Consecrated Women

Nancy Nohrden, as general director, and with the consent of her council, has appointed Kathleen Murphy as territorial director of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi in the North American Territory. She fills the role that was vacated by Nancy Nohrden when she was elected as general director of the society of apostolic life in March. Her appointment will take effect in June 2020, with Naoise Johnson, the interim-territorial director continuing to fill the role until then. As territorial director, Kathleen will also form part of the Territorial Directive Committee of the Regnum Christi Federation.

The Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi in the North American territory will be holding a consultation leading up to the appointment of Kathleen’s new territorial council sometime in the next weeks. The general director has also appointed Sonia Baldwin, who has been serving as the territorial administrator of the North American Territory to be the new general administrator of the Society of Apostolic Life, replacing Beatrice Pimentel.

Kathleen Murphy: New North American Territorial Director 

Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, on July 18, 1975, Kathleen Murphy is the second of ten children and has been consecrated for twenty-five years. Her brother, Fr Thomas Murphy, LC, is a Legionary of Christ. Kathleen spent two years in formation in Rhode Island then did her apostolic internship in California, travelling the west coast of the US and Canada, giving retreats and accompanying young women who were discerning their vocation. She completed her formation in Mexico and Rhode Island. She spent eleven years in Atlanta, GA serving at Pinecrest Academy as a formation instructor and mentoring to high school girls.

Kathleen then served the Cincinnati locality from 2012 as the community director of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi and also as a spiritual director for the women’s section and for young professionals. She spent a year in Spain 2015-16 to help with the transition and accompaniment of the Consecrated Women in the studies stage of their formation. During that same year, she served on the international spiritual life commission for the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi. She returned for a second term as the director of the Cincinnati community.

Kathleen has been serving as a member of the Territorial Council for the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi since 2018.  This past year she served as the community director of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi in Chicago. Kathleen has a Bachelors in Education and Development from the Anahuac University and is currently studying a Masters in Spiritual Accompaniment and Vocational Discernment from the University of Comillas.

The Role of the Territorial Director

The territorial directors in the Society of Apostolic Life of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi are appointed by the general director, with the consent of her council, for a period of three years, according to number 125 of the constitutions. They have authority over all the houses and works of the Society of Apostolic Life in the territory, in accord with universal law and the proper law. (Constitutions 95, §2).  The territorial director also forms part of the Territorial Directive College of the Regnum Christi Federation.

The priorities of the territorial directors according to number 128 of the constitutions are:

1. to direct and accompany the directors of the houses;
2. to see to it that the directors of apostolic works receive adequate accompaniment;
3. to be close to the communities and to the Consecrated Women in order to listen to them, to support them and to see to it that they have the means which will help them most in their formation and apostolate;
4. to maintain a continuous dialogue with the other areas of government and apostolate of the Regnum Christi Federation in regard to planning, apostolate and finances;
5. to favor an adequate insertion of the Society in the ecclesial, cultural and social context of the country or of the various countries of the territory;
6. to foster communion and maintain relationships with the ecclesiastical hierarchy;
7. to safeguard the healthy economy of the Society in the territory, assuring that the communities and the works of apostolate of the Society have the necessary economic support.

Sonia Baldwin, General Administrator

Nancy Nohrden, general director, has appointed Sonia Baldwin, who is the current territorial administrator of the North American Territory residing in Atlanta, as general administrator for a period of three years beginning on June 1^st . Sonia will continue to serve the North American territory for a year while a new territorial administrator is appointed and trained. The transition and organization of the general administration of the Society and the territorial administration of North America is currently underway.

Sonia was born in Australia April 4, 1981 and grew up in the city of Newcastle. After studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, she moved to Sydney to work in this field. A few years later she changed paths, joined Regnum Christi, started working in adult faith formation for the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia and started the first ECYD club in the city as part of her Regnum Christi apostolate. Wanting to discern her vocation to consecrated life in Regnum Christi, she moved to the U.S. where she was consecrated March 25th 2006 at 24 years of age.

During her years of formation and apostolate at Mater Ecclesiae College in Greenville RI, 2006-2011, she completed her bachelors in Religious and Pastoral Studies, taught at the formation center, supported fundraising, and provided IT support for the college. After that she moved to Chicago for 5 years where she worked in Everest Academy Lemont as a formation instructor and helped with ECYD youth work and networking with the Archdiocese of Chicago. She also spent time on road teams to Minnesota and Toronto, Canada.

She has been living in Atlanta serving the Consecrated Women in North American as their territorial administrator, a role she began in 2014. During that time she finished studying a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University in Chicago. She was involved with the Regnum Christi Territorial Committee since 2015 as part of the administration team and finance committee and helped work on the strategic plan for Regnum Christi in the North American territory. A major part of her role was working to plan and implement the financial autonomy of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi and support the startup of the Regnum Christi Federation.

The Role of the General Administrator

The general administrator is elected by the General Assembly for a period of six years. At the end of that period she may be re-elected for a second six-year term. (Constitutions 146 § 1). The General Assembly of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, which took place from January 24 to March 6, decided, with the approval of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, that the general administrator be elected by the general director with the consent of her council, having heard the opinion of the territorial directors.

The general duties of the administrator are (1) to manage the society of apostolic life’s assets, under the authority of the general director, in accordance with universal and proper law and civil legislation and (2) to be accountable to the general director and to prepare financial reports for the key stakeholders: the Society of Apostolic Life, civil authorities, benefactors and others. (Constitutions 145)

Other New Territorial Directors named Globally

Several other new territorial directors were appointed globally. The new territorial directors are Beatriz (Betty) Rivera, 42, from Mexico, who replaces Ana López, interim territorial director of Spain since Lourdes Santos was appointed as general secretary; and Kate O’Connor, 41 years old and a Canadian, who will replace Elena Bartolomé as territorial director of Brazil. Elena vacated the role when she was elected general councilor by the 2020 General Assembly.

Betty Rivera: New Territorial Director of Spain

Betty Rivera, currently of the Philippines, was born in Monterrey, Mexico, on April 12, 1978 and was consecrated on August 30, 1997. She was a member of ECYD and Regnum Christi before she was consecrated.

She studied a degree in Education and Development at the Universidad Anahuac, and a degree in Religious Studies at the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum. She holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Management at the Universidad Anahuac and a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies with a focus on Consecrated Life at Christendom College.

Betty has served as ECYD director in Rhode Island, Mexico City, Michigan and Atlanta. While in Mexico she coordinated the network of girls’ ECYD clubs in the country. She collaborated in the team of the territorial direction of North America in the area of apostolate and in the general secretariat in Rome. She has been principal and assistant principal of Everest School in Manila and is currently in charge of the institutional development of the new school in southern Manila and is the community director of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi in Manila, local director of Regnum Christi in the Philippines and director of the ladies’ section in the same city.

Kate O’Connor: New Territorial Director of Brazil

Kate O’Connor, the newly appointed territorial director of Brazil,  was born in Stratford, Canada, on February 21, 1979. Her parents, both doctors, are from Trinidad and Tobago. In August 1996, she entered the Pre-candidacy in Rhode Island, USA. On August 29, 1997, she was consecrated, along with her sister Siobhan.

Her initial formation and apostolic assignments were in Brazil and the USA. She has carried out a variety of apostolates in these two countries, in the areas of vocation and university ministry, catechesis, sections of ECYD and Regnum Christi.  Kate was a professor at the Formation Center in Curitiba, Brazil where she taught courses in Dogmatic Theology, Public Speaking and Developmental Psychology. In Houston, Texas she was Dean of Discipline and a member of the administrative team at Northwoods Catholic School, as well as collaborating with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in the Office for Vocations and Campus Ministry.  Since 2017, she has been the spiritual director and member of the auxiliary team of women in São Paulo, Brazil and teaches courses in Spirituality and Spiritual Accompaniment.

Kate received her B.A. in Education and Development from Anahuac University in Mexico, her M.A. in Religious Sciences from the Pontifical University Regina Apostolorum in Rome, and a M.A. in Spiritual Theology from the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.  Kate is passionate about art, nature and all expressions of beauty as the language of God.

The territorial director for the territory of Central and Western Europe who will replace Jacinta Curran, who was elected general councilor by the 2020 General Assembly, will be appointed soon, as a wider consultation is being carried out throughout the territory.