As part of the implementation of Regnum Christi’s Strategic Plan in North America, the Mission Support Team, a territorial work team that serves and supports the localities in the territory, has announced that they are reorganizing to better align with the vision and goals of the new strategy.
The vision presented in the Strategic Plan focuses on extending the evangelizing impact and reach of Regnum Christi through the growth of localities as communities of apostles in which members live their vocations as catalysts of hope and collaborate with the Church in its mission to transform culture. It proposes working towards greater scope and depth in our evangelization efforts in response to the real needs of society and the Church, particularly in relation to marriage and family.
As part of the strategy to foster vibrant communities of apostles and grow our apostolic impact, the territory is adjusting the criteria for what constitutes a locality and restructuring the Mission Support Team to provide individualized and tailored support to each of them.
According to number 54 of the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation, “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 [which] promotes communion, coordinates resources and efforts, and fosters the common mission.” The territory recognizes that outside of the current 22 localities in North America there are many other places where the mission of Regnum Christi is being lived. In light of this, it is expanding the definition of a locality to include locations of varying sizes—from a location with a couple of thriving Regnum Christi teams to an area with multiple sections and institutions. This means that some areas that had previously been considered ‘diaspora,’ or outside of localities, will now be considered small localities themselves, that they will be supported by the territory in new ways, and that they will be empowered to build a plan to grow and thrive both as a community of apostles and in evangelization.
What is a locality?
A locality is a Regnum Christi community of apostles united in an evangelizing mission in a geographic area that is established by the Territorial Directive College.
In the locality, communion is promoted, resources and efforts are coordinated, and the shared mission of Regnum Christi is supported.
The life and mission of the locality include the sections of RC lay members, the communities of the Legionaries of Christ, the Consecrated Women, and the Lay Consecrated Men where they are present, the RC Schools and other RC institutions, as well as other apostolic works and programs.
The parishes entrusted to the Legionaries of Christ also collaborate with the locality while keeping their own nature and identity as diocesan parishes. In the North America we have parishes in Atlanta, New York, Raleigh, Houston, and Calgary.
In order to provide effective support for all localities to accomplish their mission, a new Area of Locality Governance was created on the Mission Support Team, tasked with:
- overseeing the governance of the localities through the local Regnum Christi Directors, giving them the clear direction they need to fulfill their responsibilities.
- Ensuring that the functions described in number 4 of the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation are being fulfilled in each locality.
- personally supporting and overseeing each locality, fostering its growth and ensuring that it has the resources necessary to fulfill its mission.
- taking on the role of RC Director for smaller localities that do not have one locally.
Yvonne Nuxoll, who has been fulfilling many of these duties with localities in her role as director of RCD Support, will become a part of this new Area in the newly created role of “RC Locality Representative,” as will Donna Garrett, previously director of the Area of RC Life, and Fr. Benjamin O’Loughlin, LC, previously director of the Area of RC Young Adult Life. The three RC Locality Representatives will personally attend to all RC localities in North America, which will be distributed among them, and will report to Fr. Aaron Smith, LC, as Territorial Directive College Delegate.
The Area of RC Lay Member Support, announced in January 2025 under the leadership of Maria Knuth with a mandate to promote, safeguard, and support the growth and development of the Regnum Christi lay vocation and ensure the proper formation of lay members, will assume many of the duties of the previous RC Life and RC Young Adult Life departments, including the production of resources for lay member formation, the development and implementation of the RC Formation Pathway, and conventions for lay members.
The Mission Support Team looks forward with enthusiasm to continuing to support Regnum Christi as it lives its mission, working towards a multiplication of thriving communities of apostles who are making Christ present in our world in ever greater scope and depth.
