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The Legion of Christ is a Catholic religious order established in 1941 in Mexico by Fr. Marcial Maciel. It enjoys the favor of Pope John Paul II, possibly in part because of its flexibility in facing contemporary challenges and reputation for sound teaching. It is currently one of the Church's fastest-growing orders, with a presence in 20 countries, and over 550 priests and 2,500 seminarians.
Fr. Marcial Maciel (1920-?) was born into an extremely devout Catholic family living in a fiercely- anticlerical Mexico. On June 19, 1936, Fr. Marcial - just a young seminarian at the time - felt called to establish a new religious order. Despite his lack of either funds or relevant experience, Marcial Maciel responded to what he believed to be God's call and in 1941, with the support of the bishop of Cuernavaca, Bishop Francisco González Arias, the Legion was born. A recent letter explains the foundation in terms of Christian love:
Fr. Maciel was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop González Arias in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City on the 26th November 1944, after which he continued to build up the Legion and its lay companion, Regnum Christi .
Called to accompany Pope John Paul II on his visits to Mexico in 1979, 1990, and 1993, Fr. Maciel was also appointed by the Holy Father to the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the formation of Candidates for the Priesthood in Actual Circumstances (1991). He has been a member of the Interdicasterial Commission for a Just Distribution of Clergy (1991), the IV General Conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) (1992), the Synod of Bishops on Consecrated Life and Their Mission in the Church and the World (1993), the Synod of Bishops´ Special Assembly for America (1997) and, since 1994, a permanent consultant to the Congregation for the Clergy. The golden anniversary of his priestly ordination was celebrated on 26th November, 1994, with 57 Legionary priests ordained on the anniversary's eve. Presently, Fr. Marcial Maciel also serves as Chancellor of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, which is based in Rome.
Members of the Legion take vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, as well as a promise or so-called fourth vow not to speak ill of religious superiors. The Legion's spirituality can be described as three loves: love for Christ, love for Mary, and love for the Church and Pope.
Love for Christ is, for Legionaries, a personal experience. Through the Gospel, the CrossA crucifix amidst the cornfieldsnear Mureck in rural Styria, Austria The crucifix is a principal symbol of the Christian religion, being a cross with the crucified figure (the corpus of Jesus Christ. It is primarily used in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodo, and the EucharistThe Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. The term "Eucharist" is used mainly in Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran traditions, and is based upon the Greek word &epsilo, Legionaries come to know Christ intimately, and love him in a passionate way by embracing him as their only model of holiness.
Love for Mary flows from imitating Christ; the Blessed Virgin is loved as both Mother of the Church and of the individual Legionary's vocation. Legonaries consecrate their spiritual and apostolic lives to her care, and seek to taken on her virtues of faithThis article discusses faith in a religious context. For other uses, see faith (disambiguation). The best starting point, before digging into subjective human associations with the heavily-loaded word, is reviewing the very simple dictionary definitions o, hopeHope is considering something of a possible situation, combined with a desire for it. It may vary from something minor to longlasting hope for something big. Examples include: hoping to get some object, or a job, or to get rich hoping for oneself or someb, charity, obedience, humilityHumility is the state of being humble . While people may have different ideas about the meaning of humility, a protypical humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest: someone who does not think that he or she is better or more import, and cooperation with Christ´s plan of redemption.
Finally, there is Legionaries' love for Church and Pope. The Church is loved because it is the Body of Christ, and the beginning of his Kingdom on earth. Legionaries see the Church both as she currently stands and as Christ wants her to be. Thus Legionaries honor her by faith, submit to her in obedience, win souls for her through evangelisation, and put her above all other earthly things in their lives. This love of the Church leads many in the Legion to speak of being "always in step with the Church, neither ahead nor behind." It also explains the Legionaries' special affection for the Pope, who is supported in his charism of primacy and magisterium. All bishops in communion with the Roman Pontiff, as the Apostles' successors and teachers of the Catholic Faith, are likewise honored.
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