Its goal is the honor of God and the sanctification of priests in the service of His Church for the salvation of souls. The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis, or I.C.R.S.S.) is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right within the Roman Catholic Church, whose goal is the honor of God and the sanctification of priests in the service of the
Church and souls. Its specific aim is missionary: to spread the reign of our Lord Jesus Christ in all spheres of human life. Our work is carried out under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, to Whom the Institute is consecrated. Recognizing the importance of a deep harmony between faith, liturgy, life, and the power of beauty in attracting the human senses to the things above, an integral part of the Institute’s charism is the use of the traditional liturgical books of 1962 for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the other sacraments. Great care for a solemn liturgy, complete fidelity to the doctrine of the Church and the Holy Father, and awareness of the central role of Grace, especially Charity – these are essential elements of the Institute’s spirituality, which is drawn from its three co-patrons, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Our motto, taken from St. Paul, is 'Veritatem Facientes in Caritate' (Live the Truth in Charity). The motherhouse and international seminary of the Institute are located in Gricigliano, in the Archdiocese of Florence, Italy - where as of 2012 over 80 seminarians were being prepared for the priesthood. The Institute operates in more than sixty locations in fourteen countries; in the United States it currently has 13 apostolates, many of which are already serving several hundred faithful. To assist our priests in their apostolic work, the Institute also has clerical oblates; in 2004, a community of religious sisters was canonically established to aid the priests in their mission through prayer and apostolic work. The Institute's current Superior General is Msgr. Gilles Wach.
