Press Release
Regnum Christi prepares to define its global evangelization and service priorities for the next six years at its first General Convention
- 120 delegates will participate from among the four vocations that make up Regnum Christi: priests of the Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and lay members. Thirty-three are participating ex-officio with voice and vote, 72 are participating as elected delegates from within their respective vocations and territories with voice and vote, five invited guests will participate with voice but without the ability to vote, and 10 participants are present ex-officio, with voice but without the ability to vote.
- 16 delegates from the North American Territory will participate.
- The Convention will reflect and deliberate on three major themes: vocational fulfillment, communities of apostles, and the mission of Regnum Christi in different areas of evangelization.
- Thousands of members of Regnum Christi participated in the pre-General Convention preparatory process over the last 18 months by sharing individual, local, and territorial contributions on the themes to be addressed and electing their representative delegates.
- Up to date General Convention news and resources are available on the website.
Rome, Italy, April 25, 2024 -Regnum Christi will hold its First General Convention in Rome from April 29 to May 4, 2024. This is a crucial event for Regnum Christi, which the Holy See approved with its renewed configuration as a Federation five years ago. The Convention will define its global evangelization and service priorities for the next six years. It will address issues of profound importance for fostering global apostolic initiatives and growth in the co-responsibility of the lay members after a process in which thousands of members of the four vocations – Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and lay members– have participated. There are 120 delegates, 16 of them from the North American Territory.
This is the first meeting of its kind to be convoked after an extensive process of renewal, which, with the help of the Holy See, clarified Regnum Christi’s identity and mission and gave the organization the canonical form of a Federation comprised of four vocations: the Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and lay members.
The General Convention is a collegial body and the highest authority of the Regnum Christi Federation. It is responsible for “overseeing the purposes, progress and future development of the Regnum Christi Federation” and establishing mission priorities for a six-year period, among other functions established in the Statutes approved by the Holy See in 2019 (SRCF 64-75).
A path of apostolic discernment regarding our world today and the election of delegates
In 2022, a global synodal process began in preparation for the General Convention. 2,914 meetings were held in different locations across 26 countries. The contributions of thousands of members of all the vocations of Regnum Christi were collected to facilitate discernment of how Regnum Christi is called to respond to the current needs of the world, the Church, and society through its mission. The themes of support for marriage and family and evangelization in today’s world resonated deeply with members globally during the process.
The elected delegates who will participate in the General Convention were selected by their fellow members in each of the nine territories of Regnum Christi. As laid out by the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation, 120 delegates from the four vocations will be present, of which 33 participate ex-officio with voice and vote, 72 are elected delegates with voice and vote, ten participate ex-officio with voice but without vote, and five guests are invited to attend with voice but without vote. Forty-five delegates are Legionaries of Christ, 29 are Consecrated Women, eight are Lay Consecrated Men, and 38 are lay members.
Three major themes for deliberation
The results of the global preparation process showed great convergence in the themes members chose to reflect on. These are collected in a working document that articulates all of the contributions received on the three major themes discerned as most globally relevant for the Convention to deliberate on: vocational fulfillment, communities of apostles, and the mission of Regnum Christi in its different areas of evangelization (marriage and family, today’s culture, professional environments, and the evangelization of adolescents and young adults).
As they prepare for the work ahead of them, the delegates will also have the report of the General Directive College on the current situation of Regnum Christi with global statistics, challenges, and experiences, as well as the reports of the Legionaries of Christ, the Consecrated Women, and the Lay Consecrated Men as input for discussion. Delegates, who will approve the topics to be addressed at the beginning of the Convention, will work in plenary sessions to establish overviews, in groups to discuss contextual issues, and in teams to address the specifics.
Conclusions and expectations
As a result of this journey, it is hoped that the Convention will set the priorities from which Regnum Christi will project its apostolic work in response to the needs of the world for the period 2024-2030, taking into account local needs and cultural differences in each of its nine territories. It is also expected to make key assessments and recommendations for Regnum Christi’s governing bodies, territories, and localities.
What is Regnum Christi? Facts and Figures
Regnum Christi is a pontifically recognized body in the Catholic Church whose mission is to make the Kingdom of Christ present by Collaborating with the living Christ who goes out to meet people in their daily lives, reveals the love of his Heart to them, gathers them together in communities of apostles, forms them, and sends them out into the world to collaborate with him in evangelization. Globally, it comprises 1,316 Legionaries of Christ, 486 Consecrated Women, 47 Lay Consecrated Men, and 18,494 lay members. ECYD, the Regnum Christi charism lived by adolescents, has 10,276 members. Its global network of 154 schools and 14 universities has 151,000 students. Regnum Christi is present in 154 locations in 32 countries on five continents.
The North American Territory has 213 Legionaries of Christ, 80 Consecrated Women, three Lay Consecrated Men, 3,706 lay members, and 1,243 ECYD members. Regnum Christi operates seven schools in the United States, one in Canada, and three in the Philippines, as well as Divine Mercy University in Arlington, Virginia, with 3,919 students among them. Annual Holy Week Missions are a hallmark of Regnum Christi’s service to the Church through evangelization, service to parishes and underprivileged communities, and the spiritual and corporal works of mercy at mission sites across the United States, Canada, and the Philippines, which this year included 23 locations with more than 3,500 missionaries.
Links:
Director of Communications
Kerrie Rivard
+1-678-896-8726
