History
Founded in 1990 in Gricigliano, Tuscany, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest was born from the determination of two French priests and the grace of God. In a few decades, it has expanded to several continents in service of Holy Mother Church.
On June 24, 1979, Abbés Gilles Wach and Philippe Mora are ordained priests by Pope John Paul II. Working at the Roman Curia, they receive many requests from young men seeking a “Catholic and Roman formation to the priesthood.” Several cardinals encourage them to found a religious community.
Bishop Cyriaque Obamba of Mouila, Gabon, grants the canonical erection of the Institute on September 1, 1990. With the support of Cardinal Augustin Mayer and the welcome of Cardinal Piovanelli, Archbishop of Florence, the Seminary of Saint Philip Neri is founded in the Château of Gricigliano, Tuscany, which becomes the seat of the seminary and the generalate.
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin, invites the Institute to establish its first American apostolate. This is the beginning of a providential growth: over the years, many bishops invite the Institute to restore historic churches in their dioceses.
The female branch of the Institute, the Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Sovereign Priest, receives its canonical erection. Devoted to contemplative prayer and spiritual support of the canons' apostolate, they establish their motherhouse at the Château of Gricigliano.
Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, entrusts the Institute with the restoration of Saint Clara/Saint Gelasius Church, which becomes the “Shrine of Christ the King” — a beacon of traditional liturgical life and a model of sacred restoration in the heart of the United States.
Pope Benedict XVI promulgates the motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum,” formally authorizing the free celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Missal. This landmark document strengthens the Institute's mission and opens new horizons for the traditional liturgy throughout the Church.
On October 7, 2008, the decree “Saeculorum Rex” erects the Institute as a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, placed directly under the Holy Father. This recognition confirms the Institute's universal vocation and its rootedness in the tradition of the Church.
On January 29, 2016, the Holy See definitively approves the Institute's Constitutions. In less than thirty years, the Institute is present in about twenty dioceses on four continents, in service of Holy Mother Church and the traditional liturgy.