Help an Irish Seminarian.

Hello my name is Darrell Lally and I am an Irish seminarian of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. I am originally from Birr, County Offaly in Ireland. I have felt a call to the priesthood since my very early childhood years and always pestered the priests in my parish about the priesthood and when I could go to seminary. When I entered secondary school I received much opposition from my peers on the subject of becoming a priest, however I wanted more than ever to go to seminary. Towards the end of school I became very interested in the singing of the Divine Office and the beauty of the Church's traditional liturgical ceremonies. As a result, I discovered the Institute of Christ the King in the church of the Sacred Heart in Limerick. The first time that I went there was for a solemn high Mass, and I fell in love with the traditional Latin Mass. After I finished school, I entered the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in October 2018 as a candidate, entering the Institute's house of discernment in Preston, England where I was formed to the rhythm of the apostolic life. I then spent a second year in Naples Italy, again as a candidate.

In September 2020 I was accepted to the Institute's seminary at Gricigliano, near Florence, Italy. After completing the first year of spirituality, I received the holy cassock from the hands of our Prior General, Monsignor Gilles Wach and I was tonsured and made a cleric by His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Leo Burke. I have since received four minor Orders of Porter, Lector, Exorcist and this summer I have been ordained an Acolyte and I am preparing this year to receive the first of the major Orders, that of Subdeacon, before the diaconate and the priesthood, God willing.

I deeply love my studies and having finished my studies of philosophy and the first year of theology on the sacraments, I hope this year to go onto my second year of theology. Our prayer life at seminary is also very active, especially by participation in the holy liturgy such as the holy Mass and the Devine Office. All our benefactors are prayed for daily in our community rosary.

In the seminary, alongside prayer and sacred studies, manual work also plays an important role in our priestly and human formation. I am very glad to be able to put my artistic experience to good use, in restoring many objects and areas in seminary that were once highly decorated but which deteriorated over the years before the Institute arrived. This year, I began my third major project of restoring the chapter room as to fit more correctly it's noble purpose, you can see an image of it below.

I ask you kindly, please support me if at all possible for you. Ireland needs good priests and I wish to be one for her, and especially for our Holy Mother the Church.

Please be assured of my prayers.

I sincerely thank you!

In Christo Rege,

Abbé Darrell John Lally.

Bishop Finn ordaining me to the Order of Acolyte.

Here I have finished painting on the decoration around the main entrance to the chapter room.

One of our instructions during a retreat.

The olive harvest at the seminary.

The solemn liturgy is very important to our Institute. This image is the prayers for the newly ordained Acolytes this year.

Here I am with all of the Irish seminarians.

Here I am at the head of one of the Irish chapters on the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Chartres, France this year.

My Family and me on an outing to Rome.