Introduction
The Legion of Christ is a Catholic religious order established in 1941 in Mexico by Fr. Marcial Maciel. It enjoys the favor of Pope John Paul II, possibly in part because of its flexibility in facing contemporary challenges and reputation for sound teaching. It is currently one of the Church's fastest-growing orders, with a presence in 20 countries, and over 550 priests and 2,500 seminarians.
The founder
Fr. Marcial Maciel (1920-?) was born into an extremely devout Catholic family living in a fiercely-anticlerical Mexico. On June 19, 1936, Fr. Marcial - just a young seminarian at the time - felt called to establish a new religious order. Despite his lack of either funds or relevant experience, Marcial Maciel responded to what he believed to be God's call and in 1941, with the support of the bishop of Cuernavaca, Bishop Francisco González Arias, the Legion was born. A recent letter explains the foundation in terms of Christian love:
- "Charity, love, is then the essence of Christianity, the deepest explanation of the Incarnation and Christs work of Redemption. Thats why I cannot picture a Christianity or understand a truly Christian life whose soul is not charity. This is clearly the essence of the charism God inspired in me when I was sixteen and he asked me to found the Legion and Regnum Christi. And this was what the first cofounders with the help of grace strove to live from the early foundation." (Letter for the Feast of Christ the King, 23 October 2001)
Fr. Maciel was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop González Arias in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City on the 26th November 1944, after which he continued to build up the Legion and its lay companion, Regnum Christi.
Called to accompany Pope John Paul II on his visits to Mexico in 1979, 1990, and 1993, Fr. Maciel was also appointed by the Holy Father to the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the formation of Candidates for the Priesthood in Actual Circumstances (1991). He has been a member of the Interdicasterial Commission for a Just Distribution of Clergy (1991), the IV General Conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) (1992), the Synod of Bishops on Consecrated Life and Their Mission in the Church and the World (1993), the Synod of Bishops´ Special Assembly for America (1997) and, since 1994, a permanent consultant to the Congregation for the Clergy. The golden anniversary of his priestly ordination was celebrated on 26th November, 1994, with 57 Legionary priests ordained on the anniversary's eve. Presently, Fr. Marcial Maciel also serves as Chancellor of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, which is based in Rome.
Ethos
Members of the Legion take vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, as well as a promise or so-called fourth vow not to speak ill of religious superiors. The Legion's spirituality can be described as three loves: love for Christ, love for Mary, and love for the Church and Pope.
Love for Christ is, for Legionaries, a personal experience. Through the Gospel, the Cross, and the Eucharist, Legionaries come to know Christ intimately, and love him in a passionate way by embracing him as their only model of holiness.
Love for Mary flows from imitating Christ; the Blessed Virgin is loved as both Mother of the Church and of the individual Legionary's vocation. Legonaries consecrate their spiritual and apostolic lives to her care, and seek to taken on her virtues of faith, hope, charity, obedience, humility, and cooperation with Christ´s plan of redemption.
Finally, there is Legionaries' love for Church and Pope. The Church is loved because it is the Body of Christ, and the beginning of his Kingdom on earth. Legionaries see the Church both as she currently stands and as Christ wants her to be. Thus Legionaries honor her by faith, submit to her in obedience, win souls for her through evangelisation, and put her above all other earthly things in their lives. This love of the Church leads many in the Legion to speak of being "always in step with the Church, neither ahead nor behind." It also explains the Legionaries' special affection for the Pope, who is supported in his charism of primacy and magisterium. All bishops in communion with the Roman Pontiff, as the Apostles' successors and teachers of the Catholic Faith, are likewise honored.
Formation
As a whole, the Legion is dedicated to advancing the Church's mission in the world, and to this end submits candidates to a rigorous formation of four stages: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral.
Papal support
Since its founding, successive popes have expressed support for the Legion. When Maciel visited Rome in 1946, Pope Pius XII expressed a keen interest in the undertaking and gave it his personal blessing. In light of the order's achievements, particularly in education, Pope Paul VI was pleased to award it the "Decree of Praise" in 1965. The most enthusiastic support has, however, been that of Pope John Paul II, who in a recent address picked out the qualities which have made the Legion so successful:
- "[One] trait which distinguishes your charism is apostolic fervour. show this in all the many works you have undertaken, especially in education, evangelization, social communications, the spreading of the Church's social teaching, the cultural and human promotion of the disadvantaged, and the training of diocesan priests. In all of this you strive to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, who constantly renews the face of the Church with gifts and charisms which enrich and strengthen her. In a secularized world such as our own, built in large part on neglect of transcendent truths and values, the faith of many of our brothers and sisters is sorely tried. Because of this, there is a need today more than ever for a confident proclamation of the Gospel which, casting aside all crippling fears, announces with intellectual depth and with courage the truth about God, about man, about the world. To you, Legionaries of Christ and members of Regnum Christi, I repeat the words of St Catherine of Siena which I proposed to the young people at the World Youth Day: "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!"" (Thursday, 4 January 2001)
The Legion's strong commitment to papal authority leads many to believe that the order can look forward to good relations with future occupiers of the Petrine office.
Reading list
- Marcial Maciel: Christ Is My Life, Sophia Institute Press, 2003. ISBN 1928832970
- Marcial Maciel: Integral Formation of Catholic Priests, Alba House, 1992. ISBN 0818906294
- Anthony Bannon: Peter on the Shore, Circle Press, 1996. ISBN 0965160106
- Patrick Langan: Founders, Circle Press, 1998. ISBN 0965160114
External links
|
