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The Most Reverend Archbishop of Newark John J. Myers has graciously given permission to Monsignor the Prior General of the Institute to erect St. Anthony’s Chapel in West Orange, New Jersey, as an Oratory and residence of the Institute of Christ the King according to the prescriptions of Canon Law. At the same time, the Institute has received the permission to keep all the sacramental registers and thus to celebrate the entire Liturgy for all the sacraments in the Extraordinary form also in the future.
St. Anthony of Paduawith the Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus
This important step was made after the Board of Directors had decided to bestow the property to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, this decision being preceded by the very favorable results of a poll conducted among the faithful. The property transition came shortly before Christmas, and the permission of the Archbishop and the erection of the Oratory and Residence by Msgr. Gilles Wach arrived on Christmas as a special gift from St. Anthony, patron of the Chapel.
On this occasion, the Institute of Christ the King expresses its deepest gratitude for the confidence the former and present Board members and the faithful of the Oratory have shown us. The Institute also thanks the Board of Directors and the Chapel volunteers for their steadfast fidelity and their dedicated work over the years. We implore the protection of Christ the King, of the Immaculate Conception, and of St. Anthony in a special way over the Oratory, all its faithful, and the Rector, Rev. Canon Andreas Hellmann, of the Institute of Christ the King. The Oratory members continue to remember Rev. Father Paul Wickens, founder of St. Anthony’s, with prayerful gratitude. May his soul rest in peace!
On December 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest organized a candlelight Marian procession through the very heart of Rome for the closing of the Lourdes Jubilee year. Lead by Canon Joseph Luzuy, the procession began at the Church of Jesus and Mary (Chiesa Gesu e Maria), which serves as the church of the Institute’s apostolate in Rome. A very large crowd of more than a 1000 faithful then filed down the Via del Corso, an avenue which serves as a main artery to the center of the city, to Chiesa Santa Maria in Aquiro (Piazza Capranica), where the plenary indulgence for the Lourdes Jubilee was made available to the faithful (Chiesa Giubulare). It was here in this church that the image of Our Lady of Lourdes was publicly offered for the veneration of the faithful for the first time in Italy.
After a solemn novena comprised each day of a sermon, sung Litany of Loreto, devotional prayer and hymn, followed by Benediction, Monsignor Gilles Wach, Prior General, renewed on December 8 the consecration of the Institute to Mary Immaculate. As every year, white votive candles lit up Gricigliano in honor of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. This novena and consecration were also solemnly made in all of the houses of the Institute throughout the world.
Solemn moment of the Consecration
The Holy See having granted the Institute the status of Pontifical Right on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary two months before, the feast of the Immaculate Conception this year was a special day of joyous thanksgiving for this great privilege accorded by our Holy Father.
A 2009 commemorative calendar will be available in all of the apostolates of the Institute across the country, as well as in our online store in the next few days.
The consecration of the Institute to Mary Immaculate and her important place in the canonical life of its members is outwardly expressed in the blue of the choir habit.
Photos from Around the World
 Msgr. Wach renews the consecration. A decorative candle made by one of the seminarians is lit In her honor. |
 Novices and postulants of the Sisters Adorers in prayer to Mary Immaculate |
 Seminarians in prayer after the night Office of Compline |
 Gricigliano is lit up with white votive candles in honor of Mary Immaculate |
 Consecration to Mary Immaculate in Old Saint Patrick’s Oratory, Kansas City, Missouri |
 Feast of the Immaculate Conception at St. Mary’s Oratory in Wausau, WI |
 Missions in Gabon: feast of the Immaculate Conception in a church currently being built in her honor in the capital of Libreville |
 Holy Mass |
 Marian Procession through the streets of Rennes, France |
 Procession |
 Candlelight procession at St. Margaret Mary's in Oakland, CA |
 Candlelight procession |
 Procession |
As the already large number of seminarians from the United States continues to steadily increase, the celebration of American Thanksgiving at our International Seminary in Gricigliano, Italy, becomes grander with each passing year.
During the candlelight dinner which is served in the refectory, Monsignor Wach and Reverend Canon Mora, Rector of the seminary, carve the large turkeys. The American seminarians bake over a dozen pumpkin pies for everyone. American flags are proudly displayed on each side of a statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States. Traditional American music completes the festive atmosphere. Institute seminarians from around the world thus come to know and appreciate the American spirit which has inspired this traditional observance of giving thanks to God for His many blessings.
CONSTITUTIONS OF THE INSTITUTE OF CHRIST THE KING APPROVED BY THE HOLY SEE: CANONS AND OBLATES LIVE PROPER IDENTITY ACCORDING TO CANONICAL FORM OF LIFE.
With the Decree Saeculorum Rex signed by the President of the Commission Ecclesia Dei, Dario Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, in the name of the Roman Pontiff, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest was elevated to the status of Pontifical Right on October 7th 2008, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. This favor was granted after a mature deliberation conducted according to the traditional procedures of the Roman Curia, including several positive Apostolic Visitations and the affirmative consultation of over fifty Bishops in whose Dioceses the Institute is present.
The canonical form of the Institute’s life is mainly expressed in the emphasis its constitutions put on the regular and solemn celebration of the Sacred Liturgy during the day, foremost through the solemnity of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which is the focus of the community life, but also through the Holy Office, which, in its recited or chanted form, regulates and sanctifies the daily work. After the example of the secular Canons in the history of the Church, the Canons and Oblates of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest have the goal to spread the kingdom of Christ and to evangelize the world through the sanctification of life with the liturgical celebrations instituted by Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest and cultivated by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. For this reason, the members of the Institute make the glorification of God in the Liturgy the focus of their fraternal unity and of their apostolic work. Both are expressed in their Choir habit, which underscores their canonical order of life. The blue color of the choir habit signifies their consecration to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as their main patroness and their devotion to St. Francis de Sales as the example of their desire for an ever greater charity. With these are combined the spirit of true Romanity and a faithful attachment to the Vicar of Christ on earth.
Now approved by the Holy See, the Institute’s canonical order of life as established by its constitutions under the governance of Monsignor the Prior General seals the distinctive identity of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The Canons and Oblates of the Institute are humbled by the fact that their very own charism and identity was approved by the highest ecclesiastical authority. They promise to live the spirit and letter of their constitutions to the fullest, well knowing that perfection is a gift of God and that all their efforts can only come to fruition if commenced, accompanied and accomplished by divine grace.
St. Louis, MO - Over 1,000 faithful gathered in the church of St. Francis de Sales Oratory, to assist at the Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated by His Excellency, the Most Reverend Robert J. Hermann, Administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. From the powerful beginning of the “Premiere Symphonie” of Guilmant to the sweeping phrases of the Credo of the “Messe Solemnelle” of Charles Gounod to the soaring lines of the closing hymn of “To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King,” sixty musicians filled the magnificent Gothic edifice of St. Francis de Sales church. The splendor of the sacred liturgy was adorned fittingly by the majesty and richness of the music, directed by Mr. Nick Botkins, Director of Sacred Music and Master of the Choirs at the Oratory.
His Excellency, Bishop Hermann gave a moving sermon. He invited all faithful of good will to reclaim the fullness of the sacraments. He impressed upon all present the “verticality of the architecture of the church” which corresponds so visibly with the theocentricity of the Mass.
The Holy Mass was followed by a festive gathering in the Oratory Hall, celebrating St. Francis de Sales church’s German immigrant heritage. Complete with traditional German food and beer and even a German band, the afternoon was enjoyed by hundreds of families with children of all ages who crowded the church hall. This overwhelming turnout was a testament to the thriving youthful community of faithful at the Oratory.
Tradition for Tomorrow
On this 100th Anniversary, it was also announced that St. Francis de Sales is beginning a capital campaign called “Tradition for Tomorrow.” This campaign will raise the necessary funds to restore the church of St. Francis de Sales to its former glory and ensure that it remains a true landmark of South St. Louis. More information can be found at TraditionForTomorrow.com.
See photos and read details about the event at the TraditionForTomorrow.com blog post: Where You There?
On this, the 100th anniversary of St. Francis de Sales, the campaign to restore this historic landmark to its full glory has been announced. A new Web site, TraditionForTomorrow.com, has also been launched to give information and news about the restoration, and includes a blog to record the restoration project.
St. Francis de Sales, built at the turn of the last century, is known to locals as “the Cathedral of South St. Louis” because of its elegantly-designed exterior and 300-foot spire. In July, 2005, the church building and campus were given to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to maintain and administer the sacraments according to the Missal of 1962. The Archbishop of St. Louis, His Grace, the Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke erected the church as an Oratory of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Today, St. Francis de Sales Oratory serves the whole archdiocese of St. Louis and is the center of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.