"Something sinister about the Legion"

May 1, 2002
By a mother of students once enrolled at a Regnum Christi school

My husband and I joined Regnum Christi after enrolling our child in Northwoods Catholic School in Houston, Texas. We have both left "the movement" after experiencing first hand the secretive, deceitful, defensive and hostile behavior attributed to the Legion in other places and instances. Many factors have contributed to my opinion that the Regnum Christi movement seems somewhat like a cult.

When I enrolled my child I read the information posted on the internet about Fr. Marcial and about the Donnellan School in Atlanta. When I asked Regnum Christi members about these stories, the response was and still is, that the Legion has many detractors because of its orthodoxy. I consider myself an orthodox Catholic too, faithful to the magisterium of the Church, so this explanation seemed plausible.

I now realize, from my firsthand experience, that there is much truth in the negative reports about the Legion, and it has nothing to do with their "orthodoxy" or faithfulness to the Church. On the contrary, the ultimate fidelity within the movement seems to be loyalty to Fr. Marcial himself, not to Christ.

The Legionary priests are seen by the Regnum Christi faithful as holier than other priests, and certainly imbued with a special holiness above mere laity.

To question anything about the Legion is treated as a betrayal of Christ himself. Legitimate questions that arose about financial mishandling at the Northwoods school went unanswered for years. Questions about the Legion or about the academic curriculum have been met with half-answers. Serious shortcomings in the academic curriculum were seen by the Regnum Christ faithful as insignificant compared to the ostensibly rigorous spiritual "formation" the children receive. As parents, we have seen neither rigorous academics nor the fruits of true spiritual growth in our children through their education at Northwoods.

My persistence in questioning the manner in which the school was being run, ostensibly by lay people, but in reality at the direction of the Legion or its agents, was met at first with stone-walling then with orchestrated hostility among the Regnum Christi faithful. Indeed, blind obedience seems to be prized above all else. To question is to be "negative," un-Christian. Charity and unity are used as a weapon against anyone who questions behavior or motives.

We will not re-enroll our children at Northwoods Catholic School. I believe, based on my own experience, that there is something sinister about the Legion. There is certainly something cult-like about the Regnum Christi movement. I am troubled that the Legion seems to be so supported by the Holy Father and the Vatican. Everyone must exercise his own conscience in matters like this, and despite accusations by Regnum Christi members to the contrary, my judgment in this matter was not arrived at lightly, but with much prayer, spiritual direction, and discernment.

I would invite you to post this letter for the benefit of anyone, especially parents considering a school for their children that has a Legionary affiliation.