Two stories on the ICRSS in St. Louis

The Saint Louis Catholic relays a news story in today's Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, Old Latin Mass Makes a Comeback detailing the Saint Francis de Sales Oratory.

On a very related note, one of our readers sent in the following information about the upcoming ICRSS ordinations in St. Louis' Cathedral-Basilica:

As most people who follow blogs relating to the liturgy are aware, this Friday, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, His Excellency Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis, will be ordaining two Deacons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to the Priesthood in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, according to the 1962 Roman Missal. As far as anyone can determine, this will be the first time that a Bishop in America will celebrate a Pontifical High Mass in his own Cathedral in over 40 years.

While this very fact has been widely reported and celebrated, it is also important not to lose site of another milestone: this is the first time that ordinations for the ICKSP will take place in the United States of America. Most, if not all, ordinations for the Institute have thus far taken place in their main seminary at Gricigliano, which is located just outside of Florence, Italy. Various prelates, including Archbishop Burke, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Perry of Chicago, and other European Ordinaries and members of the Roman Curia, have in the past travelled to Gricigliano to conduct ordinations to the priesthood and diaconate, as well as receiving seminarians into the subdiaconate and the four minor orders.

Friday, however, will mark the first time that candidates belonging to the Institute will travel to the United States to be received into the priesthood. It should be noted that more or less everyone who belongs to or is involved with the Institute will be at these ordinations. Perhaps most movingly--all seminarians from Gricigliano will also be flying to St. Louis from Florence to take part in the Mass.

As can be imagined, an event of this magnitude has taken much time and effort to plan. Fr. Lenhardt, the Rector of St. Francis de Sales, the Institute's Oratory in St. Louis, has kindly requested that the faithful of the Oratory consider opening up their homes to provide housing for the seminarians during their stay in this country. The faithful have responded most generously to this request. As the day for the ordination mass approaches--a day made all the more special by the fact that the Holy Father will soon liberalize the 1962 missal--please keep the Institute in your prayers that all will go well. A Pontifical High Mass, as most of you can imagine, takes much time and energy to plan. Please keep Archbishop Burke in your prayers as well, that he will continue to be a priest after the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.