Legionaires Of Christ

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The Legionaries of Christ are one of the great new orders of men that are spearheading the orthodox revival in the Church, along with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and the Fraternity of St. Peter among others. I consider the LC’s the successors to the Jesuits in how they have been risen up to counter the secularization of our present culture, much as the Jesuits were for countering the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.
 
I have heard good and bad things.

good – faithful to the Church, the Holy Father, and to orthodoxy.

bad – that they are somehow stuck in this period of time before VII but still offer the Pauline Mass. They intersperse the Mass with nuances from the TLM. (i should preface this… by saying that this isn’t inherently bad, but I think that it could lead to some confusion, albeit minor). Another thing that I have heard was that they are very elitist and ultra-conservative. Stories have been conveyed to me – you can take them or leave them. One was that a young man was in seminary and something happened in which his “sponsor” was no longer able to afford his education so the Order asked him to leave. Another story was that if you are in LC you can’t be overweight, or have any sort of blemish or visible abnormality – they want the perfect man, phsyically and spiritually.

From my own personal experience, they are very welcoming. When I was looking at various orders to enter and decide upon, I contacted them more than several times. I never got a response except for a meager brochure with a grain’s worth of information. In that respect, I really did not care for them and thought that they really weren’t looking for anyone.
 
Maybe I’m a little biased, but I can’t help it. I love the Legion of Christ. My brother-in-law is a Legionary priest and has been for nearly 14 years! We had the privelege of attending his ordination in 1991 when the Legion celebrated it’s 50th anniversary. My brother-in-law was ordained by the Holy Father himself along with about 50 other Legionaries from around the world.

All the negative things I hear about the Legion just make me shake my head. We just recently had my in-laws’ 50th wedding anniversary celebration with my BIL celebrating, not one, but two Masses in their honor. He attracted as much attention as the anniversary couple did. We had three other priests in attendance as guests at the celebration. Fr. Thomas (my BIL and the youngest priest there) was the only one in clericals. His Mass was more reverent than most I’ve ever attended, with such an intense focus on the consecration that many who attended commented on the fact that they could tell Fr. Thomas REALLY believed that Jesus was present (like… duh!)

He has worked in many countries, as spiritual director and rector of several boys’ schools. Yes, they are trying to encourage vocations, but they also know when a young man’s vocation is not with the Legion or with Religious life in any form, and do not hesitate to tell a young man so. This, of course, may cause hard feelings (not everyone appreciates the truth… and not everyone can be diplomatic about speaking it, either) but it would be no different in the secular world if someone was passed up for a job or promotion for which they were not fit.

I have met other priests who went through Legionary formation and have joined other orders or become diocesan priests. You can tell where their roots were, though… most of them are thankful for that early formation.

And lest you all think that Fr. Thomas is a rigid, serious, boring fuddy-dud, please… he’s the life of the party when the family gets together! Oh, he never forgets he’s a priest, but he’s far from dull and stodgy. His nieces and nephews (ages 4 to 10) love him dearly… the recurring argument during our family reunion was who got to ride in the car Fr. Thomas was riding in!

I could go on and on. I’m sure not everyone has met a Legionary like my BIL and maybe some have but found the Legion making their “comfort zone” not quite so comfortable (I have met some folks like that and the problem is NOT with the Legion.) Some object to the Legionaries referring to Fr. Maciel as “Nuestro Padre” (our father), but I don’t find it odd… in fact, wouldn’t the contemporaries of St. Francis, St. Dominic, St. Benedict, etc. have done the same? And how many orders still have their founder alive and working along with them?

I have also met Fr. Maciel and Fr. Anthony Bannon, the head of the Legion here in the states. Two wonderful, down-to-earth men (my BIL who lives in NY named his first son Anthony after Fr. Bannon… who also baptized his namesake!)

Well, I told you I could go on and on, but I’ll stop there. Nothing and no one in this world is perfect. But I have nothing but good to say about the Legion of Christ. Please, find out the facts first hand and do your best to get to know these priests. And pray for them!

BlueRose
 
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chimakuni:
From her information - the group studies at length, the writings of Father Maciel, and not the bible. From what I understand, R.C. targets home educating moms and quite frankly, although the women I know who are involved in R.C. are sweet, they are quite needy women and it bothers me that it seems they are being taken advantage of. The women must meet at least once a week and for a home educating Mom, that time should be spent teaching her children instead of studying the writings of Father Maciel.
🙂 I have been involved with Regnum Christ for over 16 years. I would like to inform you of some facts. A regnum Christi encounter or meeting is taken from the sunday gospel, not from Fr. Maciel’s writings. The women must meet, this is not a true fact. I know of teams that may meet every other week, sometimes once a month. But regardless to grow spiritually it is important to always study the gospels. Father Maciel very well may become a saint someday. :tsktsk: Only God knows that and the level of your charity and judgement on these people really baffle me. Maybe Regnum Christi is not for you but there is alot of good in it! If this was not so our Holy Father would not think so highly of this order. Perhaps when someone says the Holy Father may be a saint someday you have the same reaction. Some people do live there lives for Christ and yes Father Maciel is one of them.:hmmm: I will repeat by their fruits you will know them… Look at the fruit it is far from rotten and it is in abundance.:clapping:
 
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LastPew:
The standard.
These organizations are held to a higher standard. However, if another order gives a new age retreat, a parish has sychronized dancers during the Mass, a priest gives direction contrary to Church teaching, or something like this, we hardly hear a peep of concern from others. But if one LC priest or OP priest does something suspicious then so many people get upset.

My experience of Catholics in these ways of life has been positive. In fact, I would love for either of these to be in my little diocese, at least for community sake.
How Profound!
Lets just keep packing these churches full of the ****, I have heard about the Liturgical abuses in several forums here. But boy when people start talking about the truth and priests who follow Rome. All of a sudden the tables turn. I have been blessed to attend daily Mass throughout the school year with the Legion Of Christ, and have NEVER seen one liturgical abuse.😃
This goes without saying You can lead a horse to water…
For the one who wanted to know literature that the Pope said about the Legion check the Time magazine when he was the man of the year. Fr. Maciel works very closely with the Holy Father. Why because the Holy Father knows he can depend upon him.:clapping:
 
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Marie:
X’ers abound in all orders and across the board they all have their whin. “I wanted my freedom”.
I would consider this to be grossly unfair to a lot of fine priests. The Spriit calls in different directions.

A former pastor at our was an Augutinan brother before discerning a vocation as a diocesan priest. Being diocesan hardly means “I want my freedom”

I also know a former Benedictine who discerned that God was calling him to less of a monastic lifestyle and more of a mendicant lifestyle. He is now a missionary priest running a school and clinic in Guatemala (as a diocesan).

Where is there ‘whine’
 
Excuse my brief visit and interjection into this thread (and excuse me if this seems inappropriate). I just read with interest all the above posts. I have had only limited and passing, but all positive contacts, with LC & RN religious and members. I understand that they are orthodox and demanding in their spiritualty and not necessarliy for everyone (more a calling to such a spiritual apostolate).

My observation of the above pro’s and con’s posts, is that some of the con side posters approach an overzealous aversion to this order. My experince is that this aversion is usually more indicative of the poster than the object of their critque. No presumption intended, just my observation for what its worth.
 
The are great. There is another great new congregation which was just approved out of the Diocese of Segni in Italy, they were originally from Argentina, and now Cardinal McKarick of Washington D.C. gave them a great Seminary/House of Formation: they are called the Institute of the Incarnate Word, THEY are solid, and young, faithful, Thomistic, and GROWING in the world and USA!!!:
Code:
See them at: [www.iveamerica.org](http://www.iveamerica.org)    OR
                                                     
                    [www.ive.org](http://www.ive.org)      :tiphat:
 
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misericordie:
The are great. There is another great new congregation which was just approved out of the Diocese of Segni in Italy, they were originally from Argentina, and now Cardinal McKarick of Washington D.C. gave them a great Seminary/House of Formation: they are called the Institute of the Incarnate Word, THEY are solid, and young, faithful, Thomistic, and GROWING in the world and USA!!!:

See them at: www.iveamerica.org OR

www.ive.org :tiphat:
Any thoughts anyone???
 
I have been to several LC/RC functions and can only attest to the faithfulness and love for the Church of everyone involved. Rather than “robots”, I have met many thinking, loving people committed to serving God and His Church. LC/RC has no monopoly on “needy” members, either. Every group has it’s share of “needy”, broken members; I witnessed this even in the Charismatic Renewal (arguably, the other end of the “spirituality spectrum”.) The LC/RC do promote orthodoxy, perhaps explaining some of the attacks from the politically correct… unfortunately, there are many Catholics falling for the PC line. I’m not saying that everyone who criticizes LC/RC is “liberal” or unorthodox…only that those I know of personally definitely fit that description, lay and priest alike. Judge by the fruit…
 
Super Mom:
DBT;
These are the only two orders that ex-members report so many confused cult like things. I know this is going to get many angry. :mad: I’m not saying these orders are not orthodox but their way of recruiting new members and forming their semanarians is strange. The LC is the only order (maybe OD) that takes young boys who they think have a vocation and train them up untill high school to be priest. All other orders require you to at least be of college age and some want you to have a few years of college already. They want mature men. Whereas the LC forms the young boys in a very selective, closed way so when they become men they don’t have a rounded outlook on life.
It isn’t that strange . . . I do believe this was standard practice in the Church until fairly recently.
 
Detroit Sue:
We have friends who sent their son & daughter to the school in Connecticut. Daughter likes it, son is home. The discipline seems extremely harsh. I also haven’t ever met a priest who is a Legionare. I think they stay pretty sequestered unto themselves. I would say approach with caution.
I’ve enjoyed many Regnum Christi / Legionnaire retreats at the girls school in Rhode Island. (Has it since been moved to Connecticut? I know that the boy’s school is in CT.) However, I never went there full-time. There was a lot of pressure during the retreats to attend the school.

Priests came to the school daily for mass and confession, but did not linger afterwards or teach classes. I think this was prudent because after being around all women, any man starts looking hot . . . :whistle:

The consecrated that looked after us were certainly demanding, but I don’t know if I would call them harsh. I do believe they sincerely loved and prayed for the girls in their care. Rules were strict - and necessarily so - to prepare girls for the consecrated life. We were required to spend several hours a day in the chapel and eat some meals in silence. Most of our time was scheduled (including waking and sleeping) and we usually only had 30 minutes of free time per day. Incoming mail was also read by our individual spiritual advisor. Some girls came from bad situations at home and they were shielded from (i.e. did not receive) negative letters. We were also not allowed to receive letters from boyfriends (how could a consecrated have a boyfriend?!).

A friend attended the school for one year and came home. She has a positive experience, but felt it was not her calling since the schools basically prepare you for life in Regnum Christi as a consecrated person.

My friend also had two brothers who attended the boy’s school. Both completed high school there and then continued formation with the Legions in Mexico, Spain and Rome. Both eventually came home without joining the order after spending 6 - 8 years with them. One boy loved his time and credits it for making him the man he is today - the other hated it and has since left Church.

I think Regnum Christi can be very spiritually helpful if you are prepared for and comfortable with their intense approach. In college, the consecrated traveled from Rhode Island to Ohio to meet with me each semester and give me spiritual direction. I found them incredibly helpful in my personal formation as a Catholic.
 
Couple more comments . . . my friend’s parents said that the boy’s school really sold them on the school by making it sound like all their boy’s became priests. This justification the vast amounts of money they paid the school for their sons’ spiritual formation. (The family sold their house and moved to afford the payments.) It also justified the fact that the boys from the family home in their teen years. (The family was extremely tight knit and it was very difficult to give up their children.) After they sons came home, they discovered that very few boys (maybe 20%?) actually became priests. However, this family still actively participated in Regnum Christi and considers it a good organization.

Basically, Regnum Christi has a very forceful way of doing things. If you are alighted with their agenda and brand of spirituality, this forcefulness can be a tremendous help and push your further then you could go on your own. But, if you don’t share their agenda or brand of spiritualism – say away! RC is not for the faint hearted nor does it cater to individualism.
 
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chimakuni:
From her information - the group studies at length, the writings of Father Maciel, and not the bible. From what I understand, R.C. targets home educating moms and quite frankly, although the women I know who are involved in R.C. are sweet, they are quite needy women and it bothers me that it seems they are being taken advantage of. The women must meet at least once a week and for a home educating Mom, that time should be spent teaching her children instead of studying the writings of Father Maciel.
I think you are referring to their weekly “Encounters”. I am not an RC member but have attended Encounters and can tell you how they work.
  • Lay members of RC make several promises when they join - attending mass, saying the rosary, ect…, and attending weekly Encounters. In areas with a lot of RC, there may be several different Encounter groups. People with similar interests tend to group themselves together. Housewives often meet during the day, and as a result, those of us with jobs can’t attend – that is how you end up with an all housewife groups.
  • The Encounter starts with a prayer and then a passage from the bible is read. (The bible, not Fr. Maciel’s writings.) Afterwards, members are encouraged to share their reflections on the reading.
  • After the reading is a case study. Each person presents one real like story and one is selected. The selected story is then analyzed by the group members. Did the people act correctly? What were the spiritual and social ramifications of their actions? Ect . . .
  • After the case study, they discuss what they would do (or not do) during the following week to deepen their spiritual life. (Like we do during lent.) Something specific is selected for the group.
  • Finally, there is a closing prayer and then any RC business is discussed. (Kind of like announcements at the end of mass.) Perhaps during this time Father Maciel is discussed.
I have thought it was odd to see pictures of Father Maciel in their chapels (which I’ve seen). But, they generally don’t study him at their Encounters.

If you want to know anything else about RC, let me know.
 
I haven’t read anything about the LC or been involved with any RC activities, so I can only speak from my personal experience.

When I was 21 and discerning a vocation to the priesthood, somehow the LC found me (I can only think someone associated with them gave my name). Anyway I had looked into some other seminaries locally and elsewhere and found them to be more liberal, or perhaps less traditional, than was of interest to me. So I gave the LC a try, spending a week a the seminary in CT on two occassions over the course of a year.

They seemed very stauch in abiding by whatever Rome says, which I think is good. They are very strong in their absolute loyalty to the Pope (best I could tell anyway).

They are indeed quite forceful in many ways. I experienced quite the guilt trip when I spoke of not joining. But they were also very appealing in that I felt like I could go there and trust that I would be properly trained.

They are not introverted at all in my experience. On the contrary they seem quite at ease in social settings and proud.

The place felt like a military academy which frankly made it the most appealing of any place I considered. I wanted direction and discipline and I felt confident I would have that there.

The only other negative feeling I had was this: They seemed a bit too proud, almost looking down on the outsiders, but at the time I agreed with that mentality.

…there’s my two cents worth.
 
Maria,

I was first exposed to the LC by the guiding hand of my mother. I met Father Kermit, a very well-rounded, holy, and in many ways typical LC, who inspired me a great deal. Since then I have enjoyed many opportunities to be exposed to their spirituality, their formation practices, and the boys, brothers, and priests from all stages of progression toward their vocation.

Never have I ever met an LC whom I found to be poorly rounded. They bring to the order their particular talents, and are in no way forced to stay. In fact, one thing that the “recruiter” (the priest who’s job it is to talk to those who are interested in joining) will say to someone who is interested (as I was at a few points in my life) is that the schools are primarily a place of discernment, and, if you feel that God is calling you elsewhere you will be encouraged to leave (or finish your year of studies then leave) to persue that call. Also, they will tell you that if they feel that you are either not sutable for the priesthood, your charism is more suitable for another order or diocesan work, they will suggest leaving to persue the appropriate route to find your place to maximize your ability and reap the benefits of your particular charism.

The life of an LC is not easy. They do have a rigorous schedule. Discipline is very important to their formation process… a process which takes 12 years if I’m not mistaken. I can see how someone who does not share the LC charism could misunderstand the reasons for the LC being the way that it is, but in no way is a scary picture of the LC as a controlling, overly strict, or discompassionate assessment of the order warranted.

As to the usefulness of the opinions of x-LCs in determining the quality/character of the order, I’d say it is negligible. Instead, I would look to the experiences of those who are in no way bias against them. Would you ask an x-Catholic for an opinion on the validity of the Catholic Faith and expect an answer that would be useful in understanding the character of the Catholic Church?

I plan on going to the annual spring retreat that the LC put on in Connecticut next Easter. I have found it to be one of my most moving and beneficial experiences in my faith life.

Do I believe that there may be some reason for people to be put-off by the Legionaries? Yes, I suppose that there may be. However, I do not believe that it is a problem with the LC… rather, I believe that those people have experienced a true difference between their own charism and that of the charism of the LC. How they react to this difference reflects more their character than that of the LC.

The Church is dynamic. Different orders fulfill different roles in the task of evangelization. The LC role is very unique, and without experiencing the joy of complete self-giving that the LC brothers and priests exhibit it would be hard for anyone to understand it.

As to the relationship between the pope and the LC, perhaps this will help:
The pope thanked the Legionaries and Regnum Christi members for the loyalty they have shown to the church and to the pontiff. Their style of apostolate, he said, rightly reflects the need to proclaim Gospel truths fearlessly, “with intellectual depth and with courage.”

In a letter posted on the Legionaries’ Web site, the pope congratulated Fr Maciel for 60 years of “intense, generous and fruitful priestly ministry.” The pope said he wanted to join in the “canticle of praise and thanksgiving” for the great things the priest has accomplished and said Father Maciel has always been concerned with the “integral promotion of the person.” (CathNews)

The best way to find out about the LC is to spend time with them. No amount of talking, or reading, (and most definitely not) or visiting anti-LC websites, will ever give you a good picture of who and what they are.

God bless,

Agricola
 
I know many have probably posted similar things, but this is such a large thread that I don’t really have the time to read them all. I would just like to share some of my personal experiences.

I am (or was) an RC member, and am still in contact with many of my Legionary and RC friends. I joined RC about 3 or 4 years ago, so I am not just making things up. I found them very orthodox, and I found them very charismatic and friendly.

The problem is, they seem too interested in numbers rather than people. On retreats, the priests and superiors would ask us “how many RC members we planned on getting next year” and “how many priestly vocations we were going to get.” We came away with unrealistic numbers having so much pressure put on us to “get more guys.” Looking back on it, it makes me kind of sick. We even had charts drawn up with numbers and how much we were going to grow.

This, of course, leads them to be very agressive when recruiting. I was discerning a vocation with them last year, and have decided against it since then. When I brought it up again with a Legionary priest I met recently, he tried to pressure me into leaving college and joining the seminary, even though I had just told him that isn’t what I felt called to do. They’re too pushy. And the problem is, their vow of “charity” prevents them from speaking ill of their order to anyone who “can’t do anything about it” It’s kind of ridiculous. I feel bad for writing such things about them, however, as they have done wonderful things for my spiritual formation. They mean well. I guess the best thing to do is pray for them.
 
Well said! A wonderful order I am proud to be a part of. We follow the Holy Father and work hard like a lot of other orders to build Christ’s Kingdom.👍
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misericordie:
Why do left wing liberal catholics invent so many lies about regnum christi? My friend actually belongs to that group and she is NOT A MEMBER of a cult. I highly doubt the pope would approve a “cult”, and one thing is sure, this pope loves Regnum Christi and the Legion. The women members of Regnum Christi are real women who are for the most part Orthodox catholic Professionals, and all sooner or later get an educational degree from Regina Apostolorum University in Rome. They are not the feminazi type of women with a wanting to male like agenda. Nor are they into male bashing as many unhappy women are. On the contrary they are full of peace, reason, joy, love and palin old INTELLIGENCE, all mixed up with holiness.

GOD BLESS REGNUM CHRISTI AND THE LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST: nOW THERE ARE real PRIESTS.
 
Are there any catholic conservative, orthodox orders that do not focus so much on an entense recruitment for members and are more focused on individual service to God through works / deeds etc.?
I do not belong (yet) to an order. I feel that God maybe calling me to a different path of service, one that calls upon the talents He has given me (art). This path is one that is more independant due to the nature of it. However, I am not sure whether or not God wants me to ALSO join an established apostlate through RC or another.
Based on what Jack said (a couple of posts up), I am not that type of personality (aggresively recruiting others). That’s not me. First of all, I am not a salesman and secondly, I personally am more inclined to the idea that helping others (not necessarly through recruitment) moreso in deeds and those types of works, is much more fullfilling, personally.
Though I really do like the aspect that RC and LC are, as many here confirm, strict in traditional, conservative values. I care nothing for liberal ideas in the church - other than to pray for those who are.
So to reiterate, I would love all opinions to a Roman Catholic group that focuses (on a fairly regular basis) on the things that Jesus taught us (feeding the hungry, helping to shelter the homeless, visiting the sick, helping the elderly, etc, etc…“do it to the least of them, you do it for me”. - paraphrased.
 
I’ve been to many Regnum Christi events. I’m not RC. No one has even asked me to join. My personal experience has not reflected that Regnum Christi is recruitment oriented. I am very grateful for all the faith formation programs they put on in my area.
 
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