Legionaries Of Christ

[Lilllabettt]

one thing I know is not kosher is having your superior be your spiritual director.  I had that experience and to this day I ask myself if the fault was mine, if I misunderstood what the arrangement was. But the time was described as "spiritual direction" and it was my immediate superior meeting with me. I think back on it and wonder if we had different definitions of "spiritual direction?" were they working from an older definition, or something? Because my superiors were excellent orthodox people by no means inexperienced in religious life, and I have a hard time believing they would be ignorant of the prohibition on such things as mixing internal/external forums.

 

I think some people are accustomed to using confession as a time for spiritual direction, whereas others (I would fall into this category) are more likely to go in and confess their sins without elaborating on them ... in which case it makes sense to have two different people. The confidentiality thing would not bother me so much ... the obligation to keep spiritual direction secret is not as strong but I have had priests tell me that as far as they are concerned they treat everything they hear in direction as "under the seal." I personally don't see spiritual direction as a time to discuss particular sins, apart from the ones that are an ongoing problem.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Lilllabettt

[Gabriela]

I would actually prefer that my confessor be my SD, as I can see a great advantage in someone knowing both my particular weaknesses in the faith and my thoughts on where God might be leading me. I think one's sins often reveal the state of one's soul, and the state of that soul can be important to whether one is/is not called to religious life now/yet/ever.

 

That being said, I have very little experience with SDs, and since I prefer to speak to a woman, I have never actually had an SD who was also my confessor. Conflicting desires... oh well!

 

Aside from aggressive recruitment, could someone please inform me of why the Legionaries have been banned in some dioceses, or just generally of why some people are leery of them? I'm not asking anyone to commit detraction (I hope), just trying to learn what the history is!

[NotreDame]

It's all out on Google.  I'll PM you with some links to jumpstart your reading on the subject.

[cmaD2006]

Adding my two cents:

 

I do agree with basically what has been posted ... I would be careful with a LC as a SD.  However having said that -- foreverlillian if you think the priest would be a good SD for you then do it.

 

Case in point -- I was in a community that I think crossed the line with respect to the internal/external forum (among other problems).  However -- my sd was 100% spot on.  He was a priest in the community (the community consisted of brothers and sisters, in their own communities but they really worked as if it was one).  When I went to him for SD and told him what I was going through, he actually agreed that it was wrong.  So -- he kept his objectivity even though we were discussing issues within the community.

 

Finally foreverlillian, I would definitely watch for signs of "recruitment" if you do go into spiritual direction with the LC.  And maybe, maybe enter spiritual direction with this caveat "I can have you as a SD as long as I do not start discerning Regnum Christi.  If I do start discerning membership with RC then I need to find a different director so that I can have an objective viewpoint.  Do you agree with this?"

 

Praying for you FL.