It seems that Glory Stories
is an instrument, spin-off or front of the front (intentional repetition) of the Legion of Christ?s Catholic World Mission .
As a supporters
of the Legion of Christ for the past several years -I purposely sent them $5.00- I have been aware of the Catholic World Mission apostolates
, i.e., fundraising enterprise of the Legion of Christ. The Legion’s brochures and letters arrive at my doorstep religiously every two weeks asking support for a variety of Legion charities
. The usual focus of Fr. Bannon?s request for money is the training of seminarians, presented under a variety of guises. Sometimes we are asked to support CWM
Catholic World Mission is another way to get money. Having worked as an LC missionary on the Legion’s only apostolate that could remotely be called a Mission, in Quintana Roo, Mexico, I was simultaneously outraged and amused by the concept of LC World Missions
, unless we consider it a fundraising mission
. The first person identified as the director of this Mission was Fr. Thomas Moylan, LC. He had the qualifications of being Irish and actually having lived in Quintana Roo. But he was never a real Missionary
in the strict sense of the word because he was director of the Legion’s first elementary school (for the rich!) in Chetumal, Quintana Roo and never went into the villages and towns like others did. But he is a Legionary who is very faithful to Fr. Maciel. I believe the present director/coordinator, perhaps only in name, as a figurehead, facade, may be the newly ordained bishop of Cancun and Chetumal, Mons. Pedro Pablo Elizondo, LC. Only the faces change, the mission remains the same.
Besides, anyone with the slightest notion of geography and history can also understand that the Quintana Roo, Mexico Mission” is not Sumatra, Somalia or Sudan. Poor people in Quintana Roo will not die of hunger, nor will they go naked
local and federal government will take care of that- and even if they did go naked they wouldn?t die because the climate is so mild year round. Doesn?t the Legion realize how corny and condescending their propaganda sounds, and how offensive it is to the local people?
References to Millions of Maya Indians?
, poverty
and the Yucatan
in Legion fundraising materials are false and misleading. The Prelature of Chetumal/Cancun, i.e. the Legion Mission territory
is Quintana Roo, one of the three Mexican states the other two being Yucatan and Campeche
that make up the Yucatan Peninsula. There is more so-called poverty
in the latter states than in Quintana Roo. The presence and numbers of indigenous Maya is much stronger in the state of Yucatan than in Quintana Roo. Quintana Roo can only be called mission territory
in the broad sense of the term. The Legion inherited this area from the Maryknoll Missionaries in 1970 when, after decades of intense labors, the Maryknollers decided to move on to more challenging missions.
This is born out by the fact that people from these states immigrate to Quintana Roo seeking employment in hotels and construction. Quintana Roo’s economy is bolstered by the tourist Meccas of Cancun, the Riviera Maya with its many resorts, plus Playa del Carmen, Xel-Ha, and Xcaret.
Naturally, there are poor people in Quintana Roo but hardly any of them would call themselves Indians
and many would be offended by a term that is pejorative in Mexico. Their plight is as much a result of Latin America’s socio-economic inequality as anything else. This will only change when social and democratic reforms are brought to bear. The Mexicans are doing that themselves, and despite the Legion?s rich-centered approach. The Legion continues to depend on and support the rich and powerful, wherever it goes. Even more startling is the following fact:
The money raised by Catholic World Mission will not go to the Quintana Roo Mission.
Legion priests and religious in Quintana Roo have to do their own fundraising. Fly down to Cancun and privately interview the following LC priests with decades of experience: Raymund Comiskey (Dublin), Javier Orozco (Jalisco, Mexico), and others. Fr. John Coady [+ 2009), who after 35 years service still spoke Spanish with a nice Irish accent, used to woo the gringos at the Sheraton in Cancun every Sunday. That was a good Mass because of the generous contributions of vacationing Catholics. And he built several chapels with the money. Give your money directly to padres such Fr. Bernard Quinn, building schools for the needy; or to Fr. Angel de la Torre, lost in some god-forsaken little village. They depend on (paltry) weekly collections, Mass and baptism stipends, and periodic town kermes. In case of necessity, the local bishop will subsidize them.
Finances in the Legion are strictly centralized at the Roman Headquarters on Via Aurelia 677, Rome. All monies were personally managed there by Fr. Maciel since foundation in the early 50s; after his death Fr. Luis Garza, the Vicar General, put on his mantle. In my opinion, based on my 23 years in the Legion and subsequent 20 following its movements, these monies are allotted according to the Legion’s priorities:
- 1. Recruiting of new members and opening new houses, schools and colleges.
- 2. Fundraising.
- 3. Damage control and legal defense of Legion and Regnum Christi
- 4. Projects close to Fr. Maciel?s heart such as the
Retreat Center
- and Maciel
Memorial Museum
- in his native Cotija.
- 5. University and Colleges which increase Legion prestige among some bishops and conservative Catholic intelligentsia.
- 6. Large Donations Expensive Travel and Presents to
grease the palm of
- Church, media and political leaders.
- 7. Legion Media: websites, magazines, newspapers, and radio stations.
- 8. Without asking where the money came for to build the secret Maciel mausoleum underneath the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Via Aurelia Nova 675, Rome, Italy.
It breaks my heart to see naive Catholics, clergy and lay, but especially low income women, be taken in by this deceitful propaganda. Give your money to a real and bona fide missionary order such as Divine Word Missionaries, Missionaries of Africa, Don Bosco?s Salesians, etc, or feed the poor, sick, homeless, and abused in your community.
Ex Catholic World Missionary
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1 http://www.catholicworldmission.org/site/pp.asp?c=9dJHJLPwB&b=280317
Catholic World Mission
33 Rossotto Drive
Hamden, CT 06514 Phone: 1-800-961-8153
Fax: 203-407-4823 Email: info@catholicworldmission.org
Sponsored by the Legionaries of Christ