The institute's rule of life is based generally on that of the secular canons. Its stated mission is the defence and propagation of the reign of Christ the King in all areas of human life, both private and social.
Early years
The institute was canonically erected on 1 September 1990 by Gilles Wach and Philippe Mora in Gabon, Africa, where the Institute still has missions,[5] notably in the capital Libreville. Its canonical status was of diocesan right until 7 October 2008. On that date, it was granted the status of pontifical right by decree, titled Saeculorum Rex, of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, on the occasion of the visit of Camille Perl, the vice-president of the commission. Deacons and priests are incardinated into the institute, whose prior general has the right to call to orders. [citation needed]
Solemn Pontifical Mass being celebrated in the Institute's seminary chapel in Griciliano, Italy
Wach serves as prior general and Mora as rector of the seminary. Both received their priestly formation under Cardinal Giuseppe Siri of Genoa.
As of 2022, the institute has 139 priests, as well as clerical oblates who go through formation but may only be ordained up to the permanent diaconate, working instead for the several apostolates of the institute.[8]
The charism of the institute is based on the example of its three patron saints:
Benedict of Nursia, with his love for the solemn celebration of the liturgy, his emphasis on work and prayer, "Benedictine hospitality", and role in laying the groundwork for an integral Christian civilization in medieval Europe.
Thomas Aquinas, with his emphasis on the harmony between faith and reason.
Its oldest United States apostolate is the Saint Mary Oratory in Rockford, Illinois, and its newest is the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Shrine in Cleveland, Ohio. In Kansas City, Missouri, Bishop Robert Finn established an oratory (a public church where Mass and other rites may be celebrated) in 2005 for the institute at a historic church otherwise in danger of being closed. Also in 2005 St. Francis de Sales Church in Saint Louis, Missouri was established as an oratory under care of the institute, to serve the city and region. It is leading efforts to restore the church and has installed a new organ. The superior for the United States is Matthew Talarico.
The Crescent showing Jesuits Church, Limerick
In England, the Institute is active in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, where they have apostolates in New Brighton and Shrewsbury, in the Diocese of Lancaster, where they have two churches in Preston and the Diocese of Plymouth, where they have a church in Torquay. In 2011 the Bishop of Shrewsbury invited the institute to re-open the Church of Saints Peter, Paul, and Philomena in New Brighton.
Since Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March 2006, the institute has had a presence in the Diocese of Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. In Limerick City, they purchased Sacred Heart Church,[12] Since May 2010, the institute has expanded into the Irish diocese of Galway, where weekly Mass is offered at Saint Mary's College school; monthly Masses are offered by priests of the institute in Ennis.[13] The institute is also closely involved in the annual Catholic Voice conference held in Limerick, which features amongst its regular speakers Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke and John Hunwicke. Since December 2019 the institute has had an established apostolate in Belfast (Diocese of Down and Connor) following the purchase of the former Fortwilliam & Macrory Presbyterian Church.[14] In April 2021, the Institute purchased a convent in Ardee, County Louth for use by a community of its female religious, the Sisters Adorers.[15]
In addition to its oratories in the United States and missions in Africa, the institute also has apostolates in France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It also has care of Santi Celso e Giuliano, a papal chapel and minor basilica in Rome, as of 2019.[16] The institute is especially active in the domain of education, running schools in France (Montpellier, Lille and Versailles), Belgium (Brussels International Catholic School), and Africa.
The Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest are a women's community founded in 2001 that is associated with the institute. They are also based in Gricigliano. The sisters are non-cloisteredcontemplatives, and their way of life is based on the Benedictine tradition.
When the number of sisters has increased sufficiently, the community plans to plant convents near the institute's churches, where the sisters will perform apostolic work such as teaching. As of 2017[update], the sisters numbered 42, increasing to 60 by 2022.[17] The sisters now have nine convents in seven countries. They are at Gricigliano, Livorno and Naples in Italy, Engelport in Germany, Les Cotes in Switzerland, Preston in England, Ardee in Ireland, Wausau in the USA, and Loisy in France. Gricigliano is their Mother House and Naples their Noviciate.[18]
Society of the Sacred Heart
The Society of the Sacred Heart is a lay society associated with the institute.[17] The lay members of the society pledge to live according to a modified Benedictine rule, within their vocation. Through membership in the society, lay faithful can participate in the spiritual and social missions of the institute through prayer, devotions, spiritual direction, and study of the spiritual writings of Saint Francis de Sales.
In September 2023, the French newspaper Le Parisien released four articles about 14 confessions they received from ex-members, in which they claimed that the Institute partakes in various abuses. They alleged that superiors, especially Msgr. Wach, engage in humiliating and manipulating seminarians and nuns into obedience, forcing them to act oblivious and claim there are no problems in the Institute. Seminarians were alleged to have been forced to work as servants for Institute superiors and visiting prelates.[20][21][22][23] The allegations were denied by Institute superiors, including Msgr. Wach, claiming that the journalist failed to research the topic adequately[24], and that the articles are biased, saying, "... many questions which you have asked me... seem more like a copy-pasted pamphlet than a serious inquiry. ".[24]
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is predominantly used in the Catholic Church, followed by high church Anglicans, and some Western Rite Orthodox. In the Latin Church, the liturgical Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the third Friday after Pentecost. The 12 promises of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus are also popular.
The Congregation of Holy Cross, abbreviated CSC, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in 1837 by Basil Moreau, in Le Mans, France.
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Francis de Sales, C.O., O.M. was a Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God.
The Passionists, officially named the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ, abbreviated CP, are a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men, founded by Paul of the Cross in 1720, with a special emphasis on and devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ. A known symbol of the congregation is the labeled emblem of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, surmounted by a cross. This symbol is often sewn into the attire of its congregants.
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A society of apostolic life is a group of men or women within the Catholic Church who have come together for a specific purpose and live fraternally. It is regarded as a form of consecrated life.
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John Eudes, CIM was a French Catholic priest and the founder of both the Order of Our Lady of Charity in 1641 and Congregation of Jesus and Mary, also known as The Eudists, in 1643. He was also a professed member of the Oratory of Jesus until 1643.
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St. Francis de Sales Church is a Roman Catholic Oratory located in south St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It is the second largest church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis after the cathedral-basilica. The church is popularly known as the "Cathedral of South St. Louis".
Santi Celso e Giuliano is a minor basilica and papal chapel of the Diocese of Rome in the care of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. It has held its basilica status by custom and practice since ancient times. The church is located on Vicolo del Curato number 12, just off Via del Banco di Santo Spirito, the road leading to Ponte Sant'Angelo.
Gilles Wach is a French Roman Catholic priest, co-founder and Prior General of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a society of apostolic life of pontifical right.
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