The Father Alfonso Blanca L.C., chaplain of the school and director of ECYD, enthusiastically shares what a typical day in his life dedicated to spiritual service and youth formation looks like.
We share an article prepared by the Communications Office of the Chile Territory about the pastoral work carried out by Father Alfonso Blanca, L.C., in Salta, a city in northern Argentina,
His day begins early in the morning when he gets up to pray and meditate. “Having breakfast, praying Lauds with the community of priests, and then heading to the school,” he describes.
The Father Alfonso dedicates himself to providing spiritual direction to students, hearing confessions, and organizing various activities such as retreats and Masses. Every morning, he also prepares ECYD activities together with those responsible for giving talks to the children of the Faro club and the girls of the Giro club.
In the afternoon, activities continue at the spirituality center or at the school, where they share a snack with the kids. During this time, Father Alfonso invites the youth “to love Christ more, to pray for the souls in purgatory, to seek holiness, or to prepare for a mission or apostolate.”
After finishing the activities, he returns home, where his schedule includes daily tasks and formation meetings. “Some days I have to go grocery shopping, and other days, we have activities like Previa con fe for the kids of Regnum Christi,” he comments. He also organizes formation meetings for altar servers or responsible persons called “Wednesdays with Christ.”
Father Alfonso’s day often ends with Mass at San Lorenzo Parish, where he lives.
To relax, he enjoys outdoor activities. “I like to go for walks since we live in San Lorenzo, which is a very beautiful area with lots of countryside, nice hills, or riding a bike,” he shares. He also makes time to accompany the kids during their rugby training, attending their matches on Saturdays.
The key to a good day for Father Alfonso is “starting hand in hand with God with a good prayer and a good cup of coffee.” However, he confesses that in Salta, he has started to enjoy mate. With a life dedicated to service and a deep connection with his community, Father Alfonso shows himself as a beacon of light and spiritual guidance for the youth under his care.
Information about the apostolic work in Argentina.
In 1994, the Legionaries of Christ community was established with the goal of providing closer and more personal support to the members of the movement in our country, mainly in Buenos Aires.
In the same year, the Legionaries of Christ were entrusted with the administration of Colegio Betania and the Parish of Santa María de Betania, both located in the Almagro area.
In 1997, the community of consecrated members was formed to support more closely and personally the female sections of the Regnum Christi movement in Buenos Aires and to support work in schools, specifically the management of Oakhill schools.
In the first decade of this new century, the schools Oakhill CABA (2000), Oakhill Pilar (2002), and Colegio Mano Amiga Santa María (2003) were founded by the Mano Amiga Foundation.
Currently, we are present in three areas of Buenos Aires: Núñez, Pilar, and Betania. We also have a Legionaries of Christ community in Salta, in the north of the country, which manages the Instituto Humanista de la Santísima Trinidad.
Regarding the city of Salta, in 1993, before the establishment of a permanent Legion of Christ community in Argentina, Father Arturo Díaz was the first priest to visit Salta. One year later, in 1994, the Legionaries of Christ community was founded in Buenos Aires.
After this foundational milestone, Father Arturo began to visit the area periodically with groups of missionaries. This apostolic work helped several adults and young people join the Regnum Christi movement in Salta.
In 2005, the Legionaries of Christ began advising the Instituto Humanista de la Santísima Trinidad, located in San Lorenzo, in pedagogical, spiritual, and human areas.
In 2013, the first Legionaries of Christ community was established in Salta. Currently, this community is made up of four priests.
In 2014, the construction of the Spirituality Center began, which will help give identity and a dedicated space for the various activities of Regnum Christi in the northern town.
Some of the apostolates developed in Argentina are:
- Missionary Family |Buenos Aires | Pilar | Salta
Families that have their own jobs and occupations but dedicate part of their time to serve other families, growing and enriching themselves in the process. - Missionary Youth |Buenos Aires | Pilar | Almagro | Salta
Groups mainly composed of young laypeople, seeking to respond to God’s call to the missionary vocation, obeying Jesus Christ’s command to “go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to all creation.” - Faro Club |Buenos Aires | Pilar
An apostolate program aimed at creating healthy environments and friendships, where children learn to form an alliance with Christ and develop leadership skills to transform society. - Giro Club | Buenos Aires | Almagro | Pilar
An apostolate program for girls that seeks to foster friendship and a close relationship with both God and the community. - Pure Fashion |Buenos Aires | Salta
Focused on girls aged 13 to 15, its goal is to help them grow spiritually in faith and prayer through friendship, personality strengthening, formation, and service to others. - NET | Buenos Aires | Almagro | Salta
A non-profit organization dedicated to promoting comprehensive education for children through the Virtues Pedagogy NET, encouraging the knowledge and practice of values and virtues through educational programs, publications, and a club. Its mission is to serve as a means of human and spiritual formation for children, supporting the family and school nucleus in their overall development. - ANSPAC | Buenos Aires | Salta
An organization that supports women in their comprehensive development and self-improvement, with the mission to promote people’s potential so they can transform their lives and become agents of change in their families and communities. - Knight of the Altar | Salta
Aims to create environments where children aged 9 to 10 can have fun, learn, grow, and experience God’s love, mainly through service at the altar. - Missionary Challenge | Salta
A voluntary, non-profit initiative aimed at combining sports and mission work by spreading the Gospel. It involves reaching out to more remote communities, difficult to access, where schools and teachers are present. Young people, young adults, athletes, mountaineers, and anyone committed to solidarity are welcome to join through personal effort. - Pilgrim Virgin | Salta
A network of Catholic families united by the desire to live and share the Gospel. We promote devotion to the Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, mainly through praying the Rosary as a family. - VTR | Pilar
A program that trains children to be apostles in today’s world through a community of faith and a personal relationship with God. - Adopt a Town | Pilar
A program to go deeper and catechize a town consistently.
To learn more about the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi in Argentina, click here.
Information from the Communications Office of the Chile Territory
Cover image: Unsplash
