Interesting -
Baltimore archbishop restricts Legionaries' work - article at CNS
Archbishop O'Brien's very pastoral, but authoritative, letter is here. It's worth the quick read. It's very interesting.
Stay tuned for possible commentary.
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11 comments:
The Legionaries give me the heeby-jeebies. I knew many guys in high school who were invited/coerced into the priesthood by our LC chaplain (the version depends on the seminarian or ex-seminarian). I'm just creeped out by their universal hair style.
I went to a Legionary middle school, and I agree, they can be very pushy. As a girl, of course, I never got the priesthood thing, but even the consecrated women who visited wouldn't let you say no to their lunchtime gatherings. And sorry, but kids should not be pulled out of class for spiritual direction.
Laura: I'm glad my family's not the only one that's noticed how they all look alike. (Actually, our parish priest looks exactly like an LC priest. It's weird.)
It's certainly an interesting situation, and I really should look up how things have turned out in other dioceses that have taken similar measures.
Laura and Claire,
My hats off to you for your gut instinct on them. I wish I was so wise years ago. I guess I was able to accept the reasonings they gave for a lot a their odd practices, but once I started coming across the bigger issues, that's when I had to leave completely. Having left, their own reactions condemn themselves. I am just so grateful that O'Brien is seeing them for what they are, and has the courage to stand up to them. Praise God for holy bishops!!!
ook the LC and RC are alsome and do great things! you have to remember different countries have different ways with running the church! in mexico many cities do do even have parishes bc these cities are to small and poor to support a parish. RC was inspired in mexico, so of course when it spread to the U.S where you can find a church anywhere it is going to seem parallel. This is b/c the movement is perceived differently adn was not thought to when in mexico. Think about it a bit??
yes Marciel maciel was accused of sex scandels and other things but so have other non LC priests. its everywhere and you cant just go based on that accusation especially since now Fr. Alvero has taken over and it is no longer dead Maciel.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMMEMBER IS: it is simple small things that are to be fixed like spiritual direction. it really depends on the family and person but that is not that big of a deal. but it could have been resolved before if a letter to get permssion from the parents was given out to those getting spiritual directiona and then that wouldnt even have ever been considered a problem!
and just like every other parish apostolate and activity that happen you have to get permission. so its nothing new for RC to have to they just have to do what everyone else has to now! its not different then everything else in the church getting permission!
also of course regnum will be obedient I have heard tons of RC members saying it all comes down to the church and being obedient so that iself proves if RC is banned the people of RC will except and agree with the church. In Fact like all RC members are more involved with the parish before regnum!
For the schools I do agree family should be involved a little more the family support is important! Canidates shoud be able to go home and experience both parts of life to make sure it is for them! so many canidate out of college have gone to the LC colleges come home and mett the loves of their lives or found a great paying job and most come home fully commited to RC they just discerned religious life was not for them.
so everyone stop fighting and decide what is best for you! but just think about it realistically most of these problems are simple tweaks that can be fixed so simply and make something like RC so much better! just remember most the things scientists overlook are the simplest things that r right in front of them and I believe this is the case and everything was just overlooked to long! but can be fixed simply!
That is what the bishop did looked at simple problems people have caught and hes looking at them! not everyone can be happy with everything!
i didn't really see the bishop's letter as restricting anything so much as it is guiding. I'm learning more and more about the legionaries and so far, i've not heard from a brother, priest, or any affiliate that one is not "catholic" if you're not joined to the legionaries or regnum christi. As a matter of fact, i went to a "test your call" retreat and during my spiritual direction time (which i requested) the priest told me that i should check out other orders and really evaluate what resinates w/ me. I'm merely speaking from my own personal experiences.
If anyone ever told me, which they haven't, that the only way to be truely Catholic or get to heaven or w/e was to be part of the legion/regnum christi i would simply tell them that statements like those would infact condemn their own founder. Fr. Maciel felt called by God to begin a completely different order. Catholicism itself is all about daring to be different. There are many paths to the same church, many paths to the same heaven and many paths to the one and only God.
I have apart of the Legion for my whole life. I have attented the schools, had brothers in the seminaries and also have many friends who are priest or consecrated in the movement. It is very easy to misunderstand the mission of the legion. It is never meant to be forced on anyone, in fact its a calling to be in the Regnum Christi. Its a spirituality within the Church. Just like the Fransiscans and such.
The acusations of Fr. Maciel are horrible. I knew him personally and saw him to be a loving, Holy and Charitable man. He has impacted so many lives and suffered greatly because of the persecutions against him. But he suffered silently, avoiding conflict.Just as Christ exemplified when he was scourged and crucified.
I apologize for anyone who felt preasured by the Legion, for that is not the intention. The Church and anything religious is relentlessly attacked by the world but for no reason. It teaches exactly what the world needs, Love, charity, and truth.
Our daughter is a Consecrated laywoman with Regumn Christi. Over the years, even I have questioned as to whether or not the Legion and RC members work to an end more beneficial to their own movement, or to the greater good of the Church - historically, there seems to be ammunition for both positions.
However, in the past three to four years (perhaps since Fr. Maciel was asked to remove himself from public), I have sensed a growth in their attitude of service, cooperation and obedience to the Church at large.
I understand that currently, the RC and the Legion are "persona non grata" in some dioceses, while others welcome them with open arms. That's OK - God will shine a brighter, fairer light on them if they deserve to be invited back. Fr. Scott Riley has been the territorial director for the Legion in the Western half of the US for the the past 3 years or so - I've met him several times - and he seems to be a more relaxed and particularly humorous fellow than some of the older Legionaries.
In any respect, on October 10, he sent a letter out to all Legionaries and RC members (I'm not either one) and I thought some might see it as a positive step for their movement. For the time being, and until these dioceses decides differently, RC will still be on the outside looking in. But at some point in the future, they may be a great help to parishes and pastors who wish to embrace Orthodox growth and formation for the faithful.
If I could figure out how to attach Fr. Riley's letter to this blog, I'd do it.
God Bless us all.
Chad
I was very active in RC working with the Legion in a very intimate way. I became very close to many of the priests. While there is not any malice and most are very well intentioned I think many are blinded by their zeal for success. On the exterior they are very nice and polite but much of this was motivated because they wanted to recruit. There was always an ulterior motive behind anything that was done. Because of my position in within the movement I had the opportunity to see quite of few people being used by the Legion. The symptom of this was the high turn over rate in leadership positions.
I would not discount the actions taken by the Vatican towards Fr Maciel. Pope Benedict was ahead of the Congregations for Doctrine, so he had intimate contact with the all of issues surround Fr Maciel. He had many years dealing with false accusations while ahead of the congregation, that was his job. The actions taken against Fr Maciel where immediate when he became Pope. Those actions taken where unprecedented in the history of the Church. Never before had the head of an up and coming order who was near the end of his life been disciplined in this way. Objectively, with out any inside information, all of this points to some real problems with the order.
The Legion and RC are simply living their Baptismal Committments. Their zeal is real and comes from their desire to bring all souls to Christ. It is really simple and sadly, so misunderstood. We need to be united in our faith and love of the Catholic Church instead of causing division...that is from Satan...when we are divided and critical of each other the mission Christ has for all of us is thrwarted and we go backwards, not forwards. With all the upcoming Political issues we are going to face with Obama, we need to unite and be ONE BODY!!! I pray for all who cannot see the beauty of what the Legion and the RC are trying to do for Christ and His Church. It is AMAZING!!!!!
I'm a member of Regnum Christi and i joined last year on a mission to mexico organized by the consecrated who are in charge of the challenge groups in the area. i joined as a laywoman thinking it would be great for me spiritually, but it turned out to be above me. i think it's a beautiful thing and any accusations against Fr. Maciel are horrible, but it's not working out for me. it wasn't my calling, it still isn't, and i feel like i can't get out of it since i was incorporated and it's a lifelong thing. i was too young to really think it thru and my mom was back home, so there was no way i could ask her what i should do. She still doesn't understand wat the order even is. There are more commitments than i can even grow into, and it's bothering me. I'm being pushed into a silent retreat next weekend and i really don't want to do it, and it costs more than i can currently afford. I also have to do a challenge retreat the month after (which i'm fine with), but it's too much. I feel like i wasn't told what i was getting into, and it feels unfair since i'm just a naive teenager. i'm really religious, but i don't feel connected to the order. I just got caught up in the missionary spirit, and i'm slowly losing that. :'(
I started to join Regnum Christi and thought better of it. I do not want to condemn them as this evil cult. I believe the movement has a lot to offer in the line of service and spirituality, but it definitely close to an edge that is wrong and uncomfortable. I decided to become a consecrated lay woman. When I mentioned it to the consecrated woman in my area, she jumped at the chance and began to push me into going into the discernment program immediately. I was only 18 and just finishing high school with a full ride to college waiting for me. She wanted me to give up college and just go straight into service. Most catholic organizations will tell you to wait until after college...to experience life some first and be sure you are making the right decision. Others from Regnum Christi started pushing me even more and started pushing my mother too. I walked away at that point. I really enjoyed the spirituality they promote and miss it occasionally, but it was not right to have a group of people collectively attempting to push me into something so big at such a young age. I know much of it was my own naivity, but I caution others to be careful with Regnum Christi.
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