{"id":96213,"date":"2018-09-03T05:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-09-03T10:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.regnumchristi.org\/en\/?p=15883"},"modified":"2023-06-21T16:10:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T20:10:05","slug":"missionaries-in-the-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/missionaries-in-the-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Missionaries in the Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

When someone talks about an unintended consequence they typically mean something good was intended but something not-so-good resulted.\u00a0 For example, a well-meaning dad builds a fire in the family room fireplace to create a warm atmosphere for the wife and kids, but fails to open the flue.\u00a0Unintended consequence: a house full of smoke.<\/p>\n

But in some cases, a practical need requires a solution and the unintended results are many, spiritual, and positive.\u00a0 A case in point is the missionary host family.<\/p>\n

As the title suggests, a missionary host family is a family that hosts a missionary, in particular a Regnum Christi Mission Corps Missionary<\/a>. And Mission Corps?<\/p>\n

The Mission Corps is a\u00a0Regnum Christi Program<\/a>\u00a0through which a young person volunteers for one or two years to work exclusively for the Catholic Church. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to serve the local Church through active apostolate and to help other young people find the meaning of their lives in Christ.<\/p>\n

\"\"

\u201cA missionary must have graduated from high school, be a baptized Catholic, and be drawn to the Regnum Christi charism,\u201d said Tessa Martin, former RC Mission Corps Director.\u00a0\u201cMost have been associated with Regnum Christi, but some are not members. Many are international.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than that, they have to be well-balanced emotionally and not have any illnesses that would make it hard to complete a year of service. We have an in-depth application and interview process to make sure the potential missionary is a good fit for the program and will benefit from participation.\u201d<\/p>\n

They work alongside the Legionaries and Consecrated, often running youth activities, clubs, camps, parish programs, and school programs.<\/p>\n

On a practical level, a missionary has to live someplace during the time they serve. Often, this is the local Legionary or Consecrated community, obviously depending on the gender of the missionaries.<\/p>\n

However, in recent years, some localities have had several missionaries and either due to scheduling or space issues, they could not always live in the \u201creligious\u201d house. Thus was born the solution of the missionary host family \u2013 a committed Regnum Christi family where a missionary or two could live during their time serving the locality.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe missionary host family has to be Regnum Christi and active in the locality,\u201d Tessa said. \u201cAnd of course, the local Legionaries and Consecrated must recommend the host family \u2013 and they have to have the blessing of the young missionaries\u2019 families. We are really careful to make sure this is a positive experience for everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

This has the intended <\/em>consequences for the missionaries of:<\/p>\n