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Death in Black and White Fr. Brisson

Death in Black and White: a new novel by Fr. Michael Brisson, LC

/ APP News Feed, Legionaries of Christ, Regnum Christi News

Father Christopher Hart, a young New York priest and classic film buff, is unwittingly drafted by the mob to hear the confession of a man slated for execution. Playing a key role in the White Death—a mafia ritual in which a person condemned to death is allowed to confess his sins before he’s killed – was not one of the duties he expected when he became a first-time pastor. Should he just do his job and collaborate with the mob for the sake of souls, or find a way to stop the violence?

 

 

This is the premise of Death in Black and White: A Novel, the first book written by Fr. Michael Brisson, LC. This riveting page-turner will entertain, but it will also drive the reader to grapple with important themes such as identity, purpose, justice, sin, and, ultimately, redemption.

 

Writing has always been an important part of Fr. Michael’s life – he began writing fiction when he was just a teenager, coming home from his job making pizzas at Domino’s and staying up writing short stories on his computer until three in the morning. But when, in 1995 after graduating high school, he entered the novitiate of the Legionaries of Christ in Cheshire, Connecticut, he found it difficult to make time for his passion for writing short fiction within his busy life of studies and apostolate. It wasn’t until many years later, when fellow Legionary priests, Fr. John Connor and Fr. Daniel Brandenburg, who is a published author himself, asked Fr. Michael when he was finally going to write a book. Persistently challenged by these fellow priests, and reminded of the Parable of the Talents (and the servant who buried his single talent in the ground out of fear of losing it rather than investing and multiplying it), Fr. Michael decided to sit down and write a book.

 

Immediately, Fr. Michael knew he didn’t want to write a spiritual non-fiction. “I’m a storyteller, not an academic,” says Fr. Michael. “I knew I didn’t want to write a spiritual book, because there are so many spiritual books that have already been written, that already say things so well, and I need to read those before I can write my own!” But when he started thinking of his own life, his own experiences as a priest, and the many times he had witnessed God’s light shining into the darkest corners of humanity, particularly through the sacrament of confession, a story began to take shape. Inspired by his favourite authors growing up, like Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, and Edgar Allen Poe, Fr. Michael began by writing a collection of short stories based on these experiences from his own life, and of other priests he knew.

 

The first vignette Fr. Michael wrote centered around an elderly lady that he had met, who had been lovingly and faithfully married to a paranoid schizophrenic for 60 years. The second story was a fictional account inspired by a true story told to him by a friend, in which a priest is brought to an abandoned farmhouse by a mafia member to hear the confession of a young man about to be executed.

 

Before Fr. Michael realized, and as he continued writing, these two stories became connected and took on a life of their own, and the book he would write was not a collection of short stories, but a novel that follows the saga of a young New York priest who has become the unwitting confessor to the mob.

 

But under the drama and suspense of the novel’s story lies a message that Fr. Michael has seen played out time and again in the confessional: “God uses every event in our lives, no matter how tragic or sinful, to lead us back to him, and everyone, no matter how dark their life is, can be saved. As St. John says, ‘the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ (John 1:5). The light of grace can penetrate any darkness.”

 

Although he is quick to reiterate that the priest in the novel is not based on himself, many of the protagonist’s experiences are drawn from the encounters of God’s mercy and forgiveness that Fr. Michael has had in his own life as a priest, particularly in the confessional, and it is these powerful moments that continue to inspire him not only as a writer, but in his vocation as a priest. “I love hearing confessions – the bigger the sins, the better! Saying those words, ‘I absolve you,’ and watching the joy on the face of the sinner, the one who hasn’t been to confession in 50 years, the one who has been carrying that burden of sin around, never able to fly – with those few words and the sign of the cross, he is unfettered and lifting off the ground, tears of joy streaming down his face. What could be better?”

 

And although Death in Black and White is a work of fiction, it conveys the true story of God’s redemptive love, in a way that speaks to readers and invites a personal response. “The unique advantage of fiction is that you can plumb the depths of human experience in a way that allows the reader to grapple with issues freely, without – if you do it right – feeling lectured or cajoled. If done well, telling a ‘true story’ (true in the metaphysical, not factual, sense) can be fun, exciting, and interesting, but also deep, real, and poignant.”

 

In addition to hoping that people find Death in Black and White to be an enjoyable and entertaining read, Fr. Michael also hopes that readers come away with a renewed belief that God is always ready to forgive them, no matter how many times they mess up, and that even in their sin, God can use them to bring about a greater good. “I hope people realize there’s hope for everyone. We just need to do God’s will as it is presented to us in this moment, and let God be God.”

 

Fr. Michael was ordained a Legionary priest on December 12, 2009, in Rome at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. As his first assignment he was named superior of the territorial directorate community in New York and director of the Regnum Christi men’s and women’s sections. From 2010 to 2013 he was local coordinator of apostolate for New York and superior of the Legionary community in Thornwood, New York. From 2013 he has served as territorial secretary for the North American Territory, superior of the Legionary community in Cumming, Georgia, and chaplain for the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi in Atlanta. He is currently serving as a general councillor of the Legionaries of Christ, and working on his second novel.

 

Death in Black and White is available for sale on Amazon on May 17.

Death in Black and White: a new novel by Fr. Michael Brisson, LC Read More »

Join Regnum Christi at the National Eucharistic Congress

/ APP News Feed, Regnum Christi News

The Eucharistic Congress is a pivotal moment within the three-year initiative of the National Eucharistic Revival. While it will be the largest public expression of the Revival, it is not the end of this movement. In fact, the third year of the Revival—the Year of Missionary Sending—will take place AFTER the Congress, and Regnum Christi will be there for both of these important times!

 

While powerful personal encounters are a key fruit of the Congress, its impact must not stop there. Like every momentous gathering of the Church, participants will be unleashed back into the world to share their new anointing of the Holy Spirit. So when we speak about the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, it’s not only about experiencing the goodness and power of our God… we must then go out on mission to share it.

Ways to Get Involved

Sign up below to receive communications for RC members who will be at the Eucharistic Congress, including announcements and meet up times for young adults and other groups! Your privacy is important to us and we will not share your contact information. Read our privacy policy.

Check out the Featured Speakers and the Schedule

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Alejandro Lara, Lay Consecrated Man, Named as New General Administrator of the Regnum Christi Federation

/ APP News Feed, Regnum Christi News, Whole Territory

The General Directive College of Regnum Christi has officially announced the appointment of Alejandro Lara, a Lay Consecrated Man of Regnum Christi, as general administrator of the Regnum Christi Federation starting September 1, 2024. For Alejandro, this mission poses new challenges and opportunities.

 

The General Directive College thanked Fr. Luis Manuel Gutiérrez, LC, for his period as general administrator and commended him for the service he continues to perform for the area of Common Works. They also thanked Érick Caselis for his work as administrative director.

 

According to the Statutes of the Federation, number 86 indicates that the general administrator assists the General Directive College in ensuring that assets are cared for, supports the work of the territorial administrators,  maintains audits, and reports to the General Directive College on the state of the administration.

 

A Mission of Trust

 

Alejandro Lara shared his thoughts on this appointment. “I take on this responsibility with a lot of trust in God,” he said. If he has called me to this mission, he himself will provide me with the necessary means to carry it out.”

 

Evangelical Poverty and Material Goods

 

The tension between evangelical poverty and the management of material goods is a recurring theme in the life of the Church. Alejandro addresses this issue clearly:

“The good use of material goods is not in conflict with poverty. On the contrary, God has given us these resources to benefit the people we serve.”

This practical and spiritual approach seeks to balance efficient administration with Christian charity.

 

Challenges and priorities

 

The Regnum Christi Federation is a relatively new reality, in existence for just under five years. Alejandro identifies one of the most pressing challenges: “We must provide the general directorate and the territorial directorates with the appropriate administrative means to fulfill their mission.”

 

In the coming years, Alejandro, guided by his faith and commitment to the mission of Regnum Christi, will seek to serve the Federation and its development through all administrative matters.

 

About Alejandro Lara

 

Alejandro Lara is originally from Monterrey, Mexico. Since high school he was involved in different apostolic groups, first with the Marist Brothers and then in his parish. He studied Industrial and Systems Engineering at TEC de Monterrey and later earned a master’s degree in Systems Engineering at the same institution. After completing his master’s degree in 1990, he joined Regnum Christi and that same year he went on to serve as an RC Mission Corps missionary. Two years later he consecrated himself to God as a Lay Consecrated Man of Regnum Christi. Since then he has had a variety of apostolates: working in schools, universities, ECYD, with young people, in Regnum Christi’s governing bodies, and in institutional apostolates. From 2013 to 2022 he served as executive director of the VALIA Ethics Training Center and from 2021 to 2024 as a member of the Territorial Directive College of Regnum Christi in Northern Mexico. He is also in charge of the pastoral care of vocations in that territory, and of the institutional apostolates.

 

You can read the letter announcing Alejandro’s appointment at this link (Spanish).


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Answering the Call to Be His: Nicole Buccholz

/ APP News Feed, Consecrated Women, Regnum Christi News

God has called Nicole Buchholz to a whirlwind adventure: as a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi for 21 years, her vocation has taken her from a small town in Montana to Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia, and the Philippines, with mission trips to Mexico and Haiti. With her recent diagnosis of ALS, Nicole now faces a new mission, and a new call to serve God in a unique and challenging way.

 

Called to Conversion

 

Raised in the Lutheran tradition, Nicole’s journey into the Catholic faith began with a broken heart: her Catholic boyfriend of more than two years, whom she planned to marry and have a family with, told her that he felt called to the priesthood, and left for the seminary. Having just started college, living three hours away from her family, and still reeling from her relationship being over, Nicole struggled with her prayer life – unable to talk to God, she would walk through her college town crying and praying the only way she was able, on the rosary that had been a gift from her boyfriend. One day, on one of her teary walks, she came upon the Catholic church, and wandered in.

 

 

“I went to the very front pew and knelt down, crying and looking up at the crucifix. I said to the Lord, ‘tell me what you want me to do, because it has to be better than where I’m at right now. Whatever you want, I’ll try it.’” For Nicole, this was the very first whisper of a call, the first moment that she opened her heart to listen to – and follow – the plan God might have for her life, as different as it might be from her own.

 

Soon after that encounter with God in the pew, Nicole received an assignment in one of her classes that required her to write both sides of a debate on the topic of her choice. Nicole chose the topic of Catholicism and Lutheranism, since she had already spent so much time debating the subject with her Catholic boyfriend. In search of Catholic resources for the assignment, Nicole returned to the church and knocked on the door of the rectory, and when the priest answered the door, she burst into tears, telling him of her heartbreak and uncertainty. The priest invited Nicole to join the RCIA class that met every Tuesday night, where she would find the answers to all the questions she had about the Catholic faith. At the same time, Nicole had joined a non-denominational youth group with some of her college friends. In the preaching and worship music, generally focused on the theme of discerning God’s will, her heart began to open to what God’s path for her, and his plan for her life, might be. Finally in March, just two weeks before Holy Week, Nicole, who had continued to attend RCIA classes long after her assignment had been completed, decided to get confirmed. At the Easter vigil that year, with the blessing of her parents, and with a college friend from her dorm as her sponsor, Nicole was confirmed into the Catholic faith.

 

A Desire for Mission

 

Immediately after becoming confirmed, and inspired by her youth group, Nicole started thinking about the idea of going on a mission, and began taking this desire to prayer. In the fall of the next year, an acquaintance gave her a brochure for the Regnum Christi Mission Corps program, and while at first she resisted the idea of taking an entire year off from her studies to go on a year-long mission, she eventually met with the consecrated women, who came to meet Nicole and her parents in Montana, and she decided to go on mission the following year.

 

Nicole spent that summer in Rhode Island, with the dozens of young women who were there discerning their vocation, the 50-60 other girls who would be going on mission in the fall, and the consecrated women coming back from their apostolic practices. It was a full house, and Nicole was struck by the grace and kindness with which the women treated each other. “I’d never been around that many women who were all nice to each other! I couldn’t believe the charity that reigned among everybody, people who didn’t even know each other, and it was a really beautiful first experience of Regnum Christi and our charism of charity.” 

 

During the summer, Nicole, who by that time had only been Catholic for one and half years, came to know so many young women who were in love with their faith, but it was the consecrated women, who to her it seemed had given up everything for Christ, that had a real impact on her. “I’d always wanted to be a wife and mother, and I couldn’t believe that they could be happy not getting married and not having kids. Here were all these young women that had so many opportunities in their lives, who had broken off engagements or left jobs on Wall Street to be here! I couldn’t understand it, but at the same time, there was something so attractive about it because they were so happy. I could see that they weren’t giving their lives just to do something good, they were giving themselves to a relationship with someone.”

 

“What about you?”

 

Nicole spent her missionary year in Ireland, serving at Woodlands Academy, a boarding school for girls from Mexico and South America who had come to study English for a year. Over the year, Nicole witnessed the consecrated women at the school serving with great grace in the midst of a demanding apostolate that required them to be everything – teacher, sister, mother – to 160 girls 24 hours a day, and she saw that the joy with which they served came not from what they were doing, but who they were doing it for – Christ himself. Still, every time she heard the knock in her own heart from God – “And what about you?,” her response was always “Husband! Children!” Nicole’s dream to be a wife and mother was difficult to let go. Would she be happy if she said yes to a life so different from what she had always imagined?

 

By the end of her mission year, Nicole decided to take a leap of faith.

 

“It’s not that at the end of the year, I was blissfully happy being Jesus’s spouse – I wasn’t there yet. But it was the belief that he could make me happy, the hope of that, that’s what I took the risk on.” In the summer of that year, Nicole went back to Rhode Island for a 6-week discernment process, at the end of which she made her first vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Two years later, just five years after becoming Catholic, she took her final vows as a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi. “It was really beautiful how God worked with me, and how, through his fidelity, he has satisfied the desires of my heart – yes, now I do have a spouse, and I am a mother of souls!”

 

After studying for four years in Rhode Island, Nicole spent seven years serving in Florida. When the scandal of the founder of Regnum Christi came out, Nicole had been working out of the Consecrated Women’s center in Jacksonville, travelling all throughout Florida giving spiritual direction, running retreats and camps, and serving ECYD and Regnum Christi. In the crisis of the scandal, the consecrated women consolidated and the Jacksonville center was closed, with Nicole moving to Atlanta to work at Pinecrest Academy, before she was sent to the Philippines for the next six years.

 

A New Mission

 

It was during her fourth year in the Philippines that Nicole noticed that she had developed a slight limp. By the end of that year, when it hadn’t gone away, and because she was set to chaperone a group of students to Rome for their senior trip, Nicole visited an orthopedic surgeon. After ordering x-rays on her feet and lower legs, the doctor concluded that Nicole had one leg shorter than the other, which was likely now causing her to limp.

 

But while in Rome, Nicole was having so much trouble walking that the priest she was chaperoning with gave her some money and insisted she buy herself some good walking shoes, thinking that might solve the problem. While in Montana that summer with her parents, Nicole visited a chiropractor who noticed that she had lost the ability to stand on tip toe, suggested she might have a pinched nerve and recommended an MRI. Finally, still back home, Nicole saw her dad’s homeopathic doctor who did some muscle testing, and after doing further research, called her back within a few days. He was the first doctor to suspect that Nicole might have ALS, a fatal degenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord for which there is no cure.

 

Nicole returned to the Philippines with this news, and received both an MRI on her legs and spine, and an EMG to test the response of her nerves and muscles. The results were telling: Nicole had degeneration in her nerves throughout her entire body.

 

In November, Nicole was to chaperone another group of students, this time to the United States, so she scheduled an appointment at the Emory ALS Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where the specialist immediately confirmed the previous doctors’ suspicions: Nicole had ALS. Nicole’s immediate reaction to this was surprising and came completely from God’s grace: she was filled with a great joy and excitement at the news! This was something that she could offer to the Lord.

 

For Nicole, her diagnosis of ALS was an opportunity to offer spiritual reparation, particularly for the harm caused within Regnum Christi in the past. “There are so many things that have happened in our movement that we can’t fix. Nothing we can do, no amount of saying sorry, no amount of money, can ever heal what happened… but God’s grace can. God’s grace can heal. And how do we obtain grace from God? Just by offering ourselves. Anything we do God can transform into grace. Now I have something I can give, I have something I can offer, and that continues to give me joy.”

 

Nicole considers her life with ALS to be the new mission to which God has called her, a mission not of doing, but of being. “In Regnum Christi, we’re in the process of learning that it’s not about what you do, but who you are. This has been my path – there’s not much physically that I can do, but it’s not about that. Yes, we want to do great things for God and his kingdom, but 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 continues to serve providing spiritual direction, giving talks, and helping with retreats. She also writes monthly for RC Spirituality and Gratia Vobis Ministries.

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Regnum Christi General Convention Communicates Apostolic Priorities for the Next Six Years

/ 2024 General Convention, APP News Feed, Press Releases, Regnum Christi News

Thy Kingdom Come! 

 

Communiqué of the First General Ordinary Convention of the Regnum Christi Federation

 

 

Discerning and Living the Mission Together

 

 
The Path Travelled 

 

 

And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,

Jesus himself drew near and walked with them (Lk 24:15)

 

 

1. The first General Ordinary Convention of the Regnum Christi Federation gathered 115 delegates, in addition to five invitees [1], from every territory and from all four vocations that comprise Regnum Christi (lay members, consecrated women, lay consecrated men, and Legionaries of Christ). The gathering took place in Rome from April 29 to May 4, 2024. Under the motto “Discerning and Living the Mission Together,” the delegates completed an apostolic discernment on today’s reality, a process which began with a local phase and then a territorial one, before the General Convention.

 

2. We were able to make a true evangelical and apostolic discernment of this reality, thanks to the fruits of the previous stages of the path, which we recall with immense gratitude to God and to the Church, who has accompanied us and continues to accompany us as a true Mother.

 

3. Having Statutes that were elaborated through a true synodal exercise, having the juridical status of the Federation, and having validated our charism, identity, spirit, and mission, we could build on solid ground. Based on the certainty that stems from our charism as a gift of God and a deep Christian gaze upon the world from which we are called and to which we are also sent out, we renew our desire and commitment to make the Kingdom of Christ present in hearts and in society, in the here and now of the world.

 

4. We chose the dynamic of “to see, to judge, and to act” to address the different topics proposed, namely:

 

a. The vocational fullness of all members, including the identity, mission, and way of belonging to Regnum Christi of lay members; formation in Regnum Christi; the knowledge and living of our charism; vocational culture and promotion.

 

b. Communities of apostles, including pastoral work integrated within the locality; the formation of formators and Christ-like leadership; structures at the service of communion and the mission.

 

c. The mission of Regnum Christi with adolescents and young people; with marriage and the family; and with culture.

 

5. In teams and groups and in the plenary sessions, we dedicated ourselves to answering the following questions: “How do we view the world to which God sends us today, and how are we positioned within it?” “What is God calling us to over the next six years?” “How can we respond as a spiritual family and apostolic body?”

 

 

The World from Which We Have Been Called and to Which We Are Also Sent Out 

 

 

Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “Where are you staying?” (Jn 1:38)

 

 

6. Realizing that we are part of this fallen and redeemed world, as apostles of the Kingdom, we hear the Master ask us, “What are you looking for?” (Jn 1:38). With an attitude of discernment, we answer, “Where are you staying?”

 

7. We live in an epoch of constant and increasing changes, but above all, we live in an epochal change (cf. Pope Francis, November 10, 2015). We cannot completely express the causes of this change, and we can much less foresee all of its consequences. Expounding a complete diagnostic of a world that is so culturally and socially heterogeneous and changeable would cause us to fall into generalized, rash judgments. However, we can affirm that, mixed in with the weeds, we find sprouts of wheat that announce the bread of life. In this sense, studying the contributions gathered during the local and territorial phases of preparation for this Convention has allowed us to recognize some of the challenges of our time.

 

8. We realize that there is a profound crisis of anthropology and reason. We live in a world that offers us more possibilities than ever but does not equally offer sufficient principles, values, and criteria to make correct decisions.

 

9. As Christians, we have gone from cultural centrality to marginality in new social contexts, from being the majority to being a minority. Instead of feeling “at home” in a culture shaped by Christianity, we feel like “pilgrims.”

 

10. While reviewing the global contributions sent to this Convention, we found many statements about how others are and how the world is, many perhaps not fully realizing that we are part of this world and are deeply affected by this epochal change. “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ” (Gaudium et Spes, 1). 

 

11. We consider ourselves in solidarity with all those with whom we share the joys and difficulties that this moment in history presents.

 

 

Seeing the World with the Eyes of Christ and Loving it with His Heart: The Gaze of the Apostle of the Kingdom

 

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life (Jn 3:16)

 

 

12. Facing the situation of our world, as part of the Church and Regnum Christi, we recognize three possible temptations, among many others:

 

a. A bunker mentality, that is, withdrawing and isolating ourselves from the world, waiting for the storm to pass. A bunker keeps us from going out to meet others where they are or to give reasons for our hope; it keeps us from being a place of encounter and welcome for those far from the Church and marginalized by society; it induces the illusion of thinking that only we are right and others are wrong. This Christian living of maintenance or survival mode is far removed from the missionary mandate and call to charity we have received from Christ. It is likewise distant from the apostolic spirit of Regnum Christi.

 

b.Letting ourselves be overcome by nostalgia for a past that will not return. This causes us to be disinterested in the time that God has given us and can lead us to act with attitudes or methods that are inadequate to make the Kingdom of God present in the world today. Nostalgia can paralyze and stop us from exploring new possibilities and apostolic paths. If we continue to do all of the same things we have always done to fulfill the mission, our responses to God’s call day by day will lose their relevance.

 

c. Adopting the prevalent principles, criteria, and methods of the world to which the Lord sends us. In the search for acceptance and recognition, the urgency of immediate solutions, or the eagerness for success, we risk forgetting that although we are in the world, we are of Christ.

 

13. The apostle of the Kingdom faces these temptations with the assurance that Jesus Christ is the source of eternal Truth: He reveals to us our identity and our belonging to him and the Church; we trust in him; he is our hope; in him, we recognize each other as brothers and sisters. We know that we should see the world and others with the light of Christ. This certainty does not necessarily mean that we always know how to evangelize the life and culture of our time with that Truth. Conversely, we are certain that this is our greatest challenge: discovering and implementing the best way to establish the Kingdom of Christ today.

 

14. We know that man’s heart is well-made. Even in the attitudes and behaviors we cannot understand, we can recognize a desire, a searching, directed to God. We see that we can mature in our Christian vocation and make it more meaningful today, not despite a secularized world, but in the midst of a secularized world.

 

15. We are surprised to realize that, in the midst of the world, Jesus Christ himself, who has captivated our hearts, walks alongside us as the Lord of history, making the seeds of the Kingdom grow, both in the moments of sadness, desolation, and the cross, and in those of joy and consolation.

 

16. This is the time of God’s grace for us, our kairós; it is time for the spiritual joy of the here and now, the moment to express redeeming love to all. We can regard the past without nostalgia or fear as it is the memory of God with us. We can look to the future with theological hope and without fantasies of earthly greatness.

 

17. We recognize the primacy of supernatural means to guide our evangelical discernment and orient our apostolic mission. We walk forth with the strength of baptism, which assures us of the grace necessary for the long, slow battle for holiness.

 

18. Our charism offers us firm support in the five elements of the Regnum Christi member’s life (RL 2), in our style of self-giving, and in our principles of apostolic action (SRCF 10, 35-39), which we should apply creatively. Our mission should include and accompany the entire path of the lives of Regnum Christi members and the people with whom we come into contact, bringing them to encounter Christ.

 

 
A Courageous and Radical Missionary Choice

 

 

As the Father has sent me, so I send you. And when he had said this,

he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit” (Jn 20:21-22)

 

 

19. An epochal change like the one we are experiencing requires a courageous and radical missionary choice. Small changes in our traditional pastoral work will be insufficient, and the mere implementation of means, plans, manuals, and programs will not be enough either. These all lead us to places we are already familiar with; to paraphrase St. John of the Cross, in order to arrive at where we do not yet know, we should walk where we do not know.

 

20. We want to foster a culture of evangelical and apostolic discernment, seeking and discovering the seed of the Kingdom present in every situation to identify and implement the best response for each person. We are called, as individuals and as an institution, to read the world from the heart of Christ and to conquer evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21).

 

21. Therefore, by applying this principle, starting with “seeing and judging” the situation of the world, in the first plenary sessions of this Convention, we consider it of paramount importance to adjust our life and evangelizing mission according to the following missionary choices:

 

a. From a hope that is based on what is human to a hope radically rooted in Christ

 

We should contemplate reality with the eyes of Christ, recognizing the Kingdom already present here and now and knowing ourselves called to make it grow. If we live theological hope that flows forth from an authentic contemplative life, convinced by the Lord’s triumph, even when we pass through dark valleys, we will become daring and enthusiastic apostles. Giving reasons for our hope implies taking the Christian message seriously, with all its consequences.

 

b. From dependency on the consecrated vocations to a charism received and propelled by all

 

We want to be a Regnum Christi that is open to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who manifests himself through all its members, recognizing the charism present in all vocations and rediscovering the fact that we enrich each other mutually and that we drive the mission together. This requires us to let ourselves come into contact with our companions on the path, to be open, and to encourage listening, especially to what God tells us through the lay members, who are called “to live their baptismal commitments amid temporal realities” (RL 1 § 1). We want to interact more through the shared charism than by the functions of each individual.

 

c. From an emphasis on manuals and models to a focus on discernment and adaptation

 

We want to be firm on principles but flexible and creative in the means of implementing them; to better recognize, embrace, and safeguard the essentials as a charismatic guideline, and to be flexible in what is secondary. We want each locality to assume the responsibility to discern their own situation in order to discover the Kingdom of Christ present there and to make it emerge, ensuring that the concrete way to accomplish the mission is decided on locally. Faithful to the charism we have received, we strive to adapt our methods and procedures to the diversity of our circumstances.

 

d. From pastoral care for those who are comfortable to pastoral care for those at the crossroads 

 

We recognize that we are engaged by Christ’s call: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19) to go beyond our known borders. We want to share his Heart of a Shepherd who, in today’s world, more than leaving the ninety-nine sheep to go after the one, brings and works with the one to go search for the ninety-nine together with him; to go out to meet those who are away and distant at the crossroads.

 

 
Fruits of the General Convention

 

 

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you

and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain (Jn 15:16)

 

 

22. During the Convention, we renewed our certainty that we are called to put into practice the charism that God has given us as a spiritual family and apostolic body (SRCF 3) at the service of the Church, with dedication and hope.

 

23. The fruits gathered from this General Convention include the process of discernment itself, team reflections, the participants’ experiences, and our renewed apostolic commitment. This has all been gathered in the resolutions of this Convention and are of great value for our life and mission.

 

24. We have envisioned some priorities for all of Regnum Christi and entrusted five tasks to the General Directive College. We have also recognized convictions and certainties that guide our mission. This material will be used to elaborate the Federation’s strategic planning over the next six years.

 

 

Priorities

25. Promote a vocational culture. We want to implement all of our apostolic activity rooted in the personal call God gives to all people, infusing it with an authentic vocational pedagogy that fosters the understanding of life as a vocation and helps each person discover and enable vocation discovery and acceptance (SRCF 48). Our goal is that in the different areas of Regnum Christi, processes of deepening in vocational fulfillment can be undertaken naturally and can thus mature vocations to marriage, consecrated life, and the priesthood.

 

26. Committing to be and to form communities of apostles that go out into the whole world, following the example of the first Christians. We believe this response answers the need for evangelization in the world today. It will be in these communities that the five elements that nourish the life of the apostle of the Kingdom are lived out, and the urgency to share Christ’s love is felt, forming new communities of apostles. We want to be contemplative and evangelizing communities, creative minorities who can sow the seeds of the Kingdom and help them grow wherever they are. This requires us to renew how we think of ourselves as apostles, as well as our direction and criteria for making decisions, evangelical discernment, and apostolic action.

 

27. Strengthen pastoral care for marriage and the family, as it is the basic nucleus of society and the natural place where the person discovers themself, develops, and learns to love. We want the structure of Regnum Christi to respond better to the needs of marriages and to elaborate formative itineraries that accompany the vocation to love along all its stages and situations: dating, marriage prep, marriage, families with children, old age, and widowhood, as well as separation or divorce when it unfortunately occurs. We want to form and project true apostles of marriage and the family.

 

 

Tasks

 

28. In addition to determining these priorities, we have given the General Directive College five tasks. Here we present a summary:

 

a. To elaborate “formative itineraries” using a specialized commission with people from different territories.

 

b. To create a think tank that, in accordance with our charism, continuously analyzes the current panorama, offering Regnum Christi members keys for discernment of reality with Gospel values and assisting in the fulfillment of our apostolic mission.

 

c. To align all the realities of Regnum Christi—the Federation, the associated institutions, and the common works of apostolate—around the shared mission (SRCF 42-46 and the explanatory note to those numbers) effectively.

 

d. To create a department within the “Life and Mission” area dedicated to the family, whose main objective will be to generate synergy on the international, territorial, and local levels.

 

e. To initiate a formation program for those with a role of authority in the Federation and in the territorial and general teams of the realities of Regnum Christi. Their aim should be to achieve a cultural change founded on the values of evangelical Christ-like leadership (charity, service, listening, collaboration).

 

 

Recommendations

 

29. We have also submitted several recommendations to the General Directive College, the Territorial Directive Colleges, the associated institutions, and the assemblies of the Common Works.

 

30. Among all these, two particularly affect the lay members in Regnum Christi: resuming reflection on their participation in organs of government with a deliberative vote, when the conditions are favorable; and concluding the reflections about the promise of self-giving (RL 24).

 

 

Some certainties and convictions

 

31. On the other hand, these days have been an opportunity to confirm some of our certainties and convictions, such as:

 

a. We have confirmed the content and spirit of the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation. We see the need for all of us to continue to know and comprehend them better and grow in our affective and effective integration with their content in order to grow in their assimilation, since we find the principal traits of our charism, spirituality, and apostolic mission formulated in them. The Statutes are a light and criterion of discernment for our being and action.

 

b. We firmly believe that all of the four vocations of Regnum Christi are called, through their identity, to contribute to the shared mission. We see that after these years of renewal, there is still a path we need to travel to strengthen the identity of each vocation and how each can better accompany the other vocations. We want to encourage a culture of valuing what is positive: to recognize and celebrate the fruits that the Lord gives us and the personal contribution of each member of the community. We especially want to safeguard some virtues characteristic of our lifestyle: charity, availability for the mission, and trust.

 

c. It is essential that everything we do is constantly imbued by the contemplative dimension. We must be men and women of prayer, of the Gospel, and of the Eucharist, led by Mary’s hand. We strive so that the source of the renewed apostolic drive is not our own efforts and ideas but the action of God in each person and in the communities because the Lord has told us: “Without me, you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

 

d. We want to be a Regnum Christi that goes out into the world in our mission with a particular style of self-giving to be apostles with the characteristics described in number 10 of the Statutes. Therefore, we confirm the resolution to form people who prepare themselves to live their condition as apostles fully, as well as the effort to form formators with leadership in Christ’s style, apostle of the Kingdom.

 

e. We believe that the existing structures of the Federation are appropriate, and they should be at the service of the mission and adapted, as the case may be, to respond better to the demands of the mission. We have addressed the fact that we are in the process of implementing and maturing these structures. Although five years have passed, we should accept with peace and serenity that this is a long process that demands tact and patience. The structures are at the service of the mission, and they are continually adjusted within a dynamic that constantly presents new challenges and trials.

 

f. We deem it essential to promote a culture of accompaniment (by accompanying others and letting oneself be accompanied) in all the Regnum Christi sections and works of apostolate and encourage the formation of those who accompany others.

 

32. The General Convention has addressed the fact that some wounds from our history still affect our relationships. We all see the need to correct errors, learn from them, and grow together in the common mission. The General Directive College has decided to face this issue with determination.

 

 

Election of six lay members who will participate in the General Plenary Council

 

33. The 36 lay delegates who attended the General Convention elected the six lay members who will participate in the General Plenary Council of Regnum Christi during the next six years. The elect are: Horacio Gómez, Cathie Zentner, Guillermo Narro, Cristina Regueira, Maria Fioretta Bini Smaghi, and David Zárate.

 

34. We pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten them in this service. The General Directive College will choose two of these six lay members to assist them on the College during the next six-year term.

 

35. We are profoundly grateful to the lay members who took on this responsibility during the first years of the life of the Regnum Christi Federation: Francisco Gámez-Arcaya, Álvaro Abellán-García, Carmen Fernández, Kerrie Rivard, José Antonio Lebrija, and David Zárate. They all also participated during the long years in which the lay members had to discern their form of participation in the Regnum Christi charism and their mode of insertion into the proper law of the Federation.

 

 
Conclusion 

 

 

“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you

by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Luke 1:45)

 

 

36. At the conclusion of this first Ordinary General Convention of the Regnum Christi Federation, we delegates are conscious of the time in which we are living: It is the humble story of our spiritual family, inserted into an important moment of the Church and in a great epochal change in the world. We have gone and seen where the Master is staying; our hearts are filled with amazement because he makes himself present in our brothers and sisters and in the men and women we encounter on the way. He is the one who accompanies us and goes out to meet us, reveals the love of his heart to us and forms us as apostles of his Kingdom.

 

37. The long path we have traveled over these recent years fills us with gratitude toward those who have incarnated our charism from the beginning and toward those who have contributed to its renewal and purification, even if some of them are no longer with us. Thank you!

 

38. We have tried to respond to the invitation Pope Francis gave us in his letter, which we received at the beginning of the Convention: “Today, more than ever, society demands that we be able to give reasons for our hope (1 Pet 3:15) in the face of today’s challenges.” We trust in God’s grace and the dedication of so many men and women who, all across our world, live and safeguard the Regnum Christi charism.

 

39. With our hearts renewed and hand in hand with Mary, Mother of hope, we return to our territories and localities with the joy of the apostle of the Kingdom.

 

Rome, May 4, 2024

 

 [1] The invitees were Elena Bustillos, president of the General Assembly of the Network of Regnum Christi schools; José Mata, president of the Assembly of the Network of Regnum Christi universities (RIU); Pablo Aledo, general director of the Altius Foundation; Daniel Bizzo, a lay consecrated man in temporal vows; and Alejandro Lara, who will soon begin to serve as the general administrator of the Regnum Christi Federation.

 

 

 

Video Summary of the Convention

The General Convention brought together 120 members of Regnum Christi – Lay Members, Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, and Lay Consecrated Men, from all around the world. They worked on three major themes for discernment: vocational fulfillment, communities of apostles and the mission of Regnum Christi in different areas of evangelization. Here’s what they wanted to share about their experience.

Regnum Christi General Convention Rome Italy

Delegates & Daily Reports

Meet the delegates and read the daily reports from the convention here.

Regnum Christi General Convention Rome Italy

Photo Gallery

Find photos from all six days of the General Convention here.

Regnum Christi General Convention Communicates Apostolic Priorities for the Next Six Years Read More »

Regnum Christi’s General Convention to be Held in Rome, Italy, Apr 29-May 4, 2024

/ Press Releases

Press Release

 

Regnum Christi prepares to define its global evangelization and service priorities for the next six years at its first General Convention

 

  • 120 delegates will participate from among the four vocations that make up Regnum Christi: priests of the Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and lay members. Thirty-three are participating ex-officio with voice and vote, 72 are participating as elected delegates from within their respective vocations and territories with voice and vote, five invited guests will participate with voice but without the ability to vote, and 10 participants are present ex-officio, with voice but without the ability to vote.
  • 16 delegates from the North American Territory will participate.
  • The Convention will reflect and deliberate on three major themes: vocational fulfillment, communities of apostles, and the mission of Regnum Christi in different areas of evangelization.
  • Thousands of members of Regnum Christi participated in the pre-General Convention preparatory process over the last 18 months by sharing individual, local, and territorial contributions on the themes to be addressed and electing their representative delegates.
  • Up to date General Convention news and resources are available on the website.

Rome, Italy, April 25, 2024 -Regnum Christi will hold its First General Convention in Rome from April 29 to May 4, 2024. This is a crucial event for Regnum Christi, which the Holy See approved with its renewed configuration as a Federation five years ago. The Convention will define its global evangelization and service priorities for the next six years. It will address issues of profound importance for fostering global apostolic initiatives and growth in the co-responsibility of the lay members after a process in which thousands of members of the four vocations – Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and lay members– have participated. There are 120 delegates, 16 of them from the North American Territory.

 

This is the first meeting of its kind to be convoked after an extensive process of renewal, which, with the help of the Holy See, clarified Regnum Christi’s identity and mission and gave the organization the canonical form of a Federation comprised of four vocations: the Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and lay members. 

 

The General Convention is a collegial body and the highest authority of the Regnum Christi Federation. It is responsible for “overseeing the purposes, progress and future development of the Regnum Christi Federation” and establishing mission priorities for a six-year period, among other functions established in the Statutes approved by the Holy See in 2019 (SRCF 64-75).

 

A path of apostolic discernment regarding our world today and the election of delegates

In 2022, a global synodal process began in preparation for the General Convention. 2,914 meetings were held in different locations across 26 countries. The contributions of thousands of members of all the vocations of Regnum Christi were collected to facilitate discernment of how Regnum Christi is called to respond to the current needs of the world, the Church, and society through its mission. The themes of support for marriage and family and evangelization in today’s world resonated deeply with members globally during the process.

 

The elected delegates who will participate in the General Convention were selected by their fellow members in each of the nine territories of Regnum Christi. As laid out by the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation, 120 delegates from the four vocations will be present, of which 33 participate ex-officio with voice and vote, 72 are elected delegates with voice and vote, ten participate ex-officio with voice but without vote, and five guests are invited to attend with voice but without vote. Forty-five delegates are Legionaries of Christ, 29 are Consecrated Women, eight are Lay Consecrated Men, and 38 are lay members.

 

Three major themes for deliberation

The results of the global preparation process showed great convergence in the themes members chose to reflect on. These are collected in a working document that articulates all of the contributions received on the three major themes discerned as most globally relevant for the Convention to deliberate on: vocational fulfillment, communities of apostles, and the mission of Regnum Christi in its different areas of evangelization (marriage and family, today’s culture, professional environments, and the evangelization of adolescents and young adults).

 

As they prepare for the work ahead of them, the delegates will also have the report of the General Directive College on the current situation of Regnum Christi with global statistics, challenges, and experiences, as well as the reports of the Legionaries of Christ, the Consecrated Women, and the Lay Consecrated Men as input for discussion. Delegates, who will approve the topics to be addressed at the beginning of the Convention, will work in plenary sessions to establish overviews, in groups to discuss contextual issues, and in teams to address the specifics. 

 

Conclusions and expectations

As a result of this journey, it is hoped that the Convention will set the priorities from which Regnum Christi will project its apostolic work in response to the needs of the world for the period 2024-2030, taking into account local needs and cultural differences in each of its nine territories. It is also expected to make key assessments and recommendations for Regnum Christi’s governing bodies, territories, and localities.

 

What is Regnum Christi? Facts and Figures

Regnum Christi is a pontifically recognized body in the Catholic Church whose mission is to make the Kingdom of Christ present by Collaborating with the living Christ who goes out to meet people in their daily lives, reveals the love of his Heart to them, gathers them together in communities of apostles, forms them, and sends them out into the world to collaborate with him in evangelization. Globally, it comprises 1,316 Legionaries of Christ, 486 Consecrated Women, 47 Lay Consecrated Men, and 18,494 lay members. ECYD, the Regnum Christi charism lived by adolescents, has 10,276 members. Its global network of 154 schools and 14 universities has 151,000 students. Regnum Christi is present in 154 locations in 32 countries on five continents.

 

The North American Territory has 213 Legionaries of Christ, 80 Consecrated Women, three Lay Consecrated Men, 3,706 lay members, and 1,243 ECYD members. Regnum Christi operates seven schools in the United States, one in Canada, and three in the Philippines, as well as Divine Mercy University in Arlington, Virginia, with 3,919 students among them. Annual Holy Week Missions are a hallmark of Regnum Christi’s service to the Church through evangelization, service to parishes and underprivileged communities, and the spiritual and corporal works of mercy at mission sites across the United States, Canada, and the Philippines, which this year included 23 locations with more than 3,500 missionaries.

 

Links:

Director of Communications

Kerrie Rivard

+1-678-896-8726

[email protected]

 

Regnum Christi’s General Convention to be Held in Rome, Italy, Apr 29-May 4, 2024 Read More »

Regnum Christi’s General Convention to be Held in Rome, Italy, Apr 29-May 4, 2024

/ APP News Feed, Regnum Christi News

Regnum Christi prepares to define its global evangelization and service priorities for the next six years at its first General Convention

 

  • 120 delegates will participate from among the four vocations that make up Regnum Christi: priests of the Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and lay members. Thirty-three are participating ex-officio with voice and vote, 72 are participating as elected delegates from within their respective vocations and territories with voice and vote, five invited guests will participate with voice but without the ability to vote, and 10 participants are present ex-officio, with voice but without the ability to vote.
  • 14 delegates from the North American Territory will participate.
  • The Convention will reflect and deliberate on three major themes: vocational fulfillment, communities of apostles, and the mission of Regnum Christi in different areas of evangelization.
  • Thousands of members of Regnum Christi participated in the pre-General Convention preparatory process over the last 18 months by sharing individual, local, and territorial contributions on the themes to be addressed and electing their representative delegates.
  • Up to date General Convention news and resources are available on the website.

Rome, Italy, April 25, 2024 -Regnum Christi will hold its First General Convention in Rome from April 29 to May 4, 2024. This is a crucial event for Regnum Christi, which the Holy See approved with its renewed configuration as a Federation five years ago. The Convention will define its global evangelization and service priorities for the next six years. It will address issues of profound importance for fostering global apostolic initiatives and growth in the co-responsibility of the lay members after a process in which thousands of members of the four vocations – Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and lay members– have participated. There are 120 delegates, 14 of them from the North American Territory.

 

This is the first meeting of its kind to be convoked after an extensive process of renewal, which, with the help of the Holy See, clarified Regnum Christi’s identity and mission and gave the organization the canonical form of a Federation comprised of four vocations: the Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and lay members. 

 

The General Convention is a collegial body and the highest authority of the Regnum Christi Federation. It is responsible for “overseeing the purposes, progress and future development of the Regnum Christi Federation” and establishing mission priorities for a six-year period, among other functions established in the Statutes approved by the Holy See in 2019 (SRCF 64-75).

 

A path of apostolic discernment regarding our world today and the election of delegates

In 2022, a global synodal process began in preparation for the General Convention. 2,914 meetings were held in different locations across 26 countries. The contributions of thousands of members of all the vocations of Regnum Christi were collected to facilitate discernment of how Regnum Christi is called to respond to the current needs of the world, the Church, and society through its mission. The themes of support for marriage and family and evangelization in today’s world resonated deeply with members globally during the process.

 

The elected delegates who will participate in the General Convention were selected by their fellow members in each of the nine territories of Regnum Christi. As laid out by the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation, 120 delegates from the four vocations will be present, of which 33 participate ex-officio with voice and vote, 72 are elected delegates with voice and vote, ten participate ex-officio with voice but without vote, and five guests are invited to attend with voice but without vote. Forty-five delegates are Legionaries of Christ, 29 are Consecrated Women, eight are Lay Consecrated Men, and 38 are lay members.

 

Three major themes for deliberation

The results of the global preparation process showed great convergence in the themes members chose to reflect on. These are collected in a working document that articulates all of the contributions received on the three major themes discerned as most globally relevant for the Convention to deliberate on: vocational fulfillment, communities of apostles, and the mission of Regnum Christi in its different areas of evangelization (marriage and family, today’s culture, professional environments, and the evangelization of adolescents and young adults).

 

As they prepare for the work ahead of them, the delegates will also have the report of the General Directive College on the current situation of Regnum Christi with global statistics, challenges, and experiences, as well as the reports of the Legionaries of Christ, the Consecrated Women, and the Lay Consecrated Men as input for discussion. Delegates, who will approve the topics to be addressed at the beginning of the Convention, will work in plenary sessions to establish overviews, in groups to discuss contextual issues, and in teams to address the specifics. 

 

Conclusions and expectations

As a result of this journey, it is hoped that the Convention will set the priorities from which Regnum Christi will project its apostolic work in response to the needs of the world for the period 2024-2030, taking into account local needs and cultural differences in each of its nine territories. It is also expected to make key assessments and recommendations for Regnum Christi’s governing bodies, territories, and localities.

 

What is Regnum Christi? Facts and Figures

Regnum Christi is a pontifically recognized body in the Catholic Church whose mission is to make the Kingdom of Christ present by Collaborating with the living Christ who goes out to meet people in their daily lives, reveals the love of his Heart to them, gathers them together in communities of apostles, forms them, and sends them out into the world to collaborate with him in evangelization. Globally, it comprises 1,316 Legionaries of Christ, 486 Consecrated Women, 47 Lay Consecrated Men, and 18,494 lay members. ECYD, the Regnum Christi charism lived by adolescents, has 10,276 members. Its global network of 154 schools and 14 universities has 151,000 students. Regnum Christi is present in 154 locations in 32 countries on five continents.

 

The North American Territory has 213 Legionaries of Christ, 80 Consecrated Women, three Lay Consecrated Men, 3,706 lay members, and 1,243 ECYD members. Regnum Christi operates seven schools in the United States, one in Canada, and three in the Philippines, as well as Divine Mercy University in Arlington, Virginia, with 3,919 students among them. Annual Holy Week Missions are a hallmark of Regnum Christi’s service to the Church through evangelization, service to parishes and underprivileged communities, and the spiritual and corporal works of mercy at mission sites across the United States, Canada, and the Philippines, which this year included 23 locations with more than 3,500 missionaries.

 

Links:

 

Regnum Christi’s General Convention to be Held in Rome, Italy, Apr 29-May 4, 2024 Read More »

Novena for the 2024 General Convention

/ APP News Feed, Regnum Christi News

Saturday April 20

 

Gospel

Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:5-6).

 

From the Magisterium

To walk together is the constitutive way of the Church; the figure that enables us to interpret reality with the eyes and heart of God; the condition for following the Lord Jesus and being servants of life in this wounded time. The breath and the pace of the Synod show what we are, and the dynamism of communion that animates our decisions. Only from this perspective can we truly renew our pastoral ministry and adapt it to the mission of the Church in today’s world; only in this way can we address the complexity of this time, thankful for the journey accomplished thus far, and determined to continue it with parrhesia (…) on this path we will be able to reshape our proclamation, which radiates first of all with charity. Let us move with the confidence of one who also knows that this time is a kairos, a time of grace inhabited by the Spirit of the Risen One: we bear the responsibility of recognizing Him, receiving Him and to following Him obediently (Pope Francis, Address to the Italian Episcopal Conference, May 22, 2017).

 

Prayer (all together)

Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!

Sunday April 21

 

Gospel

As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met [him]. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice (Luke 17:12-15).

 

From the Magisterium

We would do well to set aside our own outer armor, our defensive barriers, and take a good bath of humility, mindful that all of us are vulnerable within and in need of healing. All of us are brothers and sisters. Let us remember this: the Christian faith always asks us to walk alongside others, never to be solitary wayfarers. Faith always urges us to move beyond ourselves and towards God and our brothers and sisters, never to remain enclosed within ourselves. Faith invites us to acknowledge constantly that we are in need of healing and forgiveness, and to share in the frailty of those who are near to us, without feeling ourselves superior (Pope Francis, Homily, October 9, 2022).

 

Prayer (all together)

Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!

Monday April 22

 

Gospel

I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

 

From the Magisterium

It means learning to find Jesus in the faces of others, in their voices, in their pleas. And learning to suffer in the embrace of the crucified Jesus whenever we are unjustly attacked or meet with ingratitude, never tiring of our decision to live in fraternity. There indeed we find true healing, since the way to relate to others which truly heals instead of debilitating us, is a mystical fraternity, a contemplative fraternity. It is a fraternal love being, of tolerating the nuisances of life in common by clinging to the love of God, of opening the heart to divine love and seeking the happiness of others just as their heavenly Father does. Here and now, especially where we are a “little flock” (Luke 12:32), the Lord’s disciples are called to live as a community which is the salt of the earth and the light of the world (see Matthew 5:13-16). We are called to bear witness to a constantly new way of living together in fidelity to the Gospel. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of community! (Evangelii Gaudium, 91-92).

 

Prayer (all together)

Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!

Tuesday April 23

 

Gospel

Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon (John 1:38-39).

 

From the Magisterium

It is so important to be able to discern: great choices can arise from circumstances that at first sight seem secondary, but turn out to be decisive. For example, let us think of Andrew and John’s first encounter with Jesus, an encounter that stems from a simple question: “Rabbi, where do you live?” — “Come and see”, says Jesus (see John 1:38-39). A very brief exchange, but it is the beginning of a change that, step by step, will mark their whole life. Years later, the Evangelist will continue to remember that encounter that changed him forever, and he will even remember the time: ‘It was about four o’clock in the afternoon’ (v. 39). It is the hour when time and the eternal met in his life. And in a good decision, correct, there is an encounter between God’s will and our will; there is an encounter between the present path and the eternal. Making the right decision, after a path of discernment, is to make this encounter: time with eternity. (Pope Francis, Catechesis on Discernment, August 31, 2022).

 

Prayer (all together)

Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!

Wednesday April 24

 

Scripture

The Lord God gave the man this order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die (Genesis 2:16-17).

 

From the Magisterium

We’ve often had this experience: choosing something that we thought was good and wasn’t. Or to know what our true good was and not to choose it. Man, unlike animals, can make mistakes, he may not want to choose correctly. The Bible proves this from its very first pages. God gives man a precise instruction: if you want to live, if you want to enjoy life, remember that you are a creature, that you are not the criterion of good and evil, and that the choices you make will have a consequence, for yourself, for others and for the world (see Genesis 2:16-17); You can turn the earth into a magnificent garden, or you can turn it into a desert of death. A fundamental teaching: it is no coincidence that it is the first dialogue between God and man. The dialogue is: the Lord gives the mission, you must do this and this; And man at every step he takes must discern what decision to make. Discernment is that reflection of the mind, of the heart that we must make before making a decision (Francis, Catechesis on Discernment, August 31, 2022).

 

Prayer (all together)

Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!

Thursday April 25

 

Gospel

I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you (John 16:12-14).

 

From the Magisterium

Discernment is demanding but indispensable for living. It requires that I know myself, that I know what is good for me here and now. Above all, it requires a filial relationship with God. God is Father and He does not leave us alone, He is always willing to advise us, to encourage us, to welcome us. But He never imposes His will. Why? Because He wants to be loved and not feared. And also, God wants children, not slaves: free children. And love can only be lived in freedom. To learn to live, one must learn to love, and for this it is necessary to discern: what can I do now, faced with this alternative? Let it be a sign of greater love, of greater maturity in love. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide us! Let us invoke Him every day, especially when we have choices to make (Francis, Catechesis on Discernment, August 31, 2022).

 

Prayer (all together)

Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!

Friday April 26

 

Gospel

Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

 

From the Magisterium

I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself. As John Paul II once said to the Bishops of Oceania: “All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 27).

 

Prayer (all together)

Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!

Saturday April 27

 

Gospel

It was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” (Mark 6:35-37).

 

From the Magisterium

I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and which then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. More than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: “Give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37). (Evangelii Gaudium, 49)

 

Prayer (all together)

Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!

Sunday April 28

 

Gospel

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another. (John 15:16-17).

 

From the Magisterium

Though it is true that this mission demands great generosity on our part, it would be wrong to see it as a heroic individual undertaking, for it is first and foremost the Lord’s work, surpassing anything which we can see and understand. Jesus is “the first and greatest evangelizer.” In every activity of evangelization, the primacy always belongs to God, who has called us to cooperate with him and who leads us on by the power of his Spirit. The real newness is the newness which God himself mysteriously brings about and inspires, provokes, guides and accompanies in a thousand ways. The life of the Church should always reveal clearly that God takes the initiative, that “he has loved us first” (1 John 4:19) and that he alone “gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). This conviction enables us to maintain a spirit of joy in the midst of a task so demanding and challenging that it engages our entire life. God asks everything of us, yet at the same time he offers everything to us (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 12).

 

Prayer (all together)

Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!

Novena for the 2024 General Convention Read More »

Deacon Darren Wallace Legionaries of Christ 2024 Priestly Ordinations

Deacon Darren Wallace to be Ordained April 27, 2024

/ APP News Feed, Legionaries of Christ, Regnum Christi News

Deacon Darren Wallace, LC, is one of 7 graduates from the LC Novitiate and College in Cheshire, CT to be ordained this year. On April 27, 2024, in Rome at 4 am Eastern time, the seven will be ordained to the priesthood with thirteen of their brothers. Please join us in praying for all our new priests!  The live stream will be transmitted in Spanish and English. Click here. 

A Look at Deacon Darren Wallace, LC

Deacon Darren Wallace to be Ordained April 27, 2024 Read More »

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

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!