As part of the Regnum Christi family we not only have the beautiful blessing of experiencing firsthand the love of Christ through our holy Legionaries of Christ priests and through the accompaniment of the consecrated women and lay consecrated men, but we also get to walk alongside the young brothers who are discerning vocations and offer our prayers and support to those who have begun their long journey of formation.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his vineyard.” Matthew 9:37-38
What a beautiful privilege and gift of grace it is to pray for others especially when we pray for laborers to respond to our Lord’s call!
As part of the Regnum Christi family, we not only have the beautiful blessing of experiencing firsthand the love of Christ through our holy Legionaries of Christ priests and through the accompaniment of the lay consecrated women and men. We also get to walk alongside the young brothers who are discerning vocations and we can offer our prayers and support to those who have begun their long journey of formation. As lay members we combine our gifts, time and talents to work together to bring glory to God and make His Kingdom present.
I am blessed to be part of an Encounter with Christ team that meets weekly to share the movement and inspirations of the Holy Spirit in our lives. One beautiful and specific way my EWC sisters have answered the call to pray for our Lord’s shepherds is by taking turns each month to pray with a blessed vocation chalice. We each uniquely create a holy and prayerful place in our homes for the chalice where we pray daily for vocations. We lift our prayers up to the Lord while visually evangelizing to our families and all who enter our homes.
“Lord Jesus, grant us holy priests. Give us men who see the world the way You see it: a wheat field ripe for hardworking laborers, a society in urgent need of the light of the Gospel and of the fire of your Sacred Heart, a flock yearning for shepherds after Your own Heart….”(LC vocations prayer)
“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
Thank you St. Peter for responding to this call! The gift of St. Peter’s faith, of our Lord’s holy and apostolic Church, is a blessing we all get to freely enjoy because of the “yes” response to our Lord’s call by all the shepherds who vow to love His sheep.
In Regnum Christi we are blessed with the opportunity to be in close relationship with our very own shepherds, our holy Legionary of Christ priests who have given their hearts to The Lord and dedicated themselves to building up apostles for the Kingdom.
My husband and I encountered the Legion for the first time years ago at a Regnum Christi marriage retreat. We were moved and encouraged by how reverent and learned, yet relatable, they were. We were inspired by their love for our Lord and their desire to draw us closer to Him.
My family witnessed, first hand, the selfless devotion and giving hearts of the Legionaries during my father-in-law’s last few years of life and then again with my own mother during her last two years. During that time we were blessed to be accompanied by Fr. Eric Nielsen who visited and ministered to them, prayed and anointed them, provided the sacraments countless times and eventually celebrated their masses of Christian burial, truly helping them complete their earthly journey and laying them to rest.
“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – St. John Vianney
I was blessed to attend the 10th National Eucharistic Congress and see this love of the heart of Jesus in action. I was overwhelmed by our Lord’s love as we adored Him but also in the most tangible way through the hundreds of priests who made it possible for us all to receive Him. Witnessing hundreds of shepherds concelebrating the sacrifice of the mass and spreading out throughout Lucas Oil Stadium to feed the 50,000+ pilgrims was so powerful and moving and it filled me with such gratitude for our holy priests. The journey of our priests that enables them to bring us The Bread of Life, the food for our journey, starts long before they actually get to stand at the altar. We are blessed to accompany them through our support and prayers throughout their journey.
“The Legion has apostolic schools, seminaries and graduate schools for priests, so we can potentially accompany one young person literally from middle school or high school age all the way through their ordination to the priesthood. That is amazing to think about.” Lisa Rooney
What a blessing to be able to pray, support and accompany these young men through their years of formation, and what a great grace to see the Holy Spirit at work in them. My husband has been able to take advantage of the opportunities that are available to visit the seminary in Cheshire and is always so moved by seeing the brothers in action.
This past summer my family experienced this blessing when we spent time with Br. Enrique, a young seminarian studying in Rome. Br. Enrique graciously and selflessly gave us a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum and my three sons were so touched by his sincere humility and desire to share our Lord’s love. Sitting in Adoration of our Lord in St. Peter’s with Br. Enrique and my family was a huge and unexpected blessing. Seeing the Basilica and the Vatican through his eyes of faith was a gift that my family will treasure forever. I told Br. Enrique we will be praying for him and all the brothers as they continue through their journey of formation.
As Br. Enrique shared, “I am deeply grateful and humbled thinking about the people that pray for me. Just the other day I was having a difficult day as I was sick and felt alone. As I received our Lord at Mass in the afternoon, I felt he told me “you are not alone” with such tenderness and warmth that in a moment made me feel comforted and loved. I know we can’t always see the effects of our prayers but I’m convinced the Lord always hears them and that he has given me many graces through the intercession of others. So to all who pray for priests and seminarians, thank you! We truly need your prayers.”
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
