Today began with Mass presided by Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC, in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Phillip the Martyr. In the homily, Father John Connor, LC, invited the delegates, “Let’s be men and women of hope in God, of interior life, and who allow the action of the Holy Spirit to work through us.”

The homily text is available online: Homilia P. John Connor L.C. 17 abril

After Mass, the delegates held a plenary session, continuing where they left off, with team presentations, the previous day. One particular point discussed was the role of lay members, both, in the federation and in works of apostolate.

The delegates had a break after the plenary sessions. Then the delegates divided into groups by branches (Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and Lay members) to continue reflecting on the topics given out yesterday.

After lunch, there was another opportunity for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to offer the work of these days to God, and to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten the delegates in discerning what God wants for Regnum Christi.

In the afternoon, meetings continued by branches.  At the end of the day, they again met in a plenary session to review the second version of the General Assembly’s draft communiqué prepared by the drafting commission. After finishing the review of the document and voting, the activities of the eighth day concluded. Father Ghirlanda was there all day, accompanying the delegates.

About the Extraordinary General Assembly:

The communications in these days regarding public proposals show a strong convergence between the different branches of Regnum Christi (Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and lay members) on the existence of a common charism and mission. The Legionaries of Christ have expressed themselves on this subject in continuity with the General Chapter of 2014, and have reiterated that the Legionaries belong to Regnum Christi, both being inseparable realities.

More info is available at www.rcstatutes.org. Click her for today’s photos.

Yesterday (Sunday, April 15), the assembly delegates had a day of rest.  Delegates attended Mass at the altar of St. Joseph in Saint Peter’s Basilica, and then many toured Rome together. Today, the seventh day of activities at the Extraordinary General Assembly of Regnum Christi began with Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St Phillip the Martyr.

Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC, presided over the Mass, and Father Andreas Schöggl, LC, read the Gospel and gave today’s homily. Father Andreas reflected on what we are looking for in this assembly: “Let us look for what God wants to give us and what Jesus wants to be for us.”

After Mass, the delegates met in their groups to review the following topics.

• Identity (charism, common mission, autonomy of branches)
• Structure of the federation and governing bodies
• The role of the laity within the federation and in the revision of its rule
• Institutional works (How they exist, how they express the charism, how they serve the common mission, how they are managed)

After these meetings, they had lunch followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten them with proper discernment.

To conclude the afternoon sessions, the delegates had a plenary meeting where they discussed the issues reflected in the working groups and reviewed the first draft of the communiqué from this part of the extraordinary general assembly. The draft was prepared by a commission with members from all four branches of the Movement (Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and Lay Members).

About the Extraordinary General Assembly:

Regnum Christi is undertaking a process of revision of its General Statute with the purpose of providing the whole Movement with an appropriate canonical form. For this goal, 91 delegates representing the different vocations that make up the Regnum Christi – Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and lay members – are meeting in the first half of a two-part General Assembly. The first part began on Monday, April 9, and the second part will be in November.

www.rcstatutes.org has more information. Click here for photos from today.

The sixth day began with Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Phillip the Martyr presided by Father Cleomar Ferronato, LC. He recalled that on the shores of Lake Galilee, they found a small wooden boat from around Jesus’ time that was recovered and restored. Some even think it might be Jesus’ boat. Father Cleomar invited the delegates that we touch heaven because Jesus is inside us, as the apostles touched earth in the middle of the storm when Jesus came out to meet them.

After Mass, the delegates met by branches to review throughout the morning. The 18 Consecrated Women analyzed the proposal; as did the 6 Lay Consecrated Men, and the 30 lay members. The 37 legionaries met to discuss this topic in more depth.

At the end of the day, each branch shared its conclusions and observations on the proposal in a plenary session. Father Ghirlanda, the pontifical assistant, was present.

Afterwards, all the delegates prayed the Rosary together. Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC, invited the delegates to make a consecration to Mary to intercede for Regnum Christi and for this important process being undertaken.

About the Extraordinary General Assembly:

Convinced that what concerns Regnum Christi concerns all its members, the various consecrated branches have placed their proposal before the General Assembly for all to work together on the path of discernment. These proposals address issues such as the existence of a common charism, the participation of the laity in Regnum Christi as a whole, the autonomy of the branches, the canonical configuration of the federation, the proposal of the Draft Statutes presented by the General Committee, the type of government of the federation, and the way of governing works of apostolate.

More info is at www.rcstatutes.org. Click here for today’s photos.

Does Regnum Christi burn in our hearts as God wants it to burn? Do we let ourselves become His instruments to burn in other hearts? With these questions, Father Paul Lara, LC, Territorial Director of Monterrey, officiated the Mass at the beginning of activities of the fifth day of the Extraordinary General Assembly in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Phillip the Martyr.

In his homily, Father Paul asked God to protect us in his father’s heart, to take us to a greater intimacy and to lead us to a greater apostolic zeal.

After Mass, the 91 delegates continued with the pending votes of the previous day. Today also had a commemoration of the 43^rd anniversary of when Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC, Father Florencio Sánchez, LC, and Father Álvaro Corcuera, LC, (RIP) joined Regnum Christi.

After the voting, Father Eduardo presented his report that went through the entire renewal process we are experiencing. He thanked and acknowledged the work of all those who have been involved in this process. Gloria Rodríguez and Jorge López also presented their report. The delegates had the opportunity to ask the general directors about their reports.

After this, each Territorial Director of Regnum Christi presented the report of its territory (North America, Monterrey, Mexico and Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Chile, Spain, Central Europe, and Italy).

After lunch, the delegates had time for Eucharistic adoration, knowing such moments of prayer are important for the discernment taking place in the assembly.

In the afternoon, Father Jaime Rodríguez, LC, explained the working document that the first part of the prepared. 65 Legionary priests participated in this part from March 26 to April 7. Father Ghirlanda was present at this session and the participants were able to ask questions about this topic.

About the Extraordinary General Assembly:

The first session of the General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ and the General Assemblies of Consecrated Women and Lay Consecrated Men went first to offer initial considerations to the General Assembly to be worked on jointly with all branches in the coming days.

More information is at www.rcstatutes.org. Click her for today’s images.

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor,” rang out the responsorial psalm this morning. Reflecting on this, the 91 delegates participating in the Extraordinary General Assembly of Regnum Christi began the day with Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Phillip the Martyr in Rome.

Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC, presided, and Father Sylvester Heereman, LC, gave a homily affirming, “We must be apostles, men and women who believe that the Lord is present.”

When Mass concluded, the delegates went to the assembly hall where they continued voting on numbers from the second draft of the General Statutes of Regnum Christi (. As they voted, they could comment and reflect on the points.

At the end of this session, they all met in teams to review numbers 9-41 of the draft, taking time to answer the following questions: Is there a topic requiring substantial discussion because the focus needs reworking? Do we think numbers 9-41 can be the base text of the draft for final review in November?

These numbers contain the following themes regarding the Regnum Christi identity:

• 9-11 end and mission
• 12-21 fundamental lines of spirituality
• 22-27 spiritual life and path of holiness
• 28-32 communion and patrons
• 33-41 principles of apostolic action

The group sessions lasted the rest of the morning and into the beginning of the afternoon. The last session was the plenary session with Father Ghirlanda present. The delegates were able to present their team reflections to the rest of the participants and then voted on those numbers.

In the evening, the delegates went to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe for a Eucharistic Hour. Each delegate had the opportunity for silence, prayer and personal dialogue with Jesus.

If you want to hear reflections from the delegates, from around the world, there is a new video entitled “Open Mic: The International Delegates Speak.” (Note: turn on YouTube Closed Captioning for English subtitles.)

About the extraordinary general assembly:

The purpose of the Extraordinary General Assembly of Regnum Christi is to discern and approve the legal configuration of Regnum Christi as a whole, which will then be proposed to the Holy See for final approval. It reviews and gives its opinion about the Draft General Statute of Regnum Christi proposed by the General Steering Committee.

For more information, please visit www.rcstatutes.org. Click here for photos from today.

“We are called to a joint discernment,” reflected Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, SJ, consultant to the Commission for the revision of the Regnum Christi Statutes, in the homily at the Mass opening the third day of the Assembly. “Let us all ask the Holy Spirit to guide us wherever he wants, to do the will of God, which is the only important thing in our lives,” he concluded.

The 91 delegates participating in the Extraordinary General Assembly of Regnum Christi met at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Phillip the Martyr in Rome to begin the day of the third day with the Eucharistic celebration presided by Father Ghirlanda.

Then they started the work sessions where the Francisco Gámez, lay member on the Regnum Christi General Committee, read the conclusions the lay members came to at their meeting yesterday. At the end of this session, the delegates continued asking Father Ghirlanda questions about yesterday’s report.

Then the delegates broke into eight teams each composed of various members from different countries and ages. The goal was clarifying and reviewing the vision in the draft regarding Regnum Christi’s identity. “The meetings were very satisfying as trust, communion and dialogue prevailed,” said Irene Alemany, Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi. “We delved into several issues where we were able discuss different points of view: the important thing is that we could have clarity about where the similarities and differences are,” said Karl-Olaf Bergmann, delegate from Germany.

After lunch, there was a rest period where several delegates took advantage to continue sharing ideas and reflecting on the topics seen during these first days.

After, they continued the plenary session. In the afternoon, the delegates reviewed and voted on some numbers regarding identity from the second draft of the General Statutes ( published on February 27, 2018.

About the Extraordinary General Assembly:

The General Assembly will have two stages: the first part, from April, 9-18 and the second, in November. It brings together 91 delegates from all the realities that make up Regnum Christi: Legionaries, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and laity. 31% (29) participate by office and 69% (62) have been elected by vote from among members of their own branches.

More information is available at www.rcstatutes.org

Click here for pictures from today.

Fr. Gianfranco Ghirlanda, SJ, started the second day of the extraordinary general assembly by giving a report of the path taken toward revising the Regnum Christi statutes. Delegates had the opportunity to ask about the implications of the canonical configuration explained in the draft statutes and the role of the lay members within Regnum Christi. They reflected on these points and took the opportunity to raise questions about the proposed federation.

In 2010, Fr. Ghirlanda was appointed personal advisor to the Pontifical Delegate for the Legionaries of Christ, Card. Velasio De Paolis. In 2012, the Pontifical Delegate entrusted him with the government of the Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi. He participated as president of the General Assembly of the Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi in November 2013, and as Vice President in the extraordinary general chapter of the Legionaries of Christ in January and February 2014. On March 19, 2014, Fr. Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC, appointed him as a consultant to the Commission of the revision of the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Movement.

The delegates from Brazil, Chile, Spain, Europe, Italy, Mexico and Central America, Monterrey, North America, and Venezuela then met to discuss the points discussed so far.

After lunch, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was available for delegates. In the afternoon, the 30 lay delegates from the different countries met to reflect on three specific points: 1) What it means to be a Regnum Christi member (in their life), 2) their vocation as lay non-consecrated members in recent years, and 3) the role of lay members in the federation.

Each layperson reflected on the importance of Regnum Christi in their own lives and on how Regnum Christi has been a real instrument bringing them closer to God.

Concluding the second day’s activities, the delegates attended a funeral Mass for the eternal rest of , celebrated by Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC, in the chapel of the International College of the Legionaries of Christ in Rome.

Father Eduardo remembered Brother Anthony as a happy man who was devoted to his vocation. He thanked all the innumerable expressions of affection that have been received from all over the world.

Brother Anthony’s body (accompanied by Legionaries) will be transported to Houston, Texas, for the funeral and burial by his family, friends, and nearby members of Regnum Christi.

About the Extraordinary General Assembly:

The purpose of the extraordinary general assembly of the Regnum Christi Movement is to discern and approve the legal configuration of Regnum Christi as a whole, which will then be proposed to the Holy See for final approval. It reviews and gives its opinion about the Draft General Statute of Regnum Christi proposed by the General Steering Committee.

For more information, please visit www.rcstatutes.org

Click here for images

“Walk with confidence knowing that the Church will help you when you need it” said Monsignor José Rodríguez Carballo, O.F.M., titular archbishop of Belcastro and secretary of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, who presided over the opening Mass for the extraordinary general assembly of Regnum Christi in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and San Filippo Martire in Rome, Italy.

91 delegates from Germany, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Italy, Mexico, El Salvador, Spain, the United States, the Philippines, France and Venezuela are participating in the extraordinary general assembly of Regnum Christi in order to discern and approve the canonical configuration of the Regnum Christi Movement as a whole.

The first day began with the Holy Mass presided over by Monsignor José Rodríguez Carballo, O.F.M.. During the homily, he referenced the Solemnity of the Annunciation and reflected on three points. The first one was based on the words of Mary to the angel: “Here I am.” He said that “The incarnation is motivated by the unconditional love of God for man. God looked for a house and found it in Mary.” He invited those present to live an unconditional faith that accepts life’s difficulties but, in the end, bows before the immensity of the mystery of God.

The second reflection focused on discernment. He encouraged the delegates to keep two things in mind while discerning during this assembly: the first being the Gospel and the second being the sign of the times. “The Gospel is the supreme rule of all consecrated persons,” he said, quoting Pope Francis. He added “The rules of each institute must be based on this. The Gospel is not an ideology because Jesus is not a person. The Gospel is a way of life because Jesus is a person. Referring to the signs of the times, he commented “We live not in a time of change, but in a change of times […] It is a moment that I consider to be a grace. Reading the signs of the times forces us to be awake.” He then said: “Dear brothers and sisters, during this assembly we must ask ourselves, what does the Lord ask of me at this moment? Not fifty years ago, not fifty years from today. Now. The past is no longer ours, the future we do not know if it will be ours. It is here and now that we are asked to be faithful […] The charism is fluid, otherwise it would not respond to the signs of the times. Our God is the God of history so our faith must be historical.”

Later, he considered the greeting that the angel sent to Mary: Rejoice. “The Lord loves us as we are, with our sins, and grace abounds […] The joy for a consecrated person is not a possibility, it is a responsibility […] I ask that you always have joy in your heart […] Sometimes the heart bleeds but others have the right to see a resurrected face when they look at us […]

Finally, he commented “Difficult times help us […] may the assembly be a moment to reignite, refound in a sense, the charism. To discern together, to discern the will of God. And, please, do not be afraid. Fear is lack of faith. Sometimes we justify it with many beautiful words, but deep down, fear is lack of faith.” He invited those present to remember the words Our Lady said to Juan Diego: “Why are you afraid? I am your mother, I am here, how beautiful it is to walk along by the hand of Our Lady. May she accompany you during this assembly and in all the ways, that from today, you will begin to travel.” He offered gratitude and reminded those present to walk with confidence, with the Church, on this journey. He said “Pope Francis follows the Regnum Christi process very closely and prays for you […] Let us ask the Lord to continue giving vocations to the Movement.”

Fr. Sylvester Heereman, L.C., reviewed the renewal process that we have experienced so far, highlighting the accompaniment that the Church has provided Regnum Christi.

The delegates had some time to greet one another and then started the sessions for the day. They reviewed the conclusions of the extraordinary general chapter of the Legion of Christ and the extraordinary general assembly of the consecrated women as well as the communiqué from the lay consecrated men to the delegates of the extraordinary general assembly of Regnum Christi. They had moments of prayer and communion throughout the first day.