We present some activities carried out during the summer by some Legionaries of Christ who work apostolically at the Logos Priestly Center, a program at the service of bishops that aims to foster priestly communion and contribute to the ongoing formation of priests through the charism of Regnum Christi.
IX Family Pastoral Course
The Logos Priestly Center, together with the Pontifical Theological Institute John Paul II for Marriage and Family Sciences, organized, from July 16 to 20, the IX Family Pastoral Course at Anáhuac Mexico University, North Campus. The course, which was attended by 39 people (19 diocesan priests, 3 consecrated persons, 1 consecrated man, and 16 laypeople), was titled “Education and accompaniment for love” and addressed anthropological, psychological, pedagogical, philosophical, moral, theological, and spiritual topics. It also highlighted the need to “educate for love” and discussed various types and levels of accompaniment, from simple advice to spiritual direction.
“Also addressed was the topic of coaching, which in many cases contains a limited anthropological view that can lead a person toward selfish narcissism and a supposed autonomy that is very harmful, contrary to love,” commented Fr. Alfonso López, LC, director of the Logos Priestly Center.
Bioethics Course in Guatemala
From July 9 to 13, 45 priests from the Diocese of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, attended a bioethics course led by Fr. Roberto González, LC, who, during his visit to Guatemala, also met with Dr. Estuardo Carrera Brolo, a representative of Christian personalist bioethics in the country, to discuss bioethical issues. A few days later, this interview aired on a radio program.
Spiritual Exercises
Fr. Antonio Rivero, LC, preached two sessions of spiritual exercises to diocesan priests in Central America from July 16 to 27. The first was held in San José, Costa Rica, with 15 priests attending along with their bishop, Mons. José Rafael Quirós. The second involved 39 priests from the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu, Guatemala. Bishop Pablo Vizcaíno of that diocese was also present.
The theme was Christ the Priest, model of prayer, obedience, chastity, poverty, humility, pastoral zeal, sacrifice, and victory over temptations. The topics of munus docendi, sanctificandi et regendi were also addressed in the meditations, following the scheme: biblical-spiritual dimension, human, pastoral.
From June 18 to 23, Fr. Alfonso López Muñoz, LC, director of the Logos Priestly Center, led a session of spiritual exercises for 10 seminarians from the Introductory Course of the Diocese of Atlacomulco, in the State of Mexico. “The seminarians experienced the spiritual exercises with great effort and fidelity, and although they had never done Ignatian silent exercises before, they bore much fruit in their journey of conversion and love for Christ,” said Fr. Alfonso Muñoz, LC.
In June, Fr. Javier García, LC, led a five-day spiritual exercises session at the Juyu Carmelite retreat center, located in San Andrés Semetabaj, Guatemala. Twenty-seven priests attended, and they were joined for one day by Mons. Víctor Hugo Palma, bishop of the Diocese of Escuintla.
