Boys being recruited into the Legion of Christ/Regnum Christi Federation 2023.
Kevin O’Sullivan spent seven years inside the most secretive Catholic organisation in living memory – The Legionaries of Christ. He thought he was going to spread love and compassion: he ended up among disinformation and lies. He fled to save his sanity.
RECENT (2023) PHOTO OF YOUNG BOYS JOINING THE LEGION OF CHRIST/REGNUM CHRISTI FEDERATION JUNIOR SEMINARY/APOSTOLIC SCHOOL IN MONTERREY, MEXICO
Note that they are receiving their “uniform” which they will wear during 4 years, even when they visit their homes; they are being set aside to “discern” (cultivate) their religious and priestly vocation” beginning at age 11.
If you do not want to know your true self, by all means join the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi Federation.
They’ll just tell you you have a vocation and “carry on until we tell you otherwise.” But if you want to be brave, the Spirit will take you in another directions and tear down your sandcastles in the sun.
Here is a very well written and very insightful testimony for those you want to be honest with themselves. It takes a lot of guts to write this; but it is worth the pain and the effort to find you true self, the self that God created, the self the Legion of Christ does not want you to discover – because you will no longer be useful to it.
From Amazon:
<Kevin O’Sullivan spent seven years inside the most secretive Catholic organisation in living memory – The Legionaries of Christ. He thought he was going to spread love and compassion: he ended up among disinformation and lies. He fled to save his sanity.
This is the story of how Kevin found, and then lost, his religion, and how he lost, and then found, his sexuality. On the way, the young teenager clings to what his mother has taught him: to be a good boy. The journey brings him face to face with difficult truths, and ultimately to a far deeper knowledge of himself, as he finds out who he doesn’t want to be.
It’s a story full of hope about discovering what matters to each of us, even if we don’t like some of what we find.>
Collège-Lycée de l’Immaculée Conception High school in Méry-sur-Marne, France Address: 48 Grande Rue, 77730 Méry-sur-Marne, France
ReGAIN has just learned from two reliable sources that a young man has brought sexual abuse charges against another Legionary of Christ. It seems that the offense took place at the Legion’s Apostolic School in France about ten years ago. Details are still sketchy. We can state that the accusation is presently being reviewed in French civil court to see if it meets the requirement to open a case ; the alleged perpetrator would be a Legion consecrated religious who at the time was a teacher/superior at the infamous junior seminary.
There is a referral in the French language WIKIPEDIA to two Legionaries previously being convicted of sexual assault at the school in the same time frame.
WIKIPEDIA
“exactions récentes contre des mineurs
Deux frères légionnaires du Christ de l’école apostolique de Méry-sur-Marne (diocèse de Meaux) tenue par la congrégation sont accusés en 2004 et 2005 d’avoir commis des attouchements sur huit adolescents. L’un d’eux est en fuite. Ils ont été jugés à Meaux et le substitut du procureur a requis deux ans de prison contre le frère E. deux ans de prison avec mandat contre le frère T. F., de nationalité mexicaine, enfui au Mexique. Délibéré le 2 mai 2013 . le frère E. a été condamné à deux ans de prison avec sursis, mise à l’épreuve et soins psychologiques, et 10 000 euros de dommages et intérêts. Le frère T. a été condamné à deux ans de prison ferme avec mandat d’arrêt, et près de 12 000 euros de dommages et intérêts. Les deux hommes ont été inscrits au FIJAIS (Fichier judiciaire automatisé des auteurs d’infractions sexuelles ou violentes) .”
Putting the pieces together: this member of the Legion of Christ religious congregation (with religious vow), then a seminarian in training, is being accused of sexually abusing a minor under his pastoral care. Brother X would then have continued his “training” (Remember Fr. Maciel’s ghost-(Gonzalo Miranda LC?) written bestseller, The Integral Formation of the Priest! ), and was later ordained to the Catholic priesthood in the Legion. One source affirms that after ordination, now Fr. X was sent back to the same junior seminary (students are High School age) to continue teaching or as a formator. A few years ago, Fr. X left -or was asked to leave- the LC and transitioned to the diocesan priesthood where he continued to minister to Catholic families. Another case of the Legion of Christ unloading a problematic priest on an unsuspecting bishop?
ReGAIN’s criticism points, not so much to this individual accused of sexual abuse of a minor, but to the lack of responsibility = Ethics of Legion superiors and leadership cadre. The case opens a Pandora’s box of questions:
What outreach to victims?
What spiritual guidance, pastoral counseling, compensation offered to victims?
What psychological and pastoral help to the offender? Pastoral care, psychological treatment by trained therapists – not by in-home personnel ?
What steps to prevent recurrence? Just ignore the problem, pass it on, get rid of him, unload him on a diocese?
Information is hard to come by; perhaps the French court has put a gag order in place to prevent the victim’s name being made public and/or the whole case may be gagged while investigations are underway.
Let’s see how effective is the Legion of Christ’s damage control.
Legion of Christ continues to reinvent itself and search for its charisma
“The Legion is reorganizing and registering itself under a different entity — probably in anticipation of the Vatican’s giving the present organization a negative response. A federation can be as easy a way to hide the money as any. I pray that there is no recognition of the LC/RC as a federation (as requested 5 Dec 2018) – it will only provide ecclesial cover for the evil that continues to vitiate the Church’s mission and message – they will turn everything to money.”
“All of these teachers taught us disloyalty to the bishop. This was part of the Legion’s course of teaching at all times. The bishop was lax; he wasn’t pro-life; he was influenced by liberals and materialists. The Legion of Christ was better than the bishop, because we were carrying out the wishes of the Pope. The bishops were all against the Pope. We were being the real, faithful, conservative Catholics, in defying our bishops. The real Catholics disregarded the bishop and obeyed only the Pope. The Legion was the Hope of the Church, and the Holy Father had said so.
By the time the bishop inevitably cracked down on ECYD and the Legion in my diocese, many of us had been brainwashed to expect it and count it as martyrdom. The bishop was against real, authentic Catholicism. We were the Hope of the Church. We were to do everything we could to defy the bishop in the name of the Church.”
Below, the reader will find a letter written by an indignant Mexican mother. From the context we gather that the events happened during the Vatican ordered Apostolic Visitation (2010-2014) headed by Archbishop Velasio de Paolis.
An indignant mother cries at callous Legionary behavior
Legionary ‘formators’ (formadores) Play Strip Poker with ECYD Boys in their pastoral care
ReGAIN Scoop
Below, the reader will find a letter written by an indignant Mexican mother. From the context we gather that the events happened during the Vatican ordered Apostolic Visitation (2010-2014) headed by Archbishop Velasio de Paolis.
“I have left the names in just to demonstrate that only the LC superiors were (made) aware of what happened and that, ultimately, they did nothing to address the problem.
The final bad experience -a SERIOUS one- we experienced there (at the school) was an end of term activity organized by the school to celebrate my 12-year-old son’s graduation from elementary school). The children were under the care of the school chaplain, Fr. Bruno Montekio, LC., of the ECYD leader, Brother Felipe Villagómez, LC, and of a group of Regnum Christi collaborators and teachers.
On a certain night they organized a game of casino (strip poker), in which the children were supposed to begin gradually taking off their clothes as they ran out of money to bet; until they were left in their underpants. Fr. Bruno witnessed this and Bro. Felipe took photographs.
I am attaching the email I sent to Fr. Luis Garza-Medina, LC, expressing my husband’s and my profound indignation for taking photos of the children, and because Bro. Felipe gave a CD with the photos to each one of the boys who participated in the “camp”; and also because of his attitude later on when a group of mothers questioned him about this activity; how he stuck to his opinion and never admitted any wrongdoing. We never received any explanation or apology from the school principal, either.
I cc this email to Fr. Alvaro Corcuera (editor’s note, then LC Superior General, now deceased) and to Fr. Rodolfo Mayagoitia, Territorial Director for Mexico and to Fr. Evaristo Sada, Secretary General of Regnum Christi; neither of them deigned to answer my message. Only Fr. Luis (Garza Medina) begged my forgiveness and acknowledged there was a lack of good judgment and common sense.
Fr. Bruno was assigned this year to work for the Legion in Dallas, TX. Bro. Felipe is finishing his theological studies at the Legion’s Major Seminary in Rome (Centro de EstudiosSuperiores)
THE CASE WAS PRESENTED TO (APOSTOLIC DELEGATE, ARCHBISHOP) DE PAOLIS AFTERWORDS AND THIS LED TO A LETTER OF APOLOGY FROM VILLAGOMEZ TO THE FAMILY IN QUESTION. IT WAS WRITTEN DURING THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES LEADING UP TO HIS PRIESTLY ORDINATION. OBVIOUSLY, THESE PRACTICES WERE NEVER INVESTIGATED. MAYBE THE LEGIONARIES PUBLISHED A PROTOCOL SUCH AS: ‘MAY OUR MEMBERS NEVER TAKE PHOTOS OF CHILDREN IN THE ECYD MOVEMENT IN THEIR UNDERPANTS’ OR SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT.”
&&&&&
< Original Spanish language message: EL MANEJO DE SITUACIONES IMPROPIAS
Dejo los nombres de los participantes sólo para poner en evidencia que nadie supo, más que los superiores, de este caso. Y que finalmente no pasó nada.
La última mala experiencia, GRAVE, que vivimos ahí fue en una actividad de fin de curso dirigida por el colegio para la generación de uno de mis hijos de 12 años. Los niños estaban a cargo del capellán del colegio, el P. Bruno Montekio, LC; del encargado para el Ecyd, el Hno. Felipe Villagómez, LC; y un grupo de colaboradores del Regnum Christi y maestros del colegio.
Una noche se organizó una dinámica, casino, en el que los niños iban perdiendo prendas de su ropa pues no tenían dinero para apostar, hasta quedar todos en calzoncillos. El P. Bruno
estuvo presente y el Hno. Felipe les tomaba fotografías.
Anexo el correo electrónico que intercambié con el P. Luis Garza Medina, LC, expresándole la profunda indignación y la de mi marido por el hecho, por las fotografías que se les tomaron a los niños, por haber entregado el Hno. Felipe una copia de las fotografías en un cd a cada niño que asistió a dicho campamento y la actitud que él tuvo después, cuando un grupo de mamás nos acercamos a él para preguntarle por dicha dinámica y él se aferró a su criterio y nunca pudo admitir que lo que había sucedido estaba mal. Nunca recibimos por parte del director del colegio una aclaración ni una disculpa.
Este mail lo envié con copia al P. Alvaro Corcuera, LC, Director General y al P. Rodolfo Mayagoitia, Director Territorial de México; y al P. Evaristo Sada, LC, Secretario General del Regnum Christi, de quienes tampoco recibí respuesta. Sólo el P. Luis me pidió que perdonara y reconoció que había sido una falta de criterio y sentido comun.
El P. Bruno se encuentra desde este año trabajando para la Legión en Dallas. Y el Hno. Felipe está terminando sus estudios de teología en el CES de Roma. >
Comentario final de ReGAIN:
EL CASO SE PRESENTÓ AL ARZOBISPO DE PAOLIS DESPUÉS, Y CONCLUYÓ CON UNA CARTA DE DISCULPA DE VILLAGÓMEZ A LA FAMILIA EN CUESTIÓN, ESCRITA EN LOS EJERCICIOS ANTES DE ORDENARSE ÉL SACERDOTE. OBVIAMENTE NUNCA SE INVESTIGÓ NADA SOBRE ESTAS PRÁCTICAS.
