“Regnum Christi is a spiritual family and an apostolic body. The familial aspect was on display as our Chicago sisters and brothers in Christ offered to pick us up at the airport, and lavished us with gift boxes stuffed with snacks sweet and salty as well as spiritual bouquets and handwritten notes of welcome. Participating in Mass each day with 40 Legionary priests and the angelic voices of close to 20 Consecrated women was a highlight of the experience. In addition the apostolic zeal of the 102 delegates was evident throughout the weekend as people from different countries and stages of life shared their love of Christ with one another. There were students present from Benedictine College who regularly attend weekly encounters with Christ as well as weekly formation presentations. Once introduced to RC their hearts were hungry to learn more, and they took it on themselves to read all of the essays about the movement at RC Spirituality. They encouraged us by saying – “young adults are out there and are looking for something”.
The men’s section in Atlanta has over 220 members and they’re hoping to double their numbers! The men love team life and being challenged by one another to grow in their faith and to serve Christ and the Church. The main takeaways for me were the importance of personal accompaniment and the fact that the best way to form apostles is by doing apostolate. People receive so many emails and newsletters that it is unrealistic to assume that just because information was sent out that it was actually read and absorbed. We need to get back to the practice of person to person communication. We can’t remain in holy huddles consuming formation – rather we need to get out in mission – and this will drive our desire for more formation which will send us back out to the mission field. This was my first convention and my heart was set on fire by the experience. I would encourage others to make the effort to attend similar RC events – whether they be within the locality – like Regnum Christi Day in NJ on November 19th, or farther afield like the National RC Men’s Convention in Ohio in January and the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 2024.”
– Mary Rohe, Regnum Christi NY-TriState Director
To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.
~St. Augustine
“All Religious Orders within the Church are required to have a General Chapter every six years. This gives them the opportunity to ‘hit the pause button’ and reflect on whether they’ve grown as hoped, and to look to the future and make plans, based on their past and current experience.
For Regnum Christi, this is our first such Chapter since officially being approved as a canonical ‘Federation’ six years ago. Having taken part in that Renewal Process six years ago, I felt privileged to once again participate as we mature as a family.
Whereas the two earlier Conventions were steeped in canonical and juridical legalese, this Convention was an absolute joy; what an honor to see how that grudge work has blossomed so beautifully!
The most poignant moment for me was when Donna Garrett reminded all of us of how we faced a real challenge six years ago in determining which canonical ‘template’ best described our Movement. Well, truthfully, none of them did! And as we wrestled to fit a square peg into a round hole, we had a very serious decision to make: did each of our branches (Fathers, Consecrated, & Lay) wish to be independent of one another, or to remain united as a family? This was a serious question for Lay members in particular, because if we chose to remain together, we (because of canonical rules) would forfeit our ability to vote. After much prayer we made it clear that we would be honored to do so for the sake of keeping our RC Family united ~ we did not want division, we wanted unity! Many of us were drawn to RC because of the beauty of the vibrant dynamic between the branches and, in a world that is so splintered and broken, especially in families, we trusted the Lord wanted us to protect this gift. Our active relationship with our LCs and Consecrated Women and Men means the world to us, and, as in family life, we recognize the need to sacrifice to preserve it. I pray that each Father and each Consecrated Member knows how precious you are to us and how deeply we cherish and need you in our lives. How happy we were when this was the same choice of Territories all over the world!!!
What a sacred honor to model this for all families and all souls. Coincidentally, our first day together was the feast of All Souls ~ I trust that this was a ‘God hug’ to thank and encourage us in our unified, generous, loving, and joyful work for souls! ”
-Mary Wolff
“Following these beautiful observations by Mary Rohe and Mary Wolfe, I will simply add that being at the General Convention at Mundelein Seminary invigorated my spirit and gave me strength for the journey ahead. Being with so many Regnum Christi apostles who exhibited such tremendous zeal for our mission filled me with joy. Given the state of the world today, our mission to bring Christ’s healing love into the culture has never been more needed. Let us all recommit ourselves to using the gifts and talents that God has given to us for his glory as we pray and prepare for the International General Convention in Rome this April 2024.”
