Pope Benedict XVI receives Fr Alvaro Corcuera, LC, in private audience on June 16, 2006 (© L'Osservatore Romano).

Thy Kingdom Come!

Rome, June 16, 2006

To the Legionaries of Christ
and Regnum Christi Members.

Dear Friends in Christ,

As has happened on many occasions throughout the years of our history, Christ our Lord had special graces in store for us for this month of June, in which we honor so lovingly his Sacred Heart.

My purpose on this occasion is to tell you of a special blessing we received precisely today. This morning, in fact, I had the immense joy to be received in private audience by His Holiness Benedict XVI.

As always, the Holy Father was especially kind and fatherly, and he assured me that he is very close to the Legion and Regnum Christi at this time.

Not only did I verbally express to him the most complete adherence of the Legion and Regnum Christi to his person and ministry, but also, interpreting your feelings as displayed in all your recent letters to me, and which stem from the depth of your spirit of faith, I gave the Holy Father a written note, a copy of which is attached to this letter.

The Holy Father, in his thoughtful and fatherly kindness asked me to assure you that he feels close to us all, prays for us and sends his blessing.

As we can see, God our Father never ceases to show us his infinite love in many ways, and the only way to respond to this love is by redoubling our effort to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our journey to holiness. Only if we are holy will we carry forward our apostolic mission. And we will be holy only if we live his commandment of love to its ultimate consequences. Today more than ever, we need to be Christians in name and in fact, bearing in our lives the commandment of love.

May the Blessed Virgin obtain for us the grace to be generous as she was in the surrender of our lives to Christ, and to the charism that he deigned to grant to us for the benefit of his Church.

I will pray for you all in a special way before Christ in the Eucharist. I remain your servant in Christ Jesus.

Alvaro Corcuera, LC

Written Note given to the Holy Father

Thy Kingdom Come!

Rome, June 16, 2006

Holy Father,

With deep humility and veneration, the Legionaries of Christ and the members of the Regnum Christi Movement wanted me to express, on their behalf, our filial love and to renew our unconditional adherence to you and your ministry as Vicar of Christ and visible head of the Church.

We are moved by the certainty of faith, that only in the boat of Peter, will we reach the safe haven of salvation. We are moved at the same time by the “personal and ardent love” for the Successor of Peter (Constitutions of the Legion of Christ, 226 §2).  This love is something that we, in the Legion and Regnum Christi, have learned from the first days of our foundation. We are convinced that this faith and love are the secret and guarantee of our fidelity to Christ and the Church. Thus, we feel very close to Christ when we are close to his Vicar.

We also want to renew our commitment to continue dedicating our time and all that we are to serve the Church, and we offer our charism to the bishops as a means of extending Christ’s Kingdom.

We pray every day for Your Holiness, and we ask the Blessed Virgin to keep and protect you under her motherly care. I humbly ask your blessing, and remain yours with filial love,

Fr. Álvaro Corcuera, L.C.
General Director