Dear friends in Christ, I send you warm greetings in the midst of this Lenten season, during which the Church invites us to examine and purify our hearts to reorient them entirely towards God.
It has been prepared in light of the contributions collected during the territorial assemblies and the instructions received by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
The reasons behind the most important changes to the Draft General Statutes text are laid out in the introduction.
May God grant that we continue traveling this path with renewed hearts, trusting in the action of the Holy Spirit and under the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Your brother in Christ and the Movement,
Fr. Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC
Watch Fr. Eduardo’s recent conference explaining the current developments in the identity and statutes of the Regnum Christi Movement here, and explore information about the renewal process at www.rcstatutes.org.
Q: My big issue is the right to baptize a baby that is born into a situation where he/she might or might not be brought up in the faith. I am told that there has to be some kind of assurance that the child will be brought up in the faith before the baptism can happen. Yet I was taught that we are all born with original sin, and that the purpose of baptism is to erase that sin. It seems that a child has a right to be baptized even if the parents are not living their Catholic faith. I have three great-grandchildren who are not allowed to be baptized even though their non-practicing parents have no problem with it. To me this is wrong and, yet, the Church takes this stand. If the children are never baptized, I do not think that Jesus is going to hold them responsible. I pray always that the Holy Spirit will touch them at some time and that they will find Our Lord and follow him. Maybe that is all I can do, but it just seems wrong to me to deny them this sacrament. Thanks for hearing me out. – R.
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC
A: It is understandable and laudable that you are concerned about the great-grandchildren.
The Church’s rules, though, shouldn’t be seen as a punishment against the little ones. Far from it.
What the Church has in mind is this: It doesn’t want the non-practicing parents to think of baptism as simply a custom with no responsibilities attached. To baptize a child but not educate him in the faith is a grave disservice. It could leave a child with a distorted vision of baptism and of the value of the Catholic faith, as if they were cultural oddities with no real impact on his moral life. (Baptism is, however, allowed if a baby is in danger of death.)
The Church hopes that its norms on baptism could be a wake-up call to parents — a signal that they need to get serious about their faith and about passing it on to their children. For the parents will have to answer before God someday for how well (or poorly) they fulfilled their duty to teach their children the faith.
If the Church allowed baptism with no further requirements on parents, the meaning of the sacrament could quickly be lost.
You are right about Jesus’ mercy: He will certainly take it into consideration if children go through life without catechesis and without their experiencing a compelling reason for baptism. Our Lord won’t hold such children to the same standard that he holds the baptized and catechized members of the Church.
It sounds as though you already are doing the right thing by praying for these parents and children. Your prayers and example could certainly influence the little ones faster than you expect. And who knows? — maybe they will be asking for baptism within a few years.
This is a moment to draw deeper from the well of your own faith. The Church as guardian of the sacraments is not trying to deny anything to anyone, but rather to beckon Catholic parents to live up to their mission of educating their children in the faith.
Perhaps this is a moment to intensify your devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her intercession can move hearts. I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers for you and your loved ones.
Today’s secular world throws curve balls at us all the time. AskACatholicPriest is a Q&A feature that anyone can use. Just type in your question or send an email to AskAPriest@rcspiritual.wpenginepowered.com and you will get a personal response back from one of our priests at RCSpirituality. You can ask about anything – liturgy, prayer, moral questions, current events… Our goal is simply to provide a trustworthy forum for dependable Catholic guidance and information. So go ahead and ask your question…
Save the date! The ECYD Boys’ National Convention will be held June 18-24, 2018 at Sacred Heart Apostolic School in Rolling Prairie, IN.
Fr. Robert DeCesare, LC Fr. Ronald Conklin, LC
Fr. Ronald Conklin, LC, and Fr. Robert DeCesare, LC, are leading the charge for rising 7th grade and older boys who wish to connect with each other and immerse themselves in ECYD life. Having attended ECYD Weeks 1, 2 & 3, each of Fr. Ronald and Fr. Robert have been trained in ECYD Identity, ECYD Mentoring and the five elements of ECYD life: see ECYD Statutes available here.
Boys will have the opportunity to experience a pilgrimage to Notre Dame, a trip to Warren Dunes Sate Park, visit Chicago and engage in a faith survey. Fr. Robert informs that the purpose of this event is “to gather together ECYD boys in the North American Territory to grow in ECYD, their love for ECYD and the ECYD spirit.”
As a continued means to strengthening boys, connecting ECYD boys in North America is a starting point to letting them know they are connected to ECYD boys all over the world, as described in this ECYD Discover video:
Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.
In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.
Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.
From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.
Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!
Please contact Fr. Ronald Conklin at 