Dear Regnum Christi Members of St. Paul – Minneapolis,
As you are aware, Archbishop Harry Flynn has written to all Pastors and Parish Administrators of the Archdiocese to communicate to them his decision not to allow Regnum Christi activities in diocesan or parochial facilities. This is the Archbishop’s prerogative as Pastor of the Archdiocese. The Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi will faithfully observe his dispositions with spirit of filial obedience.
The Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi exist to serve and support the Universal and Local Church and her Pastors.
We sincerely apologize to the Archdiocese and to you as members of Regnum Christi for anything we have done to produce this outcome. I would like to clearly state that there has never been deliberate neglect in complying with the Archbishop’s wishes and petitions, but perhaps we have not rightly understood his concerns as Pastor and thus have not acted as he wished and expected of us.
This present situation is not ideal, but we recognize it as God’s will. Obedience is always blessed by God and we are confident that the suffering we may now experience due to these circumstances will bear fruit for the Church.
These present circumstances do sadden us, but we will continue to work with the Archdiocese to find a solution. We are committed to improve our relationship and our communications with Archbishop Flynn and other diocesan authorities. Fr Marcial Maciel, LC, the General Director of the Legionaries of Christ, has appointed a personal delegate to speak with and listen to Archbishop Harry Flynn. It is our hope that all his questions can be resolved.
We encourage you to continue to support Archdiocesan and parochial programs and activities as they have always done.
Please understand that these unfortunate situations can arise and we pray that you will not waiver in your love for Christ, for the Church nor decrease your commitment to preach the Good News and to serve your fellow men and women as members of Regnum Christi. This is what the Holy Father asked of us recently, only a few days after giving the definitive approval of the Regnum Christi statutes: Remain united around the Eucharist! Faithful to the charism that distinguishes you, continue your evangelizing mission nourishing yourselves of Christ and making yourselves his intrepid witnesses. (John Paul II, Address to the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi Movement, November 30, 2004).
I ask for your prayers and rest assured of mine.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Fr Scott Reilly LC
Territorial Director
Thy Kingdom Come!
Dear Regnum Christi Members,
Dear Friends in Christ,
As you may be aware, on November 23th Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul -Minneapolis wrote a letter to all Pastors and Parish Administrators of the Archdiocese to communicate to them his decision not to allow Regnum Christi activities in diocesan or parochial facilities. This is the Archbishop’s prerogative as Pastor of that Archdiocese. The Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi will faithfully observe his dispositions in a spirit of filial obedience.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis has not made a public statement regarding this disposition. Others have posted Archbishop Flynn’s letter on the internet and have faxed it to several news agencies and are using the occasion to add other attacks against our founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel and against the Legion and Regnum Christi.
On December 22, Catholic News Service (CNS) published an article regarding Archbishop Flynn’s letter. The Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi exist to serve and support the Universal and Local Church and her Pastors. We work in harmony with many Archbishops and Bishops in the US and around the world for the good of the Church and of many people who grow in their love for God, for the Church, for their pastors and for others through the ministry of Legionary priests and the apostolic action of Regnum Christi members.
We would like to respectfully point out that there has never been deliberate neglect in complying with Archbishop Flynn’s wishes and requests, but perhaps we have not understood properly his concerns as Pastor and thus have not acted as he wished and expected of us. We are sorry that this situation has come about, and we are confident that the suffering we may now experience due to these circumstances will bear fruit for the Church.
Fr Marcial Maciel, LC, Founder and General Director of the Legionaries of Christ, has appointed a personal delegate to speak with Archbishop Flynn who has kindly agreed to receive him in the near future.
We have encouraged Regnum Christi members in the Twin Cities to continue to support diocesan and parochial programs and activities as they have always done, as well as being faithful to their Regnum Christi commitments and apostolic programs.
As we work to clarify this unfortunate situation, we pray that you will not waver in your love for Christ, for the Church nor decrease your commitment to preach the Good News and to serve your fellow men and women as members of Regnum Christi. This is what the Holy Father asked of us recently, only a few days after approving the Regnum Christi statutes: Remain united around the Eucharist! Faithful to the charism that distinguishes you, continue your evangelizing mission nourishing yourselves with Christ and making yourselves his intrepid witnesses. (John Paul II, Address to the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi Movement, Rome, November 30, 2004).
As we celebrate Christmas let us contemplate the Christ child and his infinite love for each one us. May his example of humility and self-giving be a source of grace and inspiration for our lives.
Wishing you a very blessed Christmas, we ask for your prayers and assure you of ours.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Fr Joseph Burtka LC
Fr Scott Reilly LC
Territorial Directors