Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
Contact
Rev. Canon Matthew Talarico
US Provincial Superior
6415 S Woodlawn Ave
Chicago, IL 60637-3817
info@institute-christ-king.org
www.institute-christ-king.org
Dioceses
Belleville, IL Bridgeport, CT Chicago, IL Cleveland, OH Columbus, OH Detroit, MI Gary, IN Green Bay, WI Hartford, CT Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO La Crosse, WI Lake Charles, LA Milwaukee, WI Newark, NJ Oakland, CA Pittsburgh, PA Rockford, IL San Jose, CA St. Louis, MO Tucson, AZ Worcester, MA
Mission
The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right founded in 1990 by Monsignor Gilles Wach and Canon Philippe Mora. The goal of the Institute is the glory of God and sanctification of the clergy. Together with the priests, clerical oblates live as brothers in community in order to participate in the liturgical prayer of certain Hours of the Divine Office while assisting the priests in the apostolic service of souls. According to its Constitutions approved by the Holy See, the Institute celebrates the classical Roman Liturgy according to the Missal and liturgical books of the Vatican Typical Edition of 1962. In 2004, a female branch of the Institute was founded to support the work of the clergy primarily through prayer—the Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus.
Qualifications
Prospective seminarians are men between the ages of 18 and 30. Prospective oblate candidates are men between the ages of 18 and 40 who desire to serve the Church as brothers.
Formation
After a year of pre-seminary formation in the United States, candidates go on to study at St. Philip Neri International Seminary in Florence, Italy, for a seven-year program. This formation is both intellectual, in the spirit of St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of the Institute, and also spiritual, according to the school of St. Francis de Sales. The core of this spiritual life is the Holy Mass, the Divine Office, the Rosary and Marian consecration, together with personal meditation so that the spirit of the Liturgy penetrates the whole being of the future priest with great faith and love. To be complete, this formation also includes an element which thoroughly human: general culture, manners and etiquette, as well as much practical work in household chores each day in the “Ora et Labora” spirit of St. Benedict, another patron. Each candidate must learn to be responsible, integrating his life into the discipline which is the foundation of true charity for others in the community life of clerics and in the pastoral life with the faithful. Candidates who desire to serve as clerical oblates begin with two years of preliminary formation at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis, Missouri, which includes a thorough formation in the service of the altar and in Gregorian Chant, accompanied by the basic study of Catholic doctrine and a reading program in the writings of the patron saints of the Institute. Oblates also learn to develop their talents to improve their practical skills in various domains including music, office administration, workshop, and sacristy. After the first two years, these men may receive the cassock and then eventually the tonsure and minor orders over the subsequent years of their formation.
Province
Coast to coast across the United States
International
12 countries