The Solemnity of Christ the King is celebrated Nov. 23 this year.
1.
The School Sisters of Christ the King are a community of religious sisters based in the Diocese of Lincoln. The diocese has the privilege of hosting their only convent, the Villa Regina Motherhouse in Lincoln. The Christ the King Sisters teach in several parish schools around the diocese.
2.
Bishop Glennon Flavin founded the Christ the King Sisters in 1976. He said: “I think there is no doubt that we cannot have genuine Catholic schools without the presence and witness of Sisters whose lives are totally dedicated to God.” The first Christ the King sisters were trained by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from Pennsylvania. The Christ the King Sisters began teaching in their first parochial school—St. Joseph in Lincoln—in 1980.
3.
The charism of the Christ the King Sisters is total belonging to Christ the King, and this mission takes many forms. The sisters are dedicated to a love of the priesthood, love for the missions, and the Eucharist. The sisters seek to spread the Kingdom of the Lord through Catholic education.
4.
Today the sisters teach at St. James School in Crete; Blessed Sacrament, St. Joseph, St. Peter and St. Teresa schools in Lincoln, and St. James in St. Joseph, Mo.
5.
The sisters follow a schedule of prayer and teaching, waking at 5:15 a.m. and serving God’s people until evening holy hour and supper at 6:45 p.m. Every day the sisters pray Morning and Evening Prayer together, attend Mass with their students, and reserve special time for silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. But they also leave space for recreation and enjoyment among their sisters in community. Every year, each sister makes an eight-day silent retreat, and practices a life of constant continuing contemplation no matter where she is in life or work.
6.
Currently there are 32 sisters in the community, including 26 perpetually professed sisters, three sisters in temporary vows and three in initial formation.
7.
Every year the sisters host a Father Daughter Day and many opportunities for women to visit and live the schedule of the sisters.
8.
The School Sisters of Christ the King were designated a public association of the faithful in 1996 by the authority of Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz. In 2017, the sisters became an institute of diocesan right, established by Bishop James Conley with the approval of the Vatican.
9.
The Christ the King Sisters are part of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), a coalition of communities all over the United States that strive to build each other up in following the guidance of the Church for religious life. The CMSWR has 112 member communities.
