History of The Mission

In 1988 the late Monsignor Obamba, bishop of the Diocese of Mouila, gave his predecessor’s episcopal home and surrounding grounds to the then newly founded Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. It became then the first canonically erected house of the Institute, under the name of: Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus Mission. Within a year or two however, Cardinal Piovannelli (Bishop of the Diocese of Florence, Italy) invited the Institute to establish its headquarters and seminary in Gricigliano, a beautiful Italian villa on the shores of the Arno river.

From there, the Institute, being closer to Rome, expanded rapidly, taking the international dimensions it has today. Despite no longer being the headquarters of the Institute, the Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus Mission remained the founding place, the “crib” of said Institute. However, for reasons of sickness, financial and other difficulties, the lack of a Priest to “hold down the fort” caused the Mission to close at one point. It was in 2012, as the Institute prepared to celebrate its 25 th anniversary, that Prior General Msgr. Wach sent Rev. Canon Fragelli to re-open and restore the Mission. Since, by the grace of God and the protection of the Blessed Mother, it has been one of the most flourishing missions in the African continent, bringing faith and education to countless children and families of the region.

This site is the story of that beautiful and blessed struggle.