The Congregation has a new website that responds to its institutional and informational needs to showcase its apostolic and missionary work carried out across the different territories where it is present.
In 2002, seven years after the globalization of the internet, the Legion of Christ had its first institutional website. Over the years, several updates have been made to meet the communication needs of those times, marking an important chronology in the digital history of the Legion. But it was time to change, to update, and to take a step towards new ways of communicating focused on the current characteristics of the digital world and its users, especially considering the strategic communication needs of the Legion.
For these reasons, on November 24th, the solemnity of Christ the King, the Legion launched a new website that centralizes institutional information in one place: charism, mission, governance, territories, apostolates, vocations, news, safe environments, press room, training resources, among others, on a site based on usability (engineering and design), responsive (adaptable for mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones), and flexible and adaptable in its administration and management, which integrates into the digital ecosystem along with social media profiles that gather over 100,000 followers.
We have prepared a series of questions and answers about the new website.
- What institutional and informational needs does the new Legion website address?
The basic need to start giving much greater relevance to the institutional information about the current reality of the Legion. That is, the website we had until now responded to a historical moment, but today we aim to more fully showcase what the institution is, its change, renewal, and this is achieved through all the actions that Legionaries develop across the territories where we are present. Ultimately, it’s a relationship between institution and information: this is who we are, this is what we do, and what we do is because of who we are.
2. In daily life, what is the benefit for a Legionary of having a renewed institutional website like this?
First, it serves as a reference to invite others to learn about the Legion because it’s not just news. The new site consolidates everything about governance, spirit, charism, identity, documents, apostolates, vocations, in a section called “Being a Legionary,” among others; but it also aims to reach the large audience that is not Legionary, which exceeds 100,000 users each month who want to understand what we do and why we do it.
3. Thinking about an external audience, non-Legionaries, how is it useful to them?
It is useful for understanding what the Congregation is dedicated to, what it does, its mission and spirit, especially through its history, growth, development, setbacks, and renewal. Ultimately, it allows those who are not Legionaries to learn firsthand and from a reliable source what we do and why we do it.
4. What new features does the website have in this particular communication context, where digital is not the only element, but also artificial intelligence and many other challenges in relations with institutions and media?
The first thing I want to say is that it is a website entirely based on the concept of usability, combining design and engineering to create a site that is fully navigable not only from computers but also from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. The second is that previously, information was scattered and atomized; we had a website with information about the Legion, news, facts, governance, statistics, press releases, safe environments, etc. Now, all of this is centralized at legionariosdecristo.org, where visitors will find all the information in one place. The third is that it is now a website with many more sections: we will learn more about our documents, apostolates, mission, the general governance, safe environments, among other aspects.
In summary:
1. Usability model: synergy between design and engineering to achieve a clean, functional, intuitive, and lightweight site.
2. Responsive: we have a website that adapts to mobile devices, a fundamental aspect considering that over 83.7% of people browse via smartphones, according to Comscore, 2023.
3. Institutional communication strategy – information: this is who we are – this is what we do / what we do – because of who we are.
4. Centralization of information: governance, safe environments, institutional information, Church and Pope-related content, all in one site.
5. We are not just ourselves: the new menu includes everything related to apostolates and common works, as an additional space for promoting Legionary mission in communion with Regnum Christi.
6. Resources LC: we now have a section for documents, books, podcasts, and training videos (prayer, meditation).
The key point to remember is that this ecosystem does not operate solely through the website. The website is a reference point, but we also know that social media is a major driver of access to information and much of what we publish on our social networks is also posted on the website to foster interaction and is supported by other institutional channels.
5. Is there a section about vocational topics?
We have created a whole section called “Being a Legionary.” It invites to learn about all the activities Legionaries undertake in different territories. In this “Being a Legionary” section, you will find topics such as vocational discernment, vocational centers, stages of formation, and vocational contacts, meaning: the page should be an anchor that motivates learning more (especially for those discerning or feeling a call). We want them to find that space in the Legion. That’s why it includes contacts, territories, images, infographics so that interested individuals can know what to do if they decide to join us, whom to contact, how to start. The process concludes with the stages of formation and the vocational process within the Congregation, among others. You can find it at this link.
6. Are there resources for training and prayer?
We have a section titled “Resources.” We refer not only to our institutional documents but also to other audiences, external visitors who browse our site, resources like podcasts, YouTube videos made by many Legionaries, which are published, well-managed, and do great good, and which we will incorporate into our pages. Therefore, we also invite Legionaries who have podcasts, YouTube videos, active accounts that they consider useful, with good engagement and regular updates, to send us their information so we can include it on our website.
