On September 15th, the liturgical Solemnity of Our Lady of Sorrows, Fr. John Connor, LC, sent a letter to the Legionaries of Christ where he shares his reflections on the new phase currently being lived in the Legion, as well as what he considers are the next steps on this path of conversion and renewal.

Below, we publish the full text of the letter.

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Thy Kingdom Come!

Rome, September 15, 2021
Our Lady of Sorrows

To the Legionaries of Christ

Dearly esteemed in Jesus Christ:

I send you warm greetings, along with my congratulations on the solemnity of Our Lady of Sorrows. She has been a faithful and loyal companion for us throughout these years. “She, the Mother of Sorrows, encourages us with her example and guides us as a gentle and firm shepherd alongside Jesus’ cross” (CVV 400).

Since the publication of the program Apostles according to the Heart of Christ, I have reflected a lot on the meaning of this new phase in the Legion and the great mission ahead of us. On this occasion, I want to share with you some reflections on our current situation and what I see we are missing at this moment in our history. They are the fruit of my prayer, conversations, and meetings I have had with communities I have visited personally or virtually, and from the encounter I had with Pope Francis.

1. Integrate our history

More than ten years have passed since a more intense process of renewal and reform. We now have new Constitutions approved by the Holy See, a Ratio  of the institution, and a Ratio studiorum that establish a clearer and more systematic line of our charism and formation process. Also,
, together with all members of l e g n Regnum Christi, we have the Statutes of the Federation of the Regnum of Christ, which express our common charism with the consecrated, the consecrated women, and the laity. Finally, we have a plan for the coming years, Thy Heart according to the Heart of Christ, which sets a vision and priorities to strengthen our life and mission. Thus, institutionally, it is time to look forward and move forward with determination. This situation, however, presents us with a challenge: to integrate our history so that it is light in our itinerary and testimony of God’s love for humanity.

In dialoguing with the Holy Father, I shared my personal experience and we talked about our institutional history, about what we have lived as a Congregation, the challenges we had to face, and the path ahead. I explained to him how the Lord allowed us to experience the Paschal mystery in a particular way as a religious community. All these years of purification have been an invitation to die to ourselves, to convert, and to accept a path of holiness that we did not expect.

While reflecting with the Holy Father, a concern came to my mind: I don’t know if we realize the why and the purpose of this painful path we have traveled. It seems to me that we should deepen more into these experiences, as brothers, and ask for much light and grace to carry out God’s plan in our lives. They are not just historical data, something that happened to us, something from the past already overcome, but an important part of the testimony that God wants us to give in the Church.

It is not always easy to communicate one’s concerns to others, but I believe that number 113 of the Ratio institutionis “Christus vita vestra” summarizes well what I want to say: “The history of the Legion is in itself a message for the men of our time, showing them that beyond the wounds in one’s own existence, Christ can do great things with those who trust in his love: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5).”

God our Lord has tested us all strongly in the past years; each in various ways. We have had to experience the serious consequences of the crimes of our founder and of others legionaries on a personal and institutional level, and also the repercussions they have left on the lives of others throughout our history. No one among us has not been hurt in some way during this traumatic period. We did not expect it and certainly did not ask for it.

Despite so much devastation, God continues to act. We cannot deny the impact of our vocations and all the good that, together with the other members of the Regnum Christi, we have achieved by the grace of God: evangelization missions, “Hand of Friendship,” universities, colleges, many sections and teams, thousands of retreats preached to youth and adults awakening in them, through the work of the Holy Spirit, the desire for a new life. This first year of my mandate as general director opened my eyes to this magnificent reality. Knowing, for example, the lay rectors of our universities: capable people who, together with Legionary rectors, have led these institutions so that the motto “Vince in bono malum” is truly lived; and they are people of faith, prayer, and love for the Church, almost all formed over years in the Regnum Christi.

In our history, we observe these two realities: the fruit of grace and the devastation of sin, side by side like wheat and tares. What a mystery of God and what a lesson!