The Legionaries of Christ in Spain recently organized a summer vocational discernment course for young men between the ages of 18 and 30, at the novitiate in Madrid. We spoke with the rector of the novitiate, Fr Nikolaus Klemeyer, LC, who explained to us that “the activities focused mainly on two pillars: prayer and accompaniment. In addition, we included community life, which entails rest, recreational activities such as sports, and formation.”
Eight young men, mainly from Spain and Germany, participated in this discernment course organized by the Legionaries of Christ, and one from Chile. “It is not the first time that we have organized a course like this; we are starting the school year, and on this occasion, it is quite successful,” explained the rector of the novitiate. Religious vocations are everyone’s duty, and you can help both by prayer and as “thinking about if there are young people around you who would benefit from a time to grow in their spiritual life and to consider the issue of the vocation.”
What are these young men looking for?
There are two types of young men in this course. On one hand, there are those who are already fairly decided or strongly considering entering the novitiate soon, possibly in November, depending on each individual case. On the other hand, there is a group of young men who are considering the vocation to religious life with the Legionaries of Christ in general, but due to personal, family, or work reasons, cannot yet begin novitiate the upcoming year. These young men wish to take time for discernment, to get to know the novitiate, and to continue this discernment process in an accompanied environment, with moments of prayer and the support of our community.
Which specific activities were organized?
The course’s activities are focused mainly on two pillars: prayer and accompaniment. In addition, we include community life, which entails rest, recreational activities such as sports, and formation. We cover different topics, deepening in prayer, discernment, and an introduction to the theology of the vocation. An outstanding activity of the course is a five-day pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, whose goal is to create community and to deepen in life topics that can help their vocational discernment.
How can we help the course be successful?
You can support this discernment in several ways. Obviously, an important way is prayer for these young men. Also, each one in their situation can think about whether there are young people around them who would benefit from a longer time to grow in their spiritual life and to consider the issue of the vocation. It is crucial to deepen in this topic in order to help them in their discernment.