Antonio Maza is a Regnum Christi Lay Consecrated Man working at Divine Mercy University. He spoke to us about his life and the vocation of the Lay Consecrated Man. This is the first in a series on the vocations of the four branches of Regnum Christi in honor of national vocation awareness week.
Antonio, you’ve been a Consecrated Man for a while. Can you give us a little about your family background?
I grew up in Mexico City and attended an all-boys Regnum Christi School on the south side of the city, starting in first grade and all the way through high school. My parents are both devout Catholics who participated in various lay apostolates, both as young adults and as a married couple. They both encountered Regnum Christi during my years in high school.
My siblings and I were encouraged to participate in youth-groups at our parish and to practice corporal works of mercy through our middle school and high school years. This experience of the apostolate prepared me to encounter Christ in later years and to see God’s providential hand in my life.
What led you to enter consecrated life in Regnum Christi?
God placed in my heart a strong inclination to help others at an early age. I remember working some Sundays as a volunteer at a local orphanage. Later on, this inclination was transformed, through the tragic death of a friend, into a desire to become a physician. But, during my last year of high school, God changed my plans and helped me see that people need Christ more than they need a physician. An encounter with a holy woman during a mission trip and the testimony of joyful fidelity of lay RC members, Lay Consecrated Men and Consecrated Women, helped me hear the call of God to the consecrated life in Regnum Christi.
A visit to the house of the Lay Consecrated Men in Mexico City was the beginning of a 23-year journey of discernment and discovery of the presence of God in my life. On that day, a conversation with a Legionary of Christ helped me to see the Church’s need for consecrated lay apostles who can work side by side with other lay people, helping them to transform our world into a place of encounter with God.
What were the stages of formation in the consecrated life for you?
After an initial year of formation with the Consecrated Men in Mexico City, I spent four years of university studies at the University of Dallas. Years after, I had the opportunity to do another year of philosophy and theology studies with the Lay Consecrated Men, and a Master’s in Business Administration.
As part of this gradual process of human and spiritual formation, I took my Final Vows at the end of the summer of 1997.
What is your current ministry? What ministries have you done?
I currently work as Vice President for Finance and Operations of Divine Mercy University in Arlington, Virginia. My mission is to support the growth of the university from an administrative and operational perspective, working side by side with other lay members of Regnum Christi, Consecrated Women and Legionaries who are also part of this institution.
During these years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve in the Territorial Administration for the territories of Italy and Central Europe from 2000 to 2002 and the territory of North America from 2006 to 2008.
Another very deep and gratifying experience of these years as a Consecrated Man was swork with Mayan Communities in the RC Mission’s Territory in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Click here to find out more about the Regnum Christi Lay Consecrated Men.
