Former Female "Consecrated" dies suddenly in Mexico City

Regnum Christi pays tribute to former member very "discreetly" it would appear young woman may have suffered from depression, left the Movement, stayed in Mexico and later died of a heart attack Blogger --- A Tribute to Erin Bellefeuille

U. S. A. | MEMBERS | NEWS

Erin Bellefeuille, a former consecrated member from Phoenix, Arizona, entered eternal life on Tuesday night

Erin Bellefeuille was a native of Arizona, and was consecrated in 2002. This past August, she discerned that God was no longer calling her to the consecrated life, and took a job at a school in Mexico City.  She passed away on Tuesday night, following a brief illness. Renee Pomarico, a consecrated member who worked with Erin in Rhode Island, shares a tribute to her friend and companion. Today, November 13 2012, a dearly beloved friend, sister, and companion has gone to the Father’s house. Erin Bellefeuille was a compassionate friend, who constantly showed interest in the needs of others. She lived her life with sincerity and joy, prayerfully seeking to please the heavenly Father. I remember Erin as someone I could always rely on. We had fun moments together and moments of deep sharing. I remember how she would send early birthday messages the day before my birthday, which would surprise me and touch me deeply. I always knew that she would be a friend forever, but I didn’t know that I would be able to pray to her so soon to ask her to intercede for us here below! Erin was a person who had totally surrendered herself to God. She was already his because she had given everything over to him. Her life was a constant preparation for this definitive meeting with God the Father, who is holding Erin now in is eternal embrace. She loved her family tremendously and prayed for them always - her parents and her brothers were foremost in her heart. We assure the Bellefeuille family of our heartfelt prayers and condolences. On the feast of St. Teresa of Avila, Erin sent an email to her friends with the words of St. Teresa: Let nothing disturb you,                  Let nothing frighten you,                                                                       All things are passing away:                      God never changes.                                                                                                    Patience obtains all things                                                                       Whoever has God lacks nothing;                                                                                                              God alone suffices. -- St. Teresa of Avila

Whatever happened to Fr. Peter Byrne, LC?

A couple of years ago this priest protested. His protest was published on this blog; his whereabouts and info are hazy
Please post info in comments

Priest cant wait to Leave Legion!

Fr. John, down there in Brasilia is waiting impatiently but patiently for his indult from the Holy See to arrive to declare him a non Legionary and so he can be officially admitted to the diocese of Brasilia

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

Waiting for an indult

Today I learned that all the necessary documents have been turned in to the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life requesting that I be dispensed from the Evangelical Counsels in the Legionaries of Christ and incardinated into the Archdiocese of Brasília. This is the final step. The only thing left is to receive the indult from the Holy See and I will be officially out of the Legion. I wish I had a date so I could do a count-down.

I think I already mentioned this... I have a bottle of 21 year old Scotch I'm going to break open with some priest friends the day the indult arrives.

Fr. Raymond Cumiskey, LC. How does the Legion of Christ take care of its ailing members?

Fr. "Ray", as I call him. Is not going anywhere. My dear friend, fellow Dubliner who joined the Legion of Christ just after me -and maybe because of me- has been ill for some time. He has always been a Legionary and never wavered in his vocation, even when one of his best friends - but oh, best friendships dissolve in the Legion!- left the order in 1985.
We have had some limited contact. Raymond continues to preach the Work of God the best way he can. He is a devout priest.
I learn he is no longer on active duty because of his various illnesses, including diabetes.

I don't know how the Legion of Christ his order is taking care of him.
It seems he is living at a private residence in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.

Fr. Patrick Corrigan, LC, recently described fundraising in the local parishes for Fr. Raymond.
Is he not being cared for by the Legion's central funds of millions of dollars?
Lord, I feel sick to the stomach when I hear of this.
Lord, look after your servant, Raymond, who has served you selflessly for decades on the Quintana Roo Missions!

Fr Pablo Perez, LC, Dismissed from Cancun [ongoing]

Fr. Perez, a priest who has spent 13 years on the Mission in Quintana Roo has been publicly dissenting from the way superiors handled the Maciel debacle and the so-called Reform of the Legion. He now bites the dust for his troubles.

The local bishop, his LC superior, says he does not want him around "disturbing the peace"; what he means is that Fr. is a dissenting voice and the

Legion never allows dissent.

Even if it is during an investigation by the Vatican;
even if it is part of the preparation for a Chapter General.
The Legion does not want dissent in the Chapter General.
"We must all have the same opinions, just as our founder, Fr. Maciel, taught us."


Here are Fr. Guajardo's words translated by the blogger:

Accepting the decision of Bishop Pedro Pablo Elizondo, LC, on Saturday, September 8, 2012, I will say good bye to my church community as far as exercising my priestly ministry.  I am not completely sure why this drastic decision has been taken as I have had no personal meeting (with the bishop, my superior, to explain it), even though I asked for one. I hope in God to be able to spend some time in Playa del Carmen to pray, reflect and plan. 

I consider it a beautiful coincidence that I can conclude my priestly service on September 8th, the day on which the Church commemorates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God. Let these words be a testimony of my gratitude to so many wonderful people in Playa del Carmen.  And I am writing to "show my face" because I have nothing to hide or to feel ashamed of in my work for (the state/diocese of) Quintana Roo, a work  which covers both the spiritual dimension and also the promotion and defense of human rights. 

Your servant in Christ the Priest,
Pablo Perez Guajardo, LC. (Legionary of Christ)

[Original below]

Acatando la decisión del Obispo Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cárdenas (Legionario de Cristo) el sábado 8 de septiembre 2012 me despediré de la comunidad eclesial en cuanto al ejercicio del ministerio. A ciencia cierta ignoro el motivo de la drástica determinación porque no ha habido entrevista personal, a pesar de haberla solicitado. Confío en Dios que podré pasar algún tiempo en Playa del Carmen para orar, reflexionar y planear.

Considero un detalle hermoso coronar este servicio sacerdotal el 8 de septiembre, día en que la Iglesia recuerda el nacimiento de la Virgen María Madre de Dios. Vayan estas letras para dejar constancia de mi gratitud hacia tanta gente maravillosa de Playa del Carmen. Con estas lineas quiero dar la cara pues no tengo nada que esconder o de qué avergonzarme por un trabajo en favor de Quintana Roo que abarca tanto lo espiritual como la promoción y defensa de los derechos humanos.

Servidor en Cristo sacerdote, Pablo Pérez Guajardo LC (Legionario de Cristo)

(Source: Spanish link found on life.after.rc blog researched by blogger)

Out of the Black and into the Blue

Hey, former member of the LC/RC take a listen

See if any of these lyrics apply to you and your experience

Here's the You Tube

Neil Young My My, Hey Hey Lyrics

My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
My my, hey hey.

Out of the blue and into the black
They give you this, but you pay for that
And once you're gone, you can never come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black.

The king is gone but he's not forgotten
This is the story of a johnny rotten
It's better to burn out than it is to rust
The king is gone but he's not forgotten.

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye.
Hey hey, my my.
[ Lyrics from: 

Connolly and McCool tell their war stories about the Regnum Christi boarding School

Now it's the girls' turn to tell their horror stories about the Regnum Christi

You have all  heard about Nieves Garcia, and now the American girls, 49weeks blog, and others are coming out of  the woodwork; here is an article from a local paper in Narraganset...

Vatican urged to close Immaculate Conception

July 13, 2012

BY

 MARIA SHANAHAN

The all-girl Immaculate Conception Academy has come under fire from former students who claim psychological abuse.

VATICAN CITY – Dozens of women who attended Immaculate Conception Academy in Wakefield have written a letter urging the Vatican to close the program, saying the psychological abuse they endured has caused them serious physical, mental and emotional hardship.

The school is run by the Legion of Christ, which The Associated Press called “disgraced” in its article on the school, given the numerous scandals it has been involved in over the years. The school has no affiliation with the Diocese of Providence.

The all-girl Immaculate Conception Academy opened two decades ago to serve as a program for the Legion to expand its female consecrated branch, where more than 700 women around the world live like nuns, making promises of poverty, chastity and obedience, who then work for the Legion in its schools and otherwise.

The former students, who lived as teenage nuns, sent a letter to the pope’s envoy running the Legion to denounce the manipulation and distrust they say marked their time at the school. Some say that their experiences caused them to develop eating disorders, suffer from depression and in some cases, attempt suicide, ultimately leading to years of therapy costing thousands of dollars.

In an effort to warn potential students about the program’s schools in the U.S., Spain and Mexico, 77 women signed the letter and created a blog (http://www.49weeks.blogspot.com/) detailing their experiences. Some who have not yet blogged also came forward to share their stories in an effort to create awareness about the school.

“Two consecrated women told my best friend I was going and then came to my house and said she was going,” said Lauren McCool, who attended Immaculate Conception Academy from 1997-1999. McCool, who is now 30 and lives in Seattle, said she and her friend essentially agreed to go to the school based on a lie.

She described the schedule as “very rigorous,” adding that every student carries around a day planner and that “every minute of your time is planned out, decided and scheduled.”

“People were happy to get sick to get a break from the schedule,” McCool said. “We asked other girls to cough on us or share the spoon of a sick girl to get sick.”

Sheila Connolly, who attended the school from 2000-2002, described the school’s rules in her blog (http://agiftuniverse.blogspot.com/p/my-rc-story.html) as quite strict, saying the girls had to ask permission  for pretty much everything, from reading a book during free time to taking an aspirin. The girls’ letters home were read by “spiritual guides,” they weren’t allowed to have “particular friends,” only hang out in groups and could rarely speak to upperclassmen. They were also only allowed to spend about three weeks a year visiting home.

Despite the rigor and the rules, McCool and Connolly returned for a second year at the school.

The second year, McCool said, was even more difficult. She was pushed into being a “team leader,” leading other students and helping them “to be courageous about doing an apostolic,” meaning a mission. McCool said she also had to help with recruitment and starting groups outside of school, which led to a lot of traveling around the United States.

“It was not something I wanted to do,” McCool said of being a team leader. “I ended up calling home and having a nervous breakdown. I stayed in bed for a week and couldn’t move. For the rest of my second year, I wasn’t myself anymore.”

McCool returned to her family’s home in Georgia in the summer of 1999, before her senior year in high school. She then enrolled in a public high school but was still tormented by nightmares of being “trapped” for about two years. She still gets the occasional nightmare stemming from her experiences at the school.

She described returning home as a “culture shock,” saying that it was strange to return home as an 18-year-old after leaving at age 15.

“I was trying to fit in, be normal, wear pants again and talk to boys,” she said.

Her time there also affected her Catholic faith.

“I think that I associate being Catholic with my experience at that school, so I don’t really practice that faith anymore,” she said.

McCool said that a lot of her experience is behind her, but she did go through years of therapy to overcome it.

Despite the school, McCool said she loved Rhode Island, especially Point Judith and Narragansett.

“Maybe one day I’ll be able to make it back and separate it from my memories of that school.”

Like McCool, Sheila Connolly did not graduate from the Immaculate Conception Academy. But instead of leaving voluntarily, she was told, “God wants you to go home.”

During her time at the school, Connolly, who now lives in Virginia, suffered physically. She describes periods of intense headaches, developed a hacking cough and would often find herself short of breath. She said the school's leaders though she was faking it to avoid participating in physical activities.

When Connolly returned home, she continued to be involved in the Regnum Christi, a lay ecclesial movement associated with the Legion of Christ, as she battled depression and struggled to fit in. She went to college and met her now husband. However, her faith in the Regnum Christi movement was rocked when its founder Father Marcial Maciel was disciplined by the Vatican in 2006 amid accusations of drug abuse and sexual abuse. Maciel died in 2008. In 2010 Maciel was formally denounced by the Vatican following an investigation into Maciel's alleged double life, which included fathering a child.

Perhaps given the scandals pertaining to the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi, the Immaculate Conception Academy's enrollment has dwindled in recent years. Only 14 seniors graduated from the school last month. This has prompted the school to merge with another Legion-run program in Michigan. Students from the Immaculate Conception Academy will attend Everest Collegiate Academy in Clarkston, Mich., and participate in extracurricular activities through the school. They will live at a nearby retreat facility in Oxford, Mich.

"While addressing practical and current economic realities, we believe that the relocation from Wakefield to Michigan will allow us to continue to provide our consistent and character-maturing program of formation and discernment," wrote Caroline Wilders, former director of the Immaculate Conception Academy in an April 2012 letter to parents of the school's students.

In response to the letter sent by former students to the Vatican, Monica Trevino, assistant territorial director of the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi, sent a letter to the consecrated women of Regnum Christi.

Trevino wrote, “Their concerns range in a broad spectrum and some of them are very valid: the effects of the life of the founder in the institution, the lack of freedom of conscience in choosing their own spiritual guides, the fact that they experienced a need of involving parents more in their discernment process, not having more experienced formators with the girls, lack of freedom regarding correspondence sent to them, etc.”

The letter continues, “As you well know, we are looking at all of these problems or misapplications in our pedagogy and have already made many changes in this regard following the guidance and indications of the Church.”

Trevino added that the program plans to change with the addition of more family communication for the students and the opportunity to experience the realities of the world by attending an outside school.

“Personally, I am saddened to think that some of the former precandidates were hurt and I would love for us to be able to reach out to them, and for them to have peace that some of these changes are in fact are being made,” Trevino wrote in the letter.

Margarita Martinez, current director of the Immaculate Conception Academy also provided a response to the alleged trauma detailed in the letter.

"We acknowledge that these women were hurt, and a number are angry about what they experienced," Martinez wrote in an e-mail.

She added that school officials are reviewing the rules of the program, including "what was tainted by the faults of our founder," referring to Father Maciel.

She provided examples of changes to the program, one being its move to Michigan, which she said will allow many of the girls, who primarily come from the Midwest, to be closer to their families. She also said they have extended the time of discernment, to allow for girls to seriously contemplate if the "call" to consecrated life is "authentic."

"While many have suffered, it is also true that not everyone has had the same reaction, or experienced the same level of negativity to his or her time in Regnum Christi," Martinez said. "We are listening to everyone's views, including those from the consecrated women still with us."