The celebration of the Jubilee Year in the Movement is a fitting moment “to thank the Lord for His gifts and His mercy in these 75 years of life of the Legion and the Movement” (cf. Letter from Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, March 12, 2015).
The consecrated women present below the experience of some of their members who have completed 25 years of consecration throughout the year 2015.
What does being consecrated to the Regnum Christi mean to you today?
Merce Madrigal: In the words of St. John Paul II, “gift and mystery.” A gift I have received and want to share with the people I live and work with. A mystery that fills me with deep gratitude and makes me kneel to thank and beg for the gift of final perseverance.
Monique Villen: Over time, I realize that what truly matters is not so much what I do, but what I am called to be, as it is a lifelong journey, and I feel very far from the goal: to be more of Christ to give Him, so that the greatest number of people may know and experience His love. Our charism is LOVE, and this resonates more and more in my heart. In the end, it is the only thing that matters.
Carmen Tapia: I consider my vocation a gift from God, before which I feel deep admiration—a concrete way of living and loving, putting at the service of others the qualities that God has given me, my path to HAPPINESS.
Letty Rendón: For me, being consecrated is a very personal call from God to my soul. He invited me, pursued me, and seduced me; Regnum Christi was a means through which I came to know God and my vocation. Being consecrated today in Regnum Christi is a gift from God, as it has led me along unexpected paths, paths of great purification and at the same time paths of great human and spiritual growth that have forged an integration of my humanity.
Rocío Caballero: Every day, Christ falls more in love with me. And this makes me very happy and fulfilled, despite the difficulties, crosses, sufferings, and challenges that life itself presents. It is worth responding generously to Christ and investing one’s life in the only necessary thing!
After these 25 years, how do you see your vocation today?
Merce Madrigal: As a call within a call… that is, the first love was renewed in the desert experience where God made His covenant with His people… Every day, I see that He only wants and needs me to allow His love’s light to shine through me, so that people can discover the beauty of His love. Just as the beauty and message of stained glass windows are visible only when sunlight passes through them, I feel called to reflect God’s love.
Guadalupe del Toro: As a very beautiful choice of God, I feel very blessed and small before such great love of God. For me, sharing love and friendship with Christ with others, so that they may come to know Him, is the most beautiful thing I can do; it’s worth everything to see someone open their heart to God.
Maite Espinosa de los Monteros: I am amazed that these 25 years of consecration to God and others have passed so quickly. I have lived them intensely trying to love, even amid my limitations. I have lived them fully, but I see clearly that my love now is purer and more disinterested than at the beginning; it has been purified and matured through pain. “In His name,” I cast my nets and have overcome challenges I never thought I could reach humanly. I have learned many things over these years, but one thing that has been clear and well learned is: God’s fidelity. That is why I would like to prolong this psalm of gratitude and praise for eternity: “I will sing forever of the mercies of the Lord” (Psalm 88).
Letty Rendón: Today I thirst for Christ, I need Him, and He is my main motivation. God has given me such an experience of His Love that it has led me to move from duty to love. Only God suffices!
Monique Villen: These 25 years have flown by, and I wouldn’t change them for anything. Today I live my vocation with more enthusiasm than ever and with great hope. We are beginning a new stage, like the phoenix rising from the ashes; I believe more mature, tested by life, and more humble.
Martha Oseguera: For me, being consecrated to the Regnum Christi today means a different challenge than 25 years ago because now my vocation looks more beautiful, clearer, and with more opportunities for evangelization and spiritual growth. It’s as if the blinds of a window have been fully opened, letting in a lot of light. My experience with Christ is that of a wife and Bride, of abandonment into His hands both in prayer, in apostolate, and in community, trusting fully in His grace.
What apostolic experience has marked you the most?
Monique Villen: The founding years, both of Le Châtelard Academy (1992-1995) in Switzerland and of the student center in Paris (1996-2001). But thinking about it more, I believe that the years as a teacher at the Monterrey Training Center (2002-2011) were a gift for me. They allowed me to witness the miracle of so many vocations and also helped me discover and bring to light many hidden talents that I am now developing for evangelization in the cultural field.
Martha Oseguera: The work in Colombia with young women definitely left a mark on my soul in the sense of seeing how God touches souls and leads them to grace, and how they can fall in love with Him at such a young age. Now, my apostolate with primary school girls, full of purity and desire for God, and how they lead their parents to approach God. Also, the prayer groups I lead with the mothers of the school fill me with joy because I see how they rediscover the beauty of their faith, which they had already put aside.
Guadalupe del Toro: The World Youth Days in Canada with John Paul II, in Cologne with Pope Benedict XVI, and in Rio de Janeiro with Pope Francis. In all of them, my experience was, in one way or another, seeing the strength of Christ’s love in youth, witnessing the beauty of the universality of the Church, and being a witness to how God touches the hearts of these young people to lead them to more love, through His vicar and the testimony of other young people.
Merce Madrigal: The work at Le Châtelard Academy, where God allowed me to spend 5 years. I was able to witness the action of His grace in the girls, the thirsty and needy ones who longed for Him, to know Him, to experience His love; and to ground their lives in Christ. Over the years, it is very impressive to see how much those months mark their lives. Also, the work that can be done with the staff working at the academy, simply because I am consecrated.
Maite Espinosa de los Monteros: Among the most beautiful apostolic experiences I have had are those when I have transmitted the faith, especially to the most needy and humble people, who have been able to approach the Lord through the sacraments. When I have given courses and reflections on the Holy Mass, and people come to thank me for helping them get closer to this mystery and miracle of Love. And the years I worked in youth formation at the student center in the United States.
We congratulate all the consecrated women who completed 25 years of consecration in 2015:
August 27: Rocío Caballero, Merce Madrigal, and Monique Villen.
February 27: María Cristina Mardónez.
May 2: Florencia Vicuña.
October 22: Guadalupe del Toro, Maite Espinosa de los Monteros, María Náder, Letty Rendón, Carmen Tapia, and Martha Oseguera.
