Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP)

The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP) is a community of priests, known as canons, who celebrate exclusively with the Roman liturgical books in use before the post-conciliar reform. According to the Institute, it was canonically erected on 1 September 1990 by Msgr. Gilles Wach and Fr. Philippe Mora in Gabon, where it still has missions, and its motherhouse and international seminary are at Gricigliano near Florence, Italy (ICKSP UK; ICKSP US). Wikipedia records that it received pontifical right in 2008 (Wikipedia). A female branch, the Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest, was founded in 2004 (ICKSP UK).

Activity and size. The Institute's published FAQ says it works in more than fifty places in twelve countries, with parish ministry, retreats, youth camps and schools, and that it has restored a number of historic church buildings (ICKSP US). Wikipedia gives 147 priests as of 2023. In July 2026 InfoVaticana reported four new priestly ordinations and more than one hundred seminarians (InfoVaticana); The Remnant reported that Cardinal Raymond Burke conferred the ordinations at Gricigliano (The Remnant). An Easter 2026 letter from the Institute's U.S. province put the number of seminarians at about 110 (ICKSP US).

Canonical position. OSV News lists the Institute among communities with regular canonical status that are dedicated to celebrating the liturgy and sacraments in the older form of the Roman rite, and distinguishes them from the Society of St. Pius X, which the Holy See declared in schism in July 2026 (OSV News). Article 6 of Traditionis custodes (2021) placed the societies erected by the former Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei under the dicastery for consecrated life. See Ecclesia Dei communities and the Latin Mass movement.