Regnum Christi Holy Week Family Missions Chicago

March 12, 2024

Holy Thursday 7 Church Pilgrimage – Thurs, March 28th

7 Churches is a Lenten tradition of visiting churches to signify the 7 sites associated with Christ’s passion and resurrection. Join us in remembering the significance of His sacrifice so that we might persevere in our own trials in this life and be with Him forever in Heaven. The bus will leave Everest Academy at 8:30 p.m. and return around 11:30 p.m. and a Legionary priest will guide us through the visits. Your children will love this annual experience!

Cost is $10.00 for individuals, $50 for families of 6

Arrive at 8:30 p.m. at Everest Academy, 11550 Bell Rd, Lemont, IL 60439

8:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. Buses Depart (no later than 8:45 p.m.)

We are providing the following to assist you in your planning and will update as information becomes available:

Local Mass of the Lord’s Supper Schedule

(All are within close proximity to Everest Academy)

St. James at Sag Bridge – 7:00 p.m.

SS. Cyril and Methodius – 7:00 p.m

St. Patrick – 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday Cross Walk – Fri, March 29th

Walk through downtown Lemont. This is a favorite family tradition.

Join the Legionaries, Consecrated Women and Regnum Christi lay members as we follow Christ by carrying the cross through downtown Lemont. We will gather prayer requests from those we encounter and offer them to Our Lord.
Cost is Free (please register to assist us with planning)

1:30 p.m. Cross Walk, Downtown Lemont, we will gather at 225 Canal St Lemont IL 60439

Please note that confessions will be available at St James at Sag Bridge, Lemont from 12pm – 1pm and 3pm – 4pm

Holy Saturday Service Project – Sat, March 30th

Our day of service will be at:
Pacific Garden Mission
1458 S Canal St. Chicago IL 69607

Our service will be from 10 am – 2pm.
We will be helping with food service and housekeeping ministry
Cost is Free (please register to assist us with planning)
Donations are appreciated to help cover costs.
Monetary donations can be made when you register or at the event.

QUESTIONS: Call Adriana Torrens at 630-751-9550

Regnum Christi Holy Week Family Missions Chicago Read More »

Detroit Holy Week Family Missions

October 6, 2023

Our Family Missions program is designed to provide an opportunity for families to come together and serve their community, spreading love, kindness, and compassion in the spirit of Christ’s teachings. Through a variety of volunteer activities, prayer services, and learning sessions, families will have the chance to make a positive impact on the lives of those in need while nurturing their own spiritual growth.

Detroit Holy Week Family Missions Read More »

Building the Church as a Regnum Christi Deacon

February 19, 2019 / APP News Feed

Pepe Carafi is a commercial engineer who is member of Regnum Christi for 37 years, and will be ordained a deacon in 2019. He shares his testimony as a professional, husband, father, apostle and deacon.

Pepe is married to Maria Cecilia Laso Rogers who he met in Regnum Christi, and together they have seven children. He has been studying for the deaconate with the Archdiocese of Santiago, Chile for the past four years. His studies were in commercial engineering but the last 12 years Pepe Carafí has worked as an investment agent and for financial companies. However, his business work has never diverted the focus of his life: surrender to Christ and service to others.

Can you give us a little history of your life in Regnum Christi?

“Not long after joining the movement, I was appointed head of the young men’s team of Tabancura. In 1985, graduating and preparing theses, I devoted a few months to the Movement and formed an apostolate: the Pontevedra Academy, a Pre-university and Study Center. In 1987, already married and with a newborn son, I was the group leader of the Papal Guard. [The Papal Guard is a group committed Catholics in Chile: he is not referring to the Swiss Guards in the Vatican.] Together with Maria Cecilia, we have directed RC teams in Buin, Curicó and Concepción. In 2001 I was appointed Director of the Zambrano Institute and in 2003 I was appointed to the San Juan Diego School, of the Mano Amiga network, until 2005.”

In your daily life, as a professional and father, please tell us a little, how are you doing Church every day with your mustard seed?

“I think it is very important that we are people of prayer and Eucharist. The time dedicated to God is not lost, but won. There is little that we can build if we are far from Jesus Christ and Mary our mother. As a Christian husband, the first thing is to live the love of Maria Cecilia and our children. And beyond that, try to do God’s will at work, with family, friends and community. This is easy to say but difficult to fulfill. Fr. Hurtado [a well-known saint in Chile] recommends us to think ‘what would Christ do in my place.’ I seek to contribute a grain of sand to the great challenges we have in our church and our homeland and transmit the Faith through social networks.”

Why did you decide to do the Permanent Diaconate?

“In May 2011, Regnum Christi asked me to attend a meeting of lay people in Punta de Tralca and I met Javier González, another Papal Guard group leader who was attending the 3rd year of the Diaconate School. Talking with him and his wife, Rosa Maria Rogers, they invited me to enter the Diaconate and I felt clearly that God was asking me for it as the logical continuity of everything I had experienced up to that moment. I spoke with my parish priest, Fr. Julio Dutilh. I was also introduced by Fr. Xavier Castro, LC. The Cordillera Vicariate accompanied Maria Cecilia and me, in the obligatory year of discernment (2013) and introduced me to the Permanent Diaconate School of the Archdiocese of Santiago, where I began my formation at the beginning of 2014, in the evening, together with others 20 students from all over Santiago. Today we are finishing the 5th year and would be graduating, God willing in July.”

How do you think being a Deacon as you are becoming can help the Church?

“Deacon means servant, the first seven Deacons were appointed by the apostles (Acts 6:1-6). Service is the mark of the Deacon: to be available to help, accompany, comfort, celebrate baptisms, marriages, liturgies, responses, accompany the parish priest and the community. With the lack of priests the deacon will have more and more work every day.”

How can you link your Diaconate to Regnum Christi?

“Regnum Christi taught me to love the Church, to live and grow in Faith in communion with the Pope and with the local Church. Hence, the Lord has led us to participate in different ecclesial instances and thus we have reached the Diaconate, which is lived mainly linked to the Parish and to the service of the community. In our parish of St. Alberto Hurtado there is a rich experience of charisms, many parishioners come from different movements, but act together with great joy and charity in the service of the community, under the guidance of Fr. Pedro Ríos.”

The original in Spanish is on the RC site of Chile.

Building the Church as a Regnum Christi Deacon Read More »

Using Our Gifts to Help Others – Katie and Chris Baker

November 8, 2018 / APP News Feed, Dallas

Katie and Christopher Baker are a Regnum Christi couple who live in Annapolis, Maryland. Christopher works for the Archdiocese of Washington while Katie stays home with their kids: Liam, 5;, Colin, 4; Nora; 18 months; and a fourth child expected in February. Katie and Chris spoke to us about their vocation to marriage and Regnum Christi.

Where did you find Regnum Christi? Was it before or after you were married?

Katie: After we were married in 2009, we were having some family-of-origin issues and we reached out to someone who mentored us during our engagement. We didn’t know it at the time, but she was a member of Regnum Christi and suggested we see her for spiritual direction at the Springhill Center. She soon recommended that we speak with Fr. John Hopkins. And so, back in 2010 we started seeing Fr. John for spiritual direction, both individually and together. He invited us to go on a three-day Spiritual Exercises retreat; we both went on retreat and started seeing him on a regular basis for spiritual direction. I think that was the start of our vocation to Regnum Christi.

Nonetheless, it took us a while to be incorporated. For a long time, we had the gift of the formation: we went on annual spiritual exercises and regularly to monthly half-day retreats, and we had monthly spiritual direction.

Chris: We had never heard of Regnum Christi, but kept seeing “RC” and just assumed it stood for Roman Catholic; we didn’t actually know what Regnum Christi was for quite some time.

Katie: Fr. John never explicitly mentioned Regnum Christi to us, but instead he inspired us both and guided us to listen to how God was calling us, and he really let it happen in God’s time. Fr. John helped us a lot in our personal growth, laying out that foundation of growing in a relationship with God, which was really not very solid beforehand. So, it was really a long journey of coming to know who we are and being inspired to go deeper, and also recognizing God’s love. The more we experienced God’s love, the more we grew to trust Him and encounter Him in our lives, in our marriage, and in the people He was putting in our lives. We kind of both came to a point where we thought, “We want to give back, we want to give back what we’ve received,” and that was the moment where suddenly we realized we wanted to become a part of Regnum Christi.

Chris: Once we understood what Regnum Christi was, it didn’t take long to discern our calling. We had been discerning how God wanted to use us, so when we saw there was a formal commitment to join, we quickly felt at peace. It already seemed like home and family where God was asking us to use our gifts and talents to serve. It is really interesting how it all came to be. At that point, Fr. John started inviting us to events specifically for RC members, and eventually we asked him, “What is Regnum Christi?” And his response was, “You’re already living it.” It was really a special moment where we felt called. It was a great time in our life.

Katie: We also realized Regnum Christi is a way of life. We felt inspired by the Legionaries, consecrated women and lay members of Regnum Christi, and we saw that this was a way of life for them, a way of holiness for them. It was a joyful moment where we felt, “This is where God wants us.” It felt very natural. We started serving in the marriage prep program at Our Lady of Bethesda. That was a way that we felt called to help couples prepare for marriage, to understand both the hard work and the joy of marriage. We try to pass on what we have received.

Could you give us a little background on how you met each and how you got married?

Chris: So, I was working as the coordinator of youth and young adult ministry at St Mary’s in Annapolis. Katie had been a volunteer in that program before I got there and continued volunteering when I was there. I met her as part of the core team helping with high school youth ministry. At the time, I had been discerning what vocation I should follow and living with the Redemptorists. Since I was already working at the parish, they invited me to live in the rectory to discern. I lived as a part of their community for eight months. During that period, I saw Katie as a friend and knew that she was discerning studying in Ireland to finish her degree. After my time living with the Redemptorist community and having discerned marriage, I saw Katie in a new way. It was like a veil was lifted and I remember wanting to get to know her better, so we started spending more time together.

Katie: After a lot of prayer, I decided not to move to Dublin but to stay local to finish school. I had always wanted – from a young age I felt God placing it on my heart – to get married and have children. So, I was praying for my husband but not in any rush to get married, knowing it would happen eventually. Chris and I had been friends and had a mutual respect for each other, and we both supported each other in that time when we were discerning. After realizing how much we loved each other and that God was calling us to be married, we got engaged and several months later we were married on St. Valentine’s Day, 2009.

You can find out about joining Regnum Christi here.

Using Our Gifts to Help Others – Katie and Chris Baker Read More »

Youth and Family Encounter in Mexico Draws over 4000 People

November 1, 2018 / APP News Feed

From October 5-7, the Youth and Family Encounter 2018 took place, with the participation of more than 4000 people from Mexico and Central America.

Conference Details

With the presence of sports personalities, journalists, artists, influencers, testimonies, moments of prayer and liturgical celebrations, this Encounter was full of harmony, reflection and fun among members, family and friends of Regnum Christi.

The Encounter was held at the Anahuac University. Members from all four branches – lay members, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men and Legionaries – along with friends of Regnum Christi participated.

One of the most moving moments was the diaconal ordination of six Legionaries, their testimony of dedication and service is a message of hope, for a society hit by materialism and insecurity.

Speakers

Among the keynote addresses, the Bishop of Aleppo, Syria, Bishop Denys Antoine Chahda, expressed the value of peace, reconciliation and service to the most vulnerable.

The international journalist Valentina Alazraki shared her testimony as a correspondent in Rome since October 1974, a time she lived with Saint John Paul II, historical moments that marked her life, and that filled millions of people with faith and hope.

Burl Cain, a visionary who initiated the installation of chapels in prisons in Louisiana and offered training workshops for prisoners, also shared his experience. He explained his program of global seminars for “moral rehabilitation” of the offenders, offering them a second chance in life.

Fr. Joseph Burtka, LC, a Legionary since 1986, gave a workshop on the value of cultivating the spirituality of the family. He was ordained in 1997, served territorial director of New York and was a General Counselor of the Legion of Christ from 2005-2014.

To promote healthy competition, perseverance and effort to be better every day, Paralympic medalist Jorge Font shared challenges he overcame, which led him to achieve nine international titles in waterskiing tricks, five world records in the same category, and seven world titles in slalom waterskiing, as detailed in his book, Enlarge Life: The Strength of Fragility.

Marcelo Michel Leaño, who is the youngest head coach in the first division of Mexican soccer, gave a conference as well. He graduated from the Semper Altius School Network sponsored by Regnum Christi. Marcelo shared the value of perseverance and hard work, accompanied by a solid faith and a good spiritual formation.

Activities

On Friday and Saturday night in the courtyard of the Anahuac University, and before hundreds of young people, Pray and The Vázquez Sounds sang. The latter shared a testimony of values and enormous talent, which has led them to surpass 200 million online video views.

To foster sportsmanship and family life, on Sunday there was a race to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Youth and Missionary Family, with a family walk of 2 km and a 5 km race. That same day, a panel was held with the presence of the various branches of the Movement: Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, Legionary priests and lay people. Fr. Paul Lara, LC, the territorial director of Monterrey, joined the panel and shared that his vocation was thanks to the testimony of Regnum Christi members.

Subsequently, Fr. Guillermo Serra, LC, moderated a panel composed of the communicator Mariano Osorio and the host and journalist Susana Sáenz. They explained the importance of being able to listen to the audience, the value of being objective in the information and the importance of recognizing and accepting errors.

Finally, Miguel Pérez, rector of the Anáhuac Mérida University, expressed the value of training and putting talents at the service of others, with an attitude of leadership and social commitment.

The closing Mass was held in the university courtyard and presided by Fr. Ricardo Sada, LC, territorial director of Regnum Christi of Mexico and Central America. Fr. Ricardo exhorted the members of the Movement to give testimony of joy and service in all environments in which they develop.

The Youth and Family Encounter brought together various generations identified by the values of union, learning, coexistence and integration, driven to fight every day from their homes to be young and families formed to contribute and be part of a positive and harmonious society .

Read the original with videos of the speakers and a photo album of 432 photos on SomosRC, the Mexican Regnum Christi site.

Youth and Family Encounter in Mexico Draws over 4000 People Read More »

Family Missions Helps Malnourished Children in El Salvador

October 9, 2018 / APP News Feed

“Nutri-Mission” is a new form of mission helping children who are in danger due to lack of nutrition.

After participating in the 2018 Megamission in Miramundo, Chalatenango and seeing mal-nourished children, Members of the Family Missions in El Salvador initiated the project called Nutri-Mission (Nutri-Misión in Spanish). During Holy Week, they learned about Marcos Isaías, a one-year-old child who suffered from severe malnutrition to the point that his life was in danger due to his family’s poverty and the delicate state of young children’s health.

Nutri-Mission is an apostolate that fulfills the work of mercy: “Feed the hungry,” with the intention of improving the quality of life of children and returning hope to their families.

Since then, six health and nutrition brigades have happened.  Pediatricians, nutritionists and volunteers generously donate their time to care for the neediest through this program.  Each brigade benefits, on average, 50 children. For each child, the missionaries provide a food ration consisting of milk, oats, incaparina (a native vegetable protein), beans, rice with soy, oil and sugar. They are sure to match World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) standards for children recovering from some degree of malnutrition.

On August 26, 2018, a brigade went out. The brigade helped 49 malnourished children, gave pediatric consultation to 35 children, and offered medical consultation to 17 adults.  All the participants were given spiritual support and the mothers were given a talk about the education of their children and forgiveness. They were given the ration of food for nutritional recovery, as well as vitamins and medicines for their treatment. The missionaries also provided additional materials such as clothes, balls and mats.

Thanks to the generosity of people and companies that donated the supplies, it was possible to bring all this help to the population of the community of Miramundo, as well as to the volunteers who served these children in need with great joy. There was the spiritual support of Fr. Néstor Fonseca, LC, who celebrated the Holy Mass for the people of the community, volunteers and members of Family Missions.

Some members of the brigade noted the teachings of Mother Theresa. They said “We know that what we do is only a drop in the sea, in view of the nutritional deficit problems of the area, but as Saint Teresa of Calcutta taught us, ‘What would the sea be, if it lacked that drop.’”

You can read the original on SomosRC, the site of Regnum Christi in Mexico.

Family Missions Helps Malnourished Children in El Salvador Read More »

Camp Kodiak: Sons and Dads Find Fun and Faith Together

July 10, 2018 / APP News Feed

If you are looking for a summer camp for your kids you likely won’t have to look long or travel far to find something of interest.

Our Kids, an online directory to camps, lists many camps band breaks them into categories such as: sports, education, art, day, overnight, boys, girls, families, religious.

Each category has sub-categories. For instance, sports camps are available for everything from baseball to cheerleading to sailing to wakeboarding.

There are specialized camps for cancer patients, the disabled, weight loss and the autistic.

There are old-fashioned camps where kids canoe, swim, hike and sing songs around the campfire.

Then there is a camp that doesn’t really fit into any of these categories and probably doesn’t show up on websites alongside the park district soccer camps and weeks in a tent with the scouts.

We’re talking Camp Kodiak Alaska, where Legionaries and lay Regnum Christi men offer boys and their dads two weeks of true adventure and hearty doses of the Catholic faith. This is the place for boys to be boys, men to be men, and both to find the bonds of manhood so often lacking in our culture.

Camp Kodiak began in 1996, when Fr. Kermit Syren, LC, had a dream of combining outdoor adventure with faith formation. Fr. Kermit grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and wanted boys and their dads to experience together what he had enjoyed as a boy: the Catholic faith and the beauty of God’s natural creation.

Fr. Kermit’s dream was aided by the 40 acres he owned near Wasilla (30 miles from Anchorage) before joining religious life – and which he had donated to the Legion. It was the perfect place to base his dream.

That first year there were just six boys involved. Camp Director Ray Arsenault got involved and in 1998, they built a cabin on the property – and later a second cabin on a smaller property near Wrangell/St. Elias National Park in McCarthy.

While other camps offer various programs in everything from computer science to swimming, Camp Kodiak’s “special sauce” is a remarkable blend of faith, family, and fun.

FAITH

Legionary priest and brothers are involved in all phases of the camp. There is daily Mass (even on a rafting trip or during inclement weather), Rosary, opportunities for confession and spiritual counseling and evening gospel reflections. Religious piety is observed.

“It’s the perfect combination of God and his creation,” Father Syren told the National Catholic Register in a recent article.

“I remember growing up in Alaska and being out in nature,” he recalled. “It’s about as primordial as it gets.”

FAMILY

Camp Kodiak isn’t a camp for men, boys or entire families. It is a camp where boys attend with their dads.

“Everything is done together,” camp director Arsenault explained. “We weave faith and fun adventure together – nobody get bored. Boys see their dads praying and that has an impact. Dads see their sons participating in exciting activities and that has an impact.

“We often see men who have been away from the sacraments or weak in their faith come back.”

FUN

Camp Kodiak isn’t about arts & crafts, video games or urban gardening. This camp’s activities are serious guy stuff: sea kayaking, glacier climbing, rafting, fishing, hiking, archery, exploring, and shooting. Survival and camping and wilderness first aid skills are taught. The exciting fun is carried out with an eye on safety – and the presence of the camp doctor. The camp has a full-time cook and local guides who lend a hand.

“The fishing is remarkable,” Arsenault said. “Imagine boys catching salmon and having their fish for dinner…along a river with the mountains in the background, with their dad.”

And, of course, the physical environment is part of the magic.

Camp Kodiak offers boys a true taste of the Alaskan wilderness. Breathtaking views of glaciers, mountains and wildlife, all in an environment untouched by commercial development, providing the perfect backdrop for approximately a two-week camp session for adventure-hungry boys.

Targeting and attracting boys of high integrity and potential, the camp makes a significant impact on its participants. Rubbing shoulders with world-class leaders, the boys learn powerful tools. And, as Kodiak alumni begin to establish alliances and develop relationships, these tools are reinforced throughout life.

Camp Kodiak’s activities are geared to produce human, intellectual, cultural, and spiritual formation in a setting of adventure.

Fr. Kermit explained that in today’s culture there is a crisis of fatherhood. Dads don’t know how to model manliness and have trouble connecting with their sons. The camp is a beautiful opportunity to alter that equation.

“Sadly, we live in a world where men don’t know how to be men,” Fr. Kermit said. “And as a result, boys don’t see the men in their lives being real men. That isn’t what happens at Camp Kodiak.”

This year’s camp runs from July 7-21, with 40 participants. But even though it is too late for the 2018 edition of the camp, it isn’t too early to be thinking about 2019. Camp Director Ray Arsenault will be happy to talk with you. And you can expect him to be enthusiastic.

Having been part of Camp Kodiak from the start, Ray has seen the benefits of the program in others and in his own family.

His son has participated in the camp four times: Fr. Todd Arsenault, LC. This year Ray will be taking his grandson to the camp for the fourth time. Ray beings an interesting – perhaps unique – perspective to the camp.

He and his family operate a dairy and saw mill on Prince Edward Island, Canada. That is at the far eastern side of North America. The camp – near Anchorage – is at the far western side of North America. The campers come from across the continent, so it is an international effort that brings together boys and their dads from an immense area.

Fr. Kermit and the other Legionaries are the glue that hold it all together. Ray explained: “Imagine you celebrate Mass on the shore of an unspoiled river. You raft down the river, stop and catch dinner, then enjoy a meal with the mountains in the distance. You are with other men and boys and you are all sensing the presence of God and his remarkable creation.

“Who doesn’t have faith at a moment like that?”

Camp Kodiak: Sons and Dads Find Fun and Faith Together Read More »

Family

Regnum Christi Holy Week Family Missions Chicago

Holy Thursday 7 Church Pilgrimage – Thurs, March 28th

Good Friday Cross Walk – Fri, March 29th

Walk through downtown Lemont. This is a favorite family tradition.

Holy Saturday Service Project – Sat, March 30th

Our day of service will be at:

Pacific Garden Mission

1458 S Canal St. Chicago IL 69607

Our service will be from 10 am – 2pm.

We will be helping with food service and housekeeping ministry