the administration of St. Francis de Sales as an oratory three years ago, both the church and rectory — as well as adjoining schools and convent — were in serious states of disrepair. However, the church now displays most of its former glory as the "Cathedral of South St. Louis," and the rectory has undergone a thorough renovation. Although the adjoining school and convent buildings still await major updating, the work so far has greatly contributed to a general renaissance in the area. Indeed, the Fox Park Neighborhood Association regards the Oratory campus as the "anchor" of the neighborhood. Fr. Karl W. Lenhardt, Rector of the Oratory, Vice Provincial of the Institute, and Episcopal Delegate for the Implementation of the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum" in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, received the Golden Brick Award on Wednesday, July 9, 2008, in a presentation ceremony.
On Monday, June 30, 2008, first-year seminarians received their cassock from Monsignor Gilles Wach; they were tonsured the following day by the Most Rev. Basil Meeking, Bishop Emeritus of Christchurch, New Zealand. Bishop Meeking also conferred minor orders the same day and ordained the Institute's subdeacons and deacons on Wednesday, July 2. On Thursday, July 3, the Most Rev. Raymond L. Burke, newly appointed Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, ordained two priests of the Institute of Christ the King at the magnificent Chiesa dei Santi Michele e Gaetano in Florence. Following the ordinations was Solemn Benediction with the singing of the Te Deum at the seminary, presided over by His Eminence Silvano Cardinal Piovanelli, Archbishop Emeritus of Florence, who first welcomed the Institute in the Archdiocese of Florence eighteen years ago, in 1990.
In the Photo Gallery . . .
On June 2, Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, conferred upon Abbé Alexander Willweber the Bene Merenti Papal Medal, an award given by the Holy Father himself for outstanding work done for Holy Mother Church. Abbé Alexander, a professional designer by trade, has been the artistic consultant for the Institute of Christ the King since his entrance as an oblate. He is not only responsible for the creative composition of the interior of St. Mary’s Oratory in Wausau, but has undertaken many other church design projects in the US, Europe, and Africa.
Msgr. Gilles Wach, Prior General of the Institute, officially inaugurated the Institute's new Oratory in Milwaukee, St. Stanislaus. On Sunday, June 1, he celebrated a Solemn High Mass at the new Oratory, with the assistance of Father Olivier Meney as Deacon, and Abbé Kevin Kerscher as Subdeacon. Father Meney will be overseeing the new Oratory.
A joyous milestone was observed on May 31 at our apostolate in Wausau, Wisconsin — the 5th anniversary of the consecration of St. Mary’s Oratory of the Immaculate Conception by the Most Rev. Raymond Burke who was at the time the bishop of La Crosse. Established in 1861, St. Mary’s is the oldest Catholic parish in Wausau. The present-day neo-Gothic church dates from 1892, while its interior was refashioned in a more contemporary style after a fire in 1953. In 1999 the Institute was given care of St. Mary’s and began the renovation of its interior in 2001, creating a replica of a late medieval chapel at the Blotenburg Castle in Bavaria. St. Mary’s Oratory is listed by authorities in the area as a must-see attraction for its exquisite artistry. Visitors come from far and wide to contemplate its beauty and pray before the statue of “Our Lady of Wausau,” an original wooden sculpture found in the Salzburg area, dating from the 1470's.
To commemorate the fifth anniversary of St. Mary’s re-consecration, Msgr. Gilles Wach offered a Solemn High Mass in the presence of the Most Rev. Jerome Listecki, Bishop of La Crosse, who was the homilist for the occasion. After Mass, His Excellency joined the superiors, clergy, and faithful of St. Mary’s at a reception commemorating the joyous occasion on this his first official visit to the Oratory.
On Tuesday, May 27, 2008, Mr. Chad Templin and Mr. Alexander Barga received their cassocks from the Prior General of the Institute, Msgr. Gilles Wach, in the presence of His Excellency, the Most Reverend Joseph Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, and Msgr. Michael Schmitz, Vicar General of the Institute.
The ceremony took place at the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago.
Relevant Radio interviews Msgr. Schmitz about Pope Benedict XVI during the coverage of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States in April, 2007. The interview begins at the 12:00 minute mark.
Listen to the Interview [MP3]
On March 29–30, 2008, the Institute of Christ the King conducted a pilgrimage to Lourdes in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady there.
The superiors, seminarians, and sisters of the Institute came en masse from Gricigliano, along with many of the Institute's priests from France, led by their Provincial Superior, Abbé Benoît Jayr. They were all joined by a great number of friends and faithful from France, Ireland, Italy, and the United States.
The two days were filled with private and scheduled devotions, including the Rosary, Way of the Cross, and an impressive candle procession Saturday evening. Solemn High Masses were celebrated in the upper basilica chapel, which was filled to capacity. On Saturday, the celebrant was Vicar General of the Institute, Msgr. Michael Schmitz, while Msgr. Gilles Wach, Prior General of the Institute, offered Mass that Divine Mercy Sunday. The Rector of the Shrine, Msgr. Walter R. Rossi, greeted the pilgrims with a warm welcoming speech.
Princess Alessandra Borghese, a friend of the Institute, sets an admirable example of defense without compromise of the Catholic faith at all levels of daily life. Her several books, including one on her own conversion and one on Pope Benedict XVI, are a significant medium of this witness. Alessandra Borghese's Site
The 25th of each month is a day traditionally dedicated to the Infant Jesus, a remembrance of His Incarnation and Nativity. At the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago, the novena to the Infant Jesus is said from the 17th to the 25th of every month.
Beginning in January, on the closing day of each novena, there will be a Votive Mass of the Nativity at the Shrine at 7:00 PM, followed by Adoration and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
On Saturday, Decemer 29, His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops came to the Shrine of Christ the King to solemnly crown the statue of the Divine Infant King.
The rare ceremony occurred during a Solemn High Mass celebrated by Msgr. R. Michael Schmitz at which His Eminence assisted. The Mass was celebrated inside the church building, which is undergoing restoration.
On Thursday, November 29, 2007, Msgr. R. Michael Schmitz celebrated High Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City, the crowning moment of a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. After forty years, the Mass of the Ages returned to the capital of a people who, not so long ago, heroically shed their blood for Cristo Rey.