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Learn More About Regnum Christi Localities
Learn More About Regnum Christi Localities
Localities are the epicenter of the Regnum Christi mission. Technically, a locality is a geographic area defined by the Territorial Directive College in which Regnum Christi is present and operates. More fundamentally, a locality is community of apostles made up of various smaller communities of apostles, each making its own contribution to the Regnum Christi mission.
A locality typically consists of a hub city and a surrounding area known as the locality’s diaspora. Depending on its development, a locality could have four or more RC sections (men’s, women’s, young men’s and young women’s) plus ECYD boys and ECYD girls, a Legionary community, a Consecrated Women’s community, a Regnum Christi school, a Regnum Christi camp, and other RC institutions and apostolates. There could also be a parish run by Legionaries in the locality.
The role of the local RC director is to foster unity among all Regnum Christi members and entities present in the locality in service of the Regnum Christi mission and the local Church.
From the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation:
§1. A locality is a community of apostles and an operative unit of the Federation at the service of evangelization. It covers a geographic area established by the territorial directive college.
§2. A locality promotes communion, coordinates resources and efforts, and fosters the common mission.
§3. The communities of the federated institutions, the sections, the apostolic works, and the apostolic programs all participate in the life and mission of the locality.
§4. The parishes entrusted to the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, respecting their proper nature, also interact with the locality. (RRCF 54)
Go Deeper:
Currently, there are 24 localities in the North American Territory, . These localities exist across six countries: the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. 16 of these localities have communities of Legionaries of Christ present, and nine of them have communities of Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi. Several Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi live in the localities of Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Of special mention is the Virtual Locality – the locality to which those Regnum Christi members belong who live outside the geographic scope of a named locality, Section directors and team leaders of the Virtual Locality are governed by and receive support directly from the Mission Support Team.
Localities in the North American Territory
Virtual Locality
Go Deeper:
Understanding a locality as a community made up of various smaller communities (teams, sections, apostolates, communities, etc.), a vibrant locality is one where each community is healthy in its own right and each is collaborating with the others to further the common mission.
A vibrant community has certain fundamental characteristics which can be described as:
- Living its Regnum Christi identity (for example, living the Regnum Christi spirituality, apostolic principles, and the five elements of life in Regnum Christi);
- Intentionally forming and developing its leadership;
- Promoting communion through communicating and collaborating with other sections and communities within the locality;
- Seeing the needs of the world and the Church, discerning through the lens of our charism, and stepping out boldly in mission; and
- Encouraging engagement in the financial health of the sections and locality.
Go Deeper:
Anyone seeking to connect with Regnum Christi can reach out to [email protected]. These requests will be directed to the RC Life department who will connect you with a member. We have a variety of in-person and virtual opportunities for members and potential members to explore and flourish in the Regnum Christi lifestyle.
Go Deeper:
Connecting with Regnum Christi in other localities, and even other territories, can build the sense of the global identity of Regnum Christi, and esprit de corps that is very much a part of this international, multi-cultural spiritual family. Members can connect with each other by staying up on the latest news around the territory in the newsletters RC This Week and RC EQUIP, following different localities on social media, visiting other localities for retreats, missions or conventions, and participating in regional and territorial events like formators’ conventions.
Go Deeper:
- RC This Week: a weekly newsletter with stories about Regnum Christi’s spirituality, communion and mission from around the North American Territory
- RC EQUIP: A monthly newsletter for those working in local leadership in Regnum Christi, providing tools and resources to help you lead.
- North American Regnum Christi Localities
The local RC Director oversees the development and projection of the Regnum Christi Federation at the local level – seeking to foster charismatic unity among all Regnum Christi present in the locality and overseeing the participation of lay members and any apostolic activity that belongs to the Federation.
Broadly speaking, the role of the local RC Director entails:
- Facilitating collaboration among all Regnum Christi entities present in the locality toward building a common vision for the life and mission of RC in the locality.
- Providing the direction and support to section directors and Federation apostolate directors.
- Overseeing the administration responsibilities needed to support the efficient functioning of the locality.
- Serving as liaison with the Mission Support Team and the Territorial Directive College.
From the Regulations of the Regnum Christi Federation:
42. The local director, assisted by their council:
1. directs the activity of the Federation in the locality;
2.accompanies the life and mission of the sections, with the capacities specified by the Territorial Directive College in the decree of appointment;
3. involves the superiors and directors of the communities, the section directors, and the directors of apostolic works and programs in the planning and execution of the plan of the locality;
4. seeks to create synergies with the directors and teams the apostolic works of the federated institutions, although the local director has no governing authority over them.
5. maintains communication with the superiors and directors of the communities of the federated institutions regarding the participation of their communities in the life of Regnum Christi, and the apostolic performance of their members who have directive responsibilities in the locality;
6. informs the Territorial Directive College about the progress of the locality according to the modality and frequency that it establishes. (RRCF 42)
Go Deeper:
The Territorial Directive College appoints the local RC director. A local RC Director may be a member of any one of the four vocations that make up Regnum Christi.
There are a few steps to the process of appointing a local director: first, a local consultation is conducted, typically by the Director of RCD Support, to solicit recommendations for possible candidates. The current local director and council review the roster of potential candidates and interview selected candidates to prepare its final recommendation. The local director submits the recommendation, outlining the consultation process followed and details about the candidate(s) for approval to the Territorial Directive College through the Director of RCD Support. Once appointed, the new local director will receive an orientation and onboarding to the new role by the outgoing local director and the Director of RCD Support.
From the Regulations and Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation:
41. § 1. The local director and the members of their council must know and be committed to the evangelizing mission of the spiritual family Regnum Christi. They must be able to foster communion, collaboration and dialogue; to encourage apostolic zeal and personal initiative; and to propel the common mission. They must have sufficient knowledge of the locality. (RRCF 41)
58.§1. The direction of institutions and persons, as well as collaboration with those who direct them, is an expression of love of neighbor, and an exercise of responsibility. In the exercise of authority in the Federation, may everyone be enlightened by the mystery of Christ the King, especially in his attitude of service and dedication to others.
§2. The search for the common good of the Federation requires constant and conscious listening, dialogue and fraternal spirit among the various bodies, as well as respect for their respective areas of competence.
§3. To favor the complementarity of the diverse vocations, the composition of the governing bodies of the Federation should be governed by the principles of representation and proportionality.
§4. Those who exercise the service of authority in the Federation must promote a culture of feedback which favors continuous improvement at a personal and institutional level. (SRCF 58)
Go Deeper:
A locality may be directed by a local college instead of a local director. In this case, three or more people would sit on the local college and together they would have the same authority and responsibilities as a local RC director and his council. One member of the college is appointed College Chair and assumes responsibility for facilitating the well-functioning of the college and for serving as the liaison with the territory.
Each locality proposes the governing model it wishes to adopt to the Territorial Directive College for approval. The choice of governing model will depend on the needs and circumstances of each locality. While the majority of localities choose the local RC director model, some localities have opted for a local college as a means to share leadership responsibilities.
From the Regulations of the Regnum Christi Federation:
39. § 1. The locality of the Federation is headed by a director and assisted by a council which gives its consent or opinion as determined by proper law; It also collaborates in the planning and implementation of apostolic strategies in the locality, keeping in mind the territorial apostolic strategy.
§ 2. The Territorial Directive College may determine that a locality is directed by a college with the capacities of the local director and their council (cf. SRCF 56 § 2). (RRCF 39)
Through the process of renewal, many of our leadership roles have undergone a transformation, a fine-tuning of their responsibilities in light of the current culture. The Section Director is one of these roles. In the foundational years, the section director was most often a priest who served as the chaplain, spiritual director, retreat master and section formator. As Regnum Christi grew, more and more lay people and consecrated individuals were able to assume this role.
The four priority tasks of a section director are to direct, accompany, form and launch Christian leaders into the service of the Church. The section director’s priority is to ensure each member receives the deep and constant personal attention that will help them reach the fulfillment of their Christian vocation. Although the director does not have to attend each member himself, he is responsible for making sure that all the members are duly attended by the spiritual directors and guides, especially the team leaders and formators. (Portrait of the Section Director)
The section director’s role is supporting the section leadership, especially the team leaders, enabling them to: foster the prayer life and integral formation of all the members, to help promote the family spirit of Regnum Christi, and extend the invitation and welcoming of new members, to encourage accompaniment, apostolic action and a healthy economy.
From the Rule of Life of the Lay Faithful Associated to the Regnum Christi Federation:
33. §1. At the head of every section there is a section director who is appointed by the territorial directive college of the Federation after consulting the local director, as stipulated in number 52 §2 of the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation. They are appointed for a three-year term with the possibility of renewal, or exceptionally, for a one-year or two-year term.
§2. The section director must be a lay member of Regnum Christi who has been associated for at least three years, or a member of a federated institution with experience of working in sections.
§3. The section director’s mission is to foster the goals mentioned in number 32 §1 of this Rule of Life. (RL 33)
Go Deeper:
- The Rule of Life of the Lay Faithful Associated with the Regnum Christi Federation 32-33
- Portrait of the Section Director in the Regnum Christi Formation Pathway
- RC Essay “What is Regnum Christi?: A Regnum Christi Essay Introducing the Statutes of the RC Federation and the Rule of Life for Lay Members” by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
The four priority tasks of a Section Director are to direct, accompany, form and launch Christian leaders into the service of the Church.
The current Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation do not use the acronym AFIRE to describe the leadership teams utilized in the Federation. It does recommend creating “stable work teams to assist it in the fulfillment of its functions and support the common mission as needed” (SRCF 92) Each section director should create a work team that enables them to carry out their responsibilities. Many sections continue to use this approach or a variation of this approach to work effectively.
What the Statutes and Rule of Life do say is:
From the Regulations and Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation:
39. Inspired by Christ’s charity, the members of the federated institutions and the associated faithful carry out their apostolate in an organized and effective way. To do so:
1.° in any activity they undertake, they always keep the mission and goals in mind;
2.° they work in an orderly and organized way;
3.° they work as a team, each seeking to give their best at the service of the mission and making the most of the synergy that comes from the complementarity of personalities, views and experiences. They apply the methodological principle “do, help others do and let others do.” (SRCF 39)
From the Rule of Life of the Lay Faithful Associated to the Regnum Christi Federation:
17. By associating to the Regnum Christi Federation, lay members commitment themselves to apply themselves to their integral formation and forging their Christian leadership (RL #17).
The Regnum Christi Federation is committed to ensuring that children and youth who worship, study, or participate in our activities can do so in the safest and most secure setting possible. Regnum Christi is primarily a volunteer organization, and the greatest asset for any youth activities, aside from its young people themselves, are the generous men and women who dedicate their time, talent, and resources to assist and lead in activities and formation.
Protecting our children is of the upmost importance to us. Therefore, each adult volunteer (18 years of age or older) is required to go through our safe environment certification program, and agree to all of its policies, procedures, code of conduct, and mandatory reporting process. They are also required to submit to a background check every three years. It is also mandatory that they receive certification through their local diocese’s “Protecting God’s Children” program as well as VIRTUS, or anything else required locally where they are serving in Regnum Christi. Our Regnum Christi leadership also completes our safe environment certification program, in order to ensure they always lead with this knowledge and responsibility at the forefront, even if they do not directly work with youth. Recently, the Regnum Christi Federation formed a Safe Environment Commission, which is made up of the safe environment coordinators from each entity; the Regnum Christi Federation, the Legionaries of Christ, and the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi. They meet consistently on a monthly basis for accountability and collaboration while working together in the mission of Regnum Christi.
Go Deeper:
- Safe Environment Policy (Regnum Christi Federation)
- Code of Conduct (Regnum Christi Federation)
The Safe Environment Coordinator for the Regnum Christi Federation is
Todd Brechbill
[email protected]
(855) 556-6872 Opt. 2, Ext 4
The Safe Environment contact information for the institutions comprising the Regnum Christi Federation include:
Legionaries of Christ: Safe Environment Coordinator
Nikki Hittle, MSW
[email protected]
(770) 802-0058
Legionaries of Christ: Program Coordinator for Pastoral Care
Abby Saunders
[email protected]
(443) 788-9730
Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi: Safe Environment Coordinator
Glory Darbellay
[email protected]
(401) 378-2923
Go Deeper:
- Safe Environment Policy (Regnum Christi Federation)
- Code of Conduct (Regnum Christi Federation)
- Code of Conduct of the Legionaries of Christ
- Our Commitment to Safe Environment ( Legionaries of Christ)
- Protect and Heal: Towards a Culture of 0abuse in the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ
- Our Commitment to Create and Promote Safe Environments (Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi)
