The capitular parents have elected these days the six general counselors and the general administrator, thus forming the governing body for the next six years. The general council collaborates with the general director in the governance of the Congregation. This collaboration is expressed, above all, by giving their consent or opinion as determined by universal law or the proper law.
As was reported on February 7, Father John Connor, LC was elected general director, succeeding Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, LC. After the votes, the new governing body is as follows:
- Vicar general and first general counselor: Father Hernán Jiménez, LC
- Second general counselor: Father Jesús Villagrasa, LC
- Third general counselor: Father Rafael Ducci, LC
- Fourth general counselor: Father Pedro Barrajón, LC
- Fifth general counselor: Father Gerardo Flores, LC
- Sixth general counselor: Father Michael Brisson, LC
- General administrator: Father José Cárdenas, LC
Who makes up the new governing body
General Director: Father John Connor, LC
Father John Lane Connor, LC, was born on February 15, 1968, in Severna Park, Maryland, United States. He graduated as a business administrator from Loyola University Maryland (1990). He entered the Legion of Christ Novitiate on September 15, 1991, in Roetgen, Germany. From 1994 to 1996, he worked as a formator at Everest School Monteclaro in Madrid. He made his perpetual profession on May 1, 2000, and was ordained a priest on January 2, 2001, in Rome. From his ordination until 2004, he collaborated in the Fundraising office on the East Coast of the United States. From 2004 to 2010, he was local coordinator of apostolate in New York City and helped in the founding and direction of Lumen Institute. From 2009 to 2010, he was superior of the apostolic community in New York. From 2010 to 2011, he was territorial director of Atlanta. Subsequently, from 2011 to 2014, he collaborated as assistant for apostolate in North America. Since 2014, he has been territorial director of the Legion of Christ and member of the Territorial Steering Committee of Regnum Christi in North America. On February 6, 2020, he was elected general director of the Legionaries of Christ.
Vicar general and first general counselor: Father Hernán Jiménez, LC
Father Hernán Jiménez, LC, was born on January 6, 1959, in Monterrey, Nuevo León (Mexico). He joined the Legion of Christ in 1976 and completed his Novitiate and humanities studies in Salamanca, Spain. In 1978, he moved to Rome to begin his bachelor’s degree in philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1982, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree from that faculty. In 1990, he completed theology studies at the Angelicum and was ordained a priest on January 3, 1991. He has collaborated in youth ministry in Spain and vocational ministry in Italy and Mexico. From 2011 to 2016, he was rector of the theology community at the Legionaries of Christ International College in Rome. In 2016, he moved to Mexico City to collaborate in vocations promotion and serve as rector of the Student Center and territorial counselor. He was elected as first counselor and vicar general by the Congregation’s General Chapter in February 2020.
Second general counselor: Father Jesús Villagrasa, LC
Father Jesús Villagrasa, LC, was born in 1963 in Zaragoza, Spain. He entered the Legion of Christ Novitiate in Salamanca on September 15, 1981, and made his perpetual profession on October 8, 1989. He was ordained a priest on November 25, 1994. He holds a doctorate in philosophy, a licentiate in theology, and a licentiate in Bioethics. Since 1999, he has been a regular professor of metaphysics at the faculty of philosophy of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He has served as director of the Quality Office and the Evaluation Unit of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (2009-2013). On January 31, 2011, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis appointed him general counselor, a position confirmed by the 2014 General Chapter. He has been responsible for overseeing the Regnum Christi schools and universities network and served as rector of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum from 2013 to 2019. On February 7, he was re-elected by the 2020 General Chapter as a general counselor of the Legionaries of Christ.
Third general counselor: Father Rafael Ducci, LC
Father Rafael Ducci, LC, was born in Santiago (Chile) on September 12, 1970. He joined the Legion of Christ on March 25, 1989, after completing high school studies. He made his perpetual profession in June 1997 and was ordained a priest on December 24, 2002. He holds a licentiate in philosophy and a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. For ten years, he collaborated in the offices of the general secretariat. He has been director of the section for gentlemen and ladies of Regnum Christi in Santiago (Chile). Before being elected as general counselor of the Legionaries of Christ by the 2020 ordinary General Chapter, he served as territorial vicar and responsible for the territorial apostolate team in the Chile Territory. He was elected as a general counselor by the Congregation’s General Chapter in February 2020.
Fourth general counselor: Father Pedro Barrajón, LC
Father Pedro Barrajón, LC, was born on December 4, 1957, in Valdepeñas, Ciudad Real, Spain. He joined the Legion of Christ on October 4, 1974. He made his perpetual profession on April 7, 1985. During his apostolic practices, he was assistant of ECYD and of the youth section of Regnum Christi in Monterrey (1979-1983). He was prefect of studies of the Consecrated Laity in Mexico (1985-1986). From 1987 to 2000, he collaborated as an assistant to the general secretariat. He studied his Bachelor’s in Theology at the Angelicum university in Rome and holds a licentiate in philosophy and a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest on December 24, 1988. After his ordination, he has mainly dedicated himself to academic pastoral work, first at the International College of the Legionaries of Christ, then affiliated with the Pontifical Gregorian University (1991-1992), and from 1993 onward, at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, where he served as rector from 2007 to 2013. From 2004 to 2014, he was director of the adult sections in Brussels, Belgium. Later, he was director of the Sacerdos Institute from 2014 until 2016. He is currently rector of the European University of Rome. He was elected as a general counselor by the Congregation’s General Chapter in February 2020.
Fifth general counselor: Father Gerardo Flores, LC
Father Gerardo Flores de la Fuente, LC, was born on February 21, 1972, in Puebla, Mexico. In 1990, he entered the Legion of Christ Novitiate in Cheshire, United States, where he also completed his humanities studies from 1992 to 1993. He studied ecclesiastical studies at the Consecrated Laity at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, Italy, where he also obtained a licentiate in philosophy. From 1995 to 2000, he collaborated in the formation of minor seminarians in Monterrey, Mexico. He made his perpetual profession on August 15, 1998, and was ordained a priest on December 24, 2003. After his ordination, he returned to Mexico, where he continued collaborating in the formation of minor seminarians at vocations centers in La Joya (Mexico City), León, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. Since 2015, he has been responsible for overseeing the renewal process of the vocations centers of the Legion of Christ, and since 2017, he has been in charge of Safe Environments for minors and vulnerable adults. He was elected as a general counselor by the Congregation’s General Chapter in February 2020.
Sexto consejero general: Father Michael Brisson, LC
Father Michael Brisson, LC, was born on February 22, 1977, in Hartford, United States. He joined the Legion of Christ in 1995 in Cheshire. He completed his novitiate in Monterrey, Mexico, and his humanities studies in Cheshire. During his apostolic practices, he collaborated in the Fundraising office in the United States. He holds a licentiate in philosophy from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, where he also completed his first year of ecclesiastical theology studies from 2006 to 2007. In 2007, he was appointed territorial secretary of the New York territory and manager of the community at the territorial headquarters while finishing his studies. He was ordained a priest on December 12, 2009, at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Subsequently, he was appointed superior of the New York territorial headquarters and director of the sections for gentlemen and ladies in the same city. Later, he collaborated for three years as local apostolate coordinator in New York and superior of the apostolate community in Thornwood. Since 2013, he has served as territorial secretary for North America, superior of a Legionary community in Atlanta, and chaplain of the Regnum Christi Consecrated Women in Atlanta. He was elected as a general counselor by the Congregation’s General Chapter in February 2020.
General Administrator: Father José Cárdenas, LC
Father José Gerardo Cárdenas Jiménez, LC, was born on July 1, 1957, in Monterrey, Mexico. He began his novitiate on September 15, 1974, in Orange, Connecticut, United States. He made his perpetual profession on December 22, 1982, and was ordained a priest on December 24, 1985, in Rome. In 1986, he collaborated in the foundation of the Legion of Christ in Brazil. From 1987 to 1990, he served as instructor of novices at the Novitiate of Brazil. From 1991 to 2001, he was assistant to the territorial director for South America. From 2002 to 2012, he was territorial director of Chile and Argentina. He also served as territorial administrator of Brazil. He was elected as general administrator of the Legionaries of Christ at the 2014 General Chapter and re-elected to that position at the 2020 General Chapter.
All information about the 2020 General Chapter can be followed at this link.
