This coming Sunday, the Oratory of Ss Cyril and Methodius, the ICRSP’s Apostolate in Bridgeport, Connecticut, will have a solemn Mass for the Institute’s patronal feast, followed by an indoor Eucharistic procession, and the recitation of the Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart. The Mass begins at 10:15 a.m.; the church is located at 79 Church St.

Old Saint Patrick Oratory, the Institute of Christ the King’s apostolate in Kansas City, Missouri, will celebrate First Vespers of Candlemas tomorrow evening, beginning at 6:30pm; the Sursum Corda polyphonic ensemble will sing the Magnificat Primi Toni by Cristóbal de Morales (1500-53). The church is located at 806 Cherry Street.

This past Wednesday, the Institute of Christ the King celebrated the opening of a new permanent home for its apostolate in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a very nice neo-Gothic building, hitherto known as the “Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church”, which they were recently able to acquire, and have now dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Prior General of the Institute, Mons. Gilles Wach, celebrated the inaugural solemn Mass in the presence of the local ordinary, His Excellency Noel Treanor, Bishop of Down and Connor. The Twitter feed of BBC Newsline posted a story about the opening Mass. (It is nice to be able to say that the opening line of the copy, “Few Catholics now remember when Mass was said in Latin” is inaccurate, and getting more so every day.) Our thanks to Canon Wulfran Lebocq for sharing these photos with us, and our best wishes for the continued flourishing of the apostolate.

Recently, St. Francis de Sales Oratory, an apostolate of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, with the blessing of the Archbishop of St. Louis, was pleased to announce the signing of the contract for Karl Wilhelm Opus 123, a three-manual and pedal, 58-rank freestanding mechanical action organ.

This is the third instrument to be installed in this remarkable and often photographed structure. St. Francis de Sales is the largest Gothic Revival building in the city of St. Louis and was recently named most beautiful church in the nation according to a recent online poll conducted by "Art & Liturgy". Having the 6th tallest church spire in the country, it is also the largest church structure on Historic Route 66--quite a unique set of distinctions for a church already known to readers of NLM as being the exclusive home for the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and an important hub for Institute activities in the Midwest.

The Wilhelm organ replaces a III/22 rank Wicks organ from 1924. The Wicks organ had been in failing health for some years and had experienced several alterations, including removal of some of the original pipework. It was itself a replacement of the original  II/15 organ by J. G. Pheffer & Sons from 1897 which had been relocated to St. Mary's Church in Altus, AK, where it is still preserved today.

Director of Sacred Music Steven Ball, an experienced organ consultant, led the search for the right instrument throughout North America and Europe. After studying dozens of possible transplant organs , four were selected as finalists. Several considerations led the investigation in the direction of the Wilhelm instrument, including the exquisite detail of the casework, extremely traditional methods of construction and voicing, and the overall tonal design which hearkens back to the original German ancestry of the parish. The instrument is well suited, in particular, for Baroque music, the accurate performance of which is central to the musical needs of the Oratory.

The fact that master organ builder Karl Wilhelm agreed to come out of retirement to personally oversee the installation and voicing of this instrument as his last major project played a tremendously important role in the organ’s selection. Raised in Weikersheim, Germany, he apprenticed with August Laukhuff of Weikersheim, Germany, and with W.  E. Renkeutz of Nehren bei Tübingen, Germany. After briefly working with Metzler & Söhne of Dietikon, Switzerland, and later with North America’s oldest organ-building firm, Casavant Frères of St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, he founded Karl Wilhelm, Inc. of St. Hyacinthe. In 1966 he relocated the firm to Mont St.-Hilaire, Quebec, where the shop remained active building organs until the early 2000s. The firm has built hundreds of organs, not only across the United States, but also in Europe and Asia.

On a technical level, the new instrument of 58 ranks is considerably larger than either of the previous organs and of a very different tonal and mechanical design. Drawing on influences from both the German and French schools, the instrument has a specification described by Mr. Wilhelm as “classical” and is one of his largest organs. Using a suspended mechanical key action, the solid white oak cases house a carefully engineered system which is both elegant and rugged. Windchests are constructed of mahogany and the interior is designed to be easily accessible for maintenance. Stop actions are also completely mechanical.

At this point in the construction process, the casework is largely assembled, the action installed, the winding finished, and some of the first of the 2,670 pipes have been installed—including those that make up the highly polished tin facade. Many more months of work are anticipated for the careful tonal finishing of the organ for the famously magical acoustics of the Oratory.

In June 2019, the Oratory launched a fundraising effort for $400,000. In addition to the actual purchase of the instrument, there are further costs to correct substantial existing problems with the infrastructure. This fundraising effort includes the necessary updates to the electrical and lighting in the gallery, restoration and extensive repairs to the original 1908 choir loft floor, and other improvements to the existing infrastructure which the removal of the existing organ will make possible.

For supporters of the traditional liturgy, this is a very special and highly visible opportunity to place an extraordinary piece of art directly at the service of one of our nation’s most important centers of liturgical culture. Already the instrument has drawn extraordinary regional interest and attention to the liturgical and musical life of the Oratory.

A healthy portion of the resources needed to complete the project have been secured, but more will be necessary for its completion.  Interested readers hoping for an opportunity to evangelize through beauty may check in for regular updates concerning this unique project at traditionfortomorrow.org and desalesheritagefoundation.org.

At this time in the life of the Church, we can all use a strong dose of good news now and again.

Last week, on November 1, the bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin, His Excellency William P. Callahan, came to Wausau to bless the new Convent of the Nativity of Our Lady, the first foundation in the New World of the Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus, the female branch of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The convent is located just a few blocks from St. Mary’s Oratory, the church operated by the Institute in the diocese.

Present for the occasion were the Institute’s Prior General Msgr. Gilles Wach and the Provincial Superior of the USA, Canon Matthew Talarico, as well as the two canons assigned to the Oratory, Aaron Huberfeld and Heitor Matheus.

On the next morning, November 1, Canon Tallarico offered the first Mass in their chapel. Later that day there was a Solemn High Mass with choir and chamber orchestra at St. Mary’s Oratory for the feast, followed by a gala reception for the sisters and parishioners.

Many beautiful photos from these events may be found at St. Mary’s Facebook page or at their website; here we share a sample. Let us give thanks to God for all the great work being done by the Institute and ask His abundant blessings on this new foundation!

UPDATE: The Sisters Adorers need to raise funds for the clothing needs of their growing order in Europe: they have 8 new postulants and are expecting 10 more to arrive later this year. I’m sure many who rejoice in the news of this new foundation in America will be happy to assist the Sisters in this regard! Donations may be made directly to the Sisters (here).

Immaculate Heart of Mary Oratory, the Institute of Christ the King’s apostolate in San José, California, will keep the following schedule for All Saints and All Souls.

– On All Saints’ Day, Friday, November 1: Low Mass at 12 p.m., High Mass at 5:45 p.m.
– On All Souls’ Day, Saturday, November 2: Low Mass at 10 a.m. and Sung Requiem Mass at 3 p.m.

The Oraotry is hosted at Five Wounds Portuguese National Church, located at 1375 Santa Clara Street; please note that the 10 a.m. Mass on Saturday will be celebrated in the I.E.S. chapel, the rest in the main church.

His Excellency Leonard Blair, the Archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut, has entrusted the church of St Patrick in Waterbury to the care of the Institute of Christ the King. As of this Sunday, October 27, St Patrick’s will become a territorial Parish, and also the home of a new Oratory which will serve people from across the Archdiocese who desire to attend the Traditional Latin Mass, and receive the other Sacraments in the Extraordinary Form. The first traditional Latin Mass will be celebrated at St Patrick’s on Sunday, beginning at 10:30 am by the Institute’s Vicar General, Monsignor Michael Schmitz; the church is located at 50 Charles Street in Waterbury.

Old St Patrick Oratory, the Institute of Christ the King’s apostolate in Kansas City, Missouri, will celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi with a solemn Mass, followed by a procession, and Benediction at an outdoor altar, beginning at 6:30 pm on Thursday, June 20. The church is located at 806 Cherry Street.

Each summer brings with it a number of opportunities for further education in congenial Catholic settings. This August 12-16, the Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine and the Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies are partnering with the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to offer a five-day theology program studying the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians with the aid of St. Thomas Aquinas's superb commentary.

Themes: Galatians as well as the commentary bring forward important considerations on the unchangeableness of sacred doctrine ("even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be anathema"), on the mystical identification of the Christian with Christ, on the setting-aside of the Old Covenant in consequence of its messianic fulfillment, and on the confrontation of Church hierarchs by their subjects -- all subjects under considerable discussion in our day. The daily schedule will include seminars as well as lectures. A highlight of the program is the formal scholastic disputation to be held on August 15 in honor of the solemn feast of Our Lady's Assumption.

Liturgy: The program will be held at St. Mary's Oratory in Wausau, WI, a parish of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The 19th-century church, renovated in the first years of the 21st century, is considered one of the most beautiful examples in North America of German High Gothic. Canons of the Institute will offer daily Mass in the usus antiquior ("extraordinary form") as well as hours of the Divine Office. The Assumption will feature a solemn high Mass and procession.

Faculty: We are happy to announce the faculty:

• Dr John Joy is Senior Theologian to the Bishop of Madison. He also serves as Managing Editor for The Aquinas Institute and President of the Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies. He has published on soteriology and ecclesiology.
• Dr Alan Fimister is Assistant Professor of Theology and Church History at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver and a Fellow of the Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies. He has published on European political history and Thomistic political philosophy.
• Rev. Dr Thomas Crean, O.P. is a friar of the English province of the Order of Preachers and a Fellow of the Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies. He has published on apologetics, liturgy, and natural theology.
• Dr. Taylor Patrick O'Neill is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Mount Mercy University. He specializes in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Thomistic commentatorial tradition.

Course Book: Each participant in the program will receive a beautifully hardbound copy of vol. 39 of the Aquinas Institute's Opera Omnia series, a volume that has the commentaries on Galatians and Ephesians.

To Apply: The 2019 USA Session is open to all applicants 18 years and older. No previous university-level theological studies are required. Deadline for applications is July 15, 2019. A simple online application form may be filled out online here.

Location: The course will be held at St. Mary's Oratory, in Wausau, Wisconsin. Wausau is a city of about 40,000 people on the Wisconsin River in central Wisconsin. The nearest airport, Central Wisconsin Airport (code CWA), about a 20-minute car or taxi trip, has daily connections to Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit. For those driving, Wausau is about 2 hrs by car from Green Bay; 2 hrs from Madison; 2.5 hrs from La Crosse; 3 hrs from Milwaukee; and 3 hrs from Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Cost: Program fees are scaled as follows:

• Option 1. Tuition only (for commuters): $250.
• Option 2. Tuition plus accommodations in a shared double hotel room: $500.
• Option 3. Tuition plus accommodations in a private single hotel room: $750.

Payment can be made by check or credit card. $250 deposit due upon acceptance of application. Remainder (if applicable) due by August 1.

Hotel: We have reserved rooms at the Jefferson Inn in downtown Wausau. It is a 3-minute drive or an 11-minute walk from the inn to St. Mary's Oratory. If choosing to stay at the inn, please arrange it through us rather than booking directly with the hotel, so as to avoid confusion.

Meals: Lunch will be provided each day on site for all participants. Breakfast is included at the hotel for those staying there. For dinner, guests are welcome to make their own plans. There is a restaurant in the hotel and many other local eating places are found in the surrounding blocks. If you have any special needs or requests, please contact us directly.

Easter Sunday

Candlemas

Septuagesima

(For more information on the church and more photos, see the Facebook page or the parish website.)