The following letter from the two territorial directors, Fr Julio Martí, LC, and Fr John Connor, LC, reports on the first in-depth meeting held with Legionaries, consecrated members, and Regnum Christi members to analyze areas for improvement in all areas of the organization. The meeting was facilitated by the Adizes Institute, which specializes in organizational change through participatory teamwork.

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To all Legionaries, consecrated and Regnum Christi members in the Atlanta and New York Territories:

On  March 1 – 3, we convened a meeting of 33 Legionaries, consecrated and lay staff at Our Lady of Thornwood to participate in an in-depth diagnosis of our way of working in the Atlanta and New York Territories.  The goal of this program was to identify all the major areas within the two territories where we could make important improvements to performance and mission and to develop an action plan to deal with the potential improvement points identified.  The workshop was facilitated by the Adizes Institute, an International firm specializing in organizational change through participative teamwork.

Unfortunately, only a limited number of us could participate in these sessions.  We wish we all could have, but it was not possible.  However, in listening to the closing comments by the participants, both of us had a sense that we have the capability to make great improvements.  And virtually everyone in the group expressed a sense of peace, gratitude and hope.

We identified a more than 400 Potential Improvement Points (PIPs) in all areas of the organization including dealing with formation, ongoing spiritual development, finances and decision-making.

In addition to identifying these points, we also analyzed how all of these impacted one another and we jointly developed an action plan for solving the priority problems.  The action plan calls for problems to be solved both by individuals and by teams.

We are now in the process of developing/deploying a program to systematically improve our work, avoid foreseeable problems, and improve our ability to solve problems.  The program will be led by a new cross-functional Participative Organizational Council.  The members of this council will vary over time, with the initial members being the following:

Fr. John Connor, LC, Chair
Father Julio Marti, LC
Father Jose Felix Ortega, LC
Father Jason Brooks, LC
Father John Hopkins, LC
Matthew Reinhardt, consecrated
Monica Trevino, consecrated
Glory Darbellay, consecrated
Betty Rivera, consecrated
Lucy Honner, consecrated
Oscar Marroquin, Operations
Kerrie Rivard, Regnum Christi
Mike Williams, Regnum Christi
Mark Correnti, Development
Jim Fair, Communications
 
We will follow through and fully support this activity, which will begin immediately. We expect to get more people involved in this process as the year progresses and as we use the Adizes program.

Yours in Christ,

Father John Connor, LC
Father Julio Marti, LC