Okay to support Legionaries of Christ?

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Hello.

I read on the internet somewheres that the founder of the Legionaries of Christ had some accusations about abuse.

I want to donate to them for their Mass cards - is it okay to do so?

Thanks for listening.
 
crenfro said:
Hello.

I read on the internet somewheres that the founder of the Legionaries of Christ had some accusations about abuse.

I want to donate to them for their Mass cards - is it okay to do so?

Thanks for listening.
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It is a valid order with validly ordained priests. Nothing immoral to give a donation.
 
I saw a website run by former Legionaries suggesting that the order is borderline fanatical. I don’t know if there is any truth to that.
 
The Legionaries are awesome. 👍 They are saving souls and changing lives.

The founder is now deceased…if that helps.
 
👍

The Legion is a Catholic religious congregation of pontifical right. Translated - they are an appoved order/movement in good standing with the Holy See.

Here’s an FAQ link to learn more.

legionariesofchrist.org/eng/articulos/categoria.phtml?lc=se-238_ca-792_ci-898

I have seen the site you referenced. There are similar sites for Opus Dei. What is interesting about the complaints is that they are essentially the same for either movement. The fundamental complaints are against the paths that the movements provide to the faithful to fulfill their baptismal commitments. In the history of the Church - those who are zealously faithful are often criticised - as was Christ.

Participating in movements and/or religious orders is voluntary. However, some enter into relationship with them without a clear understanding of the commitments they are making. Thus they voluntarily find themselves in situations that are outside of their calling - this can be very disconcerting and uncomfortable. Some respond very negatively to finding themselves unable to fulfill these commitments.

On a personal note, I am friends with folks in both movements. Specifically, I have friendships with three former seminarians who are very positive about the Legion and still very active in the movement. I know two diocesan priests who are members of Regnum Christi. I also know a number of Legion priests. They are very holy and good men.
 
leonie said:
The Legionaries are awesome. 👍 They are saving souls and changing lives.

The founder is now deceased…if that helps.
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We had two of the Legionaries come to a homeschool gathering with the mothers, fathers and children in attendance. It was a blessing and they were so kind our boys were quite taken with them as was evern else.😃
 
It is so hard to talk about this. We, as the parents of a son who has joined the Legionnaries of Christ as a seminarian are finding that most of the negative things on the internet about this group are TRUE. They have been told to leave the Archdioces of Los Angeles. The vocations director of San Bernardino dioces has advised against this group to us (after the fact). Multiple priests we have spoken to have informed us as to the workings of the group. It seems that they do not work with the local authority of the church, but tell you that they are loyal to the Pope. They set up parralell orginazations.

They have restricted us to speaking with our son only 3 times per year by phone and we may only see him for a day after he has been with them for a year. All letters are screened before he gets them, if he gets them. We cannot tell if he is getting all our mail as his responses are very scripted and speak only highly of the Legion, they do not respond to the content of our letters.

Be very careful when dealing with this group. We have found their answers to questions to be very psychologically calming but sneaky and in some cases almost outright lies as to what really will happen.
 
I know that they are very aggressive and pushy in trying to recruit new priests as it happened to a friend of mine. I think they even suggested that he leave college to join them.

I have also read some very graphic published accounts of abuse cases from them (besides the ones committed by Marcel Maciel). Be very careful…
 
Here’s a web link for a facebook site. It has more than a thousand members of former Legion seminarians, Co-Workers etc. facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=2250886418 You will find more testimonies than you have time to read regarding those who have been “insiders” in this Church approved movement in good-standing who are still supporters now.

Another good source of perspective is to read the biography of Padre Pio entitled, “Padre Pio - the True Story” and a work entitled “Founders.” In these you will find that most Saints had enemies among Church leaders, peers, and other fellow Catholics. It seems to always be true that where holiness and zeal meet, there is opposition from the lukewarm and confused. May God have mercy on all of us.
 
Martie_Donovan said:
They have restricted us to speaking with our son only 3 times per year by phone and we may only see him for a day after he has been with them for a year. All letters are screened before he gets them, if he gets them. We cannot tell if he is getting all our mail as his responses are very scripted and speak only highly of the Legion, they do not respond to the content of our letters.
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I don’t know if this helps. . . but ‘back in the day’ when a woman went into a convent, it was the same way. The order became her family because that’s what she freely chose. Cloistered nuns see family members through a screen or grate because they don’t leave the convent.

I’m not sure why it was accepted then and looked at w/ suspicion today.
 
The reason the Legion had to leave the LA archdiocese and other dioceses is because of communication issues between the Legion and the (arch)diocese not because of any abuse. The Legion is of Pontifical Right so they are not answerable to the local ordinaries, just as many religious orders/communities are. But a local ordinary (bishop) has to allow them to work in his diocese.

I would be wary of listening to a diocesen vocations director about any religious order as most of them do not want men entering them but would rather steer them into the diocese formation program.

As for communication restrictions of those in formation, while the Legion’s restrictions do seem a bit on the harsh side they are not the only order/community to have such restrictions in place. I know, first hand, of others that have similar restrictions.

Currently the Legionaries of Christ are in good standing with the Church. So I would say that it is okay to support them.

Listening to those who have issues with them, one must keep in mind that when one leaves formation the religious community/diocese will not comment as to why the person left or was asked to leave. So all we have here is a one sided story of someone who left (or was asked to leave). We do not have the whole story.
 
KCT said:
I don’t know if this helps. . . but ‘back in the day’ when a woman went into a convent, it was the same way. The order became her family because that’s what she freely chose. Cloistered nuns see family members through a screen or grate because they don’t leave the convent.

I’m not sure why it was accepted then and looked at w/ suspicion today.
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It’s looked with suspicion today regarding the Legionaries in particular because the founder of the Legionaires lost all his credibility when he was charged with sexual abuse. You can’t blame people for being a little suspicious nowadays. I mean, part of the reason the sex scandal was so widespread was because people had too much trust and faith in their priests who are only humans.

Anyway, I think it’s perfectly acceptable for a parent to be concerned for his/her son.
 
Br. David and KCT - both well said. Where many ciritique Opus Dei on similar grounds, I admire their level of commitment and sacrifice for Christ. What others might see as “harsh” I see as the beginning of what it means to sacrifice one’s life for Christ in return for what He has done for us. Thank you for your thoughtful contribution to this discussion.
 
My SIL is a Carmelite nun–she is not cloistered, she is the extern nun. Still, she cannot leave the convent to visit her parents and we, her family, can only visit her once a month. Were she in the cloister, we could only touch her through a grille, and she would NEVER be able to leave, even for her parents’ funerals. She never speaks badly of the monastery or the Carmelite order (and to my knowlege, St. Teresa of Avila, the reformer of the Carmelites, was investigated by the Spanish Inquisition) and she cannot just pick up the phone and call us, nor can we just call her any old time either.

My BIL is a Legionary priest and has been for 17 years. In the beginning of his formation (much like when a woman enters the Carmelite novitiate) his contact with his parents and family was restricted. Once they are ordained, the rules for visits are less restrictive and a lot of it depends on where he is “stationed” and how far it is from his family. He is now six hours from us and we can visit him once a month (same as our Carmelite nun). I have been corresponding with him via e-mail ever since we’ve had access to it. When we see him at family gatherings, he is not zealously trying to recruit his nephews (unless he’s trying to get them on his side for a football game) and everyone who meets him is impressed with his devotion to the Church and to his family–and his sense of humor.

The chaplain at the hospital where my son serves Sunday Mass is a former Legionary… in fact, he was the one who recruited Fr. Anthony Bannon. This priest left the Legion because of health problems, joined the U.S. Army as a chaplain and rose to the rank of a full colonel (he is now retired.) This man has nothing but good things to say about the Legion and will encourage young men considering the priesthood to check out the Legion for themselves. But, he adds, “they are the Marine Corps of priestly orders”. Now, coming from a full ARMY colonel, that should tell you that while he has the utmost admiration and respect (almost reverence, I should say) for the Legionaries of Christ, he also knows that, like the USMC, not everyone is cut out for it.

Contrary to popular belief, no one is forced to remain in the Legion, no more than any young woman is imprisoned in a cloistered monastery (maybe that happened in the dark ages, but not now.) My husband’s youngest brother also joined the candidacy program, about 22 years ago, but decided it was not for him (he’s the one I’ve told about… the one who’s married and has 12 children.)

I’ve met many Legionaries over the years and I’ve never met one who wasn’t devout and strong, yet warm and human. Since most of what’s on the Internet is pure personal opinion, I can’t ask you to take my words as anything but that–my personal opinion. But it should count for at least as much as the worst of what anyone has heard.
 
As someone who spent two years discerning with them in high school, I would be very, very wary of the Legion and Regnum Christi. Though they never use actual force to get or keep their recruits, they use a great deal of more subtle pressure. They control every detail of the lives of those within their formation centers.

I say this because I am working through a great deal of emotional damage, even after six years. Their formation works very well for those who stay in, I suppose – it forms a perfect Legionary or Regnum Christi member – but for those who seek to return to the world, the adjustment is very difficult.

The worst of them, in my experience (I have had no experience with sexual abuse, though I cannot say for sure it never happened) is dishonesty. We were always told not to say Regnum Christi was involved in this or that apostolate, or to be vague when asked about our goals. Their main goal is to gain more members. Every single apostolate they do must include that goal – every friend we had, we had to have a program about how to get them in.

All I can say is, watch out for these people. If in doubt, there are a great many orders that have stood the test of time. You could always give to those.
 
sheilathebard said:
As someone who spent two years discerning with them in high school, I would be very, very wary of the Legion and Regnum Christi. Though they never use actual force to get or keep their recruits, they use a great deal of more subtle pressure. They control every detail of the lives of those within their formation centers.

I say this because I am working through a great deal of emotional damage, even after six years. Their formation works very well for those who stay in, I suppose – it forms a perfect Legionary or Regnum Christi member – but for those who seek to return to the world, the adjustment is very difficult.

The worst of them, in my experience (I have had no experience with sexual abuse, though I cannot say for sure it never happened) is dishonesty. We were always told not to say Regnum Christi was involved in this or that apostolate, or to be vague when asked about our goals. Their main goal is to gain more members. Every single apostolate they do must include that goal – every friend we had, we had to have a program about how to get them in.

All I can say is, watch out for these people. If in doubt, there are a great many orders that have stood the test of time. You could always give to those.
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That sounds very plausible. I know that in some organizations, the act of constantly trying to recruit members is high up there in the list of priorities since new members make up the livelihood of the organization. From what you described, their recruitment process almost sounds like the same tactics some college fraternities use. I imagine the same thing could happen in any other organization, including religious orders.

sheilathebard, the only thing I could recommend to you now is that you should try to let go of the past and move on. Dwelling on the past just builds up a lot of negative emotions and forgiveness could be a step towards healing. I hope everything works out and thank you for sharing this information. God bless you.
 
Funny - I have no doubt about your experience. However, I have been involved for several years and have experienced the exact opposite. The push to be open and clear about the presence of the movement etc. The gentle nature of the spirituality etc. The “recruiting” can be seen very negatively but coming from an evangelical background, I have a deep commitment to bring as many as I can to Christ in any good way that I can. I suppose there are some who can approach this as a mechanical task rather than with the love of Christ. My motivation is the latter. It is clear that those who struggle enough to leave, were not called in the first place. They are good people (as are you) who when they experienced the spirituality in a full sense, they feel out of place and uncomfortable - a sign of a calling to a different path, not a sign of a broken movement… Having reviewed critique of many of the movements and orders (the more rigorous ones) the struggles are all the same with those who leave. Those who see it in the proper light find peace and blessings and move further into Christ down a different path. My prayer is that you would see God’s hand in your time there and find His will and His healing now that you understand that your calling is elsewhere.
 
Just FYI, it seems like some dioceses have discouraged or are investigating their activity:

catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0407003.htm

catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=59018

saintjosephcathedral.org/sitemap/bulletins/Bulletins_2002/111002.doc (page 2, bottom right)

natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/110300/110300a.htm
Theresa Murray, who enrolled her third-grade daughter at Pinecrest Academy, another Legionary-affiliated school in the Atlanta suburb of Cumming, claims that she discovered such an imbalance well into the school year. The final straw came one day when her daughter, who was 8, came home and said “she wanted to commit suicide so she could see Jesus.” Murray enrolled her child elsewhere.
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ncrcafe.org/node/1906
 
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