- Who are we?

The Secular Institute Christ the King is an Institute of Catholic laymen. It is approved by the Church. It got Pontifical Recognition in 1963 by Pope Paul VI. Its rule of life (Constitutions) has been approved by the Roman Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life. Membership requires a celibate, consecrated life through profession of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Members live and work in different milieu according to the personal vocation of each member that has been recognised and approved by his Director who is also a member of the Institute. Any kind of job and profession, compatible with a Christian lifestyle is acceptable.
Each member lives by himself; as members do not have a common life. Financially speaking, members are self-reliant - the Institute does not support its members in terms of lodging etc. Members meet regularly at least on a monthly basis for a day of recollection and yearly for a week of retreat.
A regular personal contact with the Director is required - once a year for establishing the personal regulation of life and usually bimonthly for sharing about the life of the member.
Daily two hours of prayer are required which includes participation at the Eucharist, if possible, and a time for personal meditation.
Training lasts four years. It is made up of monthly recollections, a yearly retreat, monthly instructions, three days meetings twice in a year and a common week of holidays with the other aspirants. During the training each aspirant continues working and living in his usual place. He will use normal leave from his work for attending the meetings.
After this time of aspirancy, yearly vows can be taken. After four years, triennial vows may be taken and after ten years since the first vows, perpetual vows may be taken.
Persons from the age-group 21 to 40 are eligible to become aspirants. Exceptions to this rule are allowed.
Another requirement is the person is to be free both from marriage and religious vows and not to be in Sacred Orders.

- The History

The founder, Giuseppe Lazzati, matured his choice for a lay “consecration” and began his course within the “Missionaries of Kingship of Christ”, an institute founded by Father Gemelli, but in 1939 with a group of friends and supported by Cardinal Schuster, he gave life to the lay society “Milites Christi” that in 1952 was established as a Diocesan Secular Institute.
We quote hereunder a passage from the Decree of Praise with which the Institute obtained the pontifical approval (27 October 1963):
“Besides the evangelical perfection in the exercise of the works and activities that they must carry on because of their jobs, the Milites intend to pervade the society in which they live with Christian spirit so that all human values may reach their end in Christ.
Since with the passing of years, both the number of the Institute’s members and their apostolate are growing day by day… therefore… this Sacred Congregation praises and recommends the Institute Milites Christi without reserve…”
In 1969 the name was changed into Secular Institute “Christ the King”.
Our recent history, marked by the Institute’s taking root and development, is committed to fulfill itself in the continuity of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life's guidelines and awake to evolutions in the society and in the Church in the places of the members’ normal activities.
The Institute was established in the Milan Diocese; today it is present in 9 Italian regions. Moreover, we are present in Poland, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in India, in New Zealand, in Venezuela and in Uganda.

- Spirituality

What is our way of living the Christian spirituality?
Our spirituality is such that a living synthesis of consecration and secularity may be carried on. It is based on what Vatican II says about lay people: “The laity, by their very vocation, seeks the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God.” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Const. On the Church, 31)
We share this spirituality with all lay people in the Church.
Spirituality deals with prayer.
We are aware that our entire life depends on God. He is our creator and we are His creatures. Consequently we need His daily help. We have toconstantly ask to be able to respond to His will. Furthermore, we are aware that such a way of life cannot be carried on by relying only on our skill and will. Without God’s help we can do nothing. This is why we pray.
The ways and methods of our prayer are conditioned by secularity. We share in the liturgy of the Church as the entire Catholic flock do. We give also to prayer a special place and time in our daily life according to a personal regulation of life established each year with the Director. Daily Eucharist, when it’s possible, and personal reading and meditation of the Word of God are the strong points of our prayer. Two daily hours of prayer are required.
The community of the Institute is inspired by Christ the King in the sense that its members, by means of participation in His redeeming death, intend to live and work in the world and in the Church to bear witness to the sovereignty of Christ resurrected and glorified. The Institute’s name also means that, for its members, the prospect of the kingdom of God is the main animator of history. (Art. 4 of Constitutions)

- Consecration

What does it mean when we say that we are consecrated?
It means that we are aware of having been chosen by God and made His through baptism. By this we accept to live according to His call and we say yes to His will even before we are asked to do it. Because of this we make the vows of poverty, chastity in celibacy and obedience. These vows are the peculiar tools of a special consecration, accepted and cared for by the Catholic Church.
Because of this consecration we are inserted very deeply into the life of the Church and we share its evangelising mission. Our entire life is consequently devoted to the very mission of the Church.

- Secularity

What does it mean for us to be secular?

We live and work in different milieu according to the personal vocation of each memebr. Any kind of job and profession, compatible with a Christian lifestyle is acceptable. Our mission is to collaborate with God, together with our fellow men and women, with the construction of a world according to His plan and will. In this way we are aware of sharing in the design set by the Creator and restored by the Redeemer. This is our way of collaborating in the construction and in the spreading of God’s Kingdom.

- Daily Life

We live in an ordinary milieu. We share in the lifestyle of our fellow men and women in all that is compatible with Christian life. We live at home by ourselves or with our relatives or friends according to the culture and habits of the country in which we live and work.
We participate in the life of our neighbours and fellow citizens as any lay people do. We can be actively involved in social life, unions, political parties, associations etc. according to our personal vocation expressed by our inclinations and skills as verified by the Director. In the same way, we can be actively involved in church ministries/functions appropriate to lay persons.