The Confraternity of Christ the Priest
Missionaries to the Churchless
Founded in 1954 at Ayr, North Queensland, by a former Australian Redemptorist priest, Fr John Whiting, for the conversion and salvation of the “churchless millions”, the Confraternity of Christ the Priest is a missionary association of priests and brothers, diocesan associates, co-workers, affiliates and youth whose primary love and aim is to glorify God by exercising fully their participation in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, the one Mediator between God and man.
In the Liturgy, supremely in the Sacrifice of the Mass, the members strive, through a loving, priestly obedience to be fully conformed to Jesus Christ, our Eternal High Priest, who is forever living to intercede for all who come to God through Him (Heb 7:25).
This priestly obedience, always seeking the will of the Father, leads the members to a sincere love for the Pope and for all the teachings of the Magisterium. In the Sacred Liturgy, as through a life of prayer, sacrifice and apostolic work, they are conscious of being configured by the gift of the Holy Spirit and according to their state in life, to Christ the Eternal High Priest in His self-immolation offered to the Father, for the glory of the Most Blessed Trinity and the salvation of souls.
To this end, they promote priestly holiness of life and, faithful to Our Lord’s injunction, “pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to His harvest” (Mt 9:38).
They endeavour to celebrate the Church’s Liturgy faithfully, prayerfully and according to the mind of the Church, celebrating the Holy Mass in its ordinary and extraordinary forms.
The Confraternity’s chief apostolic work is the Intensive Apostolate, an adaptation of the mission of St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787). The Intensive Apostolate involves a suitably large apostolic team focusing its prayer and evangelizing efforts on a particular area for a specified period of time, typically 15-20yrs. In the “Intensive Apostolate”, through a gentle and personal outreach to every person in the area, they endeavour to lead the “churchless millions” to the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian l ife.
Consecrated members (called Sacerdotists), promote priestly, self-giving love primarily by witness and example, so as to bridge the gap, between faith and life. They aim to achieve this, with God’s grace, through a person—to—person approach which includes the visitation of homes, formation programs, pastoral counseling, spiritual direction and liturgical and sacramental preparation. They give particular attention to promoting the sanctity of marriage, and the family home as the “domestic Church” — a place of spiritual worship.
Under the patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sacerdotists endeavour to live and to promote total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In continuity with tradition, they are encouraged to surrender to her even the merits of their priestly action that she may, with the Holy Spirit, most surely and effectively bring about their communion with God.
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