January 20, 2026

The 2026 General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ Begins in Rome

The days leading up to the 2026 General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ have been marked by an atmosphere of prayer, discernment and fraternity.

Before formally beginning the General Chapter today at the Legionaries of Christ’s General Directorate in Rome, the 60 chapter fathers dedicated eight days to a retreat in the form of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, preached by Monsignor Brian Farrell, LC, Secretary Emeritus of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. The retreat was an opportunity for renewal in faith, love, and configuration to Christ. Throughout this time, they reflected on traditional themes of the Exercises the Beginning and Foundation, the life of grace and sin, and various moments in the Lord’s public life, all illuminated by the Creed as the guiding thread of their meditation. It was an encounter with Jesus Christ, who invited each one to examine their life in the light of the Gospel and to rekindle their desire to be credible witnesses of the faith in today’s world.

Today, the celebration of Holy Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Rome officially marked the opening of the General Chapter. The Mass was presided over by Fr. John Connor, LC, Acting General Director, who also delivered the homily.

In his homily, Fr. John emphasized that this Chapter is not simply an exercise in governance, but an act of faith. “We do not come only to talk, we come to offer ourselves to God,” he affirmed. He invited everyone to live these days as an opportunity for the Lord to “pour out his Spirit” upon the Congregation and renew its mission. Quoting the prophet Joel, he reminded them that this is a time of consolation, hope, and openness to the new things God wants to do in the Legion.

He also stressed the importance of participating in the Chapter with an open and fraternal heart: “We do not come with fixed conclusions, we come with an open heart to listen and do what God wants for the Legion and for each one of us.”

What is a General Chapter?

The General Chapter is the highest governing body of the Legionaries of Christ. It is held every six years and its objectives are:

To evaluate the current state of the Congregation,
To propose guidelines for its development,
To elect the new General Director and his advisors,
And to strengthen the common identity and mission of the Congregation.

Beyond being an organizational assembly, the Chapter is experienced as a communal act of discernment, communion, and renewal in the Spirit.

In the 2026 Chapter, the Legionaries are reflecting on fundamental themes for the present and future of the Congregation, such as:

Formation in the Legionary identity,
Priestly and religious life,
Vocational promotion,
And the apostolic mission in today’s world.

This General Chapter brings together 60 Legionary priests with voice and vote, of whom 21 participate ex-officio and 39 have been elected by their territories, to represent the global life and mission of the Congregation.

Among the Chapter Fathers are many with advanced formation: several hold advanced academic degrees, including a significant number of Doctors of Theology, Spirituality, Philosophy, and Canon Law, contributing a first-rate level of theological and pastoral reflection to the Chapter discussions.

Furthermore, many have served in different areas of Legionary life and mission: some in territorial governance or in the formation of future priests, others in educational works, in pastoral accompaniment with Regnum Christi, or in the service of ecclesiastical tribunals, reflecting the complexity and richness of their experiences in service to the Church.

The General Chapter will continue to unfold in a spirit of prayer, dialogue, and communal listening. In the coming days it will also elect a new general government.

This General Chapter is being held in spiritual communion in the same time frame as the General Assembly of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, who have dedicated their first days in Rome to prayer, reflection, and dialogue under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; and with the General Assembly of the Consecrated Laymen that will begin on January 25. The closeness of these gatherings strengthens the communion of Regnum Christi and the conviction that we are called to serve the Church as a spiritual family and apostolic body.

We ask the entire spiritual family of Regnum Christi to accompany us with their prayers during this time of grace, so that the Lord may guide this time of discernment according to his will.

Statistics of the 2026 General Chapter

Total number of chapter members: 60

Countries represented: 14

Most frequent nationalities: Mexico (20), Spain (11), USA (9), Germany (3), Colombia (3), Chile (3), Italy (4), Venezuela (2), as well as one each from France, Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

Ages

Average age: 54 years
Youngest: Born in 1989 (36 years old)
Oldest: Born in 1951 (74 years old)
Chapter members under 40 years of age: 6
Chapter members over 70 years old: 4

Years of Priestly Ordination

Most recent Ordination: 2022
Oldest Ordination: 1983
Average years of priesthood: 23 years
Priests with more than 30 years of Ordination: 16
Priests with less than 10 years of Ordination: 8

Academic Formation

Doctorates: 12

- Philosophy, Theology, Humanities, Bioethics, Canon Law

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Philosophy and Theology: more than 50

Notable civil studies:

Industrial Engineering (Stanford)
Business Administration (Anahuac)
Actuary (Anahuac)
Economics (Anahuac)
History (Stanford)
Classical Humanities
Bioethics

Areas of current ministry

Rectories or academic directorates: 5

Territorial and general government: 27

Education (schools and universities): 9

Pastoral work with Regnum Christi: 15

Priestly formation (noviciate, theological seminary, student center): 7

Apostolate in parishes: 3

Ecclesiastical tribunals or safe environments: 4

View photos from the General Chapter here.

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“Living the experience of ALS has taught me so much about love”

January 20, 2026 / Consecrated Women, Regnum Christi News, Weekly Message Blog

In her 24 years as a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi, Nicole Buchholz’s vocation has taken her from a small town in Montana to Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia, Mexico, Haiti, and the Philippines. She has worked in schools, universities, retreats and missions, serving youth, young adults, women, and families. Today, living with ALS, her daily life and apostolate look very different, but Nicole’s vocation remains the same: to offer her whole life to Christ.

In 2018, while Nicole was serving in her fourth year in the Philippines, she noticed that she had developed a slight limp. Over the year, as walking became more difficult, Nicole consulted with a number of doctors, including a chiropractor, an orthopedic surgeon, and finally, a specialist at the Emory ALS Center in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2019, Nicole’s diagnosis was confirmed: She had ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a fatal degenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and for which there is no cure.

But Nicole’s immediate reaction to the news was surprising and unexpected: She was filled with great joy! For Nicole, the diagnosis of ALS was a personal invitation out of love to respond in love—to offer herself to the Lord. “When we just offer ourselves, anything we do can be transformed into grace,” says Nicole. “I have something I can give, something I can offer, and that continues to give me a lot of joy, because it is a little mission in itself.”

Indeed, Nicole considers her life with ALS to be the new mission to which God has called her as a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi, a mission not of doing, but of simply offering herself up to the Lord and belonging to him.

“This has been my path. There’s not much physically that I can do—even talking is difficult—but it’s not about that. What is essential is belonging to Christ, being his. Our path to holiness eventually calls us to let go of all the things we can do, and just be his, because that’s what we were created for—to just be his.”

Nicole is a member of the Consecrated Women’s Territorial Directorate Community in Atlanta, Georgia, and continues to serve by providing spiritual direction, preaching, and writing. Her most important apostolate, however, is intercessory prayer and the offering of her life to Jesus, praying and sacrificing continually for the needs of Regnum Christi in the North American Territory.

The symptoms of ALS, which often begin as muscle twitching or weakness, get worse over time, eventually affecting control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat, and breathe. The challenges of managing ALS continue to impact Nicole’s daily life, and activities that used to be simple—like popping over to a friend’s house—now take much more effort, and more help and involvement from others. “Things I enjoyed doing with others or by myself have had to change and adapt to this new truth in my life. Others have had to change and adapt to me as well,” says Nicole. “Someone must drive me. Someone must pack and unpack my wheelchair. Someone must help me up the steps.”

But throughout this journey, Nicole has felt incredibly supported and cared for by her family and friends, her consecrated community, and by her larger spiritual family of Regnum Christi. “Living the experience of ALS these past few years has taught me so much about love. People have chosen to love me despite the truth of me changing,” says Nicole.

“Human love is so beautiful! How is it that we can love like this? We learn this from God. The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us. How beautiful is that?!”

How you can help

The Consecrated Women’s Territorial Community is currently raising funds to cover some of Nicole’s larger medical needs as her disease progresses. These include a wheelchair van and the possible addition of automatic wheelchair accessible doors to their building, and they are about halfway toward their overall fundraising goal.

All funds received will go directly to support Nicole’s health, wellness, and accessibility needs as she continues to manage ALS, and all donations are tax-deductible. You can donate online or by check: Checks can be made out to “Consecrated Women Inc.” and can be mailed to:

c/o Teresa Williams

951 Peachtree Pkwy
Cumming, GA 30041

Please specify that the check is for Nicole’s Medical Fund.

You can read Nicole’s full story here, or watch this interview where she talks about living her consecrated vocation with and through ALS. Read Nicole’s past reflections at Regnum Christi Spirituality Center and at Gratia Vobis Ministries, where she continues to contribute monthly.

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Marveling at the Marvelous

January 20, 2026 / Regnum Christi News, Weekly Message, Weekly Message Blog

Dear Friends,

Americans have always embraced ideals of strength, bravery and justice, and our fascination with superheroes reflects this. They serve as symbols of hope and resilience, inspiring generation after generation. They attack evil in the world around us in flashy ways, but they also, at times, look to make sense of the mysterious world around us. We all want to know that someone stronger than ourselves is fighting for us. Over the holidays, I experienced my fair share of superhero cartoons and action characters who were always protecting the damsel in distress (me) against the bad guys.

I also watched a documentary that looked to answer questions regarding the creation of the world based on the book of Genesis. What struck me is that each of the scientists from multiple disciplines starts with a question and looks to the Word of God to begin their quest to answer it. The premise is that God created the universe and all that is within it in a very ordered way. From the massive expanse of the cosmos to the earth and all its creatures and the catastrophic events that have occurred over time to shape the planet we live on, God’s word sets it all in motion. The cellular structure of every living organism, only visible through high-powered microscopes, showcases the intricate work of the Creator.

I was awed again by the intentionality of God’s creative action. Nothing was by chance. Whether you are a creationist scientist or not, you can look to the stars or to the majestic mountains, or hold a newborn baby, and know
something marvelous is at work.

No superhero Marvel Comics has ever created wields both generative and
cataclysmic power by the character’s word alone. Only God spoke into the
abyss, and that word gave birth to the world around us. God is the ultimate
superhero, and his Word is his power.

Yours in the Heart of Jesus,

Donna

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Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

St Sebastian

January 20, 2026 / Uncle Eddy

Dear Basia, Have you ever considered why some saints are made “patrons” of certain things? Theologians point out that it is a practice that goes way back, and is based (theoretically, at least) on the Biblical fact that a change of name indicates a change of personal identity or social role (e.g. Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter). Then, of course, there is the early practice of erecting churches over the tombs of martyrs. Thus there emerged the custom of choosing individual saints as special intercessors with God for a particular person, place, community, or organization. All quite logical up to that point. But then you get situations like today’s saint, who is the patron of archers and soldiers. Now, I can easily see why Sebastian would be made a patron of soldiers, since he, though born of a high ranking family in Milan, moved to Rome and joined the imperial army in order to be able to give more encouragement to the Christians whom the army was ordered to persecute (he himself was a Christian). He befriended other Christians who were part of the imperial household and soon met his first challenge. Two future martyrs by the names of Marcus and Marcellian were being intimidated by violent interrogation and were on the verge of renouncing their faith. Sebastian approached them in their cells and exhorted them to stand firm. So moving were his words that the other guards and some bystanders were converted to the faith and asked to be baptized. Very soon afterward, the governor of Rome died, and the prisoners were let free. All the while, Sebastian showed such valor, responsibility, and keenness in his military duties that he was promoted to a captainship in the private army of the Emperor, where he continued his evangelizing efforts during a lull in the persecutions. The lull soon ended, however, and he stayed in the city while the other Christians who were part of his circle made for a country villa, where they continued instructing the many new Christians. Many of the Christians who remained in the city (including the Pope and some high ranking nobles whom Sebastian had helped convert by performing miraculous healings) took refuge in the imperial palace itself, counting that the safest place. But notwithstanding Sebastian’s efforts, the faithful were discovered, condemned, and brutally executed, one by one. Finally, Sebastian himself was denounced, and the Emperor berated him for his ingratitude, then had him bound to a pillar and shot through with a barrage of arrows. Left for dead, a Christian matron went to retrieve the body and give it a proper burial. Finding him still breathing, she sheltered him in her home and nursed him back to life. Whereupon he took up his guard post once again, and when the Emperor first passed him by, Sebastian implored him to renounce his idolatry and embrace Christ the Lord. The Emperor was at first quite shocked (I would have been too), but shock turned to fury, and he ordered the faithful soldier clubbed to death. The devoted Christians of the city buried him under what is now the Basilica of St Sebastian. I have to admit that some historians disbelieve the history of Sebastian; they call it a pious legend (they like to go around debunking “pious legends”; it gives them fodder for vacuous Ph.D. theses), but all agree that Sebastian was a soldier martyr – thus his patronage of soldiers. But he also happens to be the patron of archers. Now that mystifies me! The archers who tried to execute him filled him chock full of arrows but failed to achieve their objective. He ought to be named the patron of bad archers, if at all! Perhaps the Church is looking at it from a broader perspective – St Sebastian saved those executioners from administering an unjust penalty by surviving their arrows, so maybe he will intercede to save future archers from similar misfires. I don’t really know. Worth thinking about, however… Sincerely, your uncle, Eddy

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January 20, 2026 – From Right Vision to Praise of God

January 20, 2026 / Daily Meditations

<a href="https://rss.com/podcasts/rcdailymeditations/2464207/">January 20, 2026 – From Right Vision to Praise of | RSS.com</a>

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Mark 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, send your Spirit to open my eyes to the bigger picture of your saving action present in this temporal world. May I praise you as you deserve.

Encountering Christ:

Tunnel Vision: The Pharisees watch Jesus’ disciples taking the grain as they walked through the field. Their first reaction is law-based. They spot an infringement. There is no concern for the well-being of these hungry men. Is this tunnel vision? Their first judgments and first impressions dictate their response, and they fail to recognize the Messiah in their midst. More importantly, they miss an opportunity to personally encounter the Lord and be transformed by love. Where do I have tunnel vision in my reactions to people? Do I hold any self-righteous attitudes that prevent me from loving a person that my inherent dignity requires? Lord, give me a heart like yours.
Creation of the Sabbath: The Sabbath was created by the Lord. And all created goods serve a purpose for God’s salvific intent and ultimate glory. God gives a specific command about this day of rest which we read in Exodus 20:8-10: “Remember the Sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work…” For Christians, we designate Sunday, “the seventh day,” as a day of the Lord in remembrance of the new creation received through his Death and Resurrection. It is a moment to stop and ponder in our hearts the greatest salvific event. We find it re-presented to us in the Holy Mass, as graces flow from heaven for our taking. It is a time to stop, refocus on our goal, as we are pilgrims journeying towards our final eternal rest in God. Do I live the Day of the Lord according to the Lord’s intent?
The Son of Man: Jesus makes use of this term, “Son of Man,” on several occasions. In it, he shows both his solidarity with humanity and his divine identity. The Old Testament made use of this term to refer both to mere mortals and to the prophets, those called by God for a divine and salvific intention. But Daniel clearly used this term to prophecy about the coming of the divine Messiah and his Lordship over all creation (cf. Dan 7:13-14). Truly, Jesus is one to whom we owe worship and for whom the Sabbath was created: “I saw coming with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man. When he reached the Ancient of Days and was presented before him, He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed.”

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are Lord of all and giver of life. Help me to glorify you in all I do throughout the week, finding ways to worship you, my Savior and King.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will examine how I live the Lord’s day and resolve to live it in a special way that reflects my gratitude to you.

For Further Reflection: The Lord’s Day, Catechism of the Catholic Church, https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P7O.HTM .

Jennifer Ristine is a consecrated woman of Regnum Christi who is dedicated to spiritual and faith formation through teaching, conferences, writing, and spiritual direction. While serving in Ancient Magdala she wrote Mary Magdalene: Insights from Ancient Magdala.

January 20, 2026 – From Right Vision to Praise of God Read More »

Ask a Priest: “Why the Emphasis on ‘Christian Unity’?”

January 20, 2026 / Ask a Priest

Q: I recall the Synod on Synodality and Pope Francis’ mentioning “Christian unity.” What do they mean by this? From my understanding, it seems that this is not about the conversion of non-Catholics to the Catholic faith. Which would be different than what I have read in the encyclical of Pope Pius XI on religious unity, Mortalium Animos. Please help me have better clarity on the matter. Thank you. — Renee

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC:

The ideal in the Church has always been for unity. Jesus at the last supper, in fact, prayed for those who profess belief in him, “that they may all be one” (John 17:21).

In a nutshell, the Church in the later 20th century softened its language about non-Catholic Christians, even if its goal of unity remains the same.

The Church had done its own soul-searching and settled on a more pastoral approach when speaking with those in the Protestant tradition.

The Church emphasized that all Christians need to move closer to Christ; in doing so, we move closer to one another, like people converging on the same point.

None of this implies that the Church is deficient in its doctrines or sacraments.

Rather, we constantly need to strive for holiness and to reform the deficiencies found in our human institutions and ourselves.

In the words of the Second Vatican Council dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium, “The Church, embracing in its bosom sinners, at the same time holy and always in need of being purified, always follows the way of penance and renewal” (No. 8).

Being aware of that and recognizing that we can also learn things from non-Catholics, the vocabulary is more on Christian unity, which is more palatable in an age of ecumenism.

Ultimately, though, Christian unity means everyone in the one Church founded by Our Lord.

For further reading, see St. John Paul II’s encyclical Ut Unum Sint.

I hope that some of this helps.

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The 2026 General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ Begins in Rome

“Living the experience of ALS has taught me so much about love”

Marveling at the Marvelous

Dear Friends,

St Sebastian

January 20, 2026 – From Right Vision to Praise of God

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Ask a Priest: “Why the Emphasis on ‘Christian Unity’?”

The Regnum Christi Identity

4 Vocations: 1 Spiritual Family

The Regnum Christi Mission

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January 20, 2026

The 2026 General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ Begins in Rome

“Living the experience of ALS has taught me so much about love”

Marveling at the Marvelous

Dear Friends,

St Sebastian

January 20, 2026 – From Right Vision to Praise of God

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Ask a Priest: “Why the Emphasis on ‘Christian Unity’?”

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