Today, Monday November 9th, a parish priest, Fr Jordi Rivero, will be meeting with the Archbishop of Miami to beg allowances for Regnum Christi to work in his parish. Insisting that a few cranky poorly-informed parishioners misunderstood the "good works" of the Movement, he will ask for the Archbishop to lift the over-hasty ban on the group.
Piecing together various accounts and details of his exchanges with parishioners, it is extremely hard to believe the pastor didn't have close association with the Legion at some point in his formation (though it appears he didn't), because his tactics and obtuseness have all the tell-tale signs of collaboration.
There will be a follow-up meeting for parents at Saint Timothy's on Tuesday evening (7:30pm) to relate the details of the situation, and if positive, I'm sure an account of the exchange with the Archbishop. Prayers from the wider community, and those in the area may want to stop in to be flies on the wall.
Too bad its such short notice. We could have all forwarded our AV letters to the good archbishop of Miami to reinforce for him the reasons to be wary of the LC/RC in his archdiocese.
Fly on the wall indeed! I hope someone is able to attend the meeting and report back.
Same with the meeting at Gateway this week. Any spies out there?
Posted by: anony | November 09, 2009 at 05:00 PM
Outrageous, but I don't believe the archbishop will take it back so easy, others in the area have complained about their activities, not just St. Timothy, and after all, it is unlikely, that the ban will be lifted before they know the results of the AV.
Posted by: anon05 | November 09, 2009 at 05:24 PM
'over-hasty?' unlikely. In my experience, Bishops are anything BUT hasty--- and the 'liberal' ones are usually more accurately called the 'unwilling to offend anyone unless there's no way around it' ones... it's not that they LIKE clown Masses, just that they HATE saying no.....
So, my guess is that the Bishop of Miami probably had a whole camel load of reasons for the ban-- the parish issue was just the last straw.....
Posted by: Mouse from Am Pap | November 09, 2009 at 05:58 PM
I sent my thank you note to the Bishop. Be sure to drop him a line.
Posted by: Free-to-be | November 09, 2009 at 06:17 PM
I know some spies who can fill us in on the Gateway meeting tomorrow night. I'll be sure to post when I have any news.
Posted by: White Tree | November 09, 2009 at 06:25 PM
FYI,
on Secret lives of women tonight there is one on "Women in Cults" and the next episode is "Women born to breed".Both on WE tv at 8pm and 9pm.
Posted by: Cult no more | November 10, 2009 at 02:42 PM
The LC/RC have been described as catering to the rich.
Well, here is a contrast worthy of watching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZePc6hIMio&feature=player_embedded
Posted by: Mum26 | November 10, 2009 at 08:56 PM
That was a nice clip on Fr. Groeschel. Maybe some of his spirit will rub off when he visits Gateway Academy on Friday evening.
Speaking of which, their website still shows Fr. Thomas Maher as chaplain. Haven't they backfilled him yet?
Posted by: Anonymous | November 11, 2009 at 12:33 AM
I just watched WE series the"Secret lives of women in Cults" and it was TEXTBOOK Regnum Christi.Please watch this if it comes on again.
If you have any doubts that RC is not a CULT.Just watch this.
Posted by: Cult no more | November 11, 2009 at 08:21 AM
Regarding the video about Father Benedict:
It is sad that now whenever I see a slick video with shots of priests elevating the Sacred Host -- cynical doubt colors my perception.
I also question why Father Benedict lent his name to LC/RC projects -- the Psychology Institute (?).
Then again, His Holiness Pope John Paul II was fooled and co-opted, too.
Infuriating how LC/RC is able to capitalize on these "celebrity endorsements".
Posted by: Claire | November 11, 2009 at 09:25 AM
Sorry, it's not about Miami. Hopefully Giselle will have some new information today about last nights meeting.
This is true. I received as a gift a rosary from a 3gF that was blessed by JP2. This rosary was brought to Cotija and rubbed in the dirt of MM gravesite. The rosary was given to her by another 3gF who attended the funeral. I thought it was odd that she would give it away. She replied that she already had a rosary blessed by JP2. She left RC about 6 months later.
I've thought often, what do I do with this rosary? It is blessed by JP2 and smeared by MM. One day, I tried to scrub the dirt out of it, but it would not come clean. For months, I couldn't even look at it. How could a rosary disgust me so intensely. One day, I picked it up and prayed to Mary. I asked her to pray to JP2 for his intercession in dissolving the Order that smeared his papacy.
Today, whenever I use that rosary, I pray for the dissoultion of the Legionaries of Christ.
Posted by: MnM | November 11, 2009 at 10:03 AM
"Today, whenever I use that rosary, I pray for the dissolution of the Legionaries of Christ."
I prayed also but I used another "d" word - demise. More specifically, I prayed for the demise of Regnum Christi because that is what my wife is involved in. In a moment of imprudence, I told her my prayer intention. She said, "Be careful what you pray for." For some reason that scared me. Unintended consequences maybe? Now I just pray, "God's will be done."
Pray that Benedict XVI will have the wisdom, prudence and fortitude to make the right decisions regarding LC/RC.
Posted by: PaulM | November 11, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Good thought PaulM!
"I pray for the dissolution of the Legionaries of Christ. God's will be done."
Posted by: MnM | November 11, 2009 at 10:49 AM
You should pray for God's will. Not for your will. Maybe He wants the dissoluton, maybe not. We will Know at the and of the visitation.
Posted by: Lucas | November 11, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Question?
Do you think when parents pray for their children to survive, for example, leukemia, they pray for Gods will and not for their child to survive cancer?
I'm praying for the dissolution of the Legion because it is a cancer in the lives of thousands upon thousands of innocent Catholics.
Posted by: MnM | November 11, 2009 at 01:19 PM
Actually, we humans never get a clear picture of God's will in this life...
The LCs are a good example. Was it His will that they be founded or did he allow evil to set up shop so that at some point in the future, we could learn/be reminded just how sinister darkness can be in masking itself as light.
At the end of the Visitation, we will have another page in this chapter opened to us, but it will not mean the chapter is concluded, nor will it necessarily mean that the Magisterium scored a bullseye in discerning God's will in the matter.
Maybe they'll hit one of the outer rings--still near the target, but leaving to another generation the work of hitting the very middle of the circle.
Of course, in my fallen state, blinded by sin and concupiscence, I'm hoping the center circle of God's will in the matter is dissolution. But I've been wrong about stuff before.
Posted by: Steve | November 11, 2009 at 01:26 PM
I will accept God's will. I will pray for justice for the victims and for the Legion to be dissolved.
Posted by: Anon in STL | November 11, 2009 at 01:27 PM
"The LCs are a good example. Was it His will that they be founded or did he allow evil to set up shop so that at some point in the future, we could learn/be reminded just how sinister darkness can be in masking itself as light."
I am so grateful for the time that God called me into RC and the many gifts and blessings I received. I accept that for whatever reason God used it as a tool for me. I also know that others were terribly hurt which saddens me and that I am also healing from the betrayal of a person, priests and an institution that was not who they said they were. That is hard but it does not make me want to go back and change anything.
I take what I know now and go forward. God is so good and will bring good out of this for each of us. I do know that God's will has to include truth and if there is any continued lies, deceit - that is not how God operates. I have discerned his will for me is to be out of LC/RC and I just pray for truth, justice for the victims (especially the sexually abused and Fr Ms children and mistress's) and humility. If that means dissolution or reformation - does not matter. The Church still stands no matter what.
Posted by: Anon | November 11, 2009 at 02:13 PM
Let's not get too metaphysical, now. I didn't mean to give the impression that we shouldn't pray for specific intentions and only pray in a general sense. Our Lord did both in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Father take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done."
Personally I started praying just for God's will be done with regard to the Visitation because it was my way of practicing the virtues of faith, hope and trust in God's Providence. Don't get me wrong. I would do cartwheels if LC/RC met its demise.
Posted by: PaulM | November 11, 2009 at 02:57 PM
Whenever I hear about "gifts and blessings" from LC/RC I want to scream.
Because I think about all the people -- especially the children and young people -- whose innocence, reputations, mental and physical health, faith -- and even their very lives -- were ruined by this abomination.
Posted by: Claire | November 11, 2009 at 03:12 PM
Does anyone have an update on the meeting at Gateway?
Or the meeting in Miami re: lifting the RC ban?
Posted by: curious george | November 11, 2009 at 04:11 PM
Gateway will stay open this year but no more money from the LC for the next school year. They are apparently pulling financial support from all their apostolates. We need to add students and find a way to buy down the debt for our Cadillac of a campus.
Fr. Thomas has not been replaced. The person who spoke was quite honest about the visitation and its impact on contributions, unlike earlier meetings, and even noted that dissolution was possible (!). Makes me wonder whether they are making contingency plans in that regard.
Odd, two RC orgs mentioned last night were two we had not heard of last time we went through all this ... IntegerUSA and the International Center for Integral Formation. More shell games? Whatever happened to NCE?
Posted by: Patrick K | November 11, 2009 at 04:45 PM
I have just one more question? And if the church decides that de LC should continue? Will all of you accept? Or you will say that the church is wrong?
I think anyone can pray for the dissolution, but, what if God wants the opposite?
Posted by: Lucas | November 11, 2009 at 08:56 PM
Lucas,
The Church, for some reason, probably manipulated by Nuestro Fraude, let him take back the reins of the Legion back in the 50s. The Holy See made a mistake back then, only to be proven wrong.
Could the Holy See make another mistake this time? Maybe. If so, would that validate the work of the Legion and RC? As far as I'm concerned, not in a million years.
Would I accept such veredict? I would respect it. But I'm not involved with the LC/RC any longer, so I would not be obliged to "do" anything.
The question is: Will the Legionaries and RC members accept the verdict of the Holy See if they order the congregation's disolution and the assets given to the local bishops?
THAT, my friend, is the question.
Posted by: mExRC | November 11, 2009 at 09:11 PM
That's a good question, Lucas. If the Church allows the Legion to continue, I will accept that as the same wisdom of "the wheat and the tares." Allowing them to exist won't convince me that they are good, and I will continue to warn parents not to send their sons and daughters to their institutions for formation. There are many questionable groups in the Church today -- some worse than others. As for what God wants, that's often hard to tell, but I won't leave the Church if the Legion remains. Whither would we go?
Posted by: giselle | November 11, 2009 at 09:14 PM