The Apostolate of the Returning King is a new association in the Catholic Church encouraging renewal of the Church through personal holiness.
It arose in 2003 when Kathryn Anne Clarke began writing spiritually profound documents. To remain private, she wrote under the name of “Anne, a lay apostle,” later “Anne, ARK.” Anne submitted the recorded locutions and visions to her local bishop, Bishop Leo O’Reilly of the diocese of Kilmore, Ireland, who gave permission to print and disseminate the writings.
About Us
In 2018, the Apostolate of the Returning King received canonical recognition as an Association of the Faithful with Juridical Personality. This Sacred Decree issued by Bishop O’Reilly, formalized the movement, and recognized and commended its contribution to the Catholic Church.
Direction for Our Times is the nonprofit organization which was established in December 2004 to promote and disseminate the writings of Anne. Direction for Our Times is dedicated to facilitating the spread of the writings and spirituality of the Apostolate of the Returning King throughout the world.
Direction for Our Times is the nonprofit organization which was established in December 2004 to promote and disseminate the writings of Anne. Direction for Our Times is dedicated to facilitating the spread of the writings and spirituality of the Apostolate of the Returning King throughout the world.
Our Mission
Our mission is to renew the Church through personal holiness, drawing people back into direct relationship with Jesus Christ. In order to legitimately renew our Catholic faith, we must develop a passionate commitment to both human and spiritual formation, hence the formation programs made available by the Apostolate which combine a three-prong approach of human and spiritual formation alongside catechesis.
Jesus identifies himself as the Returning King because he wants to return each day through the hearts of his faithful. Our beautiful light-filled statutes and writings ensure that anyone, in any condition, can join this movement if they desire to bring God’s love to others. The concept of Christ as returning highlights our Christian obligation to allow Jesus to become present through each one of us in every day. This basic Christian principle comes to the forefront of our lives when we decide for committed discipleship as lay apostles.
We are followers and apostles of Jesus Christ, committed to treating others with the Lord’s patience and kindness. We are intended to bring the love of Jesus Christ directly to those around us, representing the scriptural Christ with spiritual accuracy and drawing people toward the safety of the Eucharistic Christ.
We share our joy through whichever vocation we serve from, understanding that healthy formation is incremental, specially contemplated, and crafted for each person in front of us. Thus, it remains fresh. Our commitment to the Apostolate of the Returning King offers Jesus the opportunity to use us to spread his love more directly, bringing our Christianity to the forefront of our minds and hearts. ARK brings us back to the essence of what it means to represent Christ as Christians in the world.
