New ICRSS Apsotolate in Grenoble

by Gregor Kollmorgen

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the first anniversary of the coming into force of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, another splendid solemn Mass was celebrated in France. It inaugurated a new apostolate of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, in the city of Grenoble, the episcopal see of St. Hugh, who received into his diocese St. Bruno and his companions, where they founded the Grande Chartreuse, the first Charterhouse. Here are some pictures of the Mass in the apostolate's church, the collegiate church of St. Andrew:





They have a very encouraging number of servers, who are dressed in the Institute's signature blue:


For more images, go here.

(reposted from The New Liturgical Movement)

Chapter of the Institute of Christ the King

by Gregor Kollmorgen

The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest's annual Chapter has been meeting in Gricigliano. They were visited by two eminent prelates, Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard and Archbishop Raymond L. Burke. Cardinal Ricard is Archbishop of Bordeaux, in whose archdiocese the Institute has a Mass apostolate. He is also President emeritus of the National Conference of French bishops and the vice-President of the International Conference of European bishops. His Eminence remarkably told the chapter:

"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."

Archbishop Burke, during his visit, blessed and crowned an antique statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Here are some pictures:

Cardinal Ricard assisting at the throne at a Solemn Mass:

Archbishop Burke blessing and crowning the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

Archbishop Burke with Msgr. Schmitz:

Note that the Archbishop is wearing a tufted fascia (instead of the fringed one) which used to be worn with choir dress. I hope we can discuss this reasonably, but it is certainly interesting that the Archbishop who is one of the foremost canonists and known for his meticulous observation of the law does wear this item of vesture when many argue that its abolition by Paul VI is still in force. However, let us not only focus on this one rather specific point at such a splendid occasion.

Read the accounts with more pictures here and here.

(reproduced with permission from The New Liturgical Movement)

Photos from ICRSS Ordinations

The New Liturgical Movemement reports that the Institute of Christ the King has now released a comprehensive collection of photographs from recent priestly and other ordinations hat took place inside the beautiful Santi Michele e Gaetano church in Florence, Italy.

Here is a selection:

This year's new seminarians of the Institute after having been invested with the soutane:


Minor orders being conferred by Bishop Basil Meeking (em. of Christchurch, NZ):


Ordination to the Diaconate, also by Mgr. Meeking:


Priestly ordinations by Archbishop Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, in the Institute's splendid Florentine church:

Mgr. Burke vesting - you can see that he is wearing the rochet under the amice:




The newly ordained concelebrating:

The ordaining bishops were Bishop Basil Meeking, Emeritus of Christchurch, and Archbishop Raymond L. Burke.

Please see the website for more photos.

Shrine of Christ the King

Recently discovered online, two videos about the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago, Illinois:

The former St. Clara/St. Gelasius church on the south side of Chicago was designed and built by the masterful Henry J. Schlacks in 1923. Schlacks applied classical models from Italy, most particularly Rome, to the many magnificent churches he designed in Chicago during the early twentieth century. Among these historical edifices that he built, the church of St. Clara/St. Gelasius stands out as his life's masterpiece, with its application of concepts from the many triumphal arches of antiquity, including the three arched doorways, and the four imposing statues placed above the pediment.

Saved from demolition, this beautiful Church was given to the Institute of Christ the King, who now labour to restore the former church of St. Gelasius. Please consider donating to this most worthy project.

More information can be found at www.historic-landmark.org.

Adorers of the Royal Heart

To support the work of the Institute of Christ the King, Divine Providence has brought about the formation of a community of contemplative nuns dedicated to reparation and adoration of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest. Leading a non-cloistered contemplative life, the sisters offer their daily prayers and sacrifices particularly for the priests of the Institute and the souls entrusted to them.

In June 2004, Ennio Cardinal Antonelli, Archbishop of Florence, vested the first three sisters with their habit. In Spring 2007, they already number nine sisters and four postulants, from France and the United States.

As with the priests and oblates of the Institute, the Adorers of the Royal Heart hold three co-patrons as guiding lights of their spirituality: St. Francis de Sales, St. Benedict, and St. Thomas Aquinas. From St. Francis de Sales' doctrine of Divine Love, the sisters draw the pattern of their vocation, in constant pursuit of growth in Love, always grounded in Truth.

The Benedictine aspect of their charism is reflected in the centrality of the Church's Liturgy, Holy Mass and the Divine Office, carried out in the Classical Roman Rite, around which revolves the rhythm of their daily life. In St. Thomas Aquinas, the sisters find the clarity and structure of thought necessary for their formation and ever deepening understanding of the mysteries of our Catholic Faith. Finally, it is through their principal patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary under Her title of the Immaculate Conception, that they seek to conform their beings and their lives to the Royal Heart of Her Divine Son; thus their motto -- "In Corde Regis."

Their day is centered around prayer -- Holy Mass and the Divine Office in the Classical Latin Rite, one hour of mental prayer and one hour of adoration in the evening, Rosary, etc. Punctuating this rich life of prayer are periods of manual labor and intellectual training, including instruction in Gregorian Chant, Latin, Spirituality, Philosophy, Theology, as well as the learning of crafts such as sewing, lace-making, and the care of liturgical ornaments and altar linens. As the community expands, it is foreseen that foundations will be made alongside the apostolates of the Institute of Christ the King, where the Sisters will support the apostolic work of our priests. Counting already with three American sisters, it is foreseeable that the Sisters will eventually make a foundation in the United States.


For more information please contact:

• Our Lady of Good Deliverance House
  Via di Gricigliano, 51
  50065 Sieci (FI)
  ITALY
  tel +39 055 8363180
  (Please call only between 3:15 pm & 5:15 pm and 7:00 pm & 7:30 pm, local time)
  email: adoratrices@icrsp.org
  web: www.institute-christ-king.org
  

Institute of Christ the King

The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest is a society of priests in the Catholic Church that celebrates the liturgy in Latin in accordance with its constitutions and founding documents based on permissions granted by Rome. The Institute also preserves and patronizes traditional Latin Rite liturgical art and music and has undertaken the restoration and beautification of several churches. The Institute is a Society of Apostolic Life, whose rule of life is based generally on that of the secular canons. The Institute has its own choir dress adopted in 2006 and solemnly given to members by the Cardinal Archbishop of Florence. The Institute of Christ the King has as its stated aim the defense and propagation of the reign of Christ in all areas of human life, both private and social.

The Institute, founded in 1990, is based in Gricigliano, Italy, where the international seminary is located. The Institute's foundation was originally canonically erected in Gabon, where the Institute still maintains several missions, notably in the capital Libreville. Its canonical status is of 'diocesan rite' coming under the supervision of the Archdiocese of Florence. Deacons and priests are incardinated into the Institute, whose Superior General is the major superior with the right to call to orders. Its founder is the Very Reverend Monsignor Gilles Wach, STD, Superior General; co-founder is Father Philippe Mora, STD, Rector of the Seminary. Wach and Mora received their priestly formation under the late Cardinal Siri (d. 1989) of Genoa. The Institute currently has more than seventy seminarians in formation, and numbers over fifty priests.

The charism of the Institute is based on the example of its three patron saints: Saint Benedict, with his love for the solemn celebration of the liturgy, his emphasis on work and prayer, and his role in laying the groundwork for an integral Christian civilization in medieval Europe; Saint Thomas Aquinas, with his emphasis on the harmony between faith and reason; and, Saint Francis de Sales, with the importance he attached to teaching the Catholic faith with patience and charity, and to encouraging all Catholics to seek a life of holiness through the ordinary means of the Church, such as devout attendance at Mass and frequent confession.

(text taken from Wikipedia)

Links:

• Institute of Christ the King website
• Seminary information
• Course of Studies at Gricigliano
• 2008 Pilgrimage to Lourdes
  

Pilgrimage to Lourdes

On March 29 – 30, 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 its priests from France , led by their Provincial Superior, Abbé Benoît Jayr. All joined by friends and faithful from France, Ireland, Italy and the United States.

Pictures from the Pilgrimage show the various elements of the Institute of Christ the King:

Msgr. Michael Schmitz, Vicar General of the Institute and Superior in the United States, holds the Sacred Host for the 'Ecce Agnus Dei' during Mass in the Upper Basilica at Lourdes. The Mass was served by seminarians from the Institute's Seminary at Gricigliano, near Florence, Italy.
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A Priest of the Institute leads the Sisters of the Institute and the faithful through the Stations of the Cross with the Upper Basilica in the background.
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Inside the Sanctuary of the Upper Basilica, the Priests of the Institute sit nearest to the camera in their distinctive blue-trimmed birettas and blue mozettas, representing the Institute's consecration to the Immaculate Conception. Towards the apse, the seminarians of the Institute sit in choir. The altar boy in red soutane is not a seminarian (we think).
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This view into the nave of the Upper Basilica shows us the three grades of the Sisters of the Institute, the Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus, Sovereign Priest, who have their convent near to the Institute's Seminary. To the rear of the group are the fully professed sisters in black veils. To the front are the eight novices in formation wearing white veils and the blue choir mantles, again representing the Institute's consecration to the Immaculate Conception. Just to the left of the picture, you can see two ladies in black mantillas, who are postulants, awaiting formal admission to the noviciate.
~~*~~


Finally we see the Institute's seminarians and novices, the future Priests and Sisters of the Institute, participating in the torchlight procession of Lourdes.

Regina Caeli, Laetare!

(Images: The New Liturgical Movement)

Course of Studies at Gricigliano

Course of studies at the Institute of Christ the King's Gricigliano Seminary:

Year of Spirituality

• Introduction to the spiritual life - the Psalms - M. l'abbé Wulfran Lebocq i.c.r.s.p.
• Catholic Doctrine - M. l'abbé Paul-Antoine Lefèvre i.c.r.s.p.(F.L.P.C)
• Introduction to Sacred Scripture - M. l'abbé Marcus Kuenkel i.c.r.s.p.
• Introduction to reading the lives of the Saints - M. l'abbé Marcus Kuenkel i.c.r.s.p.
• History of Spirituality - M. l'abbé Dominique Pillet
• Study of the writings of the Popes - M. l'abbé Benoît Merly i.c.r.s.p.
  

Introduction to the Liturgy

• Introduction to the Breviary - the Psalms - M. l'abbé Benoît Merly i.c.r.s.p.
• Introduction to Philosophy - M. François-Xavier Clément (F.L.P.C)
• Basic Methodology - M. l'abbé Benoît Jayr icrsp (F.L.P.C)
• Latin - M. D. Del Nero
• Gregorian Chant - M. l'abbé Wulfran Lebocq i.c.r.s.p.
  

Years of Philosophy

• Metaphysics - M. l'abbé Paul-Antoine Lefèvre i.c.r.s.p. (F.L.P.C)
• Natural Theology - M. l'abbé Paul-Antoine Lefèvre i.c.r.s.p.(F.L.P.C)
• Logic - M. Bruno Couillaud. (F.L.P.C)
• Methodology in Experimental Sciences - M. Michel Siguen
• History of Greek Philosophy - M. Pierre Magnard
• Natural Philosophy - R.P. André Boulet
• Psychology - M. François-Xavier Clément
• Ethical Philosophy - M. Jean-Baptiste Echivard (F.L.P.C)
• History of Philosophy - M. Antoine Joseph Assaf
• Political Philosophy - M. l'abbé Benoît Jayr i.c.r.s.p.(F.L.P.C)
• Contemporary Philosophy - M. Assaf (Sorbonne, F.L.P.C)
• Introduction to Theology - M. l'abbé Tancrède Guillard i.c.r.s.p. & Mgr M. Schmitz i.c.r.s.p
• Ecclesiastical History - M. Philippe Conrad, M. Pichot-Bravard
• Liturgy - M. l'abbé Tancrède Guillard
• Apologetics - Père Jean de Britto
• Canon Law - M. l'abbé Michel Cambon
• Introduction to Sacred Scripture - Père Jean de Britto o.s.b.
• Salesian Spirituality - Mgr Gilles Wach i.c.r.s.p.
• Introduction to Patrology - M. Philippe Caspar
• Latin and Greek - M. Domenico Del Nero
• Gregorian Chant - M. l'abbé Wulfran Lebocq i.c.r.s.p.
  

Years of Theology

• De Deo Uno et Trino; De Verbo Incarnato - R.P. Dom Chauveau m.b
• De Gratia - R.P. Jean de Britto o.s.b.
• De Novissimis - M. l'abbé Tancrède Guillard i.c.r.s.p.
• De Ecclesia - Mgr R.-Michael Schmitz i.c.r.s.p.
• De Eucharistia - M. l'abbé Claude Barthe
• De Sacramentis in genere - R.P. Dom de Lillers, m.b.
• De Penitentia - R.P. Jean de Britto
• De Matrimonio - R.P. Jean de Britto
• Moral Theology - The Virtues - R.P. Dom de Lillers, m.b.
• Moral Theology - M. l'abbé Karl Lenhardt i.c.r.s.p.
• Droit canonique - M. l'abbé Michel Cambon
• Patristics,Sacred Scripture - R.P. Dom Dominique Maurin, m.b., M. L. Touchagues
• Ecclesiastical History - M. Philippe Conrad, M. Pichot-Bravard
• Liturgy - M. l'abbé Claude Barthe
• Ascetical and Mystical Theology - R.P. Dom de Lillers, m.b.
• Introduction to Patrology - M. Philippe Caspar
• Gregorian Chant - M. l'abbé Wulfran Lebocq i.c.r.s.p.