This is one of a thirty part exposé on the Children of the Legion. This group of women, then girls, in the Regnum Christi, share their stories of abuse, neglect and the aftermath of being children in the Regnum Christi. For a complete list of stories to date, view Children of the Legion.
When Fr. Maciel came to visit us that summer, we all ate outside and he was at a head table and they called me up to meet him. He looked at me and said ” you have a vocation to be 3rd Degree Regnum Christi!”. That was a lot of pressure to carry around for a lot of years. If he said it, it must be true. It took my brother telling me five years later while I was in the candidacy that I shouldn’t hold onto that and it was OK for me to leave, and I couldn’t base my decision on what Fr. Maciel had told me. What if I hadn’t had my brother there as someone I trusted? I know I would have become consecrated out of guilt.
When I decided to leave the PC after one year I was asked not to, and to wait and think about it because it would be too hard on the other girls if I left right then. I went home that week but with much guilt laid on me for being selfish.
49 Weeks
This story is a testimony from the 49 Weeks Blog. You can see this and more stories by visiting 49 Weeks.