From November 9 to 13, at the Headquarters of the General Directorate of the Legionaries of Christ in Rome, the first international gathering of vocations promoters, was held, which included the participation of 42 Legionary priests, a consecrated layperson, and two lay members of Regnum Christi.

 

 

During the days of the meeting, there was an opportunity to deepen and reflect on the current situation of the congregation regarding vocational work, to learn about the work developed in various territories, to exchange ideas and points of view, and to contribute to and join the projects being developed to continue responding to the needs of the Church and the congregation in the field of vocational pastoral care.

Father Hernán Jiménez, L.C., General Vicar of the Congregation and responsible for vocational promotion, opened the meeting with a presentation on the importance and purpose of this first international gathering of vocations promoters. Father Michael Brisson, L.C., General Counselor, shared with the attendees the numerical overview of the current situation of the congregation and its projection for the next five years.

 

On the second day of work, each territory made a presentation about the ecclesial and vocational reality they face, answering the following questions: What is the situation of the Church and the experience of faith in your territory? What is the situation of youth regarding the Christian faith? What is the image of the Legionaries of Christ congregation? What is your vocational strategy and what results have you achieved? Based on the answers to these questions, reflecting the experiences of each territory, a comprehensive and very realistic overview of the ecclesial situation, vocational action, and its challenges across the regions where the congregation is present was outlined.

This day concluded with a moment of prayer and fellowship at the International College of the Legionaries of Christ, where the Philosophy and Theology communities organized a Eucharistic Hour for vocations and a dinner shared with the vocations promoters.

On the third day of meetings, Father Mario Oscar Llanos, S.D.B., Salesian priest, professor of pedagogy and vocational pastoral care at the Salesian University of Rome, was present. Father Mario is working to soon offer Legionaries involved in youth and vocational pastoral care professional training in accompaniment and discernment topics. During his visit, he shared the course content with the priests and listened to their concerns and opinions.

That same day, José Mateos Brito, responsible for vocational promotion of the Lay Consecrated of Regnum Christi, explained to those present the renewal process they have carried out as an apostolic society of life and the results they have achieved to better understand their specific identity. He also mentioned the need for teamwork among the different realities of Regnum Christi in youth and vocational pastoral care and emphasized the contribution that the Legion can make at the vocational level for the benefit of the entire federation.

At the end of this day, the topic of “the awareness of a need” was developed, addressing errors, misunderstandings, wounds, and questionable ideas that may be obstacles to vocational promotion among the Legionaries themselves.

The last day of work was dedicated to reflecting and discussing how to attract today’s youth to the scope of action of the Legionary. Each territory presented specific proposals based on what they are already doing and wish to continue developing. The most important projects regarding vocational pastoral care were also discussed at a general level, and a moment was dedicated to concretize ideas by territory. The day concluded with a sharing session involving Father John Connor, L.C., General Director of the Legionaries, and a final synthesis. That same night, after the meetings, a dinner was held with all members of the headquarters of the general direction to share the experience of these days of work and reflection.

On November 13, the day on which the feast of the Director General was celebrated, all participants joined the celebration at the International College, with all the other Legionaries living in Rome. During the intercommunity breakfast, Father John Connor, L.C., delivered a few words and thanked the priests for their participation in this gathering, encouraged them to continue their work with great enthusiasm, and invited all Legionaries to pray for them and their mission.