For Atlantans Present and Future Who Are Wary of LC/RC

From Life-After-RC combox comment:

It will be difficult to find a church/school in Atlanta that does not have at least a mild RC infestation (although it gets a little easier every day!) For schools, Queen of Angels/Blessed Trinity, Holy Redeemer, and Our Lady of the Assumption are all filled with enough Pinecrest refugees that you will be safe. St. Jude the Apostle never really bought into the whole LC/RC thing, but that school is particularly hard to get into. Pinecrest and Holy Spirit are RC schools.

LC got its foothold in the Atlanta area in All Saints parish and it remains a stronghold. Avoid St. Monica's in Duluth, Mary Our Queen in Norcross, St. Andrew's in Roswell, and St. Brendan's in Cumming.

Good luck to you and your family.

A Quick Link to Life-After-RC Testimony

This is the testimony of an RC member who repeated the mantra "OK, but that is not my experience" whenever a bad thing was said of the RC.

Now a lesson has been learned. The testimony is incisive, if sad, since it means the crumbling of a lot of personal walls, and the dismantling of a personal altar of spiritual experience. And that is never easy.

Important Note From the Regnum Christi

Life-After-RC has the text of a letter from RC members to Fr. Alvaro Corcuera concerning the future of their movement.

In part, the letter reads

"We have always admired the Legionaries of Christ in their ability to see the good in things and speak positively of others. It is an admirable quality that is so lacking in most of our society, and sadly within the Church. However, this emphasis on the positive can become a double edged sword when exaggerated or misdirected. Indeed, it can be detrimental to the process of enacting the necessary reforms our organizations need. This ab ility to filter out and avoid negative news blinds you from perceiving the errors and flaws visible to us and voiced by some members of the Church hierarchy.

Our fear is that you and most of the Legionary major superiors continue to languish in a state of denial over the flaws and errors that have been introduced into the internal culture of the Legion by the decades long influence of Fr. Maciel and his deviant personality. You must face things squarely and get past this denial."

The authors claim that the RC is theirs, that they have built it up and that it does not belong to the superiors of the Legion of Christ. Any comments from experts in Spiritual Theology?

Be sure to read the entire letter at the link above.

Regnum Christi Day Bribery Collection

From a comment on Life-after-rc.com on the Jason Berry article.

Once a year RC members worldwide and any others participating in "Regnum Christi Day" (celebrated on Feast of Christ the King - the last Sunday of the liturgical year) are asked to contribute to a collection "for the needs of the worldwide Church". Here is the intro to the set of instructions pertaining to this collection:

“To all Organizers of Regnum Christi Day

Dear Friends in Christ,
As you know, it is our custom on Regnum Christi Day to take up a collection that is forwarded to the general director in Rome to be used for whatever Church need he chooses. We forward the full content of the collection without deducting anything for the expenses of the RC Day. This is a beautiful way of expressing our solidarity with our general director’s intentions, and previously Nuestro Padre sometimes remitted the full amount directly to the Holy Father for his needs, further expressing the Movement's unity with the Church."

The instructions are very detailed so I'll just highlight the main ones: 1) All checks, as well as money orders from cash collected, should be made payable to "Legion of Christ", 2) The collection should be totaled and the total e-mailed to the Legion the evening of CTK, and 3) The funds are to be mailed to the General Director's attn. at the Legion of Christ's Thornwood address the very next day (Monday). Donors would be issued a receipt, etc.

In previous years our Section Ass't had represented to us that the funds were presented personally to the Holy Father to determine the best use. It was only in the past couple of years that I saw actual instructions disclosing the "best use" decision to be the General Director's and NOT the Holy Father.

I now realize that the "Regnum Christi Day" collection has probably been funding the Legion's bribery machine, arriving as it does right at the start of Advent (so plenty of time to purchase those $1,000 hams, whiskey and other items for the Christmas baskets). Looks like the lid has been blown on this particular financial shenanigan as well - I'd be curious to see how much the LC collects this year.

Posted by: Still RC - For Now, Anyway July 20, 2009 at 03:56 PM

Extreme Makeover: Legion Edition

Once again, The Exorcist does a much better job than most in getting to the point. Exlcblogger can't help but copy the entire post here.

There is just so much more to this than merely business as usual for the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi, and those who use this platitude are not only fooling themselves, they also perpetrating an injustice with those young people whose parents are stupid enough to let them join this mess this summer.

Take over, Fr. Karras:

There was a time when it was severely frowned upon to refer to writers other than the Founder in our preaching, spiritual exercises and private reading. We were instructed to quote him often, to dedicate certain meditations to his person, virtue and vocation. We were to read his letters during adoration and as part of the liturgy of the hours. We were to engage in studies of our own spirituality much like Jesuits have studied Ignatius and Salesians have studied Don Bosco.

Now? Not so much.

For those of us who have lived through it, it is nothing less than mind-boggling.

Recalling the years and years of our lives as LCs during which EVERYTHING was centered on the person of Fr. Maciel now feels like trying to remember the hallucinations of a distant psychotic episode.

Every word, every gesture, every commentary, every scrap of paper scribbled on by ‘the Boss’ was a treasure, an unforgettable connection between the inspired, saintly Founder and his intrepid, although still imperfect, co-founders.

For a long time the most piercing motivation the superiors could give us to live with greater fidelity the infinite rules and regulations of the order was: “Think of how Nuestro Padre suffers with even the slightest infidelity of his co-founders!”

He was our ideal... the true “legionario tipo” that we all so ardently aspired to imitate.

I cringe to think of it now.

Those same green books that I so dutifully worked my way through, volume after volume, taking time to memorize favorite passages and copy special phrases into my own spiritual journal... now make me physically nauseous when I try to read their pages.

A letter from the early 80’s encouraging a LC priest to be ‘authentic’, to open himself entirely to the Legion through his superiors, to never wear ‘masks’ and always be transparent...

This from the master mask maker himself!

Line after line on the subject of chastity, on maintaining priestly dignity and decency when dealing with women, on offering the sacrifice of ourselves with a pure heart to Christ...

When did he think this stuff up? While he was lying in bed, enjoying a post-coital cigarette next to some young concubine, dreaming of the army of holy priests he would someday offer the Church?

Or how about those fabulous letters warning us of the dangers of ‘particular friendships’, those devilish ‘maría–remedios' waiting to seduce us at every turn, importuning us to have confidence only in our superiors (i.e. report everything you see, no matter how innocuous, to Big Brother)...

Yet behind it all he camouflaged his own turbid proclivities and allowed his unrestrained deviance to ruin so many young lives!

How sick does it get, man?

All those heavy one-liners of Nuestro Padre that were constantly repeated as a litany of motivation to eager and gullible ‘co-founders’ now sound hopelessly vapid and cynical:

“fiel hasta morir en la raya” Yeah, right. Just like NP.

“de una sola pieza, al pié del cañón” Spare me the irony.

“amor et dolor vita mea” You put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.

“el Legionario se es o se despide” Finally, some candid advice...

“nunca he dicho ‘no’ a mi Señor Jesucristo” If that’s the case, who has?

“soy por la Legión que Dios me quiere” Syntax is no longer the main problem with this one...

“mi vida por Cristo” Whatever.


All of this is not just the venting of a guy who, like many others, was deceived and betrayed about the core truth of his vocation.

It is vitally important as a point to be considered by the visitation.


The spirituality of the LC, such as it is, is embedded in the writings of the Founder. His thoughts and his words are conserved in endless books, pamphlets, recordings and videos. In the LC we have often prided ourselves on how completely EVERY aspect of our lives has been defined and detailed by the Founder.

The double life of Fr. Maciel as inspired spiritual guide/fraud and sexual predator has totally negated his credibility. Nothing he has said or written to the LCs or the RC members can be believed or taken seriously. Who he was taints all he wrote. There is no separating the teachings from the life of the teacher when it comes to the all-consuming, conscience-binding religious vocation.

The writings – all of them, from the Constitutions to the Salterio – are as fraudulent as the life that produced them.

From now on, there will be an 800 pound gorilla in the room every time his letters are read during meals in spiritual exercises, every time the Constitutions are read and commented on in community, every time the wishes and words of the Founder are half-heartedly tossed around as motivations.

In essence, the visitation has to expunge every last vestige of the Founder from the Legion’s spirituality.

But would a ‘Legion’ devoid of Fr. Maciel’s thought and teaching still be the Legion of Christ?

Therein lies the challenge: to remake a religious congregation into something totally removed from its Founder, while at the same time salvaging the vocations, apostolates, houses of formation and charitable works associated with it.

Peace.

LC/RC Talking Points

The following was sent to every member of the Regnum Christi by Legion of Christ Superiors yesterday by email or fax. This is the full, unedited text.

Make your own observations.
_________________

Guidelines for answering some questions

Considerations:

All our words should be inspired and guided by Christian charity, knowing that “the triumph of truth is charity” (St. Augustine).

This is a time of great pain for Legionaries of Christ, members of Regnum Christi and everyone associated with the Church. There is the great mystery of how the Holy Spirit can play beautiful melodies on a broken instrument. But we must remember that for those who have been hurt, we cannot excuse their suffering by reminding them of the good that God does through the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi.

We must speak and act in light of the Gospel and the principles of Catholic morality that we find summed up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the truth, charity and upright behavior in regard to other people’s defects.

We must demonstrate faith, hope and charity – particularly to those who have been hurt— and entrust all of us to God’s mercy with great peace and serenity.

There are some people who, out of respect, sensitivity, Christian mercy, profound gratitude, etc., don’t want to go into details about Nuestro Padre’s behavior. Their response is to pray, and to be humanly and spiritually close to those who are confused and hurting. We should respect and encourage this attitude, as much in ourselves as in others. The starting point is the acknowledgment and gratitude for all the good we have received.

All these conversations must he held without getting into an argument, with the greatest possible serenity, with a supernatural view of things, and letting people know that it’s perfectly normal for different people to have different points of view, different tones to their answers, etc. This is also due to the state of suffering, tiredness and pain that we are all experiencing, and it calls for a lot of patience, understanding and the certainty that we all want the same thing. If all this is making us suffer so much, it’s because we all love the same thing.

We love Christ by listening to others, offering our sympathy and accepting our own human failings and imperfections.

We should always ask for support, prayers, understanding and a lot of trust, as members of the one family, one body in the Church and in the Movement. We should make sure to support everybody that needs it.
These are times of prayer, humility, unity and charity.

POINTS TO BE MADE:
1. We apologize to anyone hurt by Father Maciel’s actions.
2. We regret any scandal to the Church
3. We offer our prayers to all who are suffering as the result of this and ask
for the prayers of the faithful for us.
4. In all our considerations, actions and words, our departing point is the
following: We have sought to act, and we are trying to act according to
what Jesus Christ would do. We have tried to illuminate our decisions
with the light of the Gospel, following the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, having heard the advice of many and in unity with the Holy See.
The principles that guide us are those of justice, charity and mercy with
all.

Questions/Answers:

What do you have to say about Father Maciel?

To our surprise and pain, we recognize that some of our founder’s behavior was incompatible with his priestly condition. We are deeply sorry for the offenses he committed and we ask pardon for the scandal this has caused.
It can be helpful to read the letter Father Alvaro Corcuera has written to Regnum Christi members and friends, and the Zenit article about this. These texts provide guidance on the interior attitudes towards this situation (the letter) and concise information (the article).

Even so, we can’t forget that our founder was the instrument that passed on, in all its integrity, the charism God gave him and the Church approved. For that, we are forever grateful to him. At any rate, he has passed on and his judgment is in the hands of God’s infinite mercy.

What did Father Maciel do?

As you know, it is public knowledge that he fathered a daughter. Out of respect for the privacy of the persons involved, it is not our place to spread further information.

Was there financial impropriety?

First, I want to be clear that our financial systems are very thorough and there are procedures of accountability and oversight in place to prevent misuse of funds. In the past, Father Maciel was so trusted that he was able to have funds available for his personal use. We simply do not know the extent of those funds or what portion may have been used inappropriately. And because much of this happened long ago, it is likely we will not be able to determine the amount.

How do you explain Father Maciel’s behavior?

It’s very hard to understand. We are not able to grasp it fully, and we probably never will. It’s part of the mystery of human behavior, and involves: moral and psychological factors, circumstances, etc. It’s especially hard to mesh all the good that we knew about him with the facts that are emerging now. At any rate, he has already passed away.

What about the accusations of previous years?

The subject of the accusations of sexual abuse by Father Maciel has resurfaced. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was in charge of investigating them according to its procedures.

In May 2006, bearing in mind Father Maciel’s advanced age and his delicate health, the congregation decided to forgo a canonical trial. It invited him to a reserved life of penitence and prayer. The Legion of Christ accepted the Holy See’s decision. Given the Holy See’s action, it seems likely that some of the accusations were deemed credible. There never was a trial, however, and the competent authority did not issue a verdict. At this time, we do not have conclusive evidence about particular accusations.

The Legion of Christ wants to reach out and help whoever was hurt by our founder. We are undertaking a review of our responsibilities as a congregation in this regard. We are profoundly sorry for anything that could have happened.

Were the superiors aware of these facts?

The superiors had no evidence of these facts, and they suspected nothing.

And how was that possible?

We all trusted our founder; it never occurred to us to be suspicious of his behavior. Frankly, with 20/20 hindsight we see that we should have been more alert to possible signals.

But the superiors acted unsuspectingly; they never knowingly collaborated with his misdeeds or covered up the situation once they found out.

When did they find out about them?

When Father Maciel was no longer general director, in 2005, certain facts started to emerge little by little. After the Holy See’s communiqué in May 2006, during the final months of Father Maciel’s illness and after his death, further clues and first-hand evidence surfaced. The superiors contacted the appropriate authorities of the Holy See and more recently, in accord with the principles of justice and charity, began to personally inform the Legionaries and consecrated members of Regnum Christi, much as happens in a close-knit family faced with a similar situation.

What will you do if you learn that members of the congregation were complicit in Father Maciel’s inappropriate activities?

We certainly do not know that is the case. But if we learn of such a situation it will be dealt with seriously and in accord with the principles of justice and charity.

How are you dealing with the situation?

Well, first of all, it hurts and deeply saddens us. Even more, we feel the real shame that anyone in the congregation – especially our Founder – could bring scandal to the Church and pain to the faithful.

We are turning more intensely to prayer and are strengthening our commitment to Christ, focusing our attention on him. We are also more keenly aware of the mission that the Legion is entrusted with in the Church.

We are deeply sorry for all the hurt and the scandal this has caused, and for those who may have suffered.

We are struggling through these days of mixed emotions and we all need time to pray, to reflect, and to assimilate the consequences of this situation. As we process all this, we are holding onto Christ and to our identity as a part of the Church, the sacrament of salvation.

We look to the future with confidence, with the commitment to continue serving the Church and others.

What will the Legion of Christ do going forward?

Clearly, we are reviewing our procedures to ensure that nothing like this happens again.

We put our trust in God. And we know that our mother, the Church, walks with us and “gratefully recognizes the worthy apostolate of the Legionaries of Christ and […] Regnum Christi” (Communiqué of the Holy See Press Office May 19, 2006).

Cardinal Franc Rodé, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life reminded us of this in Chile this past December:
“Then I told him (the Holy Father) that I was going to meet the groups of the Regnum Christi Movement and my friends, the Legionaries of Christ, and the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, told me: ‘Tell them that I know them, I esteem them, and I appreciate them. Tell them that my blessing accompanies them; tell them to follow with great conviction the path marked out by the charism given to the Regnum Christi Movement, and to be great witnesses of Christ and of his Church in today’s world.’”

We have always tried to speak and act in light of the Gospel and the principles of Catholic morality that we find summed up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church about the truth, charity and upright behavior in regard to other people’s defects.

We also know that others both inside and outside the Church have been hurt by these revelations. We understand that we have a responsibility to demonstrate our faithfulness and work hard for the Church.

We count on the closeness and support of the Holy Father and Cardinal Rodé and many other churchmen who appreciate the charism and the works of apostolate of the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement. They are strongly encouraging us to move onward, faithful to our vocation of service to the Church according to the charism God gave us.

A Catholic Exchange on the Long Dropping of the Other Shoe: Foundational Shift for the Legionaries of Christ — Part One

A frank interview with Catholic Exchange. A former Legionary of Christ, a former member of the Regnum Christi and a canon lawyer get asked some tough questions of what is next for the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi.

Read Part I here.

UPDATE: Read Part II here.

Tidbits from Oak Leaves I

From Oak Leaves

“Familia”–a Regnum Christi Story

Many Catholic churches use “Familia,” which is for many people an entry into the Regnum Christi movement. Here’s a story about how the movement sought to drive out the founders of that apostolate, Paul and Libbie Sellors. They wrote the materials before it was adopted by the movement, and sought to retain access to them. A court gave that to them, and they’re promoting it under a new name, Together! But that’s not the end of the story, as that first link will tell you.

I was involved in one Regnum Christi apostolate–without being a member. I became involved in College COMPASS through some students at Rice, was invited to speak to a COMPASS gathering in Europe in 2005, helped coordinate a COMPASS national gathering in Houston, and served for a while on the COMPASS advisory board. I stayed for a few days at the Legionary seminary in Rome, and have visited the Legionary seminary in Cheshire, CT. I found the Legionaries I knew to be open to the criticism I gave (they needed to be more upfront with folks about it being a Regnum Christi apostolate, they should not be pressuring students to “incorporate” into RC until at the end of their college years, they should “go in the front door” when starting on a campus or in a diocese, etc.). But there were a lot of things I found very odd about it–including the segregation of men and women (a week before the Houston conference the COMPASS folks were told by the Legion that they couldn’t have men and women stay in the same hotel–some of the students laughed at that and said, “Well, in Europe they had us stay in different countries!”).

Comments on a youtube

The following are comments posted on youtube on a news item that was covered here some time ago--the local Connecticut news story concerning abuse in the LC seminary.

If I may speak, charges have not been corroborated... YET. I have never been in relationship with the Legion except to go onto retreats where they attempted to recruit me. I can assure you, though. I know of numerous individuals, all under the age of 28, who relate stories shockingly similar to one another in detail (threats, abuse etc.(, yet they know of noone else's story but their own. Often it takes years to come to grips with this type of abuse. I assure you, it will come out.(cont'd)

And

Each of the individuals I personally know, are very afraid to say anything, on top of struggling to make sense of the abuse, as well as the silence imposed on them from every direction. It's a closed community, where members are encouraged to report on one another. Nothing can be said internally without some form of disciplinary action being taken, if the comments shed negative light on the community. I could tell you stories. You won't like them.

Talk to Action

Interesting site expressing worries about the "Catholic Right Wing"

There's another, similarly ultra-orthodox Catholic religious order he might want to examine in future posts: the Legion of Christ, a "religious congregation of pontifical right" for priests and seminarians, and its associated lay "apostolic movement," Regnum Christi. Like Opus Dei, the Legionaries have a reputation for authoritarianism, secrecy, and courting the rich and powerful.






Left or Right?

Is Exlcblogger missing something?

Isn't this like shooting...


Apostles for the Sacrament of Confession

How 41 Conquest boys helped bring almost 1,000 souls to confession during the World Youth Day celebrations.

Nice, but aren't most people at these events already pretty well disposed...?

Boon or Bust in Australia?

The article at about Regnum Christi attendance at World Youth Day in Australia mentions some countries of origin of attendees but makes no mention of numbers, a usual bragging point of the Legion of Christ.

Pickings look slim, if we judge by the photo.

Read it here.

Image source.

I thought that Video had killed the Radio Star...

Apparently not here.


I love the star wars Jesus with the light sabers coming from his heart, as well as his very gay face.

Silliness reciprocated

We created some imaginary groups? movies? novels? in parody of consecrated life. Of course, it goes a little over the top, but enjoy it ye who may.

Girls who got kicked out of Regnum Christi?

Exconsas who can't get rid of the nightmare: haunted by rc

I was married to God and now I'm divorced; he got custody

Not FLDS: I was RC/ we got to wear heels

I was RC and my skirts never fit

I was the '80s fashion queen in 2000

I was 3gf and now I'm lesbian

I was a lesbian 3gf, and now I am straight

I never REALLY thought my directress was a saint

When my directress hit on me, I hit back

(hmm no I ran for the hills)

God wants me to...oh it's getting fuzzy, very fuzzy, we're losing connection...

I used to take cold showers as a pc and now I am frigid

Universal charity is for universal wimps

I fulfilled obedience down to even the desires for massages of my superiors, I mean
messages

I was faithful 'til I died on the battlefield

I did not desire any position except serving team

I did not desire any position except servicing the team

I did not desire any position, I let my superior chose it, usually doggy style

"I was humble so I was on the bottom"

My yellow letter was copied from someone else's

From the desire of flying on the concord, business class, or a double decker boeing with a hot tub, Free Me O Jesus!

Líbrame, Jesús

From Lotus Point

Personal testimony re Spiritual Direction

"She lived it

One woman, formerly consecrated with Regnum Christi, has a moving post on the topic of spiritual direction for the very young.

I firmly believe that influencing children's minds, especially with a tool such as spiritual direction, can be a great abuse. I was always told Regnum Christi worked with the young so they could reach them before they were too entrenched in sin, so they could be better apostles. Now, I wonder if it was only a technique to place feelings of guilt and deber in young minds, unformed enough to resist or have their own opinions. Plus, if they came from strong Catholic families, it would only reinforce their previous education, and the combination would be irresistible.

That's the brilliance of the Methodology, as it preys on those with half-formed consciences. Their sense of sin has been awakened, and yet they are still immature in how free will works. Read it all."
This is from Giselle.

Pincrest Academy [sic] and Recruiting

Exlcblogger would love to quote conferences of Maciel and the Constitutions to prove that LC schools are primarily to recruit vocations, but Exlcblogger does not want his a&$ to be sued.

Pinecrest Senior Takes the Plunge

Chris Daniels shares some of his motivations for giving a year as a Regnum Christi co-worker next year.


Read the article here.
Image source

Thinking of attending a Regnum Christi retreat.

This is a conversation from back in 2004. I wonder if the discussion of Maciel and Familia would change if this conversation took place today?

Read it here.

Marriage and Vocation???

Sharyn decided to pursue God’s call for her. She went to Spiritual Direction through the Regnum Christi Movement and decided to find out what her vocation was. She thought, it’s either one of 2 choices; be married to God, or married to a man.

This otherwise lovely couple shared this on their wedding blog site. This thought is pretty weird and very limiting. Exlcblogger thinks that this thinking is totally backwards and quite dangerous.

See the story here.

A Member of the Regnum Christ Speaks to the Heart of the Legion of Christ

A strange title and an strange conversation. But just look at the title of the Blog: why bash the Jesuits with one hand and pat them on the back with the other?
Doesn't the Legion do that enough?

Read it here.