This Holy Week, the missionaries of the Missionary Youth and Family celebrated 30 years of work in medical missions, construction of houses, visits to prisons and evangelization activities. With the Mass of Resurrection celebrated at the Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte, thousands of young people and families attended, Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi and 60 priests legionaries of Christ, concluded this edition of the Holy Week evangelization missions.
Brenda Treviño, director of Mission Youth said in this regard: “We are proud that this work, born in Mexico, now reaches 24 countries. We reach 7 million homes with young people and families who take advantage of their days off to help in vulnerable areas, prisons and hospitals. Thank you missionaries for being part of this great story! God will bless and make fruitful your work in prisons and populations”.
Maricarmen Rodriguez, a Regnum Christi Consecrated Sister, one of the founders of this work, said that since 1994, the year that St. John Paul II dedicated to the family and promoted a new evangelization, a group of Mexican families decided to respond to that call by going on mission during their Holy Week and Christmas vacations in vulnerable areas, bringing and receiving love and hope.
Fr. Alberto Simán, territorial director of the Legionaries of Christ for Mexico and Central America, presided at the closing Mass. In his homily he told the missionaries: “God asks you to be the hands of Christ, hands free of ties that carry love, service and hope. Ask in this Mass that God may keep your heart in the light and never in darkness so that you may be missionaries every day, all your life”.
At the offertory, consecrated Maricarmen Rodriguez, Alejandro Pinelo and the Laguardia family presented the book “Thousands of stories, one mission”, with surprising anecdotes of these 30 years of missions. One of the founders of the apostolate is Father Fernando Fabó, LC, who is on mission in Costa Rica and was a consecrated member of Regnum Christi when he animated and organized the first Megamissions.
At the end of the mass, Father Simán thanked the people who in these 30 years have organized the missions, donating time, resources and work. He thanked the bishops and priests who have supported and received the missionaries. Finally he expressed his gratitude to the Consecrated Women, Consecrated Men and Legionaries of Christ who throughout the year accompany young people and families in Mexico and the world in the missions.
At this mass 60 young people decided to give a year of their lives as Regnum Christi collaborators in the service of the Church.
The Mass of “sending forth”
In the National Basilica of St. Mary of Guadalupe, the Mass of sending forth and for the 30th anniversary of the Missionary Youth and Family was celebrated. In a ceremony presided by Bishop Héctor Mario Pérez Villareal, Auxiliary Bishop of Mexico and concelebrated by Legion of Christ priests, the missionaries were sent forth.
In his homily, Bishop Hector Mario addressed the missionaries saying: “Celebrating 30 years is not only the time that has passed, we celebrate all the graces received in these years; how many stories of love have been built in these years”, he added: “Remember that being a missionary is not for eight days a year, being a missionary is forever. Learn to live your mission with joy, with generosity and with your eyes very attentive to the action of the Holy Spirit to listen to Him when He speaks to you in silence, in the mission, in the contemplative life or in action. Do not keep to schedules, keep to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Live your life with a heart open to the adventure of God.
Rogelio Cabrera, president of the Mexican Episcopal Conference, sent a fraternal greeting on social networks to all Regnum Christi missionaries: “Live this experience with joy, there is no greater joy than to serve, there is no greater joy than to communicate the Gospel. May the mission be for you an experience of God's love, but also an ecclesial experience. May joy and good humor always shine forth”.
Prison missions
Juan Pablo, Santi and Leo are three university students from Anahuac Cancun and graduates of Cumbres International School Cancun, Sarai is a communications graduate from UNID, Laura graduated from high school at Colegio Salesiano de Barrientos, and Rafa and Ale study at the Universidad Panamericana de Bosque Real. Arturo Guerra LC this Holy Week, from April 2 to 8, they visited people deprived of their freedom in the Central Jail of Belize from April 2 to 6 and in the Social Readaptation Center of Chetumal from April 6 to 8.
The young missionaries were able to share their faith and their time in the Central Prison of Belize, where they worked with the incarcerated adolescents and gave workshops in English on technical drawing, small business creation, loneliness management, Spanish classes, how to deal with harmful dependencies, talks on forgiveness and faith. Each day they also participated together in the Eucharistic celebration, played soccer and basketball, and had lunch together in the middle of the day. They were also able to visit for two hours on Wednesday morning the group of women deprived of their freedom in the same penitentiary center.
In the CERESO of Chetumal, the missionaries, accompanied also by Sister Teresita, from the Catholic Prison Pastoral of Chetumal, visited both men and women at different times. With the men they were able to experience together the religious services of Holy Week, they walked together a Via Crucis around the perimeter circuit of the CERESO, they played sports and gave workshops on singing, business creation, shared testimonies and had lunch together. With the ladies, they had interactive dialogue dynamics, shared food, had a moment of prayer and gave workshops on English, how to work in a movie theater and how to manage anxiety.
At the end of each of the stages, both the adolescents from Belize and the ladies and gentlemen from Chetumal received a diploma from the missionaries. In turn, some of the incarcerated persons took the floor to thank the missionaries for their presence.
