Regnum Christi

[AaronK88]

I have a couple questions to Catholics who would know more about this organization. I am not a Catholic, but I am a candidate and will become a Catholic in 2010 (my RCIA program is two years long ).

I have a friend at my college (Lewis University in Illinois) that is in this group, and she inspired me to look them up. From what I have read, they are a great organization that do a lot for the faith. Very traditional, very orthodox. Yet when I mention the group to other Catholics, I get a lot of eye-rolling and a lot of bad comments. Many don’t even know what it is.

So what’s the scoop?

 

[CarmeliteGirl25]

I have a couple questions to Catholics who would know more about this organization. I am not a Catholic, but I am a candidate and will become a Catholic in 2010 (my RCIA program is two years long ).

I have a friend at my college (Lewis University in Illinois) that is in this group, and she inspired me to look them up. From what I have read, they are a great organization that do a lot for the faith. Very traditional, very orthodox. Yet when I mention the group to other Catholics, I get a lot of eye-rolling and a lot of bad comments. Many don’t even know what it is.

So what’s the scoop?

That’s not unusual for the RCIA program to last two years. I read that it can last anywhere from 1-2 years. Just think of it as you playing catch-up to the “cradle” Catholics. They want to make sure that you know pretty much the basics of Catholicism before you are baptized and confirmed. I think it’s a good idea

As for Regnum Christi, I have never met anyone in that order. Their website looks promising, but how much can you really gather from a website? The one really good thing I noticed is that they follow Rome. They aren’t sedavacantists (people who believe that St. Peter’s throne has been empty since the beginning of Vatican II). They aren’t schismatic. I don’t know what would cause the eye rolling. Perhaps consecrated men and women aren’t well received in the world? I don’t know… I hope someone else can help you out.

 

[daughterofmary]

They are looked upon a lot like Opus Dei.

Both are good groups. Very solid, however some of their methods are questioned by various different people: lay, religious… even some bishops. There are different reasons for why everyone has their negative opinions of them, when and if you encounter one.

They are orthodox. They are faithful to the Holy Father, but for various reasons a cloud of suspicion has followed them probably because of a lot of misunderstanding.

The complaint I have heard most about this group is that they are very passionate and persistent in their “recruiting methods.” They are very zealous in talking about themselves to young people and encouraging vocations. You can interpret this as zeal or cult-like activity. I have chosen to look at it as generally zeal. The Church certainly has not condemned them or said anything against them. They are working in union with the Holy Father and they have done a lot of good in teaching and living out the faith in it’s entirety.

Take all things with discernment and prayer. By staying close to our Lord, relying on Him, and submitting to His will you cannot be led astray.

 

[onetruechurch]

Regnum Christi works directly under the Legionaries of Christ. In Sacramento, Regnum Christi conducts monthly retreats…one for women only and the other for men only.
6:00pm mass followed by pot luck snacks.
Then a lecture in the chapel followed by Eucharistic adoration and another talk. Confessions and spiritual direction are available during the evening.
The (Catholic) public is invited to these monthly evenings of recollection. There is also an annual retreat held at a retreat center for a weekend of silent prayer and Spiritual Exercises of Ignatious Loyola. Each retreatant signs up to spend an hour at Eucharistic adoration during the night. Your adoration time could be 3 in the morning or 12 midnight.
To become a full fledged member of Regnum Christi one must perform approved works of mercy each month, go to confession every 2 weeks and say certain prayers each day. I believe they also have meetings and a lot more spiritual direction than the one offered at the monthly public retreats. Their goal is to obey the pope’s call to holiness. TheLegionaries of Christ priests are as well educated as the Jesuits but they are very orthodox (conservative) whereas the Jesuits tend to be liberal. On the east coast the Liberal local bishops are not comfortable having the Legionaries giving spiritual direction to the young teens. This caused a lot of negative headlines for the Legionaries. In fact there was a poster on this forum who was saying negative things about them but he seemed to be a “troll”. (I hope he stays away from this thread.)
Sacramento is so pleased with the Legionaries of Christ that they are cooperating with them in building a campus in the outskirts of Sacramento for their university. They have already started the school in town but in a few years they will have the big campus and buildings built for 5000 students.
I think the eyes may have rolled when you said regnum Christi because they may have listened to the negative press coming from the east coast.

 

[ack]

Well, Regnum Christi is approved by the Church and they are not known for promoting dissent. So any negative opinions are just people’s personal feelings about them.

That being said, with a few exceptions, every Regnum Christi member that I’ve met in public exhibited a very “pushy” or “bossy” personality. I recently talked to some of my friends about this topic, and they independently had the same opinions on the group. So, I think this is what’s causing a lot of the eye-rolling – the group apparently attracts people with this personality.

This doesn’t mean that the group is bad or immoral, it just means that we don’t choose to associate ourselves with it.

One of my friends is involved with Regnum Christi and is definitely not a “pushy” person, but he only goes to the retreats and is not in the group leadership.

The concerns about the Legionaries of Christ are a separate issue…

I have a couple questions to Catholics who would know more about this organization. I am not a Catholic, but I am a candidate and will become a Catholic in 2010 (my RCIA program is two years long ).

I have a friend at my college (Lewis University in Illinois) that is in this group, and she inspired me to look them up. From what I have read, they are a great organization that do a lot for the faith. Very traditional, very orthodox. Yet when I mention the group to other Catholics, I get a lot of eye-rolling and a lot of bad comments. Many don’t even know what it is.

So what’s the scoop?

 

[leonie]

I’ve been to lots of Regnum Christi events. I’m not Regnum Christi and I’ve never been pushed into joining. In fact, I’ve only been invited to join once.

Maybe it depends on the region…?

 

[onetruechurch]

That being said, with a few exceptions, every Regnum Christi member that I’ve met in public exhibited a very “pushy” or “bossy” personality. it just means that we don’t choose to associate ourselves with it.
QUOTE]

Please come on out to Sacramento and try to find a “pushy” Regnum Christi member. I haven’t met one yet. At the monthly evening services they go out of their way to humble themselves. One of the prayers that they are to pray every day is the Litany of Humility:

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being honored…
From the desire of being praised…
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted…
From the desire of being approved…
From the fear of being humiliated…
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of being calumniated…
From the fear of being forgotten…
From the fear of being ridiculed…
From the fear of being wronged…
From the fear of being suspected…

That others may be loved more than I,
…Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I…
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease…
That others may be chosen and I set aside…
That others may be praised and I unnoticed…
that others may be preferred to me in everything…
that others may become holier than I, \provided that I may become as holy as I should…

This is not an easy prayer to live up to every day. The first time I read it I thought I wasn’t being sincere. I thought nobody could feel that humble. But, if one is required to pray that prayer every day, just the saying of the words alone is humbling.

 

[margya]

Thank you for the Litany of Humilty. I am looking forward to the Evening of Recollection on Monday night in Sacramento.

 

[wina]

Well, I tried to contact about them before as they are none in my country and some of them replied my email and they are good persons. And I register for their daily meditation and it helps improve my spirituality too. That’s only what I know about them.

 

[onetruechurch]

Thank you for the Litany of Humilty. I am looking forward to the Evening of Recollection on Monday night in Sacramento.

This coming Monday December 1 the Evening of Recollection sponsored by Regnum Christi will be held off campus. Usually the evening is held at the downtown university but tomorrow it will be held for the public at a local Catholic church in Carmichael. I am not sure what to expect. I am not sure if the usual priests for Regnum Christi will be conducting or if the parish priest will be in charge.

         It will start at 6:30 with refreshments
         followed by directed meditation
         Eucharistic adoration
          confessions will be available

St John the Evangelist Church
5701 Locust Ave
Carmichael, Ca 95608

The Regnum Christi gal in charge is Inchi Sugarman. If you have any questions you may call her. Her number is 916-717-9624