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.