ECYD and Regnum Christi!

[Vivacristorey]

Hey who here is a member of ECYD or Regnum Christi? Has anyone here ever been a precandidate? I was just at the 2005 Summer Program this year! It was amazing! Post your thoughts

~*sarah*~

[futurenun]

Thy Kingdom Come!
i am a member of Regnum Christi. I got incorporated this year in Germany at World Youth Day. I was there for three weeks. hey vivacristorey did you meet a consecrated named cesy she was from where i live but i never really got to meet her i just got to talk to her on the phone. Where are you from. We probably know someone in between us.
God Bless,
Sara

[morostheos]

Hi,
I am also a member of Regnum Christi. I was a coworker last year in Chicago, and I incorporated shortly before becoming a coworker. Being in Regnum Christi has helped my spiritual life SO MUCH!

Claire

[OLAM Dad]

My daughter, Ora et Labora, went to the summer program in 2004 and really enjoyed it. I know cesy. Love the accent!

[Vivacristorey]

CECY!!! of course I know her!!! oh she's so amazing...!!
Oh the summer program was great... it was one of the best months of my life my ecyd teamleader is going to be a coworker this year.

~*sarah*~

[Vivacristorey]

I'm in the Atlanta section

[futurenun]

Really your in the Atlanta Section do you know a Bri Dubos or I met her in Germany over the summer for three weeks for WYD. Or maybe anyone else maybe that went that I might know.

[Smile_Jesus_loves_you]

OMG, you all know Cecy!! AHHHHHHHHHH! she was spiritual guide at the PC!!!!!!!!
tell her Amelia says hi!!!!
I am ECYD soon to be RC and thanking God it has lead me so far in the faith!!

[peacenluvbaby]

Hi ecyders...I used to be in ecyd and was a precandidate and a coworker. Unfortunately, I wouldn't highly recommend it. There are many attractive things about it, and even good things, but there are a few things you should know, especially if you plan to go Rhode Island.

PLEASE DONT STOP READING!!!!
I PROMISE this is NOT ALL NEGATIVE...I WAS A PC FOR 3 YEARS - and had some good experiences there.

20 Things I WISH I HAD KNOWN

1. The summer program is awsome and fun and amazing.
PC life is a bit of a different story. You must wear a long skirt (even for sports and hikes and at the beach ), no sleeveless tops, a robe on top of PJs in the dorm (unless you are in bed) and nylons and dressy shoes - not socks or tennis shoes.

2. The educational quality is not very high. There are no Honors Classes, no AP classes, and the GPA system is so harsh that it can harm your chances of getting into a good college - If it hasn't changed, a 99% (A) counts as a 3.9 GPA, and a 90% (A-) is a 3.0 whereas, at a regular high school a A- is a 3.5.

As a senior in high school, most of the PCs do not even make college applications because they are thinking of becoming consecrated, but then if they don't become consecrated, they lose a year before they can go to college. One girl was even sent away because she started filling out college applications and that was seen as not being "open" to a vocation because she had a "plan B", so they sent her away in the middle of her senior year, and she nearly did not graduate.

Most students do not take SAT IIs or AP exams that would be very helpful for getting into and going to college.


3. You are in "silence" for the entire day except for part of lunch, and other times specifically set aside for talking. When you do get to talk there is always a consecrated member there. Not that that is bad, but it's hard to really express yourself to your friends as a teenager with a "counselor" even a nice and good one standing right there.

9th and 10th graders can't speak to 11th and 12th graders because they are in different "sections" They do not play together or anything.

4. You get to listen to music only on outings, in the car and on special feast days during "chores" Being a music lover, that was very hard on me and others. You are not allowed to have a cd/walkman, and "secular" music is never heard. Only Enya and these recordings of regnum christi women or legionaries singing mostly spanish, but some english songs in a choir.

5. You are allowed to have no "particular friendships" meaning you can't have any friend or girl you share your thoughts with more than any other. If you do, you will be asked to not speak to her at all for a while until you can be equally friends with everyone.

6. Your letters and all mail that you send or receive is read by your counselor(consecrated) including letters to your family or friends. You are also not allowed any contact with friends of yours who are guys ((or girls if you're a guy and go the Legionary PreCandidacy/Apostolic School)

You sometimes have letter writing time and you are encouraged to ask your acquaintences, family and friends for donations or at least to get them to come to retreats and such in RI. My sister was a PC also and she did this, and it made an aunt of mine very upset. Letters about hey what's up, or just friendly stuff are considered a waste of time.

7. You have very strict rules of ettiquette - eating apples, oranges, hamburger and donuts with a knife and fork. Getting into your chair from the left and exiting from the right. Using only 4 or 5 squares of toilet paper to...and many more...

8. You can receive a call from home once per week for one hour only. If you have a large family, that is about 5-10 minutes per person.

9. You have no (or very restricted) email or internet access. No cell phone either.

10. You must ask your director permission to read any book, literature or spiritual.

11. The food is not particularly healthy (like any other boarding school) and most girls gained weight when they went because of the food and the reduced exercise.

12. You get about 45min-1hour of sports about 3-4 times per week (some days you have kitchen clean up after lunch). All sports are team sports only, no running by yourself for exercise, no competitive sports against other schools,( NO SOCCER! at all because it's not for girls) For a sporty person like myself this is very little exercise and I even gained about 15 pounds which I lost when I graduated and began doing college sports and eating my own healthy food.

13. You have set aside times for studying per class. For some people this is nice, but others, who would prefer to do all their homework at once and according to how long they need to study for that class this can be a pain. IE You have a 45 minute period to study history, you finish your homework, now you're supposed to keep studying history even though you're done....

14. If you break one of the many small rules that govern pc life, you are supposed to ask your counselor/guide for a penance - some act of reparation which can range from extra prayers to giving up sports and doing an extra kitchen duty.

15. Although spiritual direction is supposed to be 100% confidential it's not. Sometimes, it happened that another pc would know something I said in spiritual guidance because the consecrated had mentioned it to her as an example, or something. Also every month they make a report about all the pcs and send it to the higher up Regnum Christi/Legionaries.

16. The consecrated can go through your closet and your stuff to see how organized or messy you are - you have no privacy at all.

17. The consecrated are very nice people and really are trying to help you, but I don't think it is always a "help." And everything they tell you is "God's will". I don't know if God really cares so much if I wear my hair in a ponytail or down, but they told me He wanted my hair "down" because ponytails are too casual.

18. You have what is called "free time" but you need this time to iron your clothes, clean up your closet, write a letter, etc. and cannot use it to hang out with other pcs or listen to music.

19. Every minute of every day is scheduled. You have only 3 days at home at Christmas - not Christmas Day!!!! You go home the 26th, are at home 27th, 28th, 29th and fly back the 30th. This is a very expensive 72 hour trip.

20. By the end, you might lose some of your sense of identity and it's not on purpose maybe but you're only 14-17 so you begin to put your whole identity into the Regnum Christi and then as is often the case, even people who become consecrated leave after a while. From my pc class and the grade ahead of me and behind me...All TOGETHER only 2 girls who became consecrated are still consecrated. Some of my old friends even stopped being catholic after they left because they got so confused of what was catholic and what was just Regnum Christi. God doesnt care if I eat an apple with a knife and fork - many good catholics use their hands, but so much of those small things get mixed in that it becomes hard to separate God's ideas and Catholic from these strange little quirky things about Regnum Christi.

Lastly, though this is yet unproven, Pope Benedict does have a case open currently investigating abuse by the founder of Regnum Christi. I think your parents should be fully informed and research other people's experiences in Legionary schools, Regnum Christi and ECYD before they encourage or allow you to participate. I loved the summer camps and was a counselor even after leaving the pc, and I'd be a counselor again, I just don't try to force everyone into ECYD, just get them to talk to God more...not have to obey these made up rules...and have no friends because "everyone is your friend." Girls, you know! (and guys too) there is no substitute for a real live best girl friend (or guy friend)

Seriously people, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO??? Didn't he say take your light out and shine it, not put it in a bushel basket??? I think being really catholic or Christian in a regular school is a much bigger deal than hiding your faith in some school where everyone agrees with you.

Love you all!!! PEACE!

[Vivacristorey]

excuse me, but as an ecyd member i have to reply and defend my movement... my family. you just accused me personally of many things being a member of the movement. you also accused my spiritual family, Regnum Christi in the Catholic Church, of many things. I'm sorry, but I cannot accept any of that. I have a duty, right, and want to defend Nuestro Padre, the Pope's decisions, the Church, and Regnum Christi.
Here is, firstly, my response to your suggestion of the abuse scandal. its a lie. period. here are my views on the people who believe these claims:

ok, if you're ROMAN CATHOLIC (which they claim to be) you listen to the pope and believe what he says REGARDLESS of personal opinion or personal questions. you may not agree on a human level with something, but you know that it must be a misunderstanding on your part if the Vatican approves it and you must just be missing a peice of info. you let it go and admit you dont know everything (ex. the fight some "catholics" are posing to have women priests... they may not understand it, but if they're really CATHOLIC they need to accept that its NEVER gonna happen because THATS WHAT THE POPE SAYS AND THE POPE IS INFALLABLE) so back to the Legion and Regnum Christi. So every Pope existant while the Legionaries are existant have not only approved them and all their apostolates (Regnum Christi, ECYD, Challenge, Conquest, Compass, etc) but they've ENCOURAGED LOVED AND PROMOTED them too. Pope John Paul II wrote LETTERS specifically to our movement. Pope Benedict XVI receives ECYD boys every year to talk to them! Every time Pope John Paul II heard "John Paul II, we love you!" being chanted he would say "Regnum Christi!" and smile and clap his hands and say "John Paul II loves you too!" because he knew we were there and he loves us! my gosh, ppl who believe all this bad stuff about the Legionaries and Regnum Christi can't be real Catholics because they dont trust their own Pope who Christ has put for them to follow. If they dont follow the pope, they arent' following Christ. If you dont follow Christ, you're most definitely not Catholic. Case closed. I win. Pope John Paul II had regular meetings with Nuestro Padre, they were great friends! Pope John Paul II I think loved Regnum Christi and the Legion more than we did... and that's a WHOLE LOT.

I dont even halfway get (jennys' phrase, by the way) how they can come up with all this. once nuestro padre was going to mass in st. peters square and he saw one of the men who is lying about him to the media. the legionary who was with nuestro padre asked if he wanted to leave. nuestro padre smiled and said, "no." then he went up to the man, gave him a hug, and said to him holding his shoulders, "Thank you, my friend, for teaching me humility of heart and for giving me an oppertunity to suffer for Christ."

And they tell me those are the words of a criminal. its laughable. it really is.

after all that he's done he's still persecuted, and do you know why? because the devil's finally smartened up and knows what a threat this Movement is to his plans. He cant afford millions of souls to be saved through this movement! it would mean too many people get to heaven and are happy! so what does he do? he lies to people and makes them gossip and lie themselves. he doesnt let them see that it's him because then they will get scared. he's manipulating all these people right in front of their faces but they're blind. They've formally rejected their guide, the Pope. I feel really bad for them. They've got to be miserable.

I know this whole post is pretty harsh, but it's completely true. The pcs make great sacrifices for love of Christ and the vocation he's called them to. The pc vocation is beautiful and there's nothing wrong with figuring out that it isnt your call, but I greatly regret that people publicly put down the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi just because they found it was not their vocation to be a member. That's completely fine.

Every pope during the Legion's existance has publicly denied the claims of the abuse scandal lie. Pope John Paul II even went far enough to say that it WILL NOT be brought up again. After these lying men brought it up a number of times the Pope said STOP. I said it's a lie. I refuse to listen to this.

AGAIN precandidates and consecrated make sacrifices and live a strict schedule, but its all out of love for Christ. They NEVER opperate outside of the Church. They 100% obey the Vatican and all of Christs teachings. But Christ never said, "follow me. the path is easy." no, he said "Take up your cross and follow me." These restrictions on the lives of the pcs help them to live completely detatched from possessions. It gives them such an ardant love for the supernatural so that they can give their whole lives to God in whatever way he wants them: married, single, or religious. To have these limits is to say to God: "You are in control of my life. I give every aspect of it to you. From the details about my hairstyle or how I dress to my life's occupation. It is in your hands."

God has reasons for the little things such as hairstyle that we as humans know of very little. We cannot claim to know everything and say that God doesnt care about it. He cares about everything about us. If your assistant tells you not to wear your hair up, it is because she wants to a) form your obedience b) God tells her that for some reason, you will be able to fulfill your mission better with your hair down. Maybe someone will see you that day and they come and talk to you. If your hair was down maybe they wouldnt notice you. But because your hair is down, they notice you (for some reason of God's) and come talk to you and turn back to him. We can never know, so it is best that we live in obedience.

It is not everyone's vocation to go to the precandidacy, this is very true. But, it is NO ONE'S vocation to say ANYTHING negative about something the Pope has approved and supported. We should accept it and admit that because we dont know everything and the Church is infallable, we must be wrong in our accusations.

Thank you for listening
~*Sarah*~

[Vivacristorey]

OMG!!!! BRI DUBOS!!! OF COURSE I KNOW HER!!!

her sister is one of my best friends! i was just on retreat with bri last weekend! she's my ecyd group leader! omg omg omg omg omg!!!

yeah i went to the summer program w/ her sister while ya'll were in germany! i stayed at their house w/ bri and watched movies till the cows came home the night before!!!! omg omg omg omg!!! thats sooooo cool! i'll have to tell her i met you! whats your name?

~*sarah*~

[futurenun]

My name is Sara Yongueor Free Willy whatever. And tell her one of the ones from Louisiana that she traveled with. Tell her I said hi and i miss her so much. I miss all my 60 sistesrs. Tell her to keep in touch please.
God Bless
Sara

[futurenun]

By the way that is Sara Yongue

[benedictaj]

[quote name='Vivacristorey' date='Jan 14 2006, 03:33 PM'][snip]
ok, if you're ROMAN CATHOLIC (which they claim to be) you listen to the pope and believe what he says REGARDLESS of personal opinion or personal questions. you may not agree on a human level with something, but you know that it must be a misunderstanding on your part if the Vatican approves it and you must just be missing a peice of info. you let it go and admit you dont know everything (ex. the fight some "catholics" are posing to have women priests... they may not understand it, but if they're really CATHOLIC they need to accept that its NEVER gonna happen because THATS WHAT THE POPE SAYS AND THE POPE IS INFALLABLE)

[snip]

AGAIN precandidates and consecrated make sacrifices and live a strict schedule, but its all out of love for Christ. They NEVER opperate outside of the Church. They 100% obey the Vatican and all of Christs teachings. But Christ never said, "follow me. the path is easy." no, he said "Take up your cross and follow me." These restrictions on the lives of the pcs help them to live completely detatched from possessions. It gives them such an ardant love for the supernatural so that they can give their whole lives to God in whatever way he wants them: married, single, or religious. To have these limits is to say to God: "You are in control of my life. I give every aspect of it to you. From the details about my hairstyle or how I dress to my life's occupation. It is in your hands."

God has reasons for the little things such as hairstyle that we as humans know of very little. We cannot claim to know everything and say that God doesnt care about it. He cares about everything about us. If your assistant tells you not to wear your hair up, it is because she wants to a) form your obedience b) God tells her that for some reason, you will be able to fulfill your mission better with your hair down. Maybe someone will see you that day  and they come and talk to you. If your hair was down maybe they wouldnt notice you. But because your hair is down, they notice you (for some reason of God's) and come talk to you and turn back to him. We can never know, so it is best that we live in obedience.
[snip]
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[b]1[/b] The Pope is only infallible when he is making statements in [i]ex cathedra[/i] many popes (like the good John XXIII,) said that they would never be infallible. Infalliblity is a tricky concept at times. You and I can be infallible when saying things like "Mary is the Immaculate Conception." or "Jesus is the Son of God." But anyway, just wanted to clear that up. Hardly anything the pope says is definitely and completely infallible. You can look into the issue more if you like.

[b]2[/b] You are perfectly right in that a vocation to the precandidacy is not for every one. You also "hit the nail on the head" when you said that part of that particular vocation is to surrender up all control of everything you do. (my paraphrase.) So, choosing how you dress, when and what you eat, and so on, no longer becomes an option. One closes the door on making such decisions, when they choose to enter into the environment. I'm discerning with Poor Clares at the moment, and I imagine, should I end up there, that I will lose control over such things. My Poor Clares eat the same food, at prescribed times each day. As Mother Abbess says, it is not a case of "take it or leave it," it is a plain "take it."

What I'm trying to say, is that when one chooses to act upon what she believes to be Gods will, there must be sacrifices involved, even if other people do not understand them.

About Regnum Christi, I have nothing against the movement. I like their saying believe all the good things you hear, and only believe the bad things that you see with your own eyes. With all human things, there will be good and not-so-good elements.

OK, thats enough for me. God bless.

[peacenluvbaby]

Dear Vivacristorey!
Peace dude!!!! Did you even read my story? I was not angry or accusing...just stating facts. I did not accuse you personally or the RC or ecyd of anything.
(The only thing close to an accusation was my reference to the FACT that the current Pope, Benedict has reopened the investigation and I follow what the Church says doctrinally, but I dont recall the Dogma of Regnum Christi and the Legion being perfect.)

I was also hurt by your accusing me of not really being a catholic. That hurts! Would Jesus start insulting people he disagrees with? Probably not. I hope you can see that RC is not the only way to be catholic. That´s the beauty - catholic is universal, languages, customs, styles etc.

[color=red]"it is NO ONE'S vocation to say ANYTHING negative about something the Pope has approved and supported."[/color]
Actually, the Pope JPII apologized for mistakes of other Popes, and the bishops often ask the faithful for information and advice to make sure that things that seem good really are. You mistake "being negative" as somehow evil, even if it´s true. What if no one had ever mentioned that a some seemingly good people have problems or do bad things? Who would know? Who would help them get better?

Secondly I simply wrote a list of 20 things that no one will dispute that occur if you join the PC. These are true things that I lived and continue to go on - ask anyone, even people who are there right now! The thing is that you dont find out before so when you decide to go you think you´re going to high school but you are really living the near cloistered life of a nun and practicing the "vows" of poverty, chastity and obedience (not the virtues which are good, but way stricter) before you even have the legal status of an adult or the maturity to truly choose a path in life. (BTW the argument that Mary was 15 doesnt count because of social and cultural differences and life expectancy was about forty, thus 15 of a 40 year life is like 30 years old nowadays because we live to about 80)

Thirdly, the call of Christ to obedience and the giving up of one´s own decision making power is true, when one is following a vocation. However, since people cant get married or vote or join the army or even drink alcohol till they are 18 (or 21), I wanted simply to point out that a very young, impressionable teenager should perhaps not be expected to live a "consecrated" life or the life of a nun. Do the Sisters of Charity for example accept 14 year olds as "prospects" and have them wear saris, sleep on mats, eat "poor" food, and live without hot water for 4 years and then accept them as nuns? I dont think so.

Lastly, if you choose to go, I´m not stopping you. It should be a fully informed decision made between you and your parents, not alone. YOU are a MINOR and God doesn´t expect us to make a life choice before we are mature enough to do so freely, and lovingly.

Even though you got very angry at me, I still love you. and would suggest you calmly (maybe try some chamomile tea) reread my 20 things. They are true, and many friends of mine who were consecrated realized later it wasnt for them, and that they had been simply too young to really make a conscious mature decision about it. No one gets married in high school, and most girls now get married at about 25 or 27 depending on whether they complete college and perhaps a graduate degree. So high school is a time to enjoy and grow up. When I left the PC, I was not nearly as socially mature as my fellow college students and it took a while to adjust, and making friends was hard because I had not been allowed to have "personal" friends so it took a while to build that ability back up.

Peace out everybody!!

PS.[color=red]"I'm discerning with Poor Clares at the moment"[/color]
Hey memtherose, you are over 18, right? Pcs are 13-18. If you´re not 18, do they make you live all those things now???

Edited January 14, 2006 by peacenluvbaby