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Meet the
clergy

Canon
benjamin coggeshall

rector

Canon
Jacob
Wells

Vicar

Abbé
Nicholas
Tousignant

Clerical Oblate

Canon
Gerald
Bell

Vicar

My name is Rev. Canon Benjamin Coggeshall, and I am honored to be currently serving as the third rector for St. Francis de Sales Oratory. The second oldest of six siblings and a native of Camp Point, Illinois, I graduated from Camp Point Central High School in 2000. From there I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Architectural studies in 2004.

During my time at college I discerned a vocation to the priesthood under the guidance of the local Newman Center clergy. I entered into formation with the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest several months after my graduation and spent the next several years at the Institute's seminary near Florence, Italy. I was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in August of 2014. Since my ordination, I have served at Institute apostolates in Limerick, Ireland; Rockford, Illinois; and now in St. Louis, Missouri. First a candidate at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in 2005, I am happy to serve the St. Louis faithful in the very apostolate and the city where my formation began.

Canon
Jacob
Wells

Vicar

Canon
Gerald
Bell

vicar

Canon
Benjamin
Coggeshall

Rector

Abbé
Alex
Barga

Clerical Oblate

Born and raised in San Francisco, California, I am a convert to Catholicism from non-denominational Protestantism. My family does not have any religious practices, nor have they ever, so I made the journey home by myself. I converted in High School, after which I went on to study first mathematics, then philosophy at UC Berkeley. During my academic career at Berkeley, I found the Institute at their apostolate in Oakland.

Just a couple months after my graduation I entered the Institute. By the grace of God, the Superiors called me to the holy Priesthood of Jesus Christ, and I was ordained by His Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke on April 1, 2023, Saturday in Passion Week. Deo gratias!

Though I do not have a “favorite saint,” I do have a particular devotion to Pope St. Pius V for his love for the holy Liturgy, as well as for Saints Mary Magdalene, Padre Pio, Thérèse of Lisieux, and especially for the Patrons of the Institute.

Canon
Gerald
Bell

Vicar

Abbé
Alex
Barga

Clerical Oblate

Canon
Jacob
Wells

Vicar

Abbé
Nicholas
Tousignant

Clerical Oblate

My name is Canon Gerald Bell. I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. I grew up attending the Traditional Mass. I was educated in kindergarten-12th grade at a private Catholic school started by my grandfather and his friends, then I went to the University of Louisville to study engineering.

I entered seminary in the Fall of 2016. I was ordained on April 1st, 2023. I served in Rome for a brief time before coming to the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales in St. Louis, Missouri where I am now stationed as Vicar.

My favorite saint is Francis de Sales because he teaches so well the way of perfection, how to love God with our whole being, with calm and patience, abandoning ourselves to His divine good pleasure in all peace of soul.

Abbé
Alex
Barga

Clerical Oblate

Abbé
Nicholas
Tousignant

CLERICAL OBLATE

Canon
Gerald
Bell

Vicar

Canon
Benjamin
Coggeshall

rector

My name is Abbé Alex and I am 37 years old. I grew up in a Catholic family of 9 in North Star, a small town in central west Ohio. I joined the Institute in 2007. After receiving the cassock as a Clerical Oblate in the Institute in 2008, I was transferred to St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis, where I have been happily serving since.

When I’m not protecting the neighborhood or forming candidates, I like to play any and all sports. Right now my favorite sport to play is pickle ball, and the actor I most relate to is Clint Eastwood.

My favorite saint is St. Joseph, because he was the protector of the Holy Family but also lived a hidden life, which is very similar to the vocation of the oblates.

Abbé
Nicholas
Tousignant

CLERICAL OBLATE

Canon
Benjamin
Coggeshall

Rector

Abbé
Alex
Barga

CLERICAL OBLATE

Canon
Jacob
Wells

Vicar

My name is Abbé Nicholas Tousignant. I was born and raised in Minnesota. I come from a large family of 10. I was homeschooled and took part in many extra-curricular activities such as 4-H and Civil Air Patrol. I first came to discern with the Institute after I had left the College in which I was pursuing a BA in Music.

I learned about the Oblates of the Institute when they heard I was a musician. I came to discern at St. Francis de Sales Oratory as a candidate in 2021. I received the Cassock in 2023 and have been assigned to St. Louis since then.

My favorite Saint is Our Lady under the appellation of Our Lady of Sorrows. Meditation on her sorrows teaches us how to love God better.

The mission of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest is to spread the reign of Christ in all spheres of human life by drawing from the millennial treasury of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly her liturgical tradition, the unbroken line of spiritual thought and practice of her saints, and her cultural patrimony in music, art and architecture.

The Institute accomplishes this primarily through a solid and well-rounded formation of its priests, rooted in Catholic tradition and carried out at its international seminary in the Archdiocese of Florence.

Our priests, conscious of the need for their own sanctification, strive to be instruments of God's grace through their apostolic work discharged in the churches assigned to the Institute, its schools, its missions in Africa, by preaching retreats, teaching catechesis, and providing spiritual guidance.

The Institute of Christ the King operates under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, to Whom it is consecrated.

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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE
INSTITUTE OF CHRIST THE KING
SOVEREIGN PRIEST

our mission

MASS TIMES

Sunday Masses
8:00 AM Low Mass
10:30 AM High Mass

Monday - Saturday
8:00 AM Low Mass

Tuesday
6:30 PM Low Mass
(followed by Mother of Perpetual Help devotions)

Wednesday
12:15 PM Low Mass

First Friday Mass
6:30 PM Solemn Mass

Holy Days of Obligation
(consult the bulletin)

30 minutes before all Masses

Thursday
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 12:00 NOON

Thursday
6:30 PM

confession

Adoration

location

2653 Ohio Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63118
United States of America

Our History

Saint Francis de Sales Oratory, built at the turn of the last century, is known to locals as the "Cathedral of South St. Louis" because of its elegantly-designed exterior and over 300-foot tall spire. The church building is in an imposing Gothic revival style. The High Altar alone is more than 50 feet high and forms a unique throne for Christ the King, present in the ornate Tabernacle. Our oratory is the ideal setting for the sacred solemn liturgy, and its adjacent buildings seem to be made for the needs of our continuously growing community.

This church is the only church in the St. Louis area of German Gothic architecture and is based on the design of the Ulm Minster located in Ulm, Germany, the tallest church in the world. Saint Francis de Sales has been an anchor in its neighborhood since the founding of the parish after the end of the Civil War in 1867. The campus includes the church, a rectory, convent, and two school buildings, and appears on the National Registry of Historic Places.

St. Louis, the Rome of the West, has long been known as a focal point of genuine Catholic life in this country. Steadfast faithfulness to Holy Mother Church and the Roman Pontiff, filial devotion toward Our Lady, and a deep Eucharistic piety are the characteristics of this city.

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Our outreach

In 2005, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest became a part of the great Catholic tradition of St. Louis. His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, called our community to serve God here at St. Francis de Sales Oratory. Since 2005, in the magnificent "Cathedral of South St. Louis," we have served the Faithful under the patronage of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Conception.

540

Baptisms

10,600

public Masses

130

Weddings

150,000

Confessions

Support
the oratory

We are grateful for the generosity of the many wonderful supporters, volunteers, and donors who believe in our mission here at St. Francis de Sales Oratory.

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