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Missions |
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| Like the Church, the Legion of Christ is essentially missionary. It participates actively in the task of proclaiming the Gospel to those who have not yet heard the message of salvation. |
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“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you…" (Mt 28:19-20).
Christ’s words
are a call to go out into mission territory and
serve those who are most in need, both spiritually and
materially. In response to this call, the Legion of Christ
stands on the frontier of missionary work with a wide
range of programs to build up individuals, families, and entire
communities with the means to grow humanly, intellectually, and spiritually.
The main arm of the Legion’s charitable outreach among
the poor and marginalized is the Altius Foundation, founded
to coordinate a wide range of outreach programs in 12
countries to lift people out of the cycle of poverty.
In the area of education, the Altius Foundation operates 28
Mano Amiga schools for underprivileged children in 7 countries,
serving a total of over 16,000 children who otherwise would
not be able to afford a quality education. Adult education
and ongoing formation are offered through economic development courses. In
the area of medical and health care, it coordinates health
initiatives to offer free medical service to the poor, such
as clinics, telemedicine programs, and traveling hospitals on wheels for
the indigenous poor. Last year alone, almost 60,000 people benefited
from free medical care from quality doctors and nurses, including
a team of 200 medical missionaries who offered their care
free of charge. Altius also serves the needs of poor
immigrants with 6 formation and support centers in Spain.
The Legion also founded several other apostolates aimed at
helping people to achieve an integral formation, no matter their
background. The Anspac apostolate was an initiative founded by
Regnum Christi members, under the guidance of the Legion, to
reach out to the wives of workers and to give
them practical training and the means to improve their lives
and lift their families out of poverty.
In
Italy, the Legion was entrusted with the care of the
Villaggio dei Ragazzi, a Boys Town for street children,
founded by the Italian priest Don Salvatore in 1947. Don
Salvatore expressly wished to entrust the direction of the Villaggio
to the Legionaries in order to maintain continuity with his
guiding inspiration. Since then, the Villaggio has flourished under the
Legion’s direction with a widening range of programs to enrich
the boys with an integral formation and practical skills for
a positive, productive life.
In the field of direct evangelization,
the Legion-sponsored Catholic World Mission organization coordinates and supports
the work of over 700 full-time lay missionaries (Evangelizadores
de tiempo completo) who work in direct catechesis in 5,000
different communities in 58 dioceses. These full-time “evangelizers” then train
and manage over 35,000 part-time catechists from the communities, who
then reach out to over 2,000,000 people. Catholic World Mission
also sponsors Mano Amiga schools, medical missions in Central
and South America, and gathers relief funds for communities suffering
from natural disasters, including disasters in the United States.
The Legion’s work with the poor and needy is not
limited to providing material and educational benefits. They are directly
involved in the catechesis and sacramental care of the native
Mayan people in the 19,360 square mile missionary territory of
Quintana Roo, in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. In 1970, Pope Paul
VI entrusted the Legion with the spiritual care of the
Cancun-Chetumal prelature. Since then, the Legion has built 366 churches
and chapels, numerous schools and health clinics. About 40 Legionaries
are currently working to serve the sacramental and spiritual needs
of the people in Quintana Roo.
Missionary work is
not only the task of the Legionaries. It is also
a task to be shared with Regnum Christi apostles, especially
the youth. In this area, Mission Youth and Missionary
Families for the Third Millennium have proven to be a
tremendously fruitful means to reach people with the joy and
good news of the Gospel. Since its foundation in 1986,
Mission Youth has gathered a total of over 200,000 missionaries
who have visited 9 million families in 12,000 towns and
communities in 30 countries. In the United States alone, Mission
Youth and Missionary Families for the Third Millennium have organized
over 700 parish missions in order to support the ministry
of diocesan priests.
Christ’s missionary mandate to go out and
share the good news is a call with broad horizons,
and the Legion’s efforts in this area are only the
beginning of what still remains a huge task for the
third millennium.
To learn more please check also the
section on Christian Charity and on Evangelization and
the articles on the different works of apostolate which are
active in these fields.
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Have you ever had the crazy dream to one day be a missionary volunteer? One girl tells us how her dream came true. |
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